Parental Guidance for the Fashion Minded                                                            Back to columns list

Wherever you took your parents to shop for you, you forgot one little thing. Parental guidance. Yes, now that you are not at home to guide them, Mom and Dad are slipping. Don't deny it. I saw it first hand this past weekend! Tapered leg jeans, pants pulled up to arm pits and.....shoulder pads! It is your job to help them stay hip. Here's how:

General rule of thumb: If a piece of clothing your parent wears was cool when you were in junior high, get rid of it. If it's a hand-me-down from you, get rid of it.

Let's start with Mom. Women's styles change dramatically, so she probably needs the most help staying current. The idea is to keep her stylish, but not trendy. This means bringing her into the new millennium with some basics, but keeping the mini skirts for yourself.

Pants are really where the major Mom fashion faux pas occurs. Getting Mom out of her comfy tapered leg/pleated/high waist pants and jeans is going to be difficult. You may have to use tough love. Get her to try on some fabulous wide leg trousers or boot cut jeans and point out the slimming effect. Also, show her that she does indeed have a waist. Pants that have a lower waistline elongate the body, plus, they create a nice little derriere in back, unlike their high waist cousin.

Speaking of pants, white jeans may be the trickiest of all items to argue unstylish. As any fashionista is well aware, white jeans for the super trendy are cute if they are boot cut or Capri and are worn by 14-25-year-old girls. Anyone else looks ridiculous. In a world of casual Fridays, Mom tends to think wearing a pressed pair of white jeans is the same as dressing up. Gently tell her trousers or a skirt is dressing up as your pry the crisp jeans from her hands.

Now that you've worked over Mom's pant selection, it's time to remake her top half. I saw a lot of shoulder pads, boxy sweaters with animal prints and yes, blazers with shoulder pads a la The Love Boat. The best remedy for the boxy 80's power mom look is to get her to wear fitted button down shirts. A second look for a more fashion-advanced mom is to wear tops and jackets with rouching. Rouching is when a top is gathered at the side seams so that fabric bunches up on purpose, hiding bellies and the like.

One thing that does nothing for Mom's real or imagined belly (Mom always thinks she's gained weight) is a fanny pack. Carrying a round pack on the belly is completely counterintuitive to looking slim. Besides, where did the idea come from that fanny packs are more convenient than a stylish purse or satchel? Get Mom to use a fabulous leather handbag of any size. A great handbag will start any outfit off in the right direction.

Okay, Dad is getting off light this time. All I have to say is, no more pleated pants, no more chic jeans (they're for women, hello) and no more slick loafers with metal adornments.