My Mother's Best Advice: Wear Bold, Bright Colours for Joy and Self-Expression
I used to hide away in all-black sport-core attire, but now I embrace space-age silver dresses and a large-collared, lemony faux-fur coat, thanks to my mother's enduring wisdom. Her advice to wear an array of colours wasn't just about fashion; it was a profound lesson in self-expression and emotional well-being.
Adolescent Resistance and Maternal Guidance
Adolescence wasn't the ideal time to receive my mother's colourful counsel. As a sulky teenager hoping to disappear in baggy, all-black outfits, I cringed when she pushed big, loud colours on me during shopping trips. She spoke in what I dismissed as mumbo jumbo about mood-lifting lilacs, energising reds, and skin-warming oranges, insisting that colours could convey one's mood to the world and nourish the soul.
My mother practised what she preached, donning a favourite parrot-green leather coat, a ridiculously frilly orange and black dressing gown, and great big printed dresses that evoked Hockney's kaftan-clad women from his swimming pool paintings. I once thought her tropical-print trousers made her look like a walking fruit bowl, worrying about others' opinions. Now, I realise that wasn't the point at all.
Embracing Colour from the Inside Out
Her advice isn't about fashion or making an impression on others; it's about dressing from the inside. It took me years to lean into this power. I recall waking up in my early twenties, looking at my wardrobe, and asking: "What colour do I feel like wearing today?" This simple question fosters daily self-awareness, prompting reflections like "What mood am I in?" or "Do I want to be seen or hide?" Starting the day in the right colour reconnects me to myself.
The "bright" aspect of her advice also emphasises confidence in being seen. When my older sister died suddenly in 2016, I inherited items from her wardrobe, revealing how she had embraced colour as bold, flamboyant self-expression. Initially, I felt afraid of her traffic-light patent shoes, strings of pink and purple fake pearls, a gold and diamante cat-eared headband, and electric-blue lace gloves. As an artist, her gear seemed an extension of her creative self. Wearing them made me feel as if I was shouting, "Look, it's me, me, meeee!" but now I understand that was precisely the intent.
The Joy of Vibrant Wardrobes
Over the years, my wardrobe has become more colourful, and my mother was right: it brings immense joy. Wearing pink shoes with a gold shimmer, an A-line space-age silver dress so shiny it might be visible from the moon, or my sister's large-collared, lemony faux-fur coat fills me with happiness. Shiny, metallic colours and any shade of glitter have become staples in my life. Meanwhile, my mum's old frilly orange dressing gown is now mine, and I plan to repurpose it as a springtime coat soon.
This journey from resistance to embrace highlights how colour can transform not just our appearance but our inner world, proving that sometimes, the best advice comes from those who live their truths boldly.
