Mum on the Run - A stripe, some leopard and a pop of colour!

Our youngest was so upset this morning that she couldn't go into the bathroom to clean her teeth. Through her distress I managed to establish that she was too scared to go in there because she was going to be eaten by "Bum Head".  It transpired that our eldest had told her that "Bum Head" was hiding in there and would, in fact, eat her, should she enter.  Try explaining that one away with a straight face.  

I was in my running gear this morning when I went to school so I had to take my own photo on returning home.  I gave myself a lesson in layering today - thermal bottoms and long sleeved vest, thermal tights, long sleeved top, jumper dress and cardi. Along with wearing a pencil skirt that it is impossible to walk in (as per last Tuesday when the thought of walking around the shops was too much to bear so I came home), wearing that many layers is another great dis-incentive to try on new clothes.  The faff was just too great to contemplate.  All that it did mean, however, was that I just bought the clothes instead without trying them on, with a view to taking them back.  Where there's a will there's a way - and a justification!

When I did return home, my friend took this photo for me.  I had swapped my shoe boots for red patent shoes on the basis that they were probably slightly more comfortable for my shopping trip.

Oddly, when I was in town, I saw two striped dresses like the H&M one that I am wearing - one in Gap and one in Cos.  The dress is actually a bit large for me but it's fine with lots underneath and with my Cos Cardi on top. I also belted it with my Topshop skinny leopard print belt. As I stood paying for my soup and sarnie in EAT a lady tapped me on my shoulder and said "I do love your shoes" -  I'm not sure why but as I've said it before - there's just something about red shoes that people love.

Continuing with my theme of talking about "hero" brands, how could I not dedicate a post to that great British institution,  Marks and Spencer?  Where would we be without it? (Apparently knickerless, if we are to believe the statistics!)

My first recollection of M and S having an impact on my life was via a photograph taken of me when I was about three. I was sitting on the front door step of our house wearing the most amazing navy and red trouser suit. The jacket had red and white stripes and the navy flared trousers had a vent in with the same striped material. Oh, how I loved that trouser suit - I thought that I looked the bees knees. 

I think that my desire to personally style people first revealed itself in M and S. The joy that I took in rifling through the boxes of bras and matching my Mum up with the bra size that she was after -what a sense of achievement!

As a teenager it was a Saturday treat to eat a prawn roll on the bench outside M and S in Nottingham and to have a whole bag of cheesy balls to myself was heaven. To take home a bag of their butter popcorn was beyond dreamy.  A Saturday night treat was to eat crumpets, angel cake and chocolate crispie cake whilst watching the Generation Game on TV.

I came home from a holiday once to find that my bedroom had been totally re-decorated courtesy of, yes, you guessed it - M and S. The range was called "Chelsea" and included matching bedding, lampshade and bin, no less. So 1980's! My first "beauty" range was from M and S - Wild Iris matching soap, bubble bath and talc - I can still smell it now.

As a sixteen year old in need of a Saturday job, I refused to work anywhere else apart from M and S. I badgered them until they relented and gave me a job - in the lingerie department no less.  At £1.94 an hour as opposed to the £1.50 that WH Smiths were offering I was positively rich (and the bonus was that the prawn sarnies in the canteen were only 10p!)

The nylon uniform left a lot to be desired. It was distinctly uncomfortable and unflattering on the puppy fat. However, it was fun to watch the men come in on a Friday morning, buying a "little something" for the weekend. I often wanted to ask them whether it was intended for their wife (as opposed to their lover) but never did.

On into the student days and as a treat on a Saturday, my housemates and I would share a box of profiteroles. So much more delicious than whatever else we lived on for the rest of the week.

When travelling around the world, the delight that my friend and I experienced on discovering M and S in Singapore was incredible. M and S on the other side of the world! As I recall our £10 budget for the day didn't permit us to actually buy anything but we had great fun looking.

My first work suits came from M and S plus shoes and of course the endless supply of tights that were required. And so on into adulthood proper - our eldest child's first babygros, presents from friends, presents to friends (even as recently as yesterday!) and here we are now.

When training as a Stylist, I was told that it wasn't possible to style anyone out of M and S - they were wrong. It is, and I have, with great success.

M and S feels safe, people have grown up with it, they understand it and what it stands for. There are great pieces to be found in Limited Collection, Autograph and in their suiting range. Since the demise of many high street shoe shops, M and S has upped its game and it is possible to find directional footwear at a really good price. Great if you don't want to invest too much in a look that might only last a season or so and also if you want shoes that come in half sizes.  My clients are often amazed when I tell them that pieces that I have are from M and S and I think that many have returned to shop there.

What always amazes me is that whichever client's wardrobe I may be working with, they all, without exception, have an M and S hanger in there somewhere. I can tell from the distinctive style that they are from around the mid 1980's, probably when most of my clients were still living at home, which means that they have probably travelled with them through many house moves and still they have hung on.

So thank you M and S - you have played, and still play, a big part in my life and I for one still love your prawn sarnies and am even happier now that you have started to stock diet coke too.

Mum on the Run - the best way to keep upright on the ice!

It promised to be a potentially tricky journey to school this morning so I pulled out the big guns and wore my leopard print "bumper" boots. I am not quite sure why I bought them really - I think that I was having an aberration when I was pregnant with number 3 but they do a great job of a) keeping me up right on the ice and b) keeping me warm and dry.  So, for the three days a year when they make an appearance, they do a great job.

Mum on the Run - Sunday Best

I have often thought how amazing it would be if you could buy in a jar, the kind of jam that you get in doughnuts and jammy dodgers.  That totally manufactured, seedless red glue that hasn't had any kind of fruit near it.  There's nothing like it and I would know, because I have just eaten a doughnut.  Checking out whether we should buy individual doughnuts, or a packet of them, was great for the children's maths this morning. Yes, I am very good at making maths fun.

