My Mom the Style Icon: Cheryl Rossum

Red lips, tousled waves... no shoes. A young photographer used to working behind the camera radiates cool in front of it--something her daughter, Emmy Rossum, knows a thing or two about.

This casual stripy tank is classic and a little edgy all at once.

COTTON JERSEY TANK TOP, $40, madewell.com

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This photo of my mother, Cheryl Rossum, was taken in 1969 in her apartment in Manhattan. She’s a photographer, so a camera is still one of her favorite accessories. And she’s always worn red lipstick and nail polish. She’s the one who showed me how to pull off a classic red lip with a bare face, which is my look on most days. Her best style lesson, though, is: Whatever you wear, however you wear it, wear it with confidence. She does it so well with her bare feet and big Rossum hair. And she studded those jeans herself! —Emmy Rossum, 25, actress