Are you looking for a style change? Need some inspiration? Well, what’s more inspiring than styles specially-crafted by Hollywood costumers for movie moms?
Let’s talk about some looks you can swipe from silver screen moms who know how to strut their stuff. And if you haven’t seen these film gems, we’ll even tell you where you can stream them right now.
Phyllis Nefler from Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
PG, Family Comedy
Featured Actress: Shelley Long
A housewife used to her life of luxury in Beverly Hills is currently dealing with the chaos of divorce and decides to reorient her life toward something positive: reconnecting with her daughter. Her solution? Become the den mother to her daughter’s scout troop, the Wilderness Girls, of course!
If you are nostalgic for late-’80s fashion trends, most of Phyllis’ looks are amazing. Just look at this collage of different ensembles she rocks with total confidence and you will see that Phyllis is a woman with the cunning to pull almost any look off and leave others jealous.
I think my favorite look among these get-ups would be the beige-and-gold number with the cloak simply because it is a total statement piece.
Stream Troop Beverly Hills on FuboTV.
Eleanor Sung-Young from Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
PG-13, Romantic Dramedy
Featured Actress: Michelle Yeoh
A Chinese-American professor of economics agrees to join her boyfriend on a trip to Singapore because his best friend is going to be getting married. What follows is a romantic comedy that deals with a whole new tier of financial privilege as well as the duties and obligations it entails, all set against a lush southeast Asian backdrop.
Looking at these examples of Eleanor’s style, the two words you are likely to conjure to mind would be “class” and “sophistication.” This is a woman who knows she is loaded and wants to convey that affluence with every outfit.
My personal favorite of these three outfits would arguably be the golden dress one, it is eye-catching without being obsequious and has me wondering just how many thousands of yuan went into completing the entire look.
Stream Crazy Rich Asians on HBO Max.
Leigh Anne Tuohy from The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13, Sports Drama
Featured Actress: Sandra Bullock
This is the dramatized story of Michael Oher, a homeless and troubled African-American child who managed to make it as an All-American football player, even becoming a first-round draft pick with the National Football League after Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family gave him the love and support he so desperately needed.
Leigh Anne’s outfits marry the sometimes-contradictory aspirations of “style” and “comfort.” None of what she wears conveys the least bit of discomfort yet she also looks amazing regardless of how dressed up or down she may be in a particular scene.
Indeed, Leigh Anne seems to be the best example of a woman who can convey a sense of style even when dressed in rather casual attire.
Stream The Blind Side on Netflix.
Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
PG-13, Comedy, Drama and Romance
Featured Actress: Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep plays Miranda Priestly, based loosely on Anna Wintour, a tyrannical boss who hazes the film’s lead, Andy (played by Anne Hathaway), who’s looking for a foot in the door of a high fashion magazine.
I would be remiss if I did not bring up this amazing film for anyone with even the most remote interest in the world of fashion, style and couture.
While almost everyone recognizes that Miranda is an amazing woman who practices what her magazine preaches, we would wager that many people forget that she is also a mother of twin daughters: Cassidy and Caroline.
Even when Miranda is suffering through the tumult of a messy divorce, she continues to put much of her energy into her work and that work is all about looking stylish.
The hardest part about covering Miranda’s style is that there are so many stunning winners that I had to restrain myself.
Stream The Devil Wears Prada on Starz and its connected channels on Amazon Prime and Roku.
Peg Boggs from Edward Scissorhands (1990)
PG-13, Drama, Fantasy and Romance
Featured Actress: Dianne Wiest
A painfully suburban neighborhood undergoes a major shakeup after a door-to-door make-up saleswoman discovers an abandoned humanoid science experiment and decides to give him a home.
This movie may be saturated with the peak of Tim Burton’s particular aesthetic but Peg does wonders to take the trappings of the 1950s aesthetic.
In an era of fashion that is known for its iconic silhouettes and glasses, Peg takes these staples and adds her own stylish spin to them while radiating the sort of joy attributed to TV sitcom mothers that somehow remains genuine and earnest.
If you were to ever dress with a ’50s aesthetic in mind, there are few better options than Peg Boggs.
Stream Edward Scissorhands on Disney+.
Summary
That wraps up our article on some of the more stylish moms of the silver screen. As you can see, there is no decade where a mother cannot and should not go without looking her stylish best.
Whether you prefer the pastel 1950s-era femininity of Peg, the then-cutting-edge aesthetic of Miranda’s mid-’00s closet, something in the middle like Phyllis’s gorgeously retro 1980s aesthetic, or a modern-yet-timeless look like Eleanor’s, there is bound to be at least one cinematic mother who can inspire you with her fashion sense.