Running my "Sunday Best" feature in the middle of the winter probably wasn't the brightest of moves.  I now need to go and strip off into something partyish, which I must admit I don't particularly feel like doing right now - but a promise is a promise, so here goes....

I bought this dress in Zara for about £60. I loved the design of it as I think that it looks much more expensive than it is.  Also, it doesn't require much by way of accessories.   I also liked the fact that it wasn't black and that it came with a pretty belt.  There is a history to it though - our eldest left it in M&S and she and my husband went back into town to find it when we realised after returning home that we didn't have it.  It was a miracle they found it because we didn't actually have a clue which of the 23 shops we had been in, we had actually left it in.

Naturally, I cheated a little for these photos and this is what I was wearing underneath...

Heat tech thermals from Uniqlo - the best on the market! I quite like this dress a bit shorter and might get it shortened after having worn it a couple more times for evening events - that way I will get some more wear out of it.  I have put it with my taupe LK Bennett Sledge shoes and a Kew bracelet.

My second "hero" brand - COS

The second brand in my "hero" posts is COS - Collection Of Style - which is Swedish. There are several popular Scandinavian brands at the moment, including Acne and Day Birger but their pricing is definitely at the "upper" end of the High Street - if not slightly above.  Their appeal is, in essence, their simple styling which often comes with a twist.  COS fills that gap of affordable Scandanavian chic - and I love it.

If like me you are a fan of neutrals - largely navy, black and grey - and great tailoring, COS is the place for you.  They add in the odd splash of neon and prints - but not much. Their pieces are great for creating a classic capsule wardrobe but with a twist.  They some times use quirky fabrics - neoprene for example - and their styling is different to what you may find in other shops, which is why I love it.  Price wise, most things tend to end in a "9", whether it be £49, £59 or £69!

These are some of my favourite Cos pieces, taken against a back drop of a photograph of Shell Beach on Herm, which is a tiny, tiny Channel Island and one of my all time favourite places in the world....

I bought this dress when I was looking for something simple, sophisticated and warm to wear when I was delivering a seminar at the annual Mumpreneur conference last year.  It has a zip around the middle which I thought was a great feature. It was one of those things that I put on and just thought "yes, this is it!" and the deal was done! This is a picture of me wearing it at another style event before Christmas.

Another of my favourite dresses is this evening one, in purple, which has amazing draping and is also structured beautifully inside.

COS also does great knitwear and here is my "Christmas jumper" which I fear may, as a result of the cold weather, be due an outing soon. I think it's very George Michael and "Last Christmas" so when I wear it, it is always slightly tongue in cheek!

Finally another piece of knit wear and a favourite high waisted skirt of mine which I wear together as the skirt needs a short jumper and the jumper shrank slightly in the wash - so they are now the perfect pairing!

And for my last outfit, the one I was wearing on Friday - COS neon skirt and Cos navy jumper with neon spots!

I have also bought some Chelsea boots from COS this season and some fairly high rise grey skinny jeans - great for holding in the tum!

It is now possible to buy COS on line which is great but if you can get to a store to do a bit of trying on, it's definitely worth going to have a play. Let me know what you think!

Mum on the Run - a cold and snowy day but with a nice dessert!

Like everywhere else, it was freezing this morning so I put on plenty of layers and I started off wearing this.........

As the day went on and the snow arrived I progressed to this......

I was impressed that my husband actually let me wear his hat when I went out to get our daughter, as I had ridiculed it earlier in the day when we went out for lunch where, for dessert I ate this....

and to work some of it off, I  then had to do this.... several times in fact!

First outfit - Gap cargoes, Boden Jumper, Oasis cardigan and scarf, Jigsaw shoe boots;

Second outfit - Mostly too old and disgusting to mention;

Dessert - The Plough pub, Harborne. Def worth a visit!

Jigsaw - my very own hero!

 

I keep meaning the thank the person who goes onto StyleGuile most days and ticks the "hero" box underneath the post.  I suspect that it might be my Mum but if not (or even if it is!) thank you!

In addition to my usual posts, I have decided to do a few "hero" posts of my own, about those brands that I love. I have had a very long relationship with some and with others it is only just beginning but I love them nonetheless.

When I arrived at Chester Law School in 1991 my new friend, Jo, introduced me to Jigsaw.  Jo was so cool - a kind of DM shoes and second hand Levi 501's kind of girl.  We were friends in the days when the only way to get the worn jeans look was to well, wear them - hence the secondhand Levi's! Jo knew her brands and introduced me to not only Jigsaw but also to Paul Mitchell hair products and Clinique make up.  We used to sit together in class waiting for the breaks so that we could eat flapjack and talk about clothes.

I remember going into Jigsaw in Chester with Jo for the first time. She was looking for a LBD for a night out and found one for £40, which was the earth to me.  However I did pick up in the sale a black ribbed turtle neck top which I loved and which was washed until it went grey at the seams. My first ever Jigsaw purchase!

My love affair with Jigsaw continued after I had left Law School, travelled around the world and started training as a solicitor in London.

Whilst training, I remember working on the most boring case in the history of the Universe.  It was being heard at the Lands' Tribunal and lasted for six long weeks.  It was something to do with the development of the land at the Quayside in Newcastle, retaining walls and compulsory purchase orders.  Riveting! The hour after lunch was the worst and I found it nearly impossible to keep my eyes open so I played this game in my head of trying to identify every Jigsaw in London - it kept me amused - and awake - but I doubt that anyone in the room was playing the same game as me.

Whilst in London I bought my first ever Jigsaw work suit.  Being the rebel (!) that I am it was bright red.  The skirt started off by fitting me fine. It then got a little loose around the waist which made the length better but it then got to the stage where it fell down completely - so it had to go by the wayside.

