Wavy mums: Our underappreciated fashion icons

She cried leaving you off at halls, doesn’t really know how to use Facebook, and you don’t call her as often as you should, but your mum used to be cooler than you’ll ever be. Pictured here at their wavy peak these mums put our festival bindis and booty shorts to shame with their acid wash glory.

Zoe Archer, Trent grad & mum Pauline

At 22 and rockin some florals

Zoe pictured with her mum, now 47 and still fab

Pictured here at 22, Pauline, who now works as an activities assistant in a home for disabled people, says: “I think I was just ‘with it’.

“It just goes to show everything comes back into fashion — the perm will be back eventually.”

Zoe said: “I’m a bit jealous that she might have actually dressed better back in the day than I do now, she looks pretty cool. She’s still on trend and she’s kept a lot of her clothes from the 80’s and 90’s which I borrow now.”

Amanda Cashmore, Royal Holloway second year & mum Sue

Sue killing the clogs at 17

Sue, here with Amanda, now works at a local swimming pool as a receptionist

47-year-old Sue says: “Looking back at that picture, I’m pleasantly surprised I looked (I think) trendy — thank goodness I wasn’t wearing my false eyelashes, I used to look like a spider.”

Amanda said: “I’m actually really jealous of how great her legs are in the first pic! I love the clogs and the 80s had some pretty shocking outfits so I think she’s done really well to pull something so cool together. Nowadays I actually steal her clothes, because she has fab taste. She’s a bit slimmer than me though so it’s not always that fun.

Lucy Kehoe, Liverpool second year & mum Heather

Heather rocking the dungarees at 18

Heather, a part time student who owns her own Home Accessories company, still kills it now at 49

Heather said: “I liked to match my socks, shoes and dungarees with my teeth back in the 80s. Now I go for more of a contrasting colour to my gnashers. But I still like to whizz about on two wheels.”

Heather and Lucy today

Bella Eckert, Newcastle grad & mum Nikki

Bella says mum Nikki, here at Notting Hill Gate, was lucky to have a wavy photographer BFF

Nikki looking moody at 27

Nikki, now in her 50’s and a chair of governors at a local school, says simply: “That was my going away outfit”.

Bella with her parents on graduation day last month

Tom Jenkin, Notts grad & mum Linda

Linda rocking the twinset at 21

Linda, now in her forties and running a financial services with her husband, said: “It was at the time of Princess Diana, she was a huge influence. It was also Dynasty and Dallas, hence the shoulderpads and the power dressing. The bigger the shoulderpads the more influence I had.

“The little bob hair was an 80s favourite a big statement, it was sharp.
As a teenager I was one of the more fashion forward of my generation.”

Linda at a family wedding with beloved son Tom

Tom says: “I was almost annoyed I’m not a girl. There’s some great fur in her wardrobe that I’d never fit into now.”

Want your wavy mum to find fame for her vintage fashion choices? Email us [email protected] or tweet us @TheTab