Kelly Ripa Reveals the Item of Clothing She Won’t Wear ‘At This Age’, Despite Daughter Lola Encouraging Her to Dress Sexier (Exclusive)

The mother-daughter duo share everything from accessories to beauty tips for PEOPLE’s 2025 World’s Most Beautiful issue

Kelly Ripa earnestly insists she doesn’t care how she looks during PEOPLE’s photoshoot as long as her daughter, Lola Consuelos (the middle of her three children with husband Mark Consuelos), feels beautiful.

The Live with Kelly and Mark host, 53, is happy to sit back and be styled by Lola, who’s pursuing her singing career in London, as she selects coordinated, school-girl-chic inspired ensembles for both to wear.

“You always have a touch of business in your outfits, but in a very beautiful and authentic way to you,” Lola, 23, tells her mom as she flips through the racks — before selecting a mini for mom to wear.

Though Ripa says she prefers a “longer skirt,” she dutifully dons the mini one, while Lola starts adding accessories to their finished looks — including the diamond Jennifer Fisher choker Ripa wore to the 2024 Academy Awards.

Sure, Lola might inherit the jewels, but she’s already got her mom’s self-assuredness and good humor, and some great life lessons besides: Lola says Ripa “taught me less is more” when it comes to beauty.

“You can’t apply confidence externally,” Ripa agrees, smiling.

And though confidence is something the two share, these days, even confidence can’t convince Ripa to wear certain kinds of clothing — those aforementioned miniskirts included.

“There are so many things that I just can’t or won’t wear. I’m literally making a list in my head. I really try not to, at this age, [wear miniskirts] — and especially since I spend most of my time sitting in a stool or a desk, I try to wear longer skirts,” she says, gesturing at the mini she’s wearing on the set. “Today was a special occasion. Lola asked me to put on [the] skirt [she’s wearing] and I said, ‘I just cannot.’ Simply cannot. Past a certain age, you got to know when to hang up your disco shoes!”

Do you often raid each other’s closets?
Ripa: I think you’re in my closet a lot more than I even realize.

Lola: For those who can’t tell, we are different sizes, drastically different. And that is A-okay.

Ripa: Are you calling me flat-chested again? Because that’s not right!

Lola: So I go into her closet to hope to try something on and I usually get stuck in it.

Ripa: I see you all the time on social media! In my tank tops, T-shirts, a lot of blazers, lots of jewelry, belts, and handbags.

How would you describe each other’s style?

Lola: Chic is such a — I think that’s such a basic word to use, but you always have a touch of business as well in your outfits. You love a blazer, a high-waisted pant, a heel. It’s not conservative … It’s very chic and minimalistic, but in a very beautiful and authentic way to you.

Ripa: That’s so nice. I think that Lola has truly one of the most unique and totally her senses of style. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the way Lola puts an outfit together. I remember being her age and hitting all the vintage shops and really being able to work with what I found there. And I see [her] do that all the time. And I just think that you always look elegant. You always look sophisticated, but definitely youthful and rock n’ roll and all of the things I wish I was brave enough to do when I was your age, but never had the courage to pull off.

Do you ever FaceTime for fashion advice — and do you ever give an honest negative opinion?

Ripa: Lola actually really did not want me to wear the dress I wound up wearing [to the 2025 Oscars]. And Lola and her boyfriend both weighed in and cautioned me against wearing the dress that I wore [but] it was the dress my husband loved the best. And when I put it on, especially after getting a spray tan, I said to myself, This is the dress.

Lola: When when I saw the photos with you and Dad on the red carpet, we were like, “Oh my God, I could not imagine her wearing any other dress. This looks fantastic.” But you’re so petite, you can really wear whatever — I think the orange was amazing, but I wanted something big. There was a dress that she had with a huge bow here, slits down the side, that would expose your side boob.

Ripa: I said to her, “Only young people can wear this dress.” And she said, “No, you can wear it.” And I go, “No, I can wear it from the front, but for the rest of the night I will have to walk and move like this because there is too much that will flop out and underneath and behind and backwards.

How has being a mom changed your perception of beauty, Kelly?
Ripa: Once you have a child, and I was lucky enough to have three of them, any sort of ability to really prioritize yourself goes way out the window. So I think I just see so much beauty in the mundane, the ordinary. I like my kids really freshly scrubbed. Now they’re adults, but I love when I see them fresh out of the shower. I mean, in clothes of course, but she doesn’t need makeup.

Lola: You like the authentic.

Ripa: Yeah, more natural. In real life, I never wear makeup. I know that sounds crazy, but I just don’t. So I like a more ‘just come as you are’ sort of thing. And having children enhanced that. Because I just think as they grew so did their beauty, and I believe it comes from within because you are three of the kindest, nicest people I’ve ever met.

What are some major fashion faux pas in your book?
Lola: I personally not like a mesh… thing. The mesh to me, I don’t know, I just won’t do it for me. It will never look good on me. So, I always will stay away from the nude mesh. Black mesh, fine, but nude mesh? It’s just not for me. Or the sneaker heel.

Ripa: Oh, you mean the one I wear?

Lola: No, you do not wear them. They’re heeled. It looks like a high top and then there’s a heel. And by the way, I’m going to be very honest. Guess who had a pair? Me. I had my own pair, but I will never do that again.

What’s your latest beauty hack?
Lola: Sunscreen! I just got into it a few months ago. I went and I got a facial-

Ripa: I cannot believe she said she just got into it a few months ago.

Lola: My friends wear sunscreen every day. And they always say, “Lola, you need to put on sunscreen.” And I’m like, “I just love the way I look tan. I really love a bronzed glow.” And then I went to get a facial and she said, “Yeah, there’s some fine lines when you smile.” And I was like, “What could prevent that?” She was like, “Sunscreen.” And so now every day, I lather it on.

Ripa: So the one facialist told you the one time that you should wear sunscreen after two decades of your mother applying sunscreen to you as a child, diligently? I would apply at the beach — I would apply sunscreen to Lola, who would run in a circle away from me. So, I would have one arm, and I’d be running around behind her, holding onto the one arm applying sunscreen. And then she would run into the water and try to scrub it off with sand.

Lola: Oh yeah, exfoliation!

Lola, when do you first recall understanding what your parents did for a living?
Lola: I think I was about four maybe. I think going to work [with them] and maybe also realizing that my parents’ friends also didn’t go to a studio every day and talk in front of an audience. Because when you go home and you say, “What do your parents do?” I remember my best friend’s mom growing up was a doctor… and, you’re not a doctor.