I spectatcularly ruined one pale blue work Jigsaw jacket by dropping an ice cream down it. One of the Partners at work had been feeling generous on a particularly hot day and had bought ice-creams for us all.  Mine went splat! That was the end of that jacket.  It was dry cleaned but it never recovered.  Then it was time to leave London for Birmingham - where there was no Jigsaw!  Imagine that?!

After a long wait, Jigsaw finally arrived, so it was no longer necessary for me to travel to Nottingham or Cheltenham for my "fix". Cheltenham had provided me with my outfit for Jo's wedding and the Nottingham Jigsaw had provided me with a lovely lilac blazer (or so I thought at the time!)

After its arrival in Birmingham another friend and I spent many a lunch hour in Jigsaw passing the time and plotting our exit from private practice! It was the Birmingham store that came up trumps with some shoes that I wore to an Elton John concert one hot balmy summer's evening.  They crippled me but someone came up to me afterwards and said "nice shoes" - so that lessened the pain slightly!

There was then a hiatus for a few years whilst I was in the thick of the baby game. Two youngsters meant that for me at least, Jigsaw did not feature heavily in my wardrobe. It was too good for my every day activities, I was on maternity leave off and on and anyway, there was never any time to shop. I do remember having a winter coat one Christmas though and I wore it on Christmas day when we took our eldest out for a walk in her pram, delivering Christmas dinner to the door of some friends who were too ill with flu to cook and too infectious to spend any time with.

But then one day the baby fog lifted and it was time to re-kindle my love for Jigsaw clothes.  A combination of being back at work in the City Centre and having children who were slightly more under control meant that the wardrobe possibilities widened and Jigsaw was ready and waiting to fill those gaps. 

Looking back, there must have also been a brief period of time before we moved to a larger house to accommodate our growing family, had a third child and were met with requests for various necessities for the children, when I was able to shop at Jigsaw on a fairly regular basis.

Fortunately I am pleased to say that in that very short period of time I worked hard at buying from Jigsaw - not ridiculous amounts but the odd winter coat, winter boots, some silk dresses in the summer, knitwear in the winter and some shoes and bags too plus the odd piece of jewellery and belts. 

[A selection of shoes and jewellery from Jigsaw]

In fairness this was still at a time when Birmingham had little to offer by way of shops - no Zara, Cos, Mango or many of the other brands who are now in Birmingham today. It was also before the time that stores were able to interpret the trends quickly and have them on the shop floor in a matter of weeks.  So, as a result, many of the pieces that I have from Jigsaw are classic and form the backbone of my wardrobe - a good investment if ever there was one - honest! Many a Chrismas and birthday present came from there and so over the years I have collected pieces which I still wear today - even though many of them are over ten years old.

After baby number three I remember going into Jigsaw to buy a couple of tops - it was the first time I had spent any money on clothes in ages but I really needed to get out of those maternity tops!

[A piece of Jigsaw cashmere (coral jumper) one of their famous striped tops, which are as good as any I have found and...a bright green top - you see, Jigsaw does do colour!]

I wore a Jigsaw dress on the first day of my styling course in London and I bought 40's style dress to wear on my birthday with that same number in it!

And so to the present day.  I always visit the Jigsaw in Leeds when I have a girls' day there with a friend who lives in Newcastle - the same friend with whom I plotted my escape from private practice!  Jo and I shop in the Brighton one (which is where she now lives) when we get the chance.  A trip to a friend in Edinburgh took me to the Jigaw there and as for the Birmingham one.... I felt it only right that the photos for my new website should be taken there.  I love that store - when I walk in the world stops - just for a few minutes at least.  Hec, the children even behave well in there - until they spot their favourite rocking chair which they then fight over.

Long after Jigsaw arrived, Birmingham saw the arrival of Harvey Nichols, the Bullring, Selfridges, Debenhams and countless other stores but Jigsaw has been with me since the start of my shopping "career" - and it will always have a place in my heart.

[My latest Jigsaw purchase - their "perfect" shoe boot]

Mum on the Run - a yellow Cos outfit from head to toe (almost!)

I thought that the neon skirt ought to have an airing today as it has sat in the Wardrobe for a while.  It was so cold at school this morning that I didn't like to ask anyone to take their gloves off to take a photo and instead I sussed out how to do it at home. The skirt is from Cos and I put it with a spotty jumper, also from Cos....

This isn't normally a colour I would go for but I just liked the brightness of it all.

I really need to go and get out for a walk on this lovely sunny bright day.  I have sat still for far too long and I will soon turn into a blob. It's either that or clean the windows. Our youngest was waving to the others this morning with her toothbrush in her hand. She then decided to clean around the edge of the windows with said toothbrush - which is now black (ooops!).  So yes, the windows could do with some attention but frankly it's Friday and why would I want to clean windows today or any day? Why indeed?!

Actually, on the topic of the youngest, she's a bit wary of me at the moment. I gave her a kiss on her nose the other day and gave her an electric shock.  It was severe enough to make her cry and I felt it too. Must be all that nylon I'm wearing!  Anyway, she wants me to keep my distance from her as I make her "fizz" apparently!  There are many parenting misdemeanours about which I don't feel too bad - but this one? Even though it wasn't intentional, I feel terrible!

Mum on the Run - Going spotty in Topshop!

Today I was off styling so I thought that I had better put my glad rags on.  I gave the spotty Topshop trousers their first "proper" outing and put them with a navy Warehouse jumper, Jigsaw shoe boots, Oasis leather jacket and furry gloves from Miss Selfridge.  I also ventured a little way down the pastels route, with a pale blue snood from H&M.  Don't tell anyone but I also had thermal tights on under my trousers - not the nylon kind you understand - the thought of that would be too yuck, but snuggly warm ones instead. 

