Style lessons: Mother Knows Best by Bianca Gouveia

“Coming from a traditional Catholic Portuguese family, you would think my mother would tell me to wear more conservative clothing but instead, she told
me to show off my beautiful skin and body.”
As a child, my mother never really told me what to wear but rather led by example. She had always taught me her secret fashion tips to always look good no matter the occasion, but the biggest fashion lesson I learnt from her was balance. From a young age, I still hear my mother’s voice in my head saying “balance, balance, balance” when choosing an outfit to wear.
When speaking about balance, my mother would always teach me to never wear short on short which means that if I wear a short crop top, I should rather pair it with a longer skirt or pants, or if I decide to wear a long sleeve covered up top or blazer jacket, I should then pair it with short pants or a short skirt. By doing those, it creates a sense of balance in the overall outfit.
Coming from a traditional Catholic Portuguese family, you would think my mother would tell me to wear more conservative clothing but instead, she told me to show off my beautiful skin and body by doing it in a way that does not come across as too revealing. To this day when I go out on a little shopping spree or search through my messy wardrobe when deciding what to wear, I always make sure that if I wear a cute crop top, I will pair it with longer bottoms. (Maybe show a little bit of leg- don’t tell my mom.)
Overall balance is key, and you have the right to wear whatever you want, but as much as I hate to admit it, mother knows best!