Raise your hand if you’re a fan of the occasional Throwback Thursday ‘gram? I know I’ve definitely posted a 20+ year old photo of little ol’ me rocking some serious 90’s swag: leggings, jean jacket, tattoo necklace, an adorable pair of baby Docs. It’s fun to reminisce not only about the trends of the era, but your own blossoming personal style from toddler-hood to preteen to high school rebel-mom-stop-taking-my-photo-I-hate-you-ugh. Whether adorably mismatched or surprisingly slick, these little gems of childhood creativity are pretty cool to look back on no matter your age.
One Brooklyn-based mother and artist, Jenny Williams, felt similarly about her daughter, Clementine, and her friends’ clothing choices. She noted the, “fearless, whimsical, sometimes crazy ways that [kids] dress themselves,” and began to illustrate the outfits she liked best. These ultimately turned into the blog “What My Daughter Wore”, and now, three years after the site’s launch, Williams is ready to release a collection of the drawings as a book. What My Daughter Wore features Clementine and several of her friends in an array of outfits, which are all, begrudgingly, way cooler than anything I wore as a twelve-year-old. How do these girls already know about the power of cheetah print and flower crowns??
The project is a positive look at the world of the preteen set, away from the judgmental arena that is today’s social media. Williams says, “I think the book is a fun, playful look at what girls are wearing right now… its focus is the tween years, because at that age it’s still possible to find kids dressing entirely for themselves, without regard for trends or peer pressure.”
While the book itself contains only pictures, the artist has shared quotes from some of her subjects on Instagram. Her daughter told Vogue.com in an interview that, “[she] always liked to dress up… [she’s] always loved big frilly things.” With her artful combinations of tiaras and tights now lovingly documented, I’m sure that Clementine’s style and future #tbt’s will be an inspiration for years to come. Now, excuse me while I go interrogate my mother about my own lack of a thorough fashion retrospective…
Be sure to pick up What My Daughter Wore at a bookstore near you!
images c/o: Huffpost, WhatMyDaughterWore