Our son doesn't like the trousers - he doesn't like it when I wear things that are a bit different or things that he's not used to seeing me in.  He prefers it when I am in my jeans and my "Mum" clothes instead, snuggled up on the sofa with him.  Bless!

Mum on the Run - Life returns to normal!

Oh what a difference a day makes.  Yesterday, London and some fancy awards. Today, the M&S car park after the school run. 

As you can see, I am back in my civvies - but at least I can walk in them.  I had one aim today and that was to keep warm.  I achieved this through wearing a duvet, the longest scarf in the history of man kind (it's longer than Dr Who's you know) jeans, warm socks and boots.  And it worked - I was definitely warm. I don't know if any of you ever encounter this but if I do this coat up, some times when I move I get a puff of warm air that comes up the coat and out of the top - it's quite impressive really, a kind of in built heater.

I had a lot of magazine reading time yesterday on the way down to London and back.  I was deciding which trends are actually likely to translate well into my summer wardrobe (more about that another day) and these Prada shoes caught my eye.  They have go faster flames coming out of the back of them.  I thought that they would look great when running after the four year old on her scooter.  They reminded me of the car in "Grease" - sorry Prada if that's not was intended. I can't help it!

I think our eldest spent most of the day in stitches yesterday.  She is studying "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in English.  One of her friends had to come up with a headline to describe Bottom's state of mind when he went into meltdown.  The best ones?  "Bottom Cracks!"  and "Bottom in a sticky situation." Don't you just love remembering those days at school, laughing until your sides ached? Hope you are having a good day.

Mum on the Run - the Marie Claire Blog and Twitter awards



So today was the day - the Marie Claire blog and twitter awards 2012!  It was a fabulous day, I met some lovely people and the change in routine was a real treat.  However, at the end of it all I couldn't wait to get home and do you know why?  To take my flippin' skirt off. Much as I liked it, I'm a bit more of a climb the stairs two by two kind of girl, rather than a standing on the escalators kind of girl. Not today though. I was so frustrated with how fast I was moving my legs but with how little progress I was making that I was tempted to take my skirt off whilst walking down the street.  Had I been wearing a long coat I probably would have done.  But I didn't fancy getting arrested today so I stuck with it.  The advantage (for the bank balance at least) of not being able to walk very fast or very far was that after the awards were over, rather than going to Selfridges, which was in my sight, I headed home on an earlier train - OK so I looked in Maje and Sandro en route but they were on my tottering way back to the tube.

As to the awards themselves - there was nothing coming my way today but I was so happy to have made it to the last ten that I honestly didn't mind.  Seeing my blog come up on four screens around the room was amazing and suddenly made it very real! Monica, from the Elgin Avenue http://theelginavenue.blogspot.com/, who did win, was lovely and I hope that the award really helps with her developing career. Here's a photo of me with Monica (middle) and Wendy from Thank FiFi http://www.thankfifi.com/2011/08/what-the-fashion-2/  who was also short listed for the same award as me.

The photo below is of me with Amanda Start  - the Online Stylist, who was highly commended in the fashion twitter awards.  It was Amanda who inspired me to start a blog in the first place when I saw an article on her in Woman & Home magazine in 2010 - so I owe her a big thank you. Instead I bought her a coffee, which I am not quite sure is thanks enough but I can't afford to get her a Michael Kors bag - which I know she would love!

So meeting Amanda and the others was great, getting a free Marie Claire mag and lots of pastries was great but the best bit?  Getting home, taking my skirt off, putting my jeans on and leaping down the stairs - that and our eldest coming home with two certificates for getting full marks in a school project.  Now that was a happy face worth seeing!  

Mum on the Run - Thank you!

For once, I don't know where to start. I wanted to blog before the school run started but given that it starts in 20 minutes and I still have the dinner to finish and the ballet things to sort out, I think it's unlikely.

I was going to tell you about the new contraption that we have in our house which was rigged up by our eldest on a pulley system when she couldn't be bothered to come downstairs to deliver a glue stick to her brother.  The fact that she had to come downstairs to rig up the contraption in the first place, seemed to escape her.

I was also going to tell you about how I managed to mention my husband on the radio this morning. He  complains that he never  gets a mention but the perfect opportunity arose today when the BBC called and asked me to talk on air about GQ's list of best dressed men. I managed to get in how shiny shoes are a must for men when wearing a suit and how my husband always polishes his on a Sunday night.  So now he's had his mention!

I was also going to tell you how I still need to prepare myself for tomorrow's Marie Claire blog award ceremony - specifically how my handbag needs to be emptied of all the detritus that it carries, which currently includes a lindt chocolate egg, a button, a yellow pen lid, a peppa pig hair clip and an emergency packet of paper chains which I have had in there since I attended all the various carol concerts with the then three year old in tow. 

However, there really isn't time for any of that so for now, I just wanted to thank everyone at Marie Claire for liking StyleGuile enough to long list it in the first place and to everyone who voted for me, together with everyone at Marie Claire (again) for helping it on its way to the short list. I am eternally grateful to you all and thank you so much for all of your support.  Tomorrow will be an amazing day I am excited beyond belief - in much the same way as I looked forward to collecting my first ever car - a 1.9 diesel Peugeot 205 Style - so cool!  Beth x

Mum on the Run - Sunday Best

I'm not really flouncing around in a fancy dress today - in fact I am sitting here in my jeans and cable knit jumper (again).  However, there are a few pieces in my wardrobe which I like and which I don't get a chance to wear very much, so I thought that over the next few Sundays I would share them with you in my "Sunday Best" feature.   Also, there are only so many times that I can wear jeans and a jumper before you all go "yep, got that look, now let's go and find a blog where she actually has a life and wears something a little more interesting."

