Spring 2010

Whether they look to each other for inspiration, guidance, or what not to wear, mothers and daughters often have a dramatic fashion relationship. My own mother has been an inspiration this spring as I have dug out from the attic many of her 90’s floral floor-length dresses and sheer oversized blouses. What follows are some famous mother-daughter pairs who have impeccable style, whether they are doing their own thing or inspiring each other in similar ways. All of these women maintain a deep sense of self in their personal style. While the heritage and mutual influence is often evident, these mothers and daughters individually use fashion as a way to express themselves, and they do it confidently and completely.

Patti Hansen and Theodora and Alexandra Richards

Patti Hansen and Theodora and Alexandra Richards

With their blonde hair and gorgeous smiles, Theodora and Alexandra Richards inherited their supermodel looks from their mother, even if their rock n’ roll style may be a deeper nod to their father, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. All three women set off their classic all-American looks in varying degrees of cleaned-up boho nonchalance and hard-edged glamour, always with a heavy dose of sex appeal.

Danielle Steele and Victoria and Vanessa Traina

Danielle Steele and Victoria and Vanessa Traina

Always on the cutting edge and sitting front row at the biggest shows including Chanel, Givenchy, and Balenciaga, sisters Victoria and Vanessa Traina have learned from the best. Novelist, couture coveter, and frequenter of many best-dressed lists, Danielle Steele has passed on her passion for excessive (Steele supposedly owns 6000 pairs of Louboutin shoes) and fabulous fashion to her daring but always-on-point daughters. In designs fresh off the runway and toting the hottest handbags, Victoria and Vanessa shift effortlessly from prim in Chanel to global in Marni to sleek in Proenza Schouler. Rumor has it the Traina sisters are fans of consignment. In 2004, Victoria told The San Francisco Chronicle, “We put the couture clothes in storage and give the ready-to-wear to consignment shops.”

Jane Birkin and Lou Doillon and Charlotte Gainsesbourg

Jane Birkin and Lou Doillon and Charlotte Gainsesbourg

As the namesake and inspiration for one of the most coveted and luxurious handbags of all time, Jane Birkin is to Hermes what Charlotte Gainsbourg has become to Nicholas Ghesquiere and Lou Doillon is to Givenchy. Endlessly inspiring, Birkin and her daughters play a natural muse to the most discerning tastemakers. With their luscious, swinging locks, charmingly imperfect smiles, and legs that go on forever, all three women are lusty, musky, and wise. Their demure, free-wheeling, and undeniably French knack for wearing (or not wearing) the most captivating clothes sees Birkin most comfortable in neutrals and warm golden tones while Gainsbourg manages to look willowy and demure in even the most structured, stacked, or avant-garde of Ghesquiere’s creations for Balenciaga. Doillon, often the wildcard, creates perfectly thrown-together ensembles that teeter from urban cowboy to 1960’s French schoolgirl to vampy high-school drop-out.

Angela and Margherita Missoni

While it may be preordained that the heiress of Missoni would have great style, as granddaughter to founders Rosita andOttavio, Margherita gets props for the graceful way she straddles the line between socialite and brand ambassador. Margherita is fiercely loyal to the brand and is hardly ever photographed in anything other than Missoni. While Angela has designed both the men’s and women’s collection since 1997 and maintains the labels sexy take on functional knitwear, Margherita’s Missoni is modern, bohemian and fresh. Her sunglass and jewelry creations for Fall/Winter 2010 maintained the house’s trademark sense of form while introducing futuristic and world-influenced shapes and patterns.

Jerry Hall and Lizzie and Georgia Jagger

Something about the combination of supermodel mom and rock-star dad creates a sort of rough-hewn glamour in the fearlessly fashionable female offspring.  Another set of daughters from the Rolling Stones pedigree, Lizzie and Georgia Jagger represent two sides of mom Jerry Hall’s signature look. Lizzie is statuesque, commanding, and reminiscent of Old Hollywood in everything from catsuits and rock tees to satin gowns and vintage dresses. And while Georgia may have inherited those snarly lips and charmingly oversized teeth from Dad, that big, blonde hair and her affinity for miniskirts, red lipstick, and leather is all Mom.

~Jessica P, FashioniSTA, Second Time Around