What does mumsy look like?

[appletarts]

What do you think of when you think mumsy? I'm interested in opinions and pics if anyone finds something quintessentially mumsy. It's my fear, looking all mummy.

Oh you wore makeup fishandjam and just some kohl and vaseline is what all the celebs/alexa chungs say they wear. [removes mumsy sash forthwith]

I have just pinned a fleece and some clarks sandals - I am one step away from the Crew Clothing website

Amber is there a link to your blog please as I would like to follow it. Just clicked on your photo. I think you are beautiful and your wedding outfit is exquisite.

Yes Mrs. But the celebs are lying. And if you saw me, you'd know I really wasn't

The kohl has smudged on my greasy skin, making me look extra tired - does that help?

The ultimate Mum boot www.next.co.uk/x512384s3#762483x51

I had them when pregnant and frightened of slipping on the ice in anything with a heel. Mine were even worse though, virtually the same, but with weird cornish pasty effect stitching around the edges :)

I think OP is either a fashion zeitgeist, or a journo

why? Mum jeans were in The Evening Standard tonight!

what a coincidence!

OP, if you are not a journo I apologise, but u need to move into trend forecasting!

Mumsy , not at all keen on that word....but all this chat about mums's, when a much worse crime imo is people who get dressed up for school run. They are the ones I think need help not the mumsy ones..

why orange, I am genuinely curious

Does anyone dress up for the school run? Don't we just dress for our lifes and that may include a school run.

I am a sahm and dress the same pretty much everyday. I like clothes and enjoy dressing up but its not just for the school run and I don't know anyone who foes that.

I need to start going to garden centres that sell clothes. At least I'll have something to do while my MIL witters about bedding plants. Also waterfall cardis can look awesome - the lovely hopefully rocks them!

kerstina aw, shucks. Will PM you a link - trust me, you'll be disillusioned, I don't look remotely elegant normally!

Hehe po. Hmpf, you can barely buy plants at our local garden centre, what with the EWM concession, the Hotter shoes concession, the Joules/Barbour/Weird Fish/Tayberry/Jack Mayfly rails, the books section, the toys section, the gift cards section, the vast tatsome ornaments section, the Yankee Candles concession, the stupidly expensive crockery and cookware section and the freezers full of raw croissants and summer fruit mixture.

Actually, slips into Ronnie Corbett mode I was there a year or so ago on the hunt for clematis trellis and peat-free compost. I was actually mid-gardening session so I was wearing wellies, a navy corporate freebie fleece, a navy wooly hat and paint-stained hiking trousers. A bloke came up to me and said "whereabouts are the hostas?" I'd already clocked them so was happy to direct him. But when someone else said to me "why don't you sell sodium chlorate any more?" the penny dropped. So the third person to beetle towards me was met with a firm "Sorry, but contrary to popular opinion, I don't actually work here."

FishandJam I have some of those boots in the purple and I love them, they are so comfy.

garden centre clothes are gransie , not mumsie

gransie is allowed, makes me think of my granny

onelittlelady, they are, aren't they! I wanted the teal ones but couldn't find my size anywhere online.

Next isn't all bad, they do some good jeans and boots.

I think I am part-time mumsy - usually on a Saturday morning when I take DD to the park and wear trackies, a horrible old mantaray brown parka that is about 2 sizes too big and filthy old trainers - it's my 'jumping up and down in muddy puddles' outfit!! There are several local mums who only know me from there who quite possibly feel sorry for me!

Mon to Friday I am all smart and professional - on Sunday's I tick the skinnies, breton, blazer and converse box...I suspect many others on here have similar disconnected sartorial lives.

You know, I have never ever been to a garden centre. It never even occured to me that you could buy things other than for the garden there. I don't mind waterfall cardigans as a general rule, the only thing I dislike is that they are pushed at larger ladies like they are the only thing keeping them from being majorly unfashionable! I own one and its for lounging round the house in when it's cold

Mumsy means to look dowdy, unfashionable and unstylish. To render entire brands or single items of clothing as mumsy just doesn't ring true because a good looking woman with the appropriate figure, hair, make up and accessories can make anything look good.

Similarly, the duchess of Cambridge may not be rocking it with the most fashion forward clothes but I wouldn't describe her look (overall) as dowdy. Eg there are a couple of floral numbers she's worn that would look a car crash on me, so to me florals are dowdy but they are currently v fashionable.

In rl there are two people who spring to mind when I think of the word mumsy, one is mother and the other isn't. One is my best friend, she doesn't share my obsession with all things S&B and nor does she have the disposable income to do so. I have loved her for 25 years, will love her for another 25 years and more because bottom line is I couldn't give a crap what she looks like. The other is a colleague. Equally I couldn't care less what she looks like but when she was looking for promotion a few years ago she suddenly invested in a few pieces that improved her overall look. It was the right thing to do as she suddenly looked more believable looking for a more senior role in the City.

I do think things are changing for men too. Certainly in the City, the 'Dad' look (male version of mumsy I guess) wouldn't fly and neither would the scruffy unkempt look. Men in my company have been told to tidy themselves up and I guess that wouldn't have happened 20 years ago.

Agree with this novice. My DH was told he needed to sharpen up a bit in order to look a bit older and have more gravitas. The net result of this is thousands going on a tailor which should be going on handbags

There is a universal hatred on MN for:

low heeled footwear, especially boots
Bootleg jeans
Waterfall cardigans
Next
M & S
Trainers for anything other than the gym

I own a pair of boots that are high (for me) but would be considered low heeled by the fashion police, I own a pair of bootleg jeans, my favourite work trousers are from Next, my undies are from M & S and I wear trainers for walking. But, I don't own a waterfall cardigan because I never see them in a size 10.

The MN "uniform seems to be skinny jeans and Converse. Skinnies don't suit me and I don't like wearing plimsolls.

Someone upthread said that ballet flats are stylish and comfortable. They are not comfortable. They don't support my feet, are useless for doing any more walking than about the house or at work and give me claw toes from trying to keep them on. DD's podiatrist hates ballet flats and says they are really bad for the feet.

It's all about the low block heel at the moment. I can't bear those ridiculous stripper shoes people still insist on crippling themselves with. So naff.

Liberty, are there really mums who jump up and down in puddles?

Never felt the need to do that, sounds like too much laundry!

The mumsyness debate does nt bother me.

Compared to the fashion crowd I look mumsy, compared to others I look glam. It is all relative.

Surely the definition of mumsy is non-sexual. So you can look pretty but still mumsy, wear jeans and flats and not look mumsy. It's about projecting some kind of sexual allure - not what mums are stereotypically supposed to do, hence the MILF tag.

I 've never got the Next haters, mine has some lovely tops in it all the time. Currently linen t shirts which I'm after. Zara etc is out of my price bracket.
I tried on their lift and slim jeans yesterday and they were fab.

I don't understand the Next hate but people wearing trainers for anything other than working out is a pet peeve of mine too.

It was one of my deal breakers when single