If you are at all into fashion, you are familiar with the phrase “Shop your closet”. If you have a teenage daughter who is into fashion and very similar in size, she is also very familiar with this phrase. But she’ll take it to the next level and literally shop YOUR closet and not her own, despite all the new clothes she has just acquired after talking about how much she wants and needs them.
I suppose in a way it can be a bit flattering to have your daughter want to wear your clothes. She must think I’m cool or fashionable! And I am becoming a proponent of slow fashion, rather than fast, as it’s better on the environment and numerous other reasons. But it can also become a little irritating when you’re looking for those jeans you just bought and see them on your daughter who already owns half a dozen pairs of her own.
“Whitney, didn’t you say that you DIDN’T like high waisted jeans anymore? Not to mention that I asked you not to wear my jeans?”
“Well, yeah, but all my other jeans don’t go up high enough.”
Right. Crop tops and mid-rise jeans are not ideal for everyday wear at school.
In her defence, she has said that I can borrow her clothes if I want. However, I prefer to not let my belly button see the light of day nor do I want my pants cleaning the floor like a mop. I also don’t want to wear things that have been intentionally ripped or cut, although I will wear things with holes because that’s what frugal mamas do.
It’s Karma, I guess, as I once used to raid my mom’s (and dad’s) closets.
So, what clothes has she borrowed or does she currently borrow from my closet? Am I indeed fashionable and hip?
WHAT'S IN MY CLOSET?
1. Red Converse Chuck Taylors All-Star High Tops
These are classic! I owned a pair of black low tops in my twenties to my thirties and wore them to the ground. A few birthdays ago my sister gifted me some birthday money so I bought this pair that I had been pining over. So classic that they find their way onto Whitney’s feet from time to time.
2. Black Turtleneck
When we were still living in Toronto and Whitney had just begun shopping my closet, she would pick out another classic – the black turtleneck.
Very Audrey Hepburn. So, chic. Fashionable!
3. High waisted Wide Leg Jeans
The afore-mentioned high waisted wide leg jeans – a style I was introduced to and grew to like because of Whitney – and which I found neatly tucked into HER pile of jeans this morning. My own dresser drawer is chock full of skinny low to mid-rise options, save for a few wider leg pairs. I have not yet bought one of these controversial styles but I still may give them a try. Whit tells me that they tend to look good on women with wider shoulders, so if I get a pair, they probably wouldn’t work for her.
4. Joggers/Sweatpants
Who would have thought that wearing sweats on a daily basis would ever be considered cool? These were my mom’s go-to bottoms when she became a stay-at home parent. It’s my daily uniform maybe 3 days of the week.
I currently own three pairs, two that are recent purchases because my sole pair would often be found on my daughter. She has already helped herself to one of the new pairs and would have worn the third one if I had not explicitly told her “no”.
5. Black Leggings
On a few occasions, I would be in the midst of going to grab my black leggings only to find that there were none in my dresser. It was then that I had to squeeze into Whitney’s leggings for the day. For the time being, she has not really been into any outfits that require leggings and she now has several more pairs of her own.
6. Black platform slip ons
Think Chelsea boots with a thicker platform heel and squarer toe. Smart, stylish, easy to slip on and off. Easy to steal. These I will attest to saying that she could borrow, so no crime done there.
7. Oversized Vintage Sweatshirts (Roots, Club Monaco, Beaver Canoe)
Ah, the oversized sweatshirt! I wore the Beaver Canoe one (pictured above and below) when I was about Whitney’s age, so it is over thirty years old. It was stain and hole free when I wore it. Not too many times after she’d worn it, she came home with it paint stained. It now also has several holes around the cuffs. Well loved and worn, I guess. This one no longer qualifies as oversized enough, so I think it’s safe for now. Blythe may want to claim it soon though it’s not pink or stretchy enough for her.
Whitney has also been known to raid her dad’s closet despite his minimal collection these days. Not unlike myself when I was around her age, she went through a brief phase of wearing men’s ties and button down shirts. My dad did not have skinny ties like the ones Matt thrifted in the late 90’s though. In the 80’s it was all about the wide ties with cool patterns, inspired by this classic movie.
Now, Whit is more into casual oversized hoodies and long sleeve tees, the former of which she has several of her own.
She has also learned to shop her grandparents’ closets. Specifically her grandfather’s.
So I guess the lesson here is when she tires of shopping OUR closets, she’ll dig a little deeper and discover even cooler vintage clothing! AND I get payback by posting about it here, though I’ve agreed to not show her face.
Well, I was thrilled when when she wore the wedgie shoes I gave her! And I have some really old clothes , like 60 years old for her….
..lol…….
Yes, it’s nice when kids are willing to wear hand me downs, but not fun when they wear your “now” clothes 😉