I’ll be honest, I would never borrow my mum’s clothes. First of all, she lives in Sarawak; secondly, we’re not the same size and thirdly, we don’t err … have the same taste in fashion.

My mum is laid-back and likes to be comfortable in linen and cotton, and she never wears high heels. I, on the other hand, adore tight clothing, shoes I can barely walk in and, regardless of comfort, any material that looks good. Therefore, there is nothing of hers that I desire.

Except, for that bag I stole a couple of years ago, and that jumper, oh and those earrings … and that necklace I still have. (Sorry mum!)

Anyway, while I may not skip over to my mum’s bedroom every time I have a I-don’t-know-what-to-wear moment, I’ve met some people who regularly raid their mum’s closets, and their mums raid theirs too!

These mother-daughter pairs just have a way of working around the norm, and are fashion forward enough to mix and match their clothes without looking like they’re stuck in the wrong decade.

Tashny Sukumaran, a 19-year-old student, and her mother, teacher Jayanthi Nagu, have been swapping clothes for four years now.

“It began with me borrowing bags and cardigans from her. Everyone in university would carry a backpack and I have this awesome bag that’s actually my mum’s. People tell me my mum has good taste,” explains Tashny, dressed in an off-white cardigan and a pale blue-and-white printed skirt, carrying a vintage brown messenger bag. Yup, all of what she wore during this interview belong to her mum.

Jayanthi, seated next to her in Tashny’s blue T-shirt dress, merely laughs and says: “She used to tell me I’m old fashioned but still borrows my stuff. I always tell her, if your heart says you look good, then you look good.”

The pair comment on each other’s clothes all the time, exchanging tips on how to dress up an outfit.

For a while they kept their swapping under wraps, but eventually their friends caught on to the secret, and think it’s a really cool system.

Surprisingly, the pair can’t bear to shop together. Tashny claims her mother takes too long to shop and Jayanthi enjoys going through stores for quality items.

They’ve swapped so many clothes that the closet lines are blurred, and sometimes take items back from each other.

“Our friends notice we borrow each other’s stuff, and they think it’s great that we have double our own wardrobes,” says Tashny.

Similarly, Janell Tan and her mum, Grace Lee, have been swapping clothes for the past five years.

“My mum is a fashionista, we’re the same size and we love shopping together,” explains Janell, a 20-year-old student.

Janell(left) and her mum Grace

“When we shop together we save money, because we know there are certain things we can share. So, we sort of keep this in mind when we shop.”

The duo are close friends, and share everything from shoes to blouses to dresses and accessories.

“Except jeans. We’re not the same jeans size,” says Janell with a giggle.

“The best thing about exchanging clothes with my mum is we understand each other a lot better, it’s something that helps us relate and we get to be involved in one another’s lives,” she continues.

Fathers can breathe a sigh of relief that the slamming of doors and arguments take a backseat for a few minutes every day, because thanks to fashion, mothers and daughters have something they can bond over.

Happy Mother’s day! (And thanks in advance for the spending money, dad.)

If you’re unsure of how to rock your mum’s closet, here are a few tips

– You can never go wrong with vintage jewellery. Bronze earrings, rings with precious stones and family heirloom-type accessories are all the rage right now. Just don’t lose them or your mum will cease to be your best friend and will just become… your mum.

– For some reason, they get cold easily, therefore you can always rely on your mum to possess good quality shawls and cardigans. For trips to cold countries, I can almost guarantee that your mum will have at least one timeless trench.

– Remember the 80s? Ugly shoulder pads and awful waist-high pants? Well get with the programme, because what your mum used to wear for nights’ out with the girls, you can to because they’re are back in! Cropped shirts too.

– This might not work for everyone, but most mums are the best when it comes to being practical. And we always seem to fail in this area when it comes to bag selection.Mums love their compartments, and won’t buy a handbag unless it has a place for everything. So, when you need to centre ourselves and organise your lives, just reach for the newest of your mum’s handbags!