CONFESSIONS OF A MUM IN TEEN'S CLOTHING

My name is Julia Lawrence, I am 43 years old, and I have an awful confession to make. I am a secret teen dresser. By that, I mean I creep into my 14-year-old daughter’s bedroom, steal her clothes and wear them, sometimes in broad daylight.
As is often the case with this kind of dirty habit, I was introduced to it while at a bit of a low ebb: I had a heavy cold, I saw a hoodie lying on Lois’s floor, I slipped it on . . . and it just felt so comforting.
Before long, I was eyeing up her track-suit bottoms too; they’re so much easier to slip on than wrestling a pair of freshly-washed jeans over your matronly hips, and just the thing for nipping to the allotment or washing the car.

COCA COLA T-SHIRT FROM CAMDEN MARKET, CROP TROUSERS FROM H&M

MUM: I think I look pretty good in this outfit, and those crop trousers work better with heels. The T-shirt isn’t too young and funky to be ridiculous. LOIS: Mum looks good in this outfit - she wears the trousers more than me.

CORAL SKIRT FROM FRENCH CONNECTION

MUM: I always envy Lois in this outfit in the summer — there’s no way I’d have the confidence for that boob tube, so Lois wins again. It does double up as a lovely skirt, though. LOIS: I like this on Mum as a skirt best — she’s free to borrow/have it whenever she wants.

But what started as an innocent experiment to keep the chill out has now escalated into a full-blown ‘teen dressing’ habit. Jeans, jeggings, scruffy T-shirts with rock band names I’ve never heard of emblazoned across my chest, high-top trainers, checked shirts over a vest top, there’s nothing in there I won’t try. I’ve even started eyeing up some of her longer-hemmed summer dresses which might work with some fake tan — or soft lighting.

And it seems I’m not alone. A study for the Journal of Consumer Behaviour has found an increasing number of women are treating their daughters as fashion role models and copying their style on everything from make-up to shoes.
The sneering younger generations have dubbed us the ‘20-40 mums’ — 40-year-olds who are grabbing a last chance to dress as a 20-year-old before, in the words of AbFab’s Edina, they ‘hit the oil patch and skid towards the grave, darling’.
In my defence, Lois and I are roughly the same size: me a somewhat lumpy, time-ravaged 10, and her a sleek, sporty one. But I do get it wrong on occasions. A woman in her 40s should never attend a school fete in the same T-shirt as that worn by one of her daughter’s friends. That did happen. Lois and her friend found it quite funny, yet ‘tragic’ is the word I remember my husband John used, after he’d nearly choked laughing.
HOODIE FROM HOLLISTER AND SKINNY JEANS FROM RIVER ISLAND

MUM: This definitely looks better on Lois. That won’t stop me stealing it to mooch around the supermarket, though. LOIS: I know you love to borrow it, but sorry, Mum, you look a bit daft in this.

Now I’d like to muddy the waters further with this revelation: Lois has started stealing my clothes, too. I’ve seen her scurrying out to the youth club in one of my tops and have found a new dress of mine lying crumpled on her floor... But our wardrobe-sharing days are limited. Pretty soon she’ll be dressing up for clubs and parties and I know where to draw the line.
So Lois, promise me you’ll have a ‘little word’ with me if you spot me heading out to pick up my pension in hoodie and trainers. There has to come a time when the track suit top must give way to the twin set.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN IN MUM'S CLOTHING
My name is Lois Lawrence, I am 14 years old and I, too, have a shocking confession. Sometimes I wear my middle-aged mum’s clothes. She has pretty good taste — for a mum — and we’re about the same size. Sometimes her clothes are a bit frumpy, but search amid the ‘oldies’ section of her wardrobe and you can find a few worthwhile items.
My favourite clothes of hers are her jeans and party dresses. When she buys jeans for me, we always go to cheaper shops like H&M and New Look, but she doesn’t mind spending £100 on a pair for herself. The solution is to steal — sorry, borrow — hers.
For parties, I like trying on her dresses. She doesn’t mind — she says it’s like having a real-life doll to play with.

TRENCH COAT FROM ZARA

MUM: This is one we fight over, but I think it’s too grown-up for a teenager. LOIS: I do like this coat - although it probably looks best on Mum. I’m not going to stop borrowing it, though.

PINK DRESS FROM MARKS & SPENCER

MUM: I think I suit this dress better than Lois, as I have the curves to fill it, plus it’s a bit too formal for a young girl. LOIS: I’m not too keen on this dress — pink is not my favourite colour. I might wear it for a wedding with a funky cardigan, though. I concede it suits Mum best.

I sometimes accidentally forget to ask permission and she can get a bit angry. But I have to put up with her dressed up in my clothes. And she doesn’t look too bad in them.
She says she only borrows them because she’s too embarrassed to buy any of her own, but I suspect it’s also because she enjoys being able to wear the same clothes as her teenage daughter.
I mean, she even went to Glastonbury this year.
PRINT TOP FROM FRENCH CONNECTION

MUM: This looks best on Lois as a dress, as she has the youth (and the legs) to carry it off. I’d only wear it over trousers. LOIS: This is great in the summer with my gladiator sandals. I’d probably only wear it on holiday when I’ve got a tan. I think that it suits Mum best.