Ma, You Be Killin’ Em: Linda Stern

May 07, 2011



We have so much to thank our mothers for. In addition to birthing us, feeding us, and bathing us, they've also been our most influential style icons. As a small token of our affection, we're counting down to Mother's Day (this Sunday, heads up!) by celebrating our moms' style, swagger and grace.

What did your mom like to wear? My mom has always been a firm believer in comfy chic. She only wore casual clothes in the '70s, with the excuse that she had two baby boys to romp around with. Her hair went down to her butt, which made for another great excuse to wear any old t-shirt, thinking that it wouldn't necessarily be seen much anyway. To this day my mom won't wear something if it's uncomfortable. Still, my mom buys a lot of shoes that she never ends up wearing because they're uncomfortable so she then gives them to her friends. Now my mom works as a psychoanalyst in DC—she wears pant suits and an occasional funky jacket to her office. But as far back as I can remember my mom has said, "let me just change into my play clothes" when she gets home from work.

What music did she listen to? My parents tied the knot with a handful of friends and family at a room in the Watergate Hotel in DC. I associate their music tastes to the soundtrack of their wedding night when they got down to CCR, Cream, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and a couple Van Morrison slow jams. My mom likes to recall the time near the end of the celebration when she found my dad zoned out on the couch listening to Led Zeppelin. Epic. Nowadays, my mom only listens to Outkast's "Hey Ya" on repeat.

What would she say? Does she have a fave phrase or saying? Something anecdote-ey. For some reason, when growing up, I'd often ask my mom who of her three children she loved the best. I don't know why I did this because I obviously knew the answer, but my mom would say, "I love all of you equally."


Posted: May 07, 2011
Ma, You Be Killin’ Em: Linda Stern