You may like or dislike Mother’s Day because of the commerce around it. However, the day is important for Mothers, because they are in the center of the holiday. My mom always wanted “good children” as a Mother’s Day gift. My siblings and I hated that answer, especially, as teenagers. As adults, pleasing her on Mother’s Day became so much easier. Just showing up on the day, keeping our mouths shut (when we disagreed), and being well-dressed made her happy. However, no matter of your role how to dress for Mother’s Day can be challenging. Read what to wear for Mother’s Day to guarantee a pleasant day in every role.
- Being Well-Dressed Means Following Her Fashion Rules
- Best Outfits for Mother’s Day According to Your Role and Plans
- Mother’s Day Outfits Need Jewelry as Finishing Touch
- What Colors to Wear on Mother’s Day?
- Mother’s Day Outfit Ideas
- What Is the Background of Celebrating Mother’s Day?
- Wrapping Up How to Dress for Mother’s Day
Disclosure: Sponsored.
Being Well-Dressed Means Following Her Fashion Rules
Of course, being “well dressed” meant, not to dress against her fashion rules. However, you don’t have to dress old-fashioned. Use the rules she gave you as a teenager and pick your outfit within these lines. In my case, it would mean, for instance,
- “No white dress before Memorial Day”;
- “Only one pattern or print per outfit”;
- “Not to pair pink with red”;
- “No outfit with a green and a blue piece”;
- “Not wear red, white and blue together”;
- “Never wear black and brown together” despite it can look effortlessly stylish.
Tip: Recall your Mom’s fashion rules, and dress accordingly.
Best Outfits for Mother’s Day According to Your Role
On Mother’s Day, women are in the center of the holiday. It can be you, your mother, her mother and her, or your mother-in-law. No matter what, Mother’s Day calls for a girlie to lady-like look. It’s all about dressing up.
What to Wear When It’s Your Own Mother’s Day
When you are in the center of the celebration, you can wear what you want, in principle. You can dress according your own style rules, and create a feminine look. When you love mixing feminine prints or pattern by all means, it’s your day.
However, when you are invited out somewhere, you have to dress up for the occasion as courtesy. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your kids who throw a party in your honor, or your mom, mother-in-law or even your grandmother, who planned the party for all the moms in the family. Therefore, …
Take the Generation in Mind When Dressing for Your Mom’s Mother’s Day
When you are in your 50s or older, your mom is from the WWII or pre-war generation. In this generation, Sunday’s Best is a Must on Mother’s Day. So, dress up. Their idea of dressing up is wearing a dress and pearls. Pants or separates are a No-no. When the celebration is at your mother’s house, a floral dress is a good choice.
Tip: When you (expect to or will) help her in the kitchen, make sure you can wash the dress in case of a spill.
Take the Cultural Heritage in Mind
When you are first generation American, take your Mom’s cultural background in mind when picking your outfit.
A LBD Is a Great Mother’s Day Dinner, Concert Outfit or Matinee
When your Dad or siblings arranged a dinner at a fancy restaurant in town and a concert afterwards, you can’t go wrong with wearing a LBD. Alternatively, a lace overlay dress can fit the bill.
Mother’s Day Outfits Mean Jewelry as Finishing Touch
Because she loved wearing necklaces and studs, you couldn’t go wrong with giving her a new addition to her jewelry box. AC Silver has beautiful vintage necklaces in the style she loved. Garnets and sapphires were her favorite gemstones. Sure, that we wore a necklace with our outfits. We also wore it her approved way. One at a time. Even tough layering necklaces is the modern way to go. Even for vintage pieces.
Tip: When your Mom has a strong style preference, make sure to pick a gift along those lines, not according your taste. The gift shouldn’t look like you are planning your inherit.
What Colors to Wear on Mother’s Day?
Riot your closet for fun feminine prints and cute cuts like fit-and-flare dress in pastels, or other friendly colors like red. Blush or muted pink with brown is a nice and friendly color combination.
Which Patterns and Prints to Wear on Mother’s Day as an Adult Daughter?
Anything classic, but not screaming work style works regarding patterns. Gingham is an eternal Romantic Style classic and a trend right now. It’s youthful and girly when in pastels, red-white or yellow-white. When you have a gingham dress, add kitten heel pumps, a nice pendant necklace or pearls in a modern way.
Polka dots are a feminine, eternal classic that fits the occasion. The same applies to wrap dresses. In both cases, when accessorizing make sure your look is feminine and clearly not an office outfit.
What Shoes Go with A Mother’s Day Outfit?
Pay attention to the heel height. Everything above 3 inch (7.5 cm) may be too sexy – read risky. Try it out in the mirror. If it works for Girl’s Night out, swap into another pair.
When you dress for brunch with the family, your best dressing option is a floral dress in the vibe of the dress code of the restaurant paired with ballet flats. Add a small top handle bag. So feminine.
For a celebration in a yard or park, go for wedges to walk safely on the lawn.
Tip: When your mom never wore high heels go for kitten heels.
Tip: In stead of a playful shoe or sandal, add a cute shoe clip to your dress shoes to dress them in the right vibe.
Mother’s Day Outfit Ideas for Various Weather Conditions
What Is the Background of Celebrating Mother’s Day?
The origin goes back to women’s organizer Ann Reeves Jarvis who held workshops to improve sanitary conditions. One of her goals was to decrease infant mortality. During the U.S. Civil War (1861 to 1865), the groups she had organized, helped wounded soldiers from both the Union and Confederates. After the Civil War, these women and Jarvis held Mother’s Friendship Day picnics to mourn the fallen and to work for peace.
Three years after Ann Reeves Jarvis‘ death, her daughter Anna Jarvis incarnated Mother’s Day in the U.S. in 1908 to honor motherhood. In 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day an official holiday in the U.S. to be observed on the second Sunday in May. The holiday quickly improved the economy – read Mother’s Day gifts and pretty clothes. Because of the economic benefits today, many countries observe Mother’s Day, some of them on a different date. Anna Jarvis didn’t jump the bandwagon of commercialization. Instead, she spent the rest of her life fighting it.
Wrapping Up How to Dress for Mother’s Day
How to dress for Mother’s Day is all about playing dress-up. Go for it!
We loved to play dress-up when we were kids, why should we stop now when we are in midlife?
- If you are the daughter, don’t dress against her fashion rules. You don’t want to offend her on her honor day.
- If you are the mother, who is in the center of the party, avoid to dress like a matron.
- Go for fun prints and cute cuts like fit-and-flare, dresses or blouses with Peter Pan collar.
- Add a playful bag, feminine jewelry and fashion-forward accessories.
- Pick friendly bright or pastel colors.
- Stay away from anything trendy-unless it is an perennial evergreen trend because photos will end up in a family folder to avoid to look like a fashion victim when your (future) kids, nephews/nieces or grandkids flip thru the folder at a future family reunion.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Photos: G. Kramm
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