This dress was from Hobbs a few seasons ago.  I had my eye on it when it was full price but I waited until it went into the sale and managed to get it for £50.  It's a great shape for all ladies who are a little smaller on the top half than the bottom half - and whose bottom half is a little curvier than they may perhaps ideally like!  The frill on the front adds volume over the bust but the skirt skims rather than clings.  Whilst it is a fuller skirt, there isn't a lot of fabric, so it doesn't add bulk.  I sometimes change the belt to alter the look but all it really requires are some heels - LK Bennett Sledge heels in this case.

I put a Kew chunky bracelet and Stella & Dot ring with it and had I actually been off out I would have been good to go! Whilst in my dreams I may be somewhere more glamourous, instead, I think that the Chipmunks may be on the agenda for the day. Oh help!

Mum on the Run - New Jigsaw shoe boots, peg trousers and a sparkly jumper

Our son was given a mention in assembly this week in recognition of his work in taking the photos for the blog. Apparently his IT teacher wants to take a look at it to check it out from a technical perspective.  I'd rather he didn't.  There's so much technology out there that it's difficult to know where to start.  There's instagram for photos, pinterest and tumblr (or in my case fumblr or bumblr).  One blogger told how her husband sits on the settee next to her of an evening designing her blog for her.  My husband doesn't really have much of an idea of how any of this works but he makes a mean chocolate ice-cream, so I'll let him off.

Meanwhile, the four year old is continuing in her quest to become the biggest ladette in history.  This evening at the dinner table she said how she needed to do a "bottom woof" so she leant to one side and let out a trumpet.  None of us has any idea where she gets it from.  I don't think that she gets if from Barbie of Swan Lake but now that she knows how to use the remote control, I wonder whether she watches re-runs of Men Behaving Badly in between episodes of Peppa Pig.

Following on from yesterday's blog, today I was talking to a lady who went to Donna Ida for some jeans.  She had tried every style known to man without any luck - but refused to give up.  She wanted some skinny jeans to tuck into boots but if they fitted her curves they were too baggy on the knees and around her legs.  Anyway, the fourth pair that she tried on in Donna Ida fit her like a glove and she loves them.  Despite the fact she paid far more for a pair of jeans than she ever dreamt, she says that they are worth every penny.  In her words "I am a forty year old woman and I didn't want a pair of jeans that slid down when I sat down." I get where she's coming from!

As to today's outfit, I was off to a gym competition today and decided to wear my new (sale) Jigsaw shoe boots in as I may wear them to the blog awards on Tuesday.  Having realised that there is a place in my Wardrobe for some shoe boots, I decided to invest in a better quality pair and put the £17 from Florence & Fred at Tesco into semi-retirement.  Not that there's anything wrong with them - they were a great foray into shoe boots whilst deciding whether they really were for me or not but the heel looks like it might become unhinged at any moment.  I also wore my Topshop peg trousers,  Warehouse sparkly jumper and green Zara scarf.  I really should have had the photos taken again but I was late leaving for the competition so this Mum had to run before I missed my opportunity to impress the judges with my full twisting Yurchenko. Ouch!



 

Mum on the Run - wearing jeans and info about jeans!

I have worn this combination a few times since Christmas, so forgive me! Today I put my Cos shirt dress with a gold Reiss skinny belt, shoe boots and a pink Next cardi.  I went running this morning and I am always cold afterwards so I snuggled up in this combo, under which I had also layered a vest and a striped long sleeve top.

Yesterday I said that I would do a post about jeans.  The biggest trends for jeans at the moment are printed (animal, flower, spots - take your pick!) coloured and waxed. 

Trends aside, the most common problem I come across is jeans that gape at the back.  Lots of ladies have a slim waist and curvier hips and thighs - which means that if they want jeans to accommodate their hips and thighs, they are huge on the waist. 

The best jeans that I have found to deal with this problem are as follows:

In terms of shape, boot cut are probably the best shape to wear if you have curvier thighs and bottom as they address the slight imbalance in proportions.

Gap curvy - cut to deal with this very problem.  They come in different finishes, different leg lengths and they are a great price.  If you sign up for their discounts it is often possible to get 30% off.  They also do trousers in the same cut which is great.  Try the real straight if you fancy something other than than a boot cut.

Oasis Scarlett - amazingly these are cut for curvy ladies.  They come in different finishes (indigo, black and lighter blue) and in three different lengths too. At £40 ish they are a great buy and they deal with this problem really well.  For a straight leg try the Oasis cherry.

Hobbs - they have a fairly high rise and are also great at dealing with this problem.  A high rise is also fantastic for dealing with a bit of a "mummy tummy", "mummy thighs" and anything else that those baby blighters throw at us!  They are a dark indigo, so slimming and with a boot flare too.  Not necessarily the most trendy but definitely the most flattering for those with curves and a good style staple.

Topshop - Jessie.  Again a boot cut with a higher rise so great for closing the gap at the back. 

Armani - These are on the more expensive side but probably have the highest rise out of all of the jeans.

Warehouse and Cos both do skinny jeans with a higher rise and boy they feel lovely!

If you have the opposite problem - that being very narrow hips and thighs but with more of tummy, it can be hard to find good jeans on the High Street.  Many of them are too baggy around the bottom and thighs and too low in the rise.   The more expensive brands J-Brand, Seven, James all have styles which are great at dealing with this issue - and whilst I am not necessarily an advocate of expensive jeans for the sake of a label, if the fit is great it's better to have one pair of great fitting jeans than four pairs of poorly fitting ones. A way to avoid paying the full price is to find out your size and have them shipped in from the States. They will be much cheaper that way.

Hope that helps you get on the road to the perfect jeans!

Mum on the Run - the Sandwich Generation

Like many other women, I am part of the “Sandwich Generation” in that in terms of age, I am sandwiched equally between my mother and my daughter.  I am exactly twenty eight years younger than my mother and exactly twenty eight years older than my daughter.  Some sandwich!

