Editor’s note: This was the very first blog post I ever wrote when I launched Stylaphile. My mom passed away in October of 2016. This post will always remain as a tribute to the woman who not only influenced my style, but also taught me to be an independent strong woman and to pursue my dreams with passion.
This photo of my Mom was taken in the 1950s when people actually dressed up to go to church. Wasn’t she a looker? Check out the fantastic A-line number and how it accentuates her tiny waist. I would never be tiny enough to wear that dress, but damn I wish she had kept that straw handle bag and passed it down to me!
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to clean out and organize my Mom’s closet. I especially loved to organize her shoes and bags. Mom was quite the collector when it came to beautiful shoes. So I guess my obsession with shoes was somehow coded into my DNA. My seemingly meaningless childhood activity of playing in my Mom’s closet led to this, my modern day “shoe closet.”
Yes, I know it’s extravagant. To take an entire guest room and convert it into a showcase for your obsession. But hey, I don’t have kids (not the human kind anyway) and could care less about expensive “toys.” (I still drive a 1993 Geo Tracker.) This is where I like to spend my disposable income. To quote Carrie Bradshaw, “I like my money where I can see it. Hanging in my closet.”
Last year when I was home visiting my Mom, I organized her closet again. She doesn’t have nearly as many shoes as she used to, and she prefers flats to heels now, but it was such a wonderful experience to be able to spend that time with her doing what we loved to do when I was a child. So, thanks Mom, for letting me play in your closet all those years ago. I’m still playing in mine.
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