My Mom, Grandma, and I All Share These 6 Style Staples

I owe so much of my love for fashion to my grandmother, Diana. From the pristine string of pearls she loves to wear around her neck to the crisply pleated trousers that have never seen a wrinkle in their lives, I grew up looking to her as the epitome of all things chic and truly have her to thank for my own taste in clothes.

Now, years later, I’ve developed my own sense of personal style, and it’s not without her influence or the influence of my own mom. The three of us have categorically different styles: My grandma’s is classic, my mom’s is eccentric, and mine is trend forward. However, I recently came to the realization that we actually do share a number of style staples. Thanks to fashion’s cyclical nature, many of the items my mom and grandma love are starting to come bursting back onto the fashion front (hello, “grandma” and “grandpa” trends).

So I thought it would be fun to share which items are so valuable that they’ve managed to transcend three generations and earn their keep in all of our closets. Without further ado, keep scrolling to find out why my mom, grandma, and I all agree on these six spring wardrobe staples and then shop my picks within each.

These elegant shirts have recently made an appearance in my own closet after I saw fashion girls leaving their collars outside their blazer lapels as a cool styling trick. But upon further inspection, I realized they’ve been a thing for a while now (disco collars were especially defining in the ’70s), and both of the matriarchs in my life have been wearing them all along.

My grandmother has an undying love for cashmere sweaters, which she’s passed down to all three of her daughters and, ultimately, to my cousins and me. In fact, I’ll never forget the Christmas when my grandma gifted everyone in our family a version of the luxurious knit. Ever since then, we’ve referred to that year as the “Cashmere Christmas.” What can I say? It’s the ultimate investment buy. (Nanni, if you’re reading this, I still wear mine constantly!)

Admittedly, the pearls that I’m into and the ones that my mom and grandma wear aren’t the exact same. Thanks to pearls’ contemporary appeal, designers have been putting modern spins on the classics, which help them feel fresh and not the least bit dated. We’re talking baroque pearls mixed with trendy chain links.

I didn’t fully realize that all three of us had this jacket style in common until I looked back at some old photos while putting this story together. These thin, quilted jackets have never really gone anywhere thanks to the original versions from Burberry and Barbour that have made them into mainstays. I can distinctly remember a powder-blue jacket my grandma wore constantly when I was growing up. I own an army-green liner jacket that I love.

I’m pretty sure that loafers are what you’ll find if you look up “classic shoes” in the dictionary. They’ve been a staple in my grandmother’s closet and, years later, in mine, too. I used to think they were a tad boring, but fashion girls have inspired me to partake, and I have to say, my only regret is not having tried them sooner.

Wide-leg pants, especially those with a high rise, are the fashion world’s alternative to jeans right now. But lo and behold, my mom and grandma have been stockpiling the trousers for as long as I can remember because, well, it just doesn’t get more sophisticated than these.