Fashionista True-Life
I had one very stylish mum...
Helen Smith, 66, from Howden
Sitting on the floor with a mountain of clothes in front of me, I felt a wave of nostalgia. Slim fit dresses, leather hot pants, boots... They all belonged to my mum Audrey. She’d passed away in May 2020 aged 90, after battling dementia. But I couldn’t bring myself to part with her clothes.
My iconic mum!
‘You never throw anything away,’ I’d always teased, as her wardrobes burst at the seams.
But now I couldn’t, either. Mum’s style was iconic, and making my way through piles of clothing from over the decades, an idea came to me.
Why not show them off? So, I decided to organise a charity fashion show.
After all, Mum’s quirky style choices weren’t just garments – they were vintage fashion pieces!
Spending her last five years in a care home, the staff loved helping her get dressed as she had so many beautiful clothes – and even into her later years as dementia took over, she still wanted to look nice.
She had amazing taste – many of her clothes were designer buys from the ‘60s and ‘70s, and now highly sought after.
Mum had worn them, and now I was, too.
Going through the piles and piles of dresses, trouser suits, coats, bags and shoes, I felt like Mum was still with me. They were part of her identity, and every item had a story.
From meeting an American GI and Saturday night dancing dates, to a cream fabric with orange flowers that she made into a dress for a blind date with my dad Ronald.
On nights out, Mum always had two outfits planned – one she wore, and one she kept in the boot of the car, in case she showed up and someone else was wearing the same thing.
‘I wish my mum looked like yours, Helen,’ friends always said when I was growing up.
I still wear Mum’s clothes now, and it helps me to feel connected to her – I’ve inherited her style.
She had a collection of around 1,500 items from over the decades. I did have to sell some of her pie
