As the old saying goes, “sharing is caring,” although not always when it comes to clothing.
Rare are mothers and daughters who haven’t argued over why their favorite item of clothing seems to have taken up residence, uninvited, in each other’s closets.
While most moms may have nothing more compelling to interest their kids than a vintage t-shirt from the dawn of time (anything pre-2005), if you’re an A-star, what’s at stake is something older. When her career has given her a wardrobe that would rival Selfridges, you can hardly blame her daughter for wanting to keep the loot.
Carys Douglas celebrated her 21st birthday in an Emanuel Ungaro slip dress that was first worn by her mother, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, at the 1999 MTV Awards.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! While Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter wears the same daring dress
There’s something particularly poignant about mothers and daughters sharing long-treasured clothes, as Courteney Cox and Coco demonstrate.
That’s probably why the latest trend in Hollywood style is not Bardot bangs or crochet, but wearing your mother’s old dress.
Obviously, “old” in Hollywood terms means “vintage, designer, and in perfect condition,” as opposed to “bought at Etam in the 1980s and infested with moths.” Think classic and modern pieces that have stood the test of time and look as good now as when they were first worn. Which is what happens when you can afford a state-of-the-art temperature-controlled storage system.
When it came time to attend the Oscars in 2023, then-15-year-old Valentina Paloma Pinault did so in a strapless red Isaac Mizrahi dress originally worn by her mother.
The latest celebrity offspring to raid her mother’s closet is Carys Douglas, who celebrated her 21st birthday in an Emanuel Ungaro slip dress first worn by her mother, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, to the MTV Awards in 1999. In this season’s hottest color: pale pink and embroidered with sequins, it was a wise choice, and Carys looked beautiful.
When your mother is Angelina Jolie, a regular on the Oscars red carpet, it might be considered daunting to borrow a dress she no doubt wore to great success and fanfare the first time around. Luckily, this didn’t stop Zahara Jolie-Pitt from borrowing the dazzling gold sequin Elie Saab dress that her mother last wore at the 2014 Oscars.
Zahara Jolie-Pitt borrowed a dazzling gold sequin Elie Saab dress that her mother last saw at the 2014 Oscars
“Old” in Hollywood terms means “vintage, designer and in pristine condition,” as Grier demonstrates in her mother Brook Shields’ brilliant number.
When it came time to attend the Oscars in 2023, then-15-year-old Valentina Paloma Pinault did so in a strapless red Isaac Mizrahi dress that was originally worn by her mother, Salma Hayek, to a less prestigious event.
In addition to being a ringing endorsement of sustainability, there’s something particularly poignant about mothers and daughters sharing long-cherished clothing. When my then 13-year-old daughter showed up at the table in a dress she hadn’t worn (or seen) since my high school senior prom, I felt like she fell down a rabbit hole. The dress was quite monstrous (I had designed it myself), but she made it look beautiful.
No doubt Hollywood celebrities feel the same glow of pride when they see their favorite dresses come to life once again.