School-gate Fashionista

Nearly three years have passed since, inspired by a new generation of mummy bloggers, I shared my tips on how to conquer the school-gate catwalk. Things change in three years. Fashion moves on, circumstances alter and body parts start slipping. High time, therefore, that I show you how my style has evolved to meet the demands of 2015 and how you too can get the look that turns heads on the school run - or, in our case, hike.

Logistically, this sharing has proved a challenge. My usual photographer has started secondary school and is unavailable and the Vicar eats muesli at 8.30am and can't be disturbed. Moreover, the 10-year-old has refused to capture some of my more, er, retro ensembles. Here, however, is a photo log of my sartorial week so you can see how a woman's wardrobe moves with the times.

Monday


2012                                        2015


Some of the striking fashion differences in this picture can be explained by the fact that the first was taken at the beginning of summer and the most recent in mid January. Winter, for instance, calls for The Hat. The Hat guarantees you stunned stares from fellow parents and is a useful nesting place for tissues when you don't have pockets. It was a Christmas present from my mother three years ago, so you'll have to guess the price and origins. The scarf was courtesy of the Vicar and, if moth holes are as reliable an indicator of age as tree rings, it's passed its fifth birthday and is equally priceless. Who needs plastic surgery with a coat like this (£32 from Harpers Bazaar army surplus stores in Malvern)? Beneath it I'm wearing tartan pyjamas (Primark £8) and a pair of pink bedsocks (99p from the 99p Stores). The most obvious transformation is the wellies. Alas, my original Hunters only lasted two years before admitting several gallons of the local stream on one morning commute. This replacement pair was also a present from my mother. Genuine Hunters, don't you know. Price on application. Total price: £40.99 and some. Plus the Hunters.

Tuesday



The secret of sartorial success is to turn heads while adapting seamlessly to circumstance. My legs are modelling skinny jeans (£21 from M&S before you were born). Luckily the coat (£32 from Harpers Bazaar army surplus store) hides the evidence that cream is far too pale a hue for the unpredictability of our route to school. If you zoom in you'll see the label on those boots show they're genuine Hunters. Total price: £74 plus The Hat and Hunters.


Wednesday




Ditto Tuesday. The jeans are the same as yesterday. No point muddying two pairs of trousers. Note the designer Hunters which lift the whole ensemble. Total cost: £74 plus the Hunters.

Thursday


2012                                                            2015  


A menacing forecast and a tardy alarm clock mean we're driving today. That allows the mud to dry on my army waterproofing while I show off my contours in spring green. The coat was bought in the Next Christmas sale in 2007. £35 I think it was.  I should point out to those wanting instant gratification that that coveted distressed vintage look takes years of patience to achieve. Within it I'm sporting a skirt bought in the same Christmas sales as the coat, only across the mall at Boden (£35), and a jumper from Debenhams (£20) with Oxfam polyknit as insulation(£4). The boots bore a £180 price tag from Hobbs. To calm me, the assistant told me they should last five years. Ten years on they still have most of their parts attached. Total price: £274.


Friday



If you want to speed up the morning drop-off, wear moss green corduroy cut-offs and watch your little ones sprint the last hundred yards to school to avoid being seen with you. These were £4 from Barnardo's in Godalming. The average property price in Godalming is £513,000, so probably these crops were worn by a stockbroker's wife before me. The day after this picture was taken, though, they mysteriously disappeared from my wardrobe. You'll notice the scarf and coat have changed. It's essential for a woman's wardrobe to show variety. The former was a tenner from Covent Garden market. The latter is a genuine designer Barbour, although not the right kind of genuine designer Barbour according to the 12-year-old who only recognises the shiny quilted Gold Label Glamour range. A tissue in the pocket dates it to circa 2008 when I bought a box of Superdrug multi-coloured 2-ply by mistake. £80 as I recall (the Barbour, not the tissues). And no, those aren't my Hunters. I had to borrow the 12-year-old's wellies due to an aquatic calamity on yesterday's school hike home. But I hope you appreciate that they still bear the Hunters label (£19 from TK Maxx). Total cost: £113.

Now it's your turn. How do you combine glamour and adaptability on the obstacle course that is the school run?


Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

Comments

  1. I usually just pull on joggers over my nightie and and cross my arms so no-one can see the lack of bra.
    Congratulations on still pulling off the same look after 3 years! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, we definitely notice the lack of bra.

      Watch out for awkward-looking men wielding iPhones...

      Delete
    2. My calamity is that noone would notice whether I went bra-less or not because there is so little to, er, notice!

      Delete
  2. I don't have kids, so haven't had the pleasure of the school run.

    Being a burly skinhead, I reckon I could just brood menacingly in the corner and not worry about what the other parents think of my attire. Of course, the effect would be broken when the kid pipes up with "Daddy, you've still got that stain on your bum."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why, hello you! There are far too many burly skinheads brooding menacingly in corners at school. To turn heads, a tutu and magenta Doc Martens would be failsafe accessories.

      Delete
  3. I've just read the original post - do you still have the white dressing gown? Is it still white?? Miss Mac is 15 now and so school drop off days are far in the past but i hate to be left out so I'll share my late night dog walking outfit with you (sadly no photo). Last night it consisted of: Long sleeved t-shirt (charity shop buy £1.99) in sludge green - purple vest top worn over t-shirt (Primark, 5 quid for three) - blue Cropped jogging/gym type jersey bottoms (origin unknown) which have lots the cord thing required to tighten them so they sag alarmingly tucked into very expensive New Rock boot. All topped off with a hot water bottle artfully tucked into jogging bottoms and under vest top (but over t-shirt to avoid scalding) and held in place by Rip Curl fleece (bough half price in sale in Newquay last summer) with zip (thankfully still intact) done up to avoid embarrassing slippage of hot water bottle to groin area or below. Total cost of outfit approx £190 (almost entirely boots and fleece) and all dignity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The more of your comments I read the more I wish you were my neighbour. The fashion world hasn't really come up with a chic solution to that hot water bottle problem has it, although my coat is useful for that. The dressing gown still exists but in my daughter's wardrobe. As I've said, I like my own clothes to move with the times.

      Delete
  4. Did Wednesday also coincide with filming Calling the Midwife?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm yet to take part in the school run yet as my little munchkin is currently waiting to be born. However please do another one of these in three years so I can join in then!

    Emma | frillsanddoodads.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gosh, I can't imagine what my wardrobe will look like in three years time. But I shall definitely do all I can to help you!!

      Delete
    2. Brilliant! Glad to see your staying within your clothing allowance. Such an English Rose in your Barbour and Hunters, it all sounds so posh to a Canadian like moi. It's all parkas and snowshoes here! Your son looks quite dapper.

      Delete
    3. That's a polyester school uniform for you. Can't beat it for class!

      Delete
  6. The is fab....your crowning glory!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haha brilliant-the vintage look is so in so you're winning if you ask me ;) Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do liver spots count as a vintage look? In which case I'm so 'in'!

      Delete
  8. Love this! Particularly the speeding up the walk by wearing the green corduroys to make the children sprint away from you hahaha!!! What a brilliant and cunning plan! xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad to see your ideas writing service essaybulldogs.com as it is the perfect combination due to which students can make up with both studies and fashion and they will not have any thing in their minds which can be a hurdle in their real and education life.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hardcore Living

The Various Uses of Rubber

Driving Parents Round the Bend