What’s the mum “uniform” in your area?

[GrinAndBear]

Is there a mum “uniform” - aka what you’d typically see someone in the playground or at the school gates wearing - in your area, and if so what is it?

I recently moved from Highgate to Finchley Central and it’s pretty different, despite being just two tube stops apart

CE / Highgate mums seemed to all wear Birkenstocks, hiking boots, straight cut jeans, parkas or Patagonia fleeces and fair isle or cashmere jumpers with hair in a messy bun.

Finchley Central mums are all in floral dresses Chelsea boots, blowdries, make up and proper coats and look at my scuffed old Blundstones as though I was living rough in a caravan… Not that I’m going to do anything about it mind, I’m very attached to my boots and fleece, but it’s odd how different it is

I live in Sydney so they fall into two camps: white Aussie mums in workout gear, pearl earrings and no make up. Chinese mums in Gucci, Burberry and expensive trainers.

Or maybe they just take pride in how they look?

Aren't you a delight!

Had to Google 'Shein sets'. Can't believe how cheap they are, has to be one of the most unethical places you could ever shop. Bet they only last one wash too!

Oh no! I had no idea about that. I bought something from them for my son a couple of years ago, he didn't complain, still wears it. I'm more concerned about the ethics.

It's like caring what you wear to nip to the corner shop or put the bins out. Someone who looks put together, on purpose, for the school run, and hasn't just come from somewhere else, must truly be the most tragic of persons, with the tiniest little life.

Thank you. I am clearly tragic with a tiny life

I stumbled across this thread and although I’m no longer in school run world I’ve found it fascinating - I love clothes and people watching and am interested in ‘tribes’ and branding so it’s been a treat to read. I don’t think it’s shallow to be interested in fashion/what other people choose to wear. This stuff isn’t unique to women or to school runs either, I see many of these outfits when I’m watching the world go by outside my favourite coffee shop - the leggings/pulled up socks/big puffa/cool trainers look is very popular here (market town an hour outside London).

I was in school run world around 10 -15 years ago and I still love skinnies, a stripy top and Converse 😂

Me too.

Or - it takes exactly the same amount of time to put on clean well fitting jeans and a top and my trainers I wear all the time as it does to put on some manky worn tracksuit off the floor or leggings with a hole in the arse.

But no. Tiny life, etc.

Completely unnecessary reactive comment to a light-hearted post by the OP. What is worn on the school run reflects what is worn in general. I doubt anyone picks out their wardrobe for the occasion of the school run.

There is a woman in Lewes who walks back from Pells pool (outdoor lido) with just a towel wrapped around her. Swimming costume clearly already removed, presumably poolside. She lives fairly close, but even so she obviously has more faith than me in her towel-wrapping skills.

Absolutely 100% this. The global apparel wear market is worth literally trillions, one of the wealthiest men in the world, up there with gates and musk and bezos and buffet is Bernard Arnault, CEO of LouisVuittonMoetHennessey, worth £160billion in 2024. It’s really not an insignificant part of life! SHEIN is currently trying to float for £50 billion on the London stock exchange!

Clothing and styling are the most accessible, perennial, communicable and decipherable tools that many people can use to show how they feel about themselves, where they see themselves in the world, with whom they identify, with whom they DON’T identify. Clothes, hair and makeup are the closest many get to expressing themselves in a creative way, some choosing to use these tools to fit in, some to stand out. It’s part of our DNA as a tribal species, from Paris catwalks to tribal markings.

I think it’s more interesting that for some people there is a strong sense of such things trivial and a belief that they are somehow morally superior for being unobservant of one of the human races’ biggest non verbal cues.

OP - Highgate to Ireland here, fair isle and messy buns (which I can’t quite abandon) to expensive blonde blowdrys and amazing work clothes and evening looks (because everyone is at home before they go out and dressing up to go out is still a thing, would be quite frowned on in my town to rock up scruffy). Def a lot of leggings, pulled up socks and puffas for the wfh days.

Clothing and styling are the most accessible, perennial, communicable and decipherable tools that many people can use to show how they feel about themselves, where they see themselves in the world, with whom they identify, with whom they DON’T identify. Clothes, hair and makeup are the closest many get to expressing themselves in a creative way, some choosing to use these tools to fit in, some to stand out. It’s part of our DNA as a tribal species, from Paris catwalks to tribal markings.

Completely agree

Agree here, too. I even wrote my dissertation on it, so long ago that it might as well have been when we advertised our tribes & status by whether we wove shells or feathers into our hair and how we wore our deer skins (She's wearing hers with the head still on! Who does she think she is?!)

Deciding not to bother with all that is a statement in itself, and you know it. You might see it as being too busy or having your own personal style - and that's what you're communicating. The mums in Iron Maiden hoodies recognise what they have in common, so do those who can identify a cashmere jumper at thirty paces.

It's really unlikely that anyone doesn't notice the prevailing signifiers in a group, especially a group they see twice a day, five days a week. But if you really don't, then, like it or not, you are probably communicating that you don't give a shit about other people. Or maybe you actually do fit in, you just prefer to tell yourself you're above all that!

No archetypal look here, not in my suburb anyway. Lots of straight cut jeans, trainers and boxyish jumpers or sweatshirts, all quite nondescript, but also lots of gym wear / loungewear plus people in office wear.

I think you need to get a job....in finchley we wear clothes to go to work.

No manners in Finchley?

Well I personally didn’t notice because there’s no one uniform that people wear, it’s a real mix, not because I’m too busy and important to notice. There are plenty of groups who gravitate to each other but not one look for the whole playground, which is what the original question seemed to be.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Haven't had to do a school run for 2 years now my DD is in secondary school (yippeeee!) but the school mums I used to see had lip fillers, huge eyelashes, matching jogging bottoms and hoody (usually in cream) and them long body warmer type of coats. Needless to say I didn't fit in! 🤣 I'm up North!

Same re dogs where we are. It’s like a style statement in its own right now tho. Wellies, green coat, dog and a four wheel drive. The latter makes me laugh tho as they’ve absolutely no need for them 99% of the time. It’s a country village school yes, but they’ve no country involvement other than occasionally walking the dog. All a bit daft. But there you are. I’m sure this is true for nearly every four wheel drive owner these days.

What do clothes to go to work look like? I'm a scientist, I wear a lab coat all week at work so one day I could wear a power suit and the next day a jumper and jeans. It's all hidden under the lab coat and that's reflected in what I'm wearing the school run.

Yes, you're very special.

Brilliant thread - loved reading them all.

Loads of Dryrobes here.
West Midlands fairly average small market town.

About as landlocked as you can be but still those bloody coats. I really dislike them.

That or leggings with a hoodie and the ugg taz.
I don't have to get out of the car anymore so went in my Oodie on Friday. And crocs. Haha.

If i do have to get out of the car and I'm not dressed for work.

I'm usually a jeans and never fully dressed jumper with birkenstock Boston
Or leggings and a adanola or hollister sweatshirt with adidas campus.