My mom looking fierce in her late twenties.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! People are always telling me that I look like my mom. You have your mother’s nose, they tell me. Your mother’s smile, your mother’s laugh. But I know that what my mom gave me goes far beyond a tiny waist and an affinity for designer shoes. My mom gave me a friend.  A friend to scour thrift stores with, to get manicures with,  and to ogle overpriced handbags with. Hers was a friendship that was constant, and one that I could never live without. My mom also gave me something to look up to, a style icon to channel while I was finding my own sense of fashion.

Ever since I was little I’ve loved my mom’s style. I remember trying on her shoes and her lipstick when I was younger, and basking in the scent of the Chanel No. 5 she wore when she was going out to dinner. The picture above is one of my absolute favorites of her, not just because she looks incredible but because I see so much of myself in that photograph. I always say that I’m trying hard to be stylish in the wilderness of Derry, New Hampshire, and there she is all dressed to perfection in the woods. She might tell you now that she can’t live up to my style, but I know that’s not true. If it weren’t for her allowing me to have glitter princess heels as soon as I could walk, or letting me paint my nails every shade of red in the book, I would never love fashion the way that I do now. I can only hope that one day I’ll be able to inspire someone just as much as she has inspired me.

I love you, Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!