Michelle Obama, Kate Moss¹ and Samantha Cameron are three of the most stylish² women on the planet but it seems they have their daughters rather than their style know how to thank for that.

 

New research has revealed that women with daughters tend to be more stylish than mothers of sons; a fact partly due to the style advice their daughters offer as they get older.

 

As a result, more than half of the women surveyed (51 percent) say they trust their daughters' opinion more anyone else's.

 

Even more impressively, 78 percent of women over the age of 50 say they would be more than happy to let their daughters choose a complete outfit³ for them.

 

By contrast, just five per cent of women say they would turn to their sons for style advice, while 28 percent believe that mothers of boys are less fashionable than women with girls.

 

'Women who don't have daughters may become less interested in style as they grow older but having a daughter, who is conscious of her own style, may keep alive her interest in looking great,' comments psychologist Honey Langcaster-James.

 

'And, because of their close bond, they also have a source of support, encouragement, and sometimes brutal⁴ honesty when it comes to their style decisions.

 

'More than a quarter of women believe that mums who have sons are less fashion conscious than mums with daughters.

 

'The most common reasons for this are that daughters are more critical, offer good advice and inspiration, and add an element of competition to look the best whereas sons seemed not to care and aren't as harsh as daughters.'

 

And it isn't just sons who can find themselves ignored when they proffer⁵ an opinion on fashion, with just eight percent of women over 45 admitting to taking advice from their husbands.

 

Interestingly, although mothers tend to rely on their daughters' style tips, their confidence isn't reciprocated⁶, with 40 percent of women between the ages of 19 and 34 saying they wouldn't allow their mothers to shop for them unsupervised.

 

A third even said their mothers' lack of sartorial⁷（裁缝的） wisdom left them embarrassed.

 

There were, however, some things mothers and daughters agreed on, among them voting Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her mother Janet Ellis their favourite mother and daughter combination.

 

And although they might not appreciate the fashion advice, the survey, which was conducted by online retailer⁸ Gray & Osbourn, showed that daughters do still need their mothers with 71 percent saying they chat to their female parent every day.

 

'Overall, the research shows just how important relationships are between mothers and daughters,' added Langcaster-James, 'and just how much women appreciate an honest and trustworthy opinion.'

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