Thursday 29 July 2010

I don't dress for the school run, I dress for my life!!

Thus said a wise (and avid ;-D) friend of mine recently. Let's call her Esher Mummy. These women who bark on about the high-falutin' ways of mothers who dare to look presentable at 9am - what, may I ask, is their problem? Is it that they think you've negelected your child(ren) in the pursuit of early morning fabulousness? Plonked them in front of the telly with a Mars Bar for brekkie while you beautify in the bathroom, agonise over outfits and eventually teeter downstairs with a tinkling "Come on then! You'll be late!" An acquaintance once sagely advised me "Tidy house, bad mother" - implying, you can't possibly be engaging with your child in a meaningful way if your house isn't a toy-strewn disaster zone. God only knows what she'd make of mascara'ed lashes and tinted lips.

But as Esher Mummy so rightly says - who's to say the day begins and ends with the school run? What about the endless trips to the supermarket, the fortifying coffees, the park dates and the interminable post office queues (returns: the downside of online clothes ordering..)? Fine if your post-school-gate plans are picking dried-out cornflakes out of your labrador's coat: by all means, wear your trackie pants to drop your child off. Just don't expect him - or you - to get invited to any parties of note.

I don't even do a school run, as such, yet. Nursery a few mornings a week, that's all - and that's bad enough. Recently, in the course of a riveting discussion about 'introducing solids' with a mum whose youngest is similarly aged to The Bub, I expressed interest in Baby Led Weaning but said I'd not done it for any of my three. She looked me up and down and said "Well, you wouldn't - not with the way you dress. It's very messy."

Hmm. Because kids are otherwise so very, very clean and tidy, is that it??

Anyway. It made me think - as did the fact that the longest day is now a good month behind us and the nights, while still light, are drawing in unmistakably earlier. Already my thoughts are turning towards camel capes and cashmere - even while SS10 purchases hang, unworn, in my wardrobe. Time to wear, wear, wear. Thank goodness for children, say I - baby led weaning or not, they're mucky as anything, generally providing excuses and opportunities for several outfit changes a day. Like Esher Mummy, I don't dress for the school run, I dress for my life.

Horniman Museum Myths & Monsters exhibition with the children. Wearing Leona Edmiston dress, charity shop belt, Gap denim jacket, Bloch ballet pumps.



Friday night: Jools Holland at the Greenwich Sessions. Wearing Arrogant Cat harem jumpsuit from asos.com, Antik Batik sandals from eBay and Primark necklace.


Friends over for lunch. Wearing River Island maxi, charity shop bangle and Primark gladiators.


Local Nature Reserve: wearing Diesel denim mini (99p on eBay) with Zara stripe top, Havaianas and asos.com canvas bag.


Monday: working from home on High Maintenance Mummy with the children in tow; heading out in the afternoon for a haircut - bye bye bird's nest! Wearing Primark skinnies, charity shop blouse (have been told it's Cacharel and am more than happy to believe it!) Bloch ballet pumps and charity shop trench.


The day after the haircut. The Bub cried hysterically when he saw me, clinging to The Bearded One and refusing to come to me. Even The Princess, usually my Best Fashion Friend, told me I looked silly. Wearing Theory skirt, Fruit of the Loom top from eBay and silver flip flops from some dodgy shop in Peckham.

Afternoon at the park. I'm impressed with the way I've co-ordinated with the pushchair even, almost, down to the coffee stains in the hood and crumb-covered seat. Wearing Primark grey skinnies, Bloch ballet pumps, grey Oushka Oakley and Vero Moda cowl neck tunic from asos.com


OMG, I have an interview. For like, regular, paid work. For the record, this picture was taken after the event. I didn't rock up with a creased dress. Wearing Banana Republic dress that I found in Traid for £14, £1 belt from same store and Swedish Hasbeens from farfetch.com. And how handy to have a trenchcoat (£4.95 from a charity shop in Cornwall) to cover tell-tale travel crinkles and nervous sweat patches. Of which, let's hope, there were none. Just think, if I get the job I might even be able to spend more than £20 on an outfit.


8 comments:

  1. Oh I just love all your outfits!! They look fantastic, and all v different from each other so not just variations on a theme. How inspiring. Once babies have landed, am looking forward to getting back into normal clothes and will def try and mix it up some more. Love it if you did more of these sorts of posts so we can see various outfits.

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  2. love love love having real-life photos of outfits in action.

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  3. Love the blog,love the outfits. Total fabulousness ! :-)

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  4. Absolutely agree. For some the only time out of the house can be for the school run so why not make it an event?

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  5. You are wonderful! So are the outfits, I really admire your style and the way you write about your adventures with the kids and the clothes :). Also, thank you for standing up for stylish mums on MN. Now we need to see more actions shots.

    youngblowfish xxx

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  6. thanks ladies! this post was a bit of a departure for me and quite a nerve-wracking one - so it's really, really fabulous to have your positive comments. Thanks a million! x

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  7. You look gorgeous in all your outfits. Especially like the jumpsuit you wore for the Jools Holland concert. xx
    http://www.weshopthereforeweare.co.uk/

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  8. How fabulously you wear primark! Very funny, its the way you do the "jeans from primark" thing, suddenly made me want to get down there and buy everything.

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