Byline: KAREN WILLIAMSON
NEW RESEARCH shows that 40 per cent of people could pick out a man's wife by looking at photos of his mother at the same age.
According to Dr Glen Wilson, from the Institute of Psychiatry, it's how a woman looks when her son is between the ages of one and three that holds the key to his later preferences. He also found that men almost always fall in love with women who have the same eye colour as their mother. We asked three wives to dress the same as their partner's mother did when they were young.
The results, as KAREN WILLIAMSON discovered, were startling.
BEN MEE, 37, a writer, has been with Katherine Carnegie, 36, a designer, for five years. They have a 20-month-old son, Milo, and are expecting their second child in January. They live in Primrose Hill, North London. Ben's mother, Amelia, 72, lives in Woldingham, Surrey.
BEN: 'Katherine looks strikingly similar to pictures of my mum at the same age. My mum had short hair, like Katherine when I met her, and similar eyes and physique.
'Thinking about it now, all my serious girlfriends were brunettes.
But I wouldn't like anyone to suggest that I was attracted to Katherine because she looked like my mum.
When we met, I had a powerful feeling that we had to be together.
'My earliest memories of mum were of perfume and a long necklace. Katherine loves jewellery and perfume. Their temperaments are similar - caring, patient and artistic. They have similar ways of dealing with my dad and I, putting up with tetchiness until the mood passes.' KATHERINE: 'When I met Amelia, I wasn't struck by any physical resemblance. But I can see the similarity in pictures of her when she was younger. We have similar personalities.
She keeps herself busy, is a coper and creative. Amelia's the sociable one in her relationship, like me.
'Amelia's so nice that it is flattering to think that anything about her would remind Ben of me.
I'd love to be like her at her age.' AMELIA: 'I noticed the similarity the first time I saw Katherine - she was dark-haired and dark-eyed.
'I have four sons and when they were teenagers their girlfriends were all so like me, it was eerie.
'I'm happy if Ben sees any of the old me in Katherine. When we met there was an instant rapport between us. I was bowled over by how much we had in common - we both love making things. We think along the same lines, too. Often she'll say something and I think 'I was just going to say that'.' SIMON DALDRY, 37, is an insurance broker who is married to Donna Loveday, 37, a senior curator at the Design Museum. They live in East Sheen, South-West London. His mother, Una, 62, lives in Putney, South-West London.
SIMON: 'I first fancied Donna because of the way she looks - I like blonde-haired women with blue eyes - and her friendly, open personality.
I wasn't aware of it at the time, but she has the same colouring and height as mum.
'On an unconscious level, I feel OK about my attraction for Donna being something to do with how my mum used to look, but the idea that I went looking for a young clone makes me feel very uncomfortable.
'Saying that, I felt proud about the way mum looked when she was younger and I feel the same about Donna now. They are both stylish and like to look good, but neither wears perfume.
'I'm not attracted to women who are walkovers. I like women to be opinionated and independent. Both my mum and Donna are strong and have a thing about being told what to do. The fact they both hate cooking may explain why my dad and I really enjoy it. We had to.' DONNA: 'When I met Una, she made me feel completely at ease.
There was an immediate bond and I knew we were going to get on.
We're both blonde, blue-eyed and love clothes. We go for a smart, modern image, and often wear black. Una's hair, makeup and nails always look great.
Grooming's important to me.
'We both like good food, celebrity gossip and soaps. We hate smallmindedness and whinging. We share the same views and we never argue. And she's always saying things that I would have done. Also, we both hate cooking.
'We both expect our husbands to be our soul mates.
Although they have separate interests - they're obsessed with sport, while we love our rubbish TV and soaps - it's important to both of us that we talk, get on and enjoy time with our husbands.'
UNA: 'I was taken aback when I saw the photographs of Donna made up similarly to me because the facial features were so alike.
'What was more incredible was the way she moved when she was being photographed - it was just like me.
'We have similar colouring and complexions, but we also have the same way of laughing, expressing ourselves and gesturing.
'I have never worn jewellery and I don't think Donna does, either. If Simon has chosen his wife based on memories of me then I think it's entirely flattering.
'There are similarities in our marriages, too. They have their ups and downs, but it's a solid relationship. This may be because Simon has seen us work things out over the years and remain happy.
'Donna and I are also good at letting our husbands enjoy their hobbies - cricket takes up a lot of their time - but we know that if they're doing what they love, they're happier.
'That makes the time we spend together better.' RUSSELL HENNESSY, 35, a jeweller, is married to Julie, 37, a hairdresser and lecturer.
They met 15 years ago, have three children, Daniel, 12, Reece, ten, and Darcy-May, seven, and live in Mill Hill, North London. Russell's mother, Audrey, 60, lives in Finchley, North London.
RUSSELL: 'When we met, I was won over by her smile, but was not aware of any similarity between her and mum. But when I saw old photos of my mum, I couldn't believe how similar they looked.
'It makes me laugh to think that I may have been looking for a younger version of mum.
'I remember mum wearing her hair up when I was younger and I love Julie to wear hers up. My mum has always been glamorous. Maybe that's why I like a woman to dress femininely and wear makeup.
'I remember the smell of my mum's perfume and like the fact that Julie always smells nice. They're both energetic, bubbly and sociable.' JULIE: 'I wasn't struck by a likeness immediately, but I could see that we were both very feminine and slim.
'It was when we first went out as a family and someone said 'Is your mum OK?' that I realised people thought we were related. I've got a full mouth and we have similar colouring - dark hair and pale skin.
'We both have blue eyes and a similar build. We enjoy shopping and get pleasure from dressing up. We're very hardworking. We see each other all the time because she looks after the children when I'm working. We also go to the ballet and opera.
'I think it's a compliment that Russell may have seen something of his mum in me.' AUDREY: 'I've always felt the physical likeness between us. I liked her straight away and feel fine about Russell seeing something of me in her.
She's more like a daughter. My son has gone for similar personalities in his girlfriends, happy and outgoing.
'He likes women who know how to look after themselves.
'I've always been interested in fashion and I think that was what my late husband liked about me - his mother was very stylish, too.
'Julie and I are lively and caring - always with time for other people and a kind action. But, above all, we put our children before everything. I definitely see some of me in the way she brings up her children.
'We're also one-man women. I've been with only one man, my late husband, and Julie will stay with Russell for good. We're very loyal people.'
