10 Style Tips Yara Shahidi Learned From Her Mother
Photo: Radio Disney via Getty Images1/12We get so many things from our mothers: be it our genes, our favorite recipes, or the way we approach style. It starts with noticing the way she wears blazers or high heels, and then morphs into picking out a piece here and a necklace there to incorporate into our own wardrobes. Before we know it, we’ve developed our own relationship with fashion with her guidance and lots of her own clothing.
Yara Shahidi has been influenced by her mother from as far back as she can remember. “My mother has always been my style inspiration. She always put me in environments in which being myself was the first priority,” she tells Teen Vogue. And with Yara’s hit TV show Black-ish picked up for another season and her recent signing to Women Management as one of their newest faces, there are going to be more opportunities than ever for her to showcase her fashion sense.
The love for all things sartorial actually runs in her family, with her brother and father also being quite dapper in the style department. “Every single person in my family has a shoe addiction and we totally bond over fashion in my house.” Here are 10 things Yara has learned about style from her mother.
Photo: FilmMagic2/12Experimentation is the key to mastering your style.
“Every place I studied had a dress code, but I did also have the freedom to explore my style. I was a total tomboy until the sixth grade! I had a high-top collection and totally pulled away from anything form-fitting—if it was too tight, I was simply not going to wear it. In most of my pictures from that age, I look as if I’m literally wearing a potato sack (I couldn’t get enough of long brown t-shirts), but my mom let me experiment.”
Photo: Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards3/12Having a mother who supports your uniqueness is the key to having fun with fashion.
“By seventh grade, I had refined my style. I discovered the power of adding a skirt with my sneakers to make it more playful. And then I fell in love with bow ties. I always loved playing around with more of an androgynous look, thus it happened naturally. Unisex dressing was always something I gravitated toward, so I started wearing tailored suits and oxfords—I loved putting spins on your classic, menswear-inspired pieces. It was my version of being eclectic and my mother fully supported it.”
Photo: WireImage4/12Embrace your youth and don’t rush into dressing like an adult. There’s time for that!
“Now that I’m 16, I’m embracing this very interesting world of fashion. Being carried away into the adult world of style is very easy and I’m very aware that I can look much older depending on what I wear. There’s something so lovely about staying sixteen fashion-wise, so I want to revel in my youth and just being a teenager. I’m definitely using my age as a reason to be more playful right now—for instance matching patterns and really bold colors.”
Photo: Getty Images5/12Don’t worry too much if your friends don’t always “get” what you’re wearing. Be confident in what you like.
“Every step of the way, my mother continues to give me confidence. I’ve never been one to follow a major trend, unless it’s something that I absolutely love. ‘What are you wearing Yara? Don’t you know we all are loving this one print dress right now?’ is a conversation I’ve definitely had in the past with my friends. But I had that support at home and used fashion as a form of self-expression, so those things weren’t really of consequence. I was more than fine with not conforming or taking what people said personally.”
Photo: Getty Images6/12You should totally be inspired by your peers: some of the coolest things are being worn by girls your age!
“So many of my lovely peers are taking a really amazing approach to fashion and I’m totally inspired by them! There are so many ways to be funky, classy, and unique, while still embracing your age. And it’s not to put a restriction on what you can wear, but instead knowing you won’t be a teenager forever so you should really have your moment with it.”
Photo: Getty Images7/12Denim is a wardrobe staple.
“I am the epitome of a '90s kid who just happened to be born in the year 2000. My love for denim is insane. I have a drawer filled with denim and I’m actually currently wearing my denim jacket. My Canadian tux is my go-to, by far. And I honestly live for mom jeans. I have ten pairs of them!”
Photo: WireImage8/12Your mother knows you better than you know yourself at times. Let her help you get dressed!
“My mother will keep me from being cold by suggesting I add a layer onto whatever we’ve already picked out. She always makes sure that I’ll be comfortable and it’s such a great help! At the Radio Disney Music Awards, one of the outfits I was wearing had a white t-shirt layered on underneath my dress. It wasn’t a typical pairing and it came about because I knew I’d be uncomfortable wearing a strapless dress for hours, on top of it being colder than expected. Through collaboration between her, myself, and Ade Samuel [Yara's stylist], we figured it out.”
Photo: Getty Images for Brooks Brothers9/12Quality is key.
“It started with Brooks Brothers shirts. For school, I had a uniform which consisted of this really uncomfortable and itchy button-front shirt. So, I went in my mom’s closet and took her Brooks Brothers shirts. Of course, she realized they were missing and when they got back to her, they had food stains on them. That’s how I was introduced to Brooks Brothers because she so nicely decided to get me my own, so I could stop wearing hers.”
Photo: Getty Images10/12Sneakers are pretty much a way of life and you never get too old to wear them.
“Every single person in my family has a shoe addiction. My dad only wears shell toe Adidas. It is really cool because he has shell toe Adidas from around the world. My mother and brother love high-tops just like I do. We all have the same kicks, so sometimes I don’t know if the pair floating around are mine, my mom’s, or Sayeed’s.”
Photo: Getty Images for Teen Vogue11/12Exposure is great, but unique experiences that reflect what you love are better.
“We both felt an immediate connection with Women Management when it came to figuring out an agency for me. They really understand the importance of my youth and the other things I do. They’re helping me combine multiple loves of mine: whether it be philanthropy and fashion or even self-expression and fashion. It’s all about creating unique experiences because I’ve already had my face plastered everywhere before. I’m not necessarily going for that this time around. It’s not about being everywhere all the time because that’s not as special. It’s truly about enjoying what I’m doing and venturing into fashion with the guidance and experience of an agency like Women.”
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