The whole Sandwich Generation phenomenon is fascinating.  Gone are the days when, at forty, women were happy to accept that they no longer played a role in the world of fashion and were happy to retreat in to the background, to become invisible, wearing a box pleated skirt, twin set, pearls and “sensible” shoes.

That doesn’t mean that those women weren’t well groomed or that they no longer took pride in their appearance.  On the contrary. I doubt that you would have seen them with a scruffy hemline or a bobbly knit. 

The message was clear – “I am slipping into middle age, gracefully with dignity and no, I am no longer interested in anything remotely outrageous or saucy!” However at least back then it was simple, uncomplicated and everyone knew where they stood.

So what lies ahead for us, the current sandwich generation?  To be honest, it’s a fashion minefield.  I remember hearing Toyah Wilcox say that people wolf whistled at her from the back and screamed from the front.  There she was, from the back, petite with long blonde hair, probably passing as someone between the ages of 16 and 25 -   and there she was from the front – someone whose face, shall we say, just didn’t quite match the rear view. 

With celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Elle MacPherson paving the way and keeping us fashionable well into our forties and beyond, the lines of what we should be wearing are blurred, in some cases to the point that they are almost non-existent.  And that can, on occasion, be troubling. 

I come across ladies on a daily basis who face the difficulty of knowing how to dress, given that, sartorially speaking, they are squidged between adolescence and old age.   I breathe a sigh of relief when they say that they are afraid of looking like mutton dressed as lamb, for if it has crossed their radar, it is unlikely ever to become an issue. 

Some decisions, and trends, are tough ones but, if in doubt, steer clear. The trend for revealing one’s midriff is fine on those bodies which have not been ravaged by time and multiple pregnancies.  However even those celebrities who, despite these “afflictions”, can pull it off through sheer hard work, food deprivation and lots of crunches still look wrong - somehow desperate, too try hard, too contrived.  Furthermore, it only takes one wrong move, for that flesh to crease in a way which shows its true age, and bang – that celebrity has gone from lamb to mutton in one fell swoop.

So, what’s a girl, I mean woman, to do if she doesn’t want to embarrass her daughter in the playground, nor look like her mother, however well groomed she may be?

My advice can be summed up with the anacronym - L.A.M.B

Learn about the trends - knowledge is power so, at the start of each season, research the February and September issues of the magazines and swot up on the trends. Then edit ruthlessly!  Pull images out of magazines and create a file of looks that you like for future reference. You may be left with only a handful which work each season and the rest – forget them.  Generally anything with heavy overtones of another culture – Navajo, Thai Dye, African – are not going to work on anyone beyond their early 20’s.  Anything overly short, body con or perhaps which you embraced full on in a different era of your life should not be re-visited;

Accessorise – use your accessories to given a “nod” to the trends that you like, rather than embracing them from head to toe.  This gives the message “I am up on my trends but I am not a slave to fashion.”

Make a good hard-working capsule Wardrobe your priority. It need not be expensive but it does need to contain those items that suit your shape and your lifestyle - from a blazer to a day dress, trousers to knitwear and winter boots to a party shoe.  This is the backbone of your wardrobe if you like, the on trend accessories being the flesh and bones.  

Beware of the frump factor.  Be aware of the heel shape and the length of hems. Nothing dates a look more than these being out of date.  If in doubt stick to what never dates – wedges and stack heels for summer shoes, dress and skirt length just below the knee, trouser shape will largely remain the same as to what suits your body shape but a wide leg trouser will always be stylish. Be aware of how different prints look on you and always steer clear of polyester and elasticated waists!

Most of all remember, fashion has been described as fleeting pleasure, whereas style is like an enduring affair with someone who loves you back.

So, if as a sandwich you would rather belong to the parma ham and mozzarella genre, as opposed to the luncheon meat or chocolate spread genre follow L.A.M.B and you will be frolicking through that fashion minefield, no problem!

Mum on the Run - boyfriend jeans and patent pumps

I had a brilliant hair do this morning.  Although I don't have long hair, I do have a lot of it. I think that I get it from my Mum. She has been known to be walking through her local town, where there are some interesting genetic mixes, and for someone to shout to her  "OOOh, look at her in her wig!" This morning my hair looked like a cross between a Dynasty hair do and Ken Dodd's. It was big, very big and vertical.  It caused much amusement amongst the children - which was a nice way to start the day.

In the name of fashion, I feel that it is important to read a variety of magazines, from the glossy monthlies, to the quality weeklies to the dire weeklies - the ones with the "spot the difference" and "Guess the celeb" puzzles in the back.  The one I was reading today was brilliant.  I have never seen so many orange faces, false eyelashes and fake boobs all in one place.  Lots of young girls seem to be sporting fake tans, hair extensions and those hideous false lashes.  Whilst a few strategically placed false eyelashes can look great, those awful "you could sweep the floor with them" kind of false eyelashes, caked in mascara are just revolting. They look so stiff and spidery and they must feel awful.

And then there are the stories - these are two of my favourite: the 60 year old mother who is training her 16 year old daugter to become a glamour model and follow in her footsteps (she should jolly well turn and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction) and wait for this....Michelle Heaton has asked Jordan to be the godmother to her baby daughter, Faith.  Can you imagine it - a bible and a cross at the christening? I don't think so.  Would you ever send your teenage daughter to Jordan for moral and spiritual guidance?  Now whilst I admire Jordan for her work ethic, she has made some interesting life choices and I am not sure that she would be the first person to whom I would send my teenage daughter for advice.

As an alternative to skinny, bootleg or straight jeans, today I am wearing Topshop boyfriend jeans, my Reiss pea coat, Cath Kidston cross body bag and patent pumps.  They kind of work, kind of don't but it's good to ring the changes and see where it gets you. They are better in the summer with converse but I just fancied a change and there's always tomorrow! It's also given me the idea to write a post tomorrow about jeans - the problems they cause and how to fix them!

