WRITTEN BY VERONICA STIVALA

To celebrate upcoming Mother’s Day we interview a mother and daughter who have a particularly close relationship.

When Graziella was five years old, she had an eye operation. Being so young, this scared her and left her afraid to open her eyes for two days. She finally mustered the courage to do so one night, at around 3 a.m. and when she did, she found her mum there, reading a book. This is just one of the many fond memories Graziella has of her mother, one which stands out particularly in her mind, and which perhaps serves as a touching representation of the special bond the two have together.

This mother and daughter do practically everything together, starting from dawn, when Graziella calls her mother to let her know all is well. With only 19 years difference between the two, Graziella being the first born, as well as the only daughter of three siblings, this close relationship is understandable. They have their hair done together and go to Sunday lunch together every week. “She’s supported me through so much and I’ve always felt like I could turn to her for anything at any time,” muses Graziella.

“She’s supported me through so much and I’ve always felt like I could turn to her for anything at any time,” muses Graziella.

When asked what they think makes them both so close, they both agree that respect for one another is at the root of their bond: “We have an extremely honest relationship which we believe is so important to have and we treat each other as friends more than anything. We also have very similar opinions,” they comment.

Graziella confides that while they have always been so close, as with so many of us, the early teens were “a bit of a struggle”, but, she goes on, one she realized that her mum “always had my best interest at heart we had an inseparable relationship. She always gave me the best advice on fashion, friends, lovers and anything else.”

We speak a bit more about fashion – these stylish ladies are always dressed to the nines. For this photo shoot, Graziella is wearing a gorgeous collarless, ribbed black shirt, the cuffs turned up neatly. Lucia is wearing a delicate, wool grey sweater. This is typical of both their styles: Graziella has a very bright style and loves colours and patterns, while Lucia’s is more neutral and she adores a calmer palette. Both have paired their outfits with a silk Saz scarf: Graziella’s a deep red with splashes of green and lilac, and Lucia a pale blue scarf, set off with hues of grey and orange. Speaking about Saz’s scarves, they note: “Saz’s products can be dressed  up or down and they’ll do the work to complete an outfit, which is why we love them so much. We wear a lot of her scarves, in summer and winter because they just dress up any outfit.”

“Saz’s products can be dressed  up or down and they’ll do the work to complete an outfit, which is why we love them so much. We wear a lot of her scarves, in summer and winter because they just dress up any outfit.”

The two ladies, who incidentally are even wearing the same shade of lipstick discuss how their relationship has matured over the years. Notes Graziella: “we have become closer especially after having my own kids, because I understand my mum more now than when I was younger. Being a mother gave us something else to connect with.”

To all our mothers, and mothers-to-be, Happy Mother’s Day!

Photos: Tina Mifsud