01/19

[AD] Who needs clothes when pyjamas exist?

Family with two brothers, Nan and Grandad visiting the woodlands for a walk, collecting sticks, talking about mum/daughter fashion for Fashion World

Disclosure: This post is written in collaboration with Fashion World, created by those whose fashion sense is exponentially better than my own.

Our Style
#sponsored

Fashion. It's something I dabbled in it as a teen, usually bucking the trend for the latest black hoody or trouser skirt (remember those?), oblivious to what suited my shape or small frame. At the very worst, I'd insist upon socks with sandals because I couldn't bare the thought of anything sticking to my feet and I was ridiculed for the trousers that swung around the tips of mount ankle throughout school (just ask my friends, the ones who tried their best to set me on the very basic path of appropriate fashion). I've always leaned towards the softer attire, forever adding to my extensive collection of pyjamas whilst my daytime wardrobe withers into disrepair.

Every now and then I surprise myself. I stumble across an off-the-shoulder number that suits me perfectly and even manage to throw on something to compliment it. When you become a Mum, your clothes fall into two categories—'tops you don't mind being puked on' and 'jeans that are already stained so a bit more won't hurt'. I love to dress my kids, endlessly more than I enjoy dressing myself, but I also realise now the newborn fog is behind me, that a bit of self-care can do wonders for the ego and taking care of your appearance and what you wear is a fast-track to feeling more confident and in turn, more comfortable (I'm keeping the big pants though).

My mother is the more fashionable of us, the only girls of the immediate family. She has handbags that match scarves that compliment boots in the same material as gloves and a pose even top fashion bloggers would be envious of. She puts together outfits as seamlessly as I put together cheese sandwiches and a yoghurt with a spoon (I'm good at this) for the kid's lunches, and I often find myself asking her for the latest in coat and jacket inspiration.

I may never have a daughter so thankfully my ineptitude for fashion will die out with my name, but I'll also take something from those days I am able to dress myself in something other than a stained sweatshirt and a mum bun. When we first become parents, it can be all too easy to lose our sense of self, who we were before we were "Mummy!", but it's astonishing how a new coat picked up in the January sales or saving up for that pair of leather boots you've always wanted can make you feel like you again. So when you finally have time to think outside of that beautiful baby bubble, remember to take care of yourself every once in a while, even if your own mother seems to always upstage you.