Why sharing a dress with your daughter is the ultimate ‘humble brag’ – as Victoria Beckham joins the rank of midlife mothers who can share clothes with a teenager

No woman wants to turn into their mother – but for today’s A-listers it seems raiding their wardrobes is perfectly acceptable.

Celebrities including Harper Beckham, Carys Douglas and even the Princess of Wales have been spotted borrowing their mothers’ clothes in recent years, with experts saying that it can signal a close relationship between a parent and child.

Harper was photographed wearing the same brown floral dress her mother Victoria had worn just days earlier as the 14-year-old as stepped out for a family lunch in Ibiza earlier this week.

Apart from being a ringing endorsement for sustainability, psychotherapist Marygrace Anderson told the Daily Mail how the ‘powerful choice’ of sharing clothes with your daughter has become the ‘ultimate humble brag’.  

‘When a celebrity chooses to share clothes with a child – particularly in the case of Victoria and Harper Beckham – it’s definitely seen as the ultimate humble brag due to the attention it brings. It quietly signals status, wealth, beauty, and family unity all at once.

‘From a deeper psychological perspective, when a daughter wants to wear her mum’s clothing, it can indicate she wants to signal closeness, public admiration, and pride for her mother.

‘It is a powerful choice because normally children like to forge their own styles and identities away from their parents, so this ultimately reflects emotional alignment and identification at its core.’

The expert added: ‘For high-profile families such as the Beckhams, these fashion moments become more than just a daughter raiding her mum’s closet – they become a subtle status symbol that echoes “exclusivity.”‘

Celebrity stylist Lisa Talbot suggested that Harper wearing the same dress as her mother, 52, says ‘so much more than simply wearing the same size’.

She said: ‘It reflects how style today is far more ageless, effortless and personality-led than ever before. Victoria and Harper Beckham are a perfect example of that shift. 

‘Harper isn’t trying to dress older and Victoria isn’t trying to dress younger, they’re both wearing timeless pieces in their own way.

‘What’s interesting is that so many of this season’s trends naturally work across generations. 

‘Relaxed tailoring, oversized shirts, denim, slip dresses and elevated summer pieces can all be styled differently depending on the person wearing them, which makes wardrobe sharing much more natural now.

‘Years ago, borrowing your daughter’s clothes may have felt like something women avoided talking about, but today it’s become a sign of confidence and modern dressing. 

‘The key is making it feel authentic to your own style rather than trying to copy each other exactly.’

But the daughter of David Beckham isn’t the only nepo baby who has borrowed clothes from her fashionable mother’s enviable closet. 

Carys Douglas celebrated her 21st birthday last year in an Emanuel Ungaro slip dress first worn by her mother, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, at the MTV Awards in 1999.

And when it came to attending the Oscars in 2023, a then 15-year old Valentina Paloma Pinault did so in a red strapless Isaac Mizrahi gown originally worn by her mother, Salma Hayek, to a less prestigious event. 

But it’s not only A-lister mother-daughter duos who embrace sharing clothes – with even the royals partial to swapping garments every now and then.

A number of royal women have created memorable twinning moments over recent years – including the late Queen and Princess Anne, Queen Mary of Denmark and Princess Isabella and Queen Letizia of Spain and daughter Princess Leonor.

Meanwhile, Carole Middleton occasionally takes inspiration from her daughter’s wardrobe, which is perhaps unsurprising considering the Princess of Wales is widely regarded as one of the world’s most stylish women.

The 71-year-old looked effortlessly elegant at the Cheltenham Festival in March, adding a finishing touch straight from Kate’s collection: a feathered fedora by Hicks and Brown.

But this wasn’t the first time Carole has dipped into her daughter’s closet. Over the years, she has worn several pieces previously seen on Kate – and the Princess has even returned the favour. 

Attending Royal Ascot in 2022, Carole stepped out in an eye-catching silk shirt dress by ME+EM, featuring a dipped hemline and pleated detailing.

The Princess had previously chosen the pink midi design for afternoon tea with five-year-old cancer patient Mila Sneddon at Holyroodhouse in May 2021.

Kate later wore the dress again to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, styling it with her trusty espadrille wedges from Castañer.

The tables turned in 2012 when it was Kate who raided her mother’s wardrobe. While delivering her first official speech as a member of the Royal Family at Treehouse Hospice, the Princess wore a Reiss coat dress previously seen on Carole in 2010.

Meanwhile, when your mother is Oscar red carpet regular Angelina Jolie, it could be considered daunting to borrow a dress that she wore to acclaim and fanfare the first time around.

Happily, this didn’t deter Zahara Jolie-Pitt from borrowing the dazzling gold sequin Elie Saab gown in 2021, previously seen on her mother at the 2014 Oscars.

Elsewhere, Crown Princess Leonor of Spain’s Dándara dress seemed to catch her mother’s eye.

Leonor debuted the patterned shirt dress while attending the Maria Pages performance at the Teatros de El Canal in Madrid, Spain, in June 2022.

The following month, Queen Letizia donned the breezy design to a meeting on mental health at the UNICEF headquarters.

Both royals styled their midi dresses with espadrille wedges – Letizia opting for a leather version by Uterque.