For hardworking mums everywhere, this weekend brings excitement as it is Mother’s Day, a time when they quite rightly can be thoroughly spoilt and have a well-deserved rest.
Mother's Day started out as a celebration which aimed to honour the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated all over the world, on various dates but most commonly, in March or May. Yet it began in the United States in the early 20th century, when Anna Jarvis led the movement for the commemoration of the amazing jobs mothers do, as her own mother had frequently expressed a desire for the establishment of such a holiday. After her mother's death, she felt compelled to campaign for the holiday in her memory.
Here in the UK, we celebrate Mothering Sunday, which always falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although it’s not really celebrated as a religious holiday today, it originally had its roots in the church and evolved from the 16th-century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually on the same Sunday it’s celebrated on now. During this time, many apprentices were released by their masters on the sabbath day, so mothers were commonly reunited with their children at this time. But as the American holiday gained in popularity, Mothering Sunday transformed into more of a tradition of showing appreciation for your own mother by buying them cards and gifts or taking them out for a meal.
Today, Mother’s Day has become big business with all sorts of businesses offering special deals or packages to pamper your parent. Sometimes people criticise its commercialisation, but here at Retropeepers, we think that mothers are incredible and need to be celebrated. With this in mind, we interviewed three fantastic retro mamas about their style and love of vintage and retro glasses.
Lou Berrisford, mum to Cece (age 3) and Jake (age 6)
My name is Lou and I'm 37 years old. I have a passion for 1940s and 50s style and have incorporated this into my home, hair and clothes. I have been dressing full time in this style for the last 15 years.
It's surprisingly easy to buy reproduction clothing with shops like Collectif, Voodoo Vixen and Rocket Originals. My jewellery is all from Splendette and I have a large collection of true vintage hats which I pick up from Etsy or eBay. I also love my sunglasses, a classic cat eye is my go to and my favourites have all come from Retropeepers.
Vikki Rowland, mum to Jaxson (age 6) and Willow (age 1)
I have to say my vintage style has evolved over the years, I started out with the typical 1950s look: poodle skirts and letterman jacket, with cat eye shaped glasses…which meant I would typically get asked if I was an extra from Grease when I was out and about town!
Nowadays, I am much more fluid and I go with how I’m feeling on the day. I gravitate towards late 1940s to early 1950s now, with a sprinkle of rockabilly thrown in for good measure. But my glasses still have a cat’s eye shape to them as I feel that compliments my face shape the most.
Marguerite Slane, mum to Lorita (age 12) and Orin (age 10)
My style is a mixture of yummy mummy, pin up, rockabilly and classic glamour from the 50s and 60s. I also have a highly theatrical flair and my style icons include the legendary Rita Hayworth, Tempest Storm and Lucille Ball.
To compliment my variety of vintage styles, I have an ever-growing collection of original vintage frames from the 30s up to the early 60s as well as a number of reproduction frames from Retropeepers such as the Zsa Zsa and Betty frames. I tend to choose whether I wear original or retro frames depending on my outfit.
Mother’s Day gifts
Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, many people now find themselves unable to see their mums or go out and enjoy the special days they have planned. At Retropeepers, we have some gorgeous gifts you could spoil your mum with, that will certainly last longer than a bunch of flowers or some chocolate. We can post them directly to your mum, so there is no need to break self-isolation. Here are our picks of some lovely items your mum might love.
Thunderbird Cat Eye Glasses - £18.00
“THUNDERBIRDS are GO!” If like our featured mums, your mum loves a cat eye shape, these 1960s wedge-shaped beatnik style glasses will add drama to her face and give her an instant cool glamour.
Samantha Square Sunglasses - £25.00
Make her look like a film star and inject some instant glamour by encouraging her to go all Thelma and Louise in these gorgeous sunglasses. These bold, square, 70s style sunnies are back in the headlines again and totally on trend for this season. They are a little bit outrageous but have lots of coverage for those who want to travel incognito and keep the fans (or gran kids) at bay. Also available in Amber Tortoise.
Peggy Cat Eye Glasses - £25
Named after the wonderful jazz singer, Peggy Lee. This frame is one of our best sellers, a classic 1950s & 60s larger 'outswept' frame shape, PEGGY is an updated cat eye, echoing pure vintage style and comes in 16 different colours, as well as in sunglasses and sun-readers. Some customers have a pair in every colour! Go on, treat the BMITW* to a couple of pairs! (*Best Mum In The World)
William Morris Glasses Cases - £15.00
Perhaps your mum already has a beloved pair of glasses she doesn’t want to part with, but any mum would be thrilled to receive this gorgeous glasses case and polishing cloth. This flower adorned flat-folding glasses case with matching cloth is from 'The Gallery Collection' a joint collaboration with William Morris, London, a leading British independent eyewear firm and The William Morris Gallery, the museum and home of the famous designer.
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