Thursday, April 23, 2015

Sunglass Hut…”It Started With Mom” – Cipriana Quann & TK Quann

Ismail oubarka | 2:17 PM

Written by: TK Quann
Page layout curation: Cipriana Quann
Photos: Diego Villarreal

My twin sister, TK Quann (aka TK Wonder) and I team up with Sunglass Hut’s “It Started With Mom” campaign, honoring Mother’s Day, to share personal anecdotes, childhood memories, and taking it back where all began… with Mom. Every week leading up to Mother’s Day join us down memory lane as we discuss our biggest fashion inspiration, interview each other and style our selections from Sunglass Hut shot by photographer Diego Villarreal.

This week read TK’s childhood memory and how fashion for us started with our mother.

Ray-Ban Round Metal (Gold/Green), Ray-Ban Round Metal (Gold/Blue)

I remember at eight years old rummaging through one side of my mother’s closet with methodical diligence searching for a dress that could have been screen painted with the Amazon Rainforest in mind. My sister, proprietor of the other side, burrowed deeper than a badger in search for a particular pair of shoes too big for her diminutive feet. We were determined to recreate an outfit that our mother had donned a few days ago with the sun kissing her brown skin in such a way it seemed her aura was blinding the sun. We gasped when we saw this outfit. It was our pick for outfit of the week and our mother had plenty of those. She was always this ethereal, intelligent and fashionable beauty in our child hood years. Yes this was simply playing dress up and once we found those specific items we would move on to hunt for the large round sunglasses, sunglasses ostensibly a staple in her wardrobe, and any accessories we could remember from that day. However when we became women we knew that there was no better role model than this intelligent and beautiful woman we called mother.

My twin, Cipriana, and I are frequently asked who are our fashion icons or biggest fashion inspirations and with a nod we resoundingly exclaim, “Our mom!” Being fashionable seemed to be an innate ability she possessed and the way she spoke to us about confidence really resonated through out the years when one did not seem to co-exist without the other. We learned that confidence is truly the best accessory you can wear in fashion.

Ray-Ban Round Metal (Gold/Green)

Ray-Ban Round Metal (Gold/Green), Ray-Ban Round Metal (Gold/Blue)

I look back on those years of playing dress-up with Cipriana, ensconced in the treasures of our mother’s closet and realize why she is our biggest fashion inspiration. We knew the woman behind the clothes and it emanated off of everything she wore which made them that more beautiful. Nepotism perhaps but to us fashion was never solely about the aesthetic nature but how clothes made you feel. Fashion is suppose to make you feel good and compliment who you are not make who you are. We will forever be grateful to our mother for teaching us this without even realizing it and this is why “It Started with Mom” ever since we were little girls rummaging through a mother’s closet.

Our Mom Approved Favorite Shades