Is It Just Me: Who Can Easily Outdo The 'Fails £300 Spring Wardrobe?

I am of course referring to the paper we all love to bitch about (but all secretly read) The Daily Mail, who this week proudly proclaimed they could put together a capsule wardrobe for spring into summer for a "measley" £300. 

They only picked 10 items. Ten items, for £300! Who else raises their eyebrows at how cheap this is and then spits out our coffee everywhere when we recall how tight our budgets all are this year due to Smugron's continued pinch on us all?

Mini's Outfit of the Week (The Scruff Edition)

It's Saturday, there's no school today, so here we have Mini's latest offering in the 4 nearly 5 style stakes.


Its a mixed bag today, and slightly delayed due to massive tantrums over what she would and wouldn't be able to do today. I want her to tidy her epic tip of a room, she has other ideas along the lines of making more mess and Mummy doing the tidying on Monday. 

Playschool (Clothing) Related Issues

I'm quite fussy with regards the clothes and shoes I dress my children in.

Littlest's Geography teacher chic blazer.

Elder says this is down to blatant snobbery on my part. However, as a kid my parent's didn't have much disposable income, and perhaps didn't know of the life or death importance of dressing right and having certain items when it comes to school and your fellow classmates.


Whilst I don't spend ridiculous amounts of money on clothes- I'm an excellent bargain spotter and list EBay shopping as a hobby and life skill, my kids often get remarked upon as dressing tidy and nice.


Most other parent's probably have two separate piles at home, for clothes for wearing on weekends or when at a special occasion, and another pile of tattier play clothes for playschool.

Have I been "Maidenhead-ed"?

I really hope that title hasn't come out sounding rude. Ah well, if it does at least the stats will fly with all the porn lookers....


Anyway, I was having a conversation with Bestie mate down South (or sarf as I inadvertently end up calling it whilst talking with her) about how some time in the next few months Elder and I plan on having a trip back to Gillingham to pop in on some old mates we haven't seen since moving. 


I then had a conversation with Elder about said trip to Gillingham (and how we plan on using the neglected services of Eldest Sister in law for 4 years of back dated babysitting duty) and how nice it will be to see everyone.

Fashionista? Erm, Maybe not...

Those of you who follow myself and some of the other Mummy Bloggers on Twitter (@20somethingmum for those of you who don't but would like to) may have noticed an interesting discussion we've all been having.

It all started when  Zooarchaeologis from Being a Mummy mentioned how she needed a make over. Suddenly, a load of us fellow Mummies, including myself all sent our collective sympathies and agreed that we too were desperately in need of fashion, hair, in my case everything, advice.

So, Cafe Bebe  started a trending topic,#makeoverzooarchaeologis.

I then asked if I could change it somewhat, to #makeoverthemummybloggersthismorning, and began pestering Phillip Schofield to give us a make over on the show. The topic was then retweeted to several others.

As the day went on, I had suggestions for GMTV, Gok Wan and all sorts of similar shows that we could ask to give a group of us poor overworked  Mummies a make over in time for Christmas, and have now emailed them all.(I must say though, I may have to employ a body double if Gok says yes-I may cause a national outcry for taste and decency if I got my so called, ahem, "Bangers" out).

The general line I have put to them is that we want to be more MILF than Mothercare for a change, and that we are all concerned that our Christmas trees will be better dressed than we are!

Then GMTV emailed me with a link. Lorraine, (who I think is great, my sister in law used to see her in Marks and Spencer when she worked in their London store and said she was so bubbly and polite), is inviting people to email in why they want to be made over in time for Christmas, so again, I emailed a nice little begging letter to them too!

So now, I have my fingers crossed that they will get in touch.

The point is, I have looked exactly the same since I was at school. Same hair style, same clothes, same everything. I literally open my wardrobe and it's pants- jeans that are baggy and ill fitting, jumpers that are worn to shiny, and t-shirts that I can't stand. I don't ever wear skirts, or dresses, and as for high heels, at five foot eight I always feel like a drag queen when I try and hobble about in them.

The only time I looked different was when I was 17 and 18, and I dyed my hair pink to annoy my Mum when I left home. I  took to wearing very questionable clothes and a fake lip ring, as well as half hundred weight of eyeliner, and the occasional fairy crown and wings. My most famous outfit (and I use the term "outfit" in the loosest sense) at the time was a silver hologram halternecked, backless dress, a pair of black tights that had multi coloured Smarties all over them, a pair of white, knee high, platformed boots, all topped off with my bright pink and red stripey hair. And I wore that in the middle of winter.

In the daytime.

Another choice combination was red fishnet tights with a pair of 1980's electric blue tights underneath. I wore Doc Marten boots that I had dripped violet paint all over too, and thought nothing of buying a smart office style secretary dress that was boring and dressing it up with mad tights or jackets. Tourists used to ask to take my picture.

But then I met Ed, and steadily toned it down, although not because he told me to but because he dressed quite smartly and I wanted to impress him (although that backfired as he told me not that long ago that he missed me dressing like I did then)  until I am at the point where I bore myself. I didn't want to be the weird Mummy, the Mum who wears mad clothes or has crazy hair- I remember Mum's like that from school, and the grief their kids had to put up with.

But I am fed up with looking like a student in jeans, trainers and baggy jumpers. And I have lost any idea on how to look OK, let alone how to glam up for Christmas.

So, I am hoping beyond hope that I can get us all a make over, and help me find me again.

So, if you happen to know of anywhere that may help us all in our plight, or you are a PR who works for one of these shows and just happens to have stumbled upon this blog please help get the Mummy Bloggers a Make Over!