An insight on a new generation of hip mums, from Violet Gaynor and Kelly Stuart’s new parenting book.
Motherhood is sometimes messy, often beautiful, and always demanding. It is a journey of love peppered with chaos, as depicted in The Glow: An Inspiring Guide To Stylish Motherhood. The brainchild of Violet Gaynor (fashion editor by day and fulltime mother of baby Plum) and her photographer, colleague, and friend Kelly Stuart, the book is based on a blog of the same name, which they launched together in 2011. At the time, both women were immersed in successful careers in the publishing world. The desire for a challenge came as they found themselves at a crossroads, about to move on to the next big thing: marriage and family.
“We realised we were surrounded by highly creative, super-successful women who were somehow balancing work and motherhood. So we decided to find out some of their secrets and give other women a glimpse into their worlds,” says Gaynor. Their concept behind the blog was somewhat unique in its depiction of motherhood – from the perspective of working mums trying to balance family with the fast pace of a fashionable lifestyle. The result is creative and inspirational.
A year later, the duo were approached by the publisher Abrams with the idea of a coffee-table book. Launched in 2014, it features pages of beautiful mums and their children, stunning décor, and fashion for all, photographed by Stuart. Her images have an ethereal quality about them, awash with light. The beautiful models? Real mums. “They might look glamorous and have a perfect image, but no matter what type of career you have, the reality is everyone is just trying to do their best,” adds Gaynor. “As beautiful as motherhood is, it’s also challenging, messy, and tiring. Through the tome we always aim to show the beauty with a dose of realness.”
Even celebrity mums, it seems, just muddle through some days. Of course, they do it in heels, as these excerpts from the book – alongside KL’s elite – reveal. Givenchy international public relations director Caroline Deroche Pasquier is the definition of Parisian chic, effortlessly mixing vintage YSL and Alaïa with no-name T-shirts and Converse – and her sons are just as chic. Her closet has reaped the benefits of an illustrious career working at some of the most iconic French fashion houses – after years at Louis Vuitton, she is now the public relations director for Givenchy. Sons Jean and Martin have
clearly inherited her innate sense of style. Her eldest wears vintage almost exclusively, while her eight-year-old has an enviable collection of T-shirts and lives in a vintage varsity jacket from the ’50s ... Timeless wins over
trendy every time. Caroline’s timeless style “Men’s shirts and maternity jeans got me through my pregnancy. Other than that, my uniform was a tight dress, long cardigan, flat shoes,
and vintage jewellery. Caroline on motherhood These little men we are raising need the right “keys” to a good life. We are here to give them confidence,
independence, and respect for themselves. It’s not always easy, but it’s the most rewarding thing in life.
Best part The love of my boys. They are both so sweet, charming, smart, lovely, and have a good sense of humour. When my younger son says, “Maman, I love you, would you marry me?” I just melt!
Hardest part Fear – it’s always there, somewhere inside you. Favourite part of the day I love going out with my older son, just the two of us – sometimes we go to the cinema or to a concert. With Martin, I love the morning when he
comes into our bed and cuddles.