To be really, really mad about this.

[chainstorecowgirl]

I haven't posted before but I am so mad about this need to vent.

I just got my son a 'miller' jacket from the Stella Mccatney GAP collection.It was £70 and I thought long and hard before I did it. I'm not rich or into labels but I decided that I wanted something special for him to wear when I got a set of portraits done. We only wanted one set done but we wanted them to be lovely.

Anyway, I mentioned it to my brother, who told his wife lat week and I just found out she's getting one for her son. She's a photographer so presumably my set of portraits aren't going to be so special now.

I know Its a free country but I can't help being upset. AIBU?

No, we don't have loads of money and my partner was against paying for photos but when my Grandad died and I was left this money I decided I was going to get some done professionally. My SIL lives miles away and hasn't really offered to do any photos so I feel cheeky asking as I hardly see her.

They were just going to be of him as they were the only set I was getting done.

I doubt I would've forked out the £70 this morning if I'd known. I know this sounds selfish towards my nephew but there are tons of beautiful photos of him. I wanted my son's to be original and now they won't be.

they will be because they are of your son.

They will be the only pictures of your son. Forget about your SIL and the jacket.

You're being silly.

In your position, I would:

1. Take the jacket back and get a refund.
2. Take photos of your family yourselves. They are much nicer. Studio photos often look fake. I have never had a studio photo done of either of my kids and I don't plan to.

Having done 1 and 2, you will have saved a load of cash. Let your SIL get on with whatever petty behaviour she wants and forget about it.

I can see if she's copied you before it would be irritating but really no-one has eyes for what the child is wearing, they are too busy coo-ing over how divine your DS looks...

If it bothers you take it back and change it - Gap are pretty good about changing things.

I think I'm more upset that she's done it and she doesn't realise how much it meant to me. Sorry, I have to back to work now.

Think I'll speak to my brother and explain.

Thanks for letting me vent

Really OP, stop thinking about the clothing, and look forward to seeing your son in the photos (no matter what he's wearing)!

crokky has the best advice there, I had some "proper" photos done of DS when he was about 14 months old, and yes, they are nice but my favourite ones of him tend to be ones where we are having a nice day out walking the dog in the woods and he is doing something funny, the ones with memories attatched.

I can understand why your upset but im diff myself i love getting the same outfit/top or whatever for both my boys and my nephews i jus think its so cute when i get a pic of them (who live really far away) and they are dressed up like my boys i hav often bought them the same t-shirt etc but i can understand why u feel like your pics wont look as special but at the end of the day its your boy who is special not his jacket, altho im sure its lovely but if the tags are still on you could always get another one couldnt you??

Take the coat back, have a pic done in white t-shirts and jeans or something equally plain that won't date and will just show off the gorgeousness of your DS instead of the clothes he is wearing.

Then spend the £70 (or part of it) from the coat on something nice for your son - a family day trip or something special for Xmas.

You said you were going to sell the jacket after anyway, right? So the jacket really isn't something nice for your son, the photo is something nice for you.

I think if money is tight, it is a waste to buy the jacket when you could save half the money and spend the other half on doing something nice together and creating a memory that will be special for all of you and last a lifetime (and that you SIL can't steal from you!)

Definitely dont use the jacket now. Irrespective of whether people say YABU or YANBU, every time you see the photos, you will remember how you feel now and tbh will kind've spoil the photos for you.

Either sell the jacket/ take it back and do something else with the money.

That is a very distinctive jacket alright. I was going to advise you to let your DS wear a plain t-shirt or loose white shirt with jeans ( how old is he) as it always looks well in potraits, esp black and white. But the jacket is very striking and if you like it use it - if anyone ever notices they're wearing the same just laugh a bit and say imitation is supposedly a form of flattery etc Do go ahead and get your photos done, they are wonderful to look back on .

It's your DS who will be the focal point of the photos, not some silly overpriced jacket!

I personally dislike studio portraits. Take some candid photos of your ds doing what he likes to do instead,and you have much nicer memories.

I tell you what you could do though - find a hideous dress online, show it to your SIL and tell her how much you love that dress and how you are going to get it to wear to the next family event.

Sit back and see if she gets it lol

YABU.

ah sod what your SIL is doing, just enjoy the photos of your little boy.

why not return the jacket and get something else for him to wear?

try and chill - there will be loads more things to get steamed up over i promise - you wont remember the jacket in 10 years time.

Jeez he will be roasting wearing a jacket in a photography studio, any idea how hot it is with all the lighting etc.

and a trendy designer jacket now is goingto be something taht you roll onthe floor laughing at in years to come.
I rarely take special pictures of my DCs in fashionable clothes as even childrens fashions date.
Put your DC in a plain t-shirt. Any photographer worth his salt will make him look great with the t-shirt as a background rather than the focus of the photo -

after all who wants to have a picture of a gorgeous DC smiling at them and have people look at it and say
'ooh is thatthe old stella macartney jacket....my mate/nephew/cousin/kid down the road had one of those.'

The jacket is ugly and says 'trying way too hard to me' - I think you'd be better off without it.

By the way - in your op it sounds like you bought the jacket last week but then you say you spent the money this morning - so that would be after your sil supposedly bought it? How does that work then?

OK, I was going to tell you not to fret about it, that it's not Haute Couture Dahling, so don't expect to be the only one you know to buy it... but I've just seen the jacket, and saw that you only bought it this morning....

TAKE IT BACK!

TBH, It's so OTT and obvious, and at £70 for the amount of wear that you will need it to have, i.e he'll have to LIVE in it for the cost per wear to be anywhere near reasonable.... and looking at it as a jacket, it's not like it's ever going to be overly useful...

If money is not that flush, £70 can buy at least a couple of entire outfits somewhere like H&M FGS! They have some ADORABLE tealy blue leatherlike jackets, for £20, and with a good shirt or a polo or something any DC will be drop dead gorgeous, but STILL have a really good 'best' jacket that doesn't look like a piece from the dressing up box.

If you really feel like scoring points back, say you thought about it, realised that at £70 it was a little tacky (it is, unless you have money to BURN!) and reconsidered.

That way IF she does what you think she is going to do, i.e a photo shoot, then you've done that in for her already, potentially making her look the LOON for spending such an exorbitant amount of money on a supposedly high-fashion item that will be out of vogue before the few months it'll take for your DC to grow out of it.

Oh and learn for the next time, next time you buy anything of importance, don't FGS tell anyone about it. I can't BEAR being copied either, and to do it so blatently would have my blood literally boiling.

Go on, take it back, you know it make sense!!