My mum is great for keeping hold of old classics - pieces of

The words of Amber Le Bon ring with the dual wisdom of heritage and heart: “My mum is great for keeping hold of old classics—pieces of clothing that never age and never go out of fashion. She also says, ‘Make sure you always smile—it makes everything look better!’” At first, it is a memory of a mother’s counsel, stitched with fabrics and fashion. Yet within it lies an eternal teaching: that what is timeless in this life is not only the garments we preserve, but the smile we carry, which can brighten every shadow and adorn every circumstance with grace.

The meaning of this saying is layered like the folds of fine cloth. The “old classics” represent continuity—those things that endure when trends fade, the enduring beauty of simplicity and authenticity. So too is the smile a classic, never aging, never falling out of place. In joy or in sorrow, in triumph or in trial, the smile transforms the moment. It makes the heavy light, the uncertain more bearable, the ordinary more radiant. Her mother’s counsel reveals that while garments may adorn the body, it is the smile that adorns the soul.

The ancients themselves recognized this truth. Consider the women of Sparta, who were famed not only for their strength but for their proud bearing. When their husbands went off to war, they told them to return “with your shield, or on it.” Yet even in parting, they carried themselves with dignity and resolve, faces lifted, often marked by a calm smile. Their countenance was their strength, for it reassured their children and steadied their households. Just as garments endure through careful preservation, so too does a smile preserve courage through generations.

History offers us more examples. Eleanor Roosevelt, often criticized and burdened by the weight of her role, once said, “If life were predictable, it would cease to be life.” She endured hardship with resilience and was remembered by many for her warm and steady smile, which carried more power than words. Her smile was not naïve—it was forged by trial, yet it clothed her like an “old classic,” reminding others of endurance, dignity, and hope. Her life proves the wisdom of Le Bon’s mother: smiles make everything look better, not because they deny suffering, but because they illuminate it with courage.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the bond between mother and daughter. The mother, holding onto garments that transcend fashion, teaches that not everything valuable lies in what is new. She passes down the lesson that certain things—classics of spirit and dress—are treasures to be guarded. Among these treasures, the smile is the greatest. For a smile is not bought, not woven, not stitched; it arises from within, yet it has the power to transform what lies without.

The lesson for us is clear: cherish what is timeless. This means keeping faith with the values, habits, and expressions that endure. Just as one might keep an old coat that never loses its elegance, so too should one keep the practice of smiling, even when the world demands frowns. In practice, this means meeting others with warmth, finding reasons to smile even in difficulty, and remembering that beauty is not only in garments, but in presence, in kindness, in the light we bring to others.

So let the wisdom of Amber Le Bon’s mother guide us: preserve the classics of life, both material and spiritual. Hold onto the traditions, the heirlooms, the lessons, and above all, hold onto the smile, for it never fades and never fails. When the world feels uncertain, when fashions change, when sorrow threatens to overwhelm, let your smile shine as the garment that makes all things look better.

Thus, children of tomorrow, carry this teaching in your heart: smile often, preserve the timeless, and adorn your life not only with clothes that endure, but with the expressions of the soul that uplift others. For a smile is the truest classic, a fashion of the spirit that will never go out of style.