My mother's best advice: wear bold, bright colours

"Her advice isn't about fashion or looking good for others, or making an impression, but dressing from the inside. It's taken me a while to lean into the power of this. I'm not quite sure when I started implementing it myself but I remember waking up one morning in my early 20s, looking at my wardrobe and thinking: what colour do I feel like wearing today?"

"It's a question that brings a surprising degree of daily self-awareness. It's asking, What mood am I in? Do I want to be seen or do I want to hide?. The idea of starting the day in the right colour sends me back to myself."

"The bright bit of the advice is also about being confident with being seen. When my older sister died suddenly in 2016, I inherited bits from her wardrobe. It was clear from her clothes that she had embraced my mother's advice to treat colour."

A mother's advice to wear an array of colors to express inner feelings seemed like impractical fashion guidance during the author's sulky adolescence. The mother practiced what she preached, wearing bold, vibrant clothing that the teenage author found embarrassing. Years later, the author realized the advice transcended fashion—it was about dressing from the inside out. By asking herself what color she feels like wearing each day, the author discovered a powerful tool for daily self-awareness and emotional honesty. This practice became about confidence and being authentically seen, rather than making impressions on others. The author's sister also embraced this philosophy through her wardrobe choices.

Read at www.theguardian.com