Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and we are celebrating the beautiful chaos of motherhood and hope to inspire with our new collection Mère et Fille, designed by Donna and Shafaye Guest.

A journey into adulthood

Following an era of tumultuous teenage years, there comes a time where a sense of peace is restored as a younger girl reaches into her mother’s wardrobe for something to guide her into young adulthood and channel the aspirational confidence she always looked up to in her mother. Whether or not she always showed it is another matter...

Throughout childhood, mum’s share their endless fashion wisdom with their mini-mes, from battles about hem lines in our teens to the smaller things like teaching us to care for our clothes and not let them pile up on our bedroom floors. A sense of style shared between mother and daughter is unique in the sense that rather than imitation it is one that evolves symbiotically. It’s an exhibition of inheritance and a lesson in dreaming, complimenting a mother’s classic, curated style with a daughter’s youthfulness and willingness to push boundaries and take risks.

Mère et Fille: A family collaboration

Family is one our fundamental pillars here at Blue Illusion and with our new collection, Mère et Fille, we continue to honour that. The collaboration brings together our CEO, Donna Guest, with her youngest daughter, Shafaye. Their shared experience of style is inspired by over 30 years in the fashion sphere and a lifetime of playing dress-up.

“Bringing our perspectives together has yielded a collection that feels both thoughtful and personal,” explains Donna. For many of us raiding our mother’s wardrobe is a rite of passage, Shafaye and her siblings are no exception. “I love that we can all share in the passion we have for dressing and the connection and joy it brings to our family."

“Growing up, fashion was always part of our home — my sister's and mum... we all loved sharing each other’s wardrobes. Creating the Mère et Fille collection feels like a full-circle moment for us.” — Shafaye Guest

With an education from the land of berets and Breton stripes, “[Shafaye] developed a real sense of style from the streets of Paris, the way the outfits are worn and relate to your style,” says Donna.

Bringing Shafaye’s unique sense of style to the collection is a special moment for Donna (Paris isn’t the only place Shafaye learnt to dress, Donna!). “Shafaye has the best eye for detail and this season we both loved how the Bow is an absolute must. We both love denim so that had to be part of this collection, the layering of texture and a touch of feminine flair. It was a dream and loved every minute of it.”

From our family to yours

As Donna prepares to welcome her eighth grandchild, a whole new level of excitement is brought to the collection. "Being a mother of four and grandmother of (almost) eight, has always been the thing I'm most proud of. Being a CEO and creative director is the icing on the cake. The fact we can all be working together as a family, it means the world to me, and I hope our customer's, their mothers, daughters and sisters, can share in and enjoy this collection as much as we enjoyed creating it for them." 

Inspired by their favourite pieces from their wardrobes, the collection transcends generations and invites you to style the collection with your own family connections in mind. Designed with inter-generational versatility, the collection combines youthful playfulness with timeless elegance. Cooler blues and rich crimsons make the overall colour palette feel fresh yet enduring. We’re encouraging mothers and daughters to style these garments with their own personal style, and perhaps even steal a few styling cues from each other.

“I think my mum has always sought after interesting and intricate designs but I think I’ve been most inspired and influenced by the fact that has never needed to wear much makeup and do too much with her hair and just lets herself in her outfit speak, she always looks so put together and effortless at the same time… like wow. She is so cool” – Shafaye Guest

A collection celebrating such an important relationship deserves only the finest of materials, and we’ve settled for nothing but the best. Allow yourself to indulge in the softness of merino wool and mohair blends of the collection’s jumpers, while the tie neck cardigan allows you to be your most sophisticated self and stay warm. The latter even comes in a dress, don’t say we don’t treat you! Femininity remains a high priority across the collection with the Knot Neck Midi Dress made from a lightweight Viscose georgette that flows comfortably along the contours of the silhouette. The intentionally placed and vibrant Crimson Bloom Print reflects the inner bloom that comes with welcoming motherhood!

Shafaye is only new to motherhood but has years of her mother’s wisdom behind her and she ventures on this transformative time. “You become something so powerful for your child and develop and learn so much about yourself at the same time.” She explains,

There’s a French expression, “l’èspit de l’èscalier”, which refers to the frustration of thinking of the perfect thing to say once the moment has passed. We believe this applies to a shared sense of style too! Between mothers and daughters, take the time to share every fashion faux-pas and styling suggestion, ensuring every moment counts towards celebrating your shared love of style.