Words by Sophie Revell.

Perks of living in a basically all woman house are few and far between. We have three sets of hormones; three sets of strong opinions; and sharing one bathroom with three appearance-conscious, bossy girls must be a trial for my dad who gets ready to leave the house in approximately seven minutes. One upside of these tribulations (at least for myself) is the freedom to pick and choose from three wardrobes on a daily basis.

I canÔÇÖt remember how old I was when the thought of borrowing clothes from my mum didnÔÇÖt make me completely recoil in terror anymore. DonÔÇÖt get me wrong, there definitely was a time where I thought that being seen in my mumÔÇÖs clothes was a fate worse than death. But once I worked out I could have twice the amount of everything – dresses, tops, shoes – at free cost, those days of repulsion were very quickly put behind me. As well, my mum was flattered at the thought of her young daughter, so concerned about being seen as attractive and well-dressed, wanted to wear her clothes. 

This became particularly noticeable when I started an internship in an office this summer. The thought of buying a whole new wardrobe of sleek shirts and tailored trousers encouraged me even more to apply. I fantasised about being the stylish Marketing Intern clip clopping around in the pair of patent brogues I planned to treat myself to if I was offered the job. The reality soon set in that not only was this not economical given my measly student budget, it wouldnÔÇÖt be sustainable either as I could only afford to shop from fast fashion brands.

I was elated when mum offered me access to her coveted collection of work dresses.

With my mumÔÇÖs reputation in our local community for being the most glamorous Personal Assistant, and her many, many dresses handpicked from boutiques and second-hand shops – I was guaranteed to save money, and the planet, and (most importantly) still look great around the office. Now, more than ever, I feel like IÔÇÖm growing to look like mum. Every now and then, especially when I wear one particular navy shift dress with pink and pale blue spots on, I check my reflection in shop windows and think I see her staring back at me.

Sentiment aside, IÔÇÖm also not the most organised, but I rarely have to roll out of bed and worry about what IÔÇÖm wearing in the morning – mumÔÇÖs there with a hanger in her hand and a smug expression of ÔÇÿwhat would you do without me?ÔÇÖ