Growing up, I remember going into my mom’s closet, putting on her heels, and pretending to go to work as a teacher. I would rummage through my Nanny’s closet, asking to put on some of her old dresses and hats. My Poppy would say, “Take that off! You look too grown up!” And she’d always respond, “Oh, Don, let her be! She’s a little girl playing dress-up. It’s all of our dreams.”
My other grandma would take me to jewelry stores to play dress up, teaching me all the ways to wear diamonds and which stones were more priceless and unique.
As I grew up, I started to get my own heels, dresses, hats, and diamonds. Many of these moments still included shopping with my mom and grandmothers. Each of them having their own style gave me the courage to be all of them and yet myself at the same time.
My mom always said, “When you find something you like, buy it in all the colors.”
My favorite color is green because my Nanny loves the color and had so much of it in her closet. My grandma taught me the importance of quality over quantity when it comes to the nicer things in life. Her broach collection was amazing!
Style changes over time and through the decades, but what influences us as a young kid can stick with us longer than a puff-paint sweatshirt (if you don’t know, you’re lucky). We all have an embarrassing style picture out there. A “What was I thinking?” moment in life. But as we look at style through the decades, it always seems to come back around. So, while my husband may hate that I still have clothes from 15 years ago in a storage container taking up room on his side of the closet, it will come back eventually. Then I’ll have the vintage ones that my little girl can play dress up in.
At the end of the day, style is what you make it, from what you wear to what you drive and where you live. It’s all personal and individualized. So make it yours each and every day.
Happy shopping,
Alicia Haygood
Owner/Publisher