Family Resemblance

She was my first style icon. I used to beg her to let me take a picture with her one foot out the door, on the rare occasions when she went out for the night. She was 90's glamour. I wanted a jaw just like hers when I grew up.

Her eyes change colour when she's livid.
She taught me to love ferociously. Unconditionally.

I am so lucky; this is my mom Billye Kay.

Elizabeth Suzann Cold Weather Collection
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Slow Fashion Elizabeth Suzann Styling
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The longer I hold space, and dig into the messaging surrounding about ethical fashion, I find myself increasingly fascinated with the way we talk about purchases - clothing to last. If we are going to balance lifetime investment garments with up front cost and time loved, then I think we are going to need to start seeing what that looks like. If the quality and price point is as such, I want to see a piece span three decades without hesitation. I couldn't imagine a better fit for this challenge than Elizabeth Suzann.  This is what intergenerational style looks like. Proof positive that these pieces will stand the test of time and age as our style evolves throughout our lifetime. If a garment is merely a canvas, I am drawn to the styling and perspective that each chapter of our lives brings to our style identity. A case study in cost per wear - if this jacket is $785 USD, and I wear it 3 times a week for 6 months of the year for 1 year the cost per wear is $10.90 USD. If I wear it for 5 years it's $2.18 USD. But what about ten years? Twenty? If resource investment of clothing is so high, before our own personal investment, how are we considering pieces that will span our own lives? Is there a reason we often cap clothing usefulness at a decade? Are we afraid of the rules of aging, that the way I look at 30, surely must change before I’m 40? Or are we just conditioned to see, and therefore buy clothing that is modelled and depicted on folks in our own age brackets?

It is a question my mom has posed, asking why there is such a steep drop off of age representation - in fact it’s the other reason she stepped in front of the camera with me, despite years of bright flashes from her childhood making her slip out of family photos (and even more truthfully, my Dad never offering to take them). It’s why I wanted to create this lookbook. To show how well made pieces look well made on everyone. There is no age or size that we should so quickly associate with ethical fashion. It should be the norm.

When we pick up a piece of clothing, mentally imaging how it would fit into our lives, are we considering the leaps of our lifestyles? Will this serve me if I have children? When they grow and move out? When I am retired? Will this be worthy of passing down the way my grandmother gave me her old dresses? The imagination required, the potential of it all. That’s what we need to be envisioning.

This is her take, this is my take on how to style staple pieces. Same, same, but different.

Both undeniably beautiful.

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