My Mother's Best Advice: Wear Bold, Bright Colors to Express Yourself
I used to hide away in all-black sport-core clothing, hoping to disappear into the background during my teenage years. My mother, however, had different ideas. She consistently advised me to wear an array of bold, bright colors, arguing that it was a powerful way to express how you feel on any given day and convey that mood to the world. At the time, I thought this was terrible advice for a sulky teenager.
The Initial Resistance to Colorful Fashion
During shopping trips, my mother would push big, loud colors on me, talking about mood-lifting lilacs, energizing reds, and skin-warming oranges. I cringed at what I perceived as mumbo jumbo. She practiced what she preached, wearing a favorite parrot-green leather coat, a ridiculously frilly orange and black dressing gown, and great big printed dresses that made her look like one of Hockney's kaftan-clad women from his swimming pool paintings. There was also a pair of tropical-print trousers that I thought made her look like a walking fruit bowl.
My concern was always about what other people would say. It took me years to realize that wasn't the point at all. Her advice wasn't about fashion or looking good for others; it was about dressing from the inside, using color as a tool for self-awareness and personal expression.
Embracing Color as Self-Expression
I'm not quite sure when I started implementing this advice myself, but I remember waking up one morning in my early twenties, looking at my wardrobe, and thinking: what color do I feel like wearing today? This simple question brings a surprising degree of daily self-awareness. It asks, "What mood am I in?" and "Do I want to be seen or do I want to hide?" Starting the day in the right color sends me back to myself, creating a connection between my inner state and outward appearance.
The Bright Side of Confidence
The "bright" aspect of my mother's advice is also about being confident with being seen. When my older sister died suddenly in 2016, I inherited items from her wardrobe. It was clear from her clothes that she had fully embraced our mother's advice to treat color as a form of bold, flamboyant self-expression. As an artist, her wardrobe included traffic-light patent shoes, strings of pink and purple fake pearls, a gold and diamante cat-eared headband, and electric-blue lace gloves—all extensions of her artistic self.
At first, I felt afraid of her clothes. When I tried them on, I loved the look and feel but also felt as if I was shouting: "Look, it's me, me, meeee!" Now I understand that was precisely the point. Wearing these items wasn't about vanity; it was about claiming space and expressing identity without apology.
The Joy of Colorful Wardrobes
Over the years, my wardrobe has become increasingly colorful, and my mother was right: it brings me immense joy. I now wear pink shoes with a gold shimmer, an A-line space-age silver dress so shiny it can probably be seen from the moon, and my sister's large-collared, lemony faux-fur coat. Shiny, metallic colors and any shade of glitter make me happy. Meanwhile, my mother'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 has taught me that fashion can be more than just clothing; it can be a daily practice of self-discovery and confidence-building. My mother's best advice—to wear bold, bright colors—has transformed from teenage cringe to lifelong wisdom, reminding me that how we dress can reflect and enhance who we are inside.