Mum on the Run - Printed day dress

This is just a short post to show you what I was wearing today.  After yesterday I thought that I had better make a bit of an effort! So, in honour of the fact that Christmas was a month ago today, I wore the dress that I wore on Christmas day.  I still like the print and the fact that it is a nice easy dress to wear - decent length, nice sleeves and roomy enough to accommodate an extra layer or two underneath it.  I put it with my black ankle boots, Reiss biker jacket and Cos scarf for a bit of colour.

Unfortunately for some reason I can't load today's photo so I have had to re-use the photo from Christmas day - an advantage of not having a never ending wardrobe and having to re-cycle my outfits!

Mum on the Run - A beautiful blue bag and a Selfridges display

I saw this display when I was in Selfridges a few days ago and I had to take a picture of it. You can see the scale of the scrabble pieces next to the dresses - I love it!

I have also included a picture of my new love - a pale blue handbag which was also in Selfridges - it's actually a much prettier blue than in the picture.  I picked it up from the stand and because it was situated next to a pair of Kurt Geiger shoes I was hopeful that it wouldn't be in the Mulberry price bracket.  However, try as I might, I could not make the three figures involved (£315) read £135 - although I was sure that really they should.  There was also a beautiful Balenciaga bag in pale blue but I didn't even look at the tag on that one!

Last night I was looking at some of the other fashion blogs which have been short listed for the Marie Claire award.  Some of them are really professionally designed with beautiful, arty shots.  One lovely lady had taken photos of herself outside a London cafe, which she was visiting with her boyfriend one Sunday morning.  She was wearing a pretty flippy dress and soft layers, immaculately groomed and looking beautiful. This was followed by a shot of the natural history museum where they whiled away the afternoon.  So romantic! Oh flip! Compare that to yesterday's anaemic shot of me in a car park in the pouring rain, about to go to the post office.  OK, let's not.

I've never been arty.  The only, and I mean, only, picture that I ever had on the wall at school was a painting of......wait for it....a jelly fish!  How little skill do you need to have to be able to paint a jelly fish?  No one can argue with the shape (a blob) the colour (colourless) or the scale (they come in all different shapes and sizes - and constantly move as well.) I was so proud of that picture.  I was 8 at the time and I had been at school for 4 years by that stage.  Tragic.

I am trying to help our youngest learn to read at the moment.  When reading to her the other night she spotted a word that she recognised - it being "I".  They are obviously taught at school to put the word into a sentence such as "I go to sleep, I like milk" etc.  So what does she come out with? "I burp."  Yep, and I give up! On that note, I shall go and continue to scrabble around the floor putting the rest of the Boden returns back together.  I so know how to have a good time!

Mum on the Run - Knackered jeans and well, just knackered in general!

Some days you know that it's not worth trying to rescue your outfit - and today was one of them!  I had spent most of the afternoon on the kitchen floor re-packing, boxing and sorting out the paperwork for the returns for the 8 boxes of Boden clothes that I had had delivered a couple of weeks ago. 

Glamourous it was not but I quite enjoyed it in a "I like matching things up and filling in forms" kind of way. This photo was taken just as I was about to go to the post office to return some of the boxes so frankly I knew that I should just write the day off outfit wise and wait to start again another day.

My thoughts have turned to what I will wear next Tuesday to the Marie Claire blog awards.  I have realised that I really need to get my butt in to gear so I have booked a hair appointment - but that is all.  There's no time for the tummy tuck or breast implants so they will have to wait although I might manage to squeeze in getting my nails done. Our four year old told me tonight that she likes my teeth (random) so at least they can stay as they are for now too.

The lovely people at Stella & Dot have offered to let me choose some jewellery, which is nice of them - but I can't really do that until I have decided what to wear.  I have a couple of options in mind but I need to factor in the following:

• getting dressed in the dark as I will be leaving the house at about 5.30am;
• sitting on a train;
• walking;
• sitting in a cab;
• the weather - wet/cold/snowy/warmish
• what's appropriate for the event
• what's age appropriate 
• what time I have left to shop for something new (not much as it transpires)

So, what's a girl to do?  Having far more nerve in writing than I do in person, I sent the lovely people at Victoria Beckham an email entitled "don't laugh" asking them if I could borrow a dress.  Can you imagine what they will make of that? I concluded that they can only say no, so I have nothing to lose - and I find their likely response on reading my email vaguely amusing.  So than I rang H&M instead (let's get real) to try and track down the dress version of the brocade skirt that I bought last week. They are on the case but may not be able to get one to me in time.  So that option might be out too.  So ultimately it may be a case of doing a bit of a "Kate".  If it's good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge to do a bit of re-cycling, then it sure is good enough for me  - I'm sure that I have a Reiss dress somewhere.....

Mum on the Run - one dress, two very different outfits

So there we were - my goggle marked eyes and I, sitting in the kitchen finalising the details for my tax return when one of the best excuses I could imagine for not doing it came along to distract me.  It was brilliant - I didn't even have to make it up, or resort to the washing/ironing/cooking to get me away.  It came in the form of a text from a friend which read "Well done! Have just seen the short list for Marie Claire." And there it was - a pathway to freedom from numbers.

Actually, that's all a bit dramatic as I only had about five queries to answer but it was great for a while - until I realised that I really needed to get back to the tax return but then found that I couldn't because I was so excited.  I had to force myself to knuckle down though as I wasn't totally confident that the tax man would think that my excuse was as good as I seemed to think it was. Taxman - clothes/fashion/magazines/blogging?  Not the most obvious combination.

I don't know about being shortlisted for a fashion blog award, how about being the winner of a bad mother of the year award? Today I managed to turn up to ballet without our daughter's ballet skirt and with only one ballet shoe.  Her graciousness in accepting my error was touching. She said "Don't worry Mummy, it's not your fault."  The trouble is that it was, utterly and totally my fault.  Hope she's as forgiving in the years to come.

