Have mum, will party

Mothers are excellent things. They cook the best Easter lunches (yum, yum - only six days to go), and can always be relied upon to give no-nonsense advice about your love life.

They are not, however, the first person who springs to mind when scanning your address book for a party companion. I did once take my mother to a party, but she ended up discussing my stools - and I don't mean the ones in the kitchen.

If your mother is Jerry Hall, things are a little different. At 47, Jerry is a party veteran who still looks good in Lurex. Accompanying her daughter Lizzie to the Vivienne Westwood party last week, all eyes were upon the duo - for who could fail to thrill at such a public game of "spot the family resemblance".

In fashionable London circles, mother/daughter dates are the latest thing. At the Westwood party alone, at least five mothers brought along their daughters as dates: even Sadie Frost couldn't resist bringing Iris, despite the fact she is only three.

As with most things on the London social scene, the motivation behind this new trend is one-upmanship.

Never mind the family jewels: providing that both parties look fabulous, there can be nothing smugger than flaunting the family genes by dressing them up in an evening gown. As mum, hanging out with your daughter has a rejuvenating-effect far in excess of anything Lancôme has to offer - it makes you look cool again.

As daughter, having your mum around gives you an edge over all the other glam young things at the party - it lends you a pedigree. All the Rolling Stones daughters are up to this trick. Beautiful as Lizzie is, she wouldn't have gone so far in her career so fast without being Mick and Jerry's daughter. Neither would Leah Wood, Ronnie and Jo's girl.

Meanwhile, over in the US, Theodora Richards is storming the modelling world thanks to a little public endorsement from father Keith and mother Patti - herself a famous model in the Seventies.

Beautiful girls are two-a-penny: factor in your famously beautiful mum and you suddenly become much hotter.

So, there you go, girls - this spring, the only accessory worth flaunting is your mother. And even if she's more Primark than Prada, remember she's your real best friend.