Got It From My Mama by Erica Ludwig

When I was probably in high school, I started going through the boxes of clothes we had of my mom’s in the garage. I guess even at that age, it was a way for me to connect with her.

Backstory: my mom died of breast cancer just before my ninth birthday in 2003. It’s been 15 years, but with each year I feel the sting of her absence a little more.

Those who know me well definitely say I’m a people person. I work with a lot of different personalities every day from all over the country, because that’s the nature of the Broadway industry. I’m fiercely loyal, an Enneagram 6, and I love quality time; it’s safe to say human connection is important to me. It’s never easy when you lose someone who shares your DNA, let alone the woman who gave you life. I’ve been told your 20s are some of the best times of your life. While that’s true so far, I’m learning it’s also a time you really become close with your parents and start to see them as real people with personalities, and in turn begin to understand what you inherited from them beyond physical features. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the sting of loss quite as much as I have in this time of my life. There are so many things I wish my mom was here for, but mostly, I’d just love to hear her voice, her laugh, and her advice on navigating this season of life.

I’ve always thought you can tell a lot about a person by their style. While recipes are great, and pictures capture memories, clothes are something that can span across generations as style continues to evolve. Fortunately for me, clothing was one of the material items we had a surplus of my mom’s. As I selected pieces I wanted to make my own, memories of my mom would come flooding back. I remember so vividly her wearing the red and white striped Liz Claiborne crop top with her perfect blowout hair. The green, sleeveless button up with the tie front? She rocked that like only she could, even in the midst of chopping her hair off for chemo. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the legacy she left of being a woman that loved life and loved others. That’s the legacy that I get to carry.

I can’t help but smile every time I put on her long denim shirt, or striped utility jacket, because it feels like she’s with me as I go throughout my day. I’m reminded of who I am and where I came from. I always get compliments when I wear something of hers, especially her bright multi-colored denim vest, which for the record, I was wearing well before the 90s were considered trendy again. As I get older the more ways I see just how much I’m like her, from my hair and eye color, to my sass and quick wit, to the way I want to love people like Jesus did. So, in honor of Mother’s Day and her partying it up with Jesus for the last 15 years, I wanted to do a lookbook of some of my favorite pieces of my mom’s. Shout out to my girl Sam, for embarking on this journey with me and putting together this layout.