Today I thought that I would show you the same dress styled in two different ways.  The dress is a Gap A-line jersey dress with a slight 1960's feel.  This morning I took it further down the 1960's route and put it with a pink Boden coat and pink pied a terre shoes which reference the 60's themselves, as above. 

This afternoon I styled it differently - with a leather jacket and biker boots and I accessorised it with a long necklace and small child who is doing an impersonation of a triffid (nb a small child is not compulsory to accessorise this look. However, whilst I would condone breaking many rules for the sake of fashion - if you did decide that you wanted one, it is probably best not to borrow one without asking)

Mum on the Run - What I wear at home (on a very bad day!)

I thought that it would be an idea to post a picture of what I wear on a typical day at home - except that I look like a freak on this photo as everything is so out of proportion.  It made me laugh though so I decided to post it anyway - knowing that I don't really have size 13 feet and that it is just my "Ugglies" throwing me off balance.  Now you can see why I don't wear them out! I would cause people to scream in the street and run.

I am getting so excited about London Fashion Week - not just for the obvious reasons but because I love spotting the fashionistas wearing totally inappropriate clothing for February.  That always makes me smile - flimsy tops, no coat, bare legs and so on and grinning despite the cold through chattering teeth. However, at least they are wearing the latest collection from designer X - so that's all right!

I am looking forward to next week - getting my teeth into some styling and promoting projects that are coming up.  Now that Christmas is over, both girls have had their birthdays and the Marie Claire voting has closed it's time to knuckle down again.  That's if I make it to next week. Our eldest is being really annoying today - on purpose.  She keeps saying "Go on, tell me to stop doing that."  So I ask her to stop and then she says: "You can't say that, it's my birthday."  Sounds like she has the annoying teenager routine licked on day one. Fabulous!

Mum on the Run - Cos knit and A line skirt

Today was one of those days where there was so much to do that I didn't really know where to start.  So I went to a coffee shop with our son and spent far too long doing maths homework with him and also learning what the collective noun was for monkeys.

There's still a birthday cake and birthday biscuits to be baked, beds to be made for guests and all manor of other things that my brain can't process - so I have decided to procrastinate, delegate and generally ignore all tasks until they become time urgent.  The plans for our eldest's birthday tomorrow are constantly changing and slightly overwhelming so I am going to sit back and wait and see what happens. 

It has only taken me thirteen years but I have finally learnt the most important rule of parenting - just chill.  Relinquish control and let others be in charge.  That's what I did this year with our Christmas tree.  I gave complete control of the aesthetics of the tree to our eldest and half an hour later she had her head in her hands wailing "I can't cope with the stress of it.  All the ball balls are on the lower branches. I can't cope."  Result.

We were quite late getting up as we were catching up on sleep after our eventful night at the Children's Hospital.  As there wasn't much time to think about my outfit (is there ever?!)I chose my warm Cos jumper, Cos A line skirt and red shoes for a bit of colour. The high waist on the skirt is comfortable, the length is good and the fact that the jumper shrank a little means that the length of it works well with this skirt.  Every cloud....

Mum on the Run - Some spots, some pastels, some silk and a big dollop of wishful thinking!

  

Last night I decided that I needed to share my Cath Kidston pyjamas and "Ugglies" with a wider audience so at just past mid-night, I took them for an outing to the Birmingham Children's Hospital - where they stayed with me until 4am. I took a child along too - just for good measure.  I think that the hospital staff appreciated my sartorially elegant self at that time in the morning.  I have to say that they did an amazing job of curing our poorly girl. By 4am though I was starting to get a little worried that I would still be there at 6am - ie day time, waiting for a taxi to get me home in said PJ's as hubby would have had to go on ahead to deal with the older two.  Fortuntately we snook back before daylight and oddly enough, I declined my husband's very kind offer to take a photograph of me for this post. 

Our eldest is thirteen on Sunday and we shared a typically teen type conversation the other morning which I thought I would share - Me "I'm struggling with my tights this morning" (For some reason I couldn't get them on even though we were the right size for one another) Her: "I'm struggling with my eyelids." Oh the taste of things to come.

I really couldn't inflict a photo on you today - the one above, which was taken yesterday, is bad enough (no criticism of the photographer - just me). If I had worked out how to crop the photo I would have chopped my head off to save you all but as it is, I don't know how to so apologies for that.  I am wearing some spotted trousers that I bought in Topshop yesterday.  They are tailored so smart, but spotty at the same time. You can probably zoom in on the trousers if you would like a closer look but a word of warning - stay away from the face! I put them with a coral top which I also got in Topshop.  It was in the sale, reduced from £42 to £12.  I had my eye on it before Christmas so I was chuffed.

I also bought this lovely silk shirt from H and M.  It is Kingfisher blue so really vibrant and it cost £35 ish - which is quite a lot for H and M but not for silk.  It also comes in cream.  I have decided that silk shirts are the way forward for me this summer.  I have never really liked T shirts and some of the tops are too strappy/revealing so shirts could be a good alternative.

Finally, I bought this pencil skirt.  There is a shift dress in the same fabric which featured in Grazia this week but I could only get hold of the skirt for now.  It's a great fit - very high waisted and taps into the trend of all things pastel, pretty and ladylike. I quite like the idea of wearing this skirt to an awards ceremony so if anyone knows of one which is due to take place and they would like to invite me along, please just let me know. I promise to wear something else with it - not just the skirt on its own.

Voting closes today for the Marie Claire best fashion blog of the year award.  Thank you to all of you who have followed what I have been up to and who have voted for me and thank you to the new followers that I have gained along the way.  I am keeping everything crossed (which is a little uncomfortable) and will let you know how I get on.