What to wear - in laws house

[hoven]

So, I am going to stay with my in laws over Christmas for around 2 weeks where they will be meeting my DC for the first time. They live in a very rural area and although we will be going on walks most days, I suspect the majority of the time will be spent indoors.

I am currently on maternity leave and I usually wear pyjama bottoms and a top around the house but I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing this around my in laws all day.

Any suggestions on the kind of outfits I could buy to wear that are both comfy and don't look like I've rolled out of bed?

Also I am on SMP so I don't have too much money to spend.

What sort of house? We live rurally in an old house that is really cold in winter, we've got used to wearing thermals and big sweaters but guests often turned up dressed for an insulated warm home.

Also, are they a casual or dress for dinner family? Check with DH if you're expected to wear a velvet party dress or jeans and a jumper for dinner.

Other than that take what you feel comfy in.

What do you normally wear when you’re at their house?

@JosephineDeBeauharnais

What do you normally wear when you’re at their house?

I've never been before as they live abroad

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett

Not to state the obvious, but are you BF-I get? Because doing that in front of your FIL in a jumper dress or tunic is not going to work...

M and S had some really nice Hush knock-off loungewear when I looked during lockdown.

Yes I am breastfeeding so cardigans will probably be best rather than jumpers. I was thinking I could go to the bedroom to nurse but it might be a pain to have to go upstairs

Sainsburys do packs of leggings ( 2 black or 1 navy 1 black for a tenner) that a pp mentioned are good quality and I agree - had mine ages.
I'd buy a couple of the TU long t-shirts too which have pretty designs and I'd buy a couple of their long colourful jumpers.
A pair of ankle boots and you're set.

Sainsburys also have gorgeous longline colourful cardigans in at the moment.

the Primark jumper dresses someone mentioned - the nicer ones were almost all sold out in my local Primark.

They do have corduroy dresses (corduroy is supposed to as warm as knitted stuff) and TU at Sainsburys has corduroy dresses and also corduroy leggings which are comfy and very warm.

unless you want to buy extra stuff though I'd either get the warmer leggings from Sainsburys, you could see if they have a sale on, or equivalent from other supermarkets with clothing. Also H&M maternity range might throw up some good stuff. In their basics range last winter when staying with relatives I was freezing but needed some basics and got a nice warm ribbed skirt, 2 long sleeved tops and some fur lined boot/trainers - which all kept me warm in a less than warm house I was staying in!

OP what country are they in? This can make a big difference. If they're in Spain vs Switzerland vs France. I've found, for example that my friends in Switzerland (and places I've been in Switzerland tend to be warm inside, despite freezing weather outside (amazing isolation and they like it warm inside), while fun France my friends there all seem to have less good insulation and while heating is on, there can still be draughts. My friends in Spain have slightly colder houses - but they're lovely and cool in the summer!

So the CPI try/building type will make a difference and I'd pay attention to what they wear on zoom calls (assuming you do them). Are they in jumpers, or just a shirt/t-shirt whilst indoors? That should be your starting point.

Fingers crossed there aren't travel restrictions either preventing travel there..or back!

There's no way I would wear joggers or leggings around my inlaws. It would be a terrible faux pas. It depends entirely on who (as in type of people) and where they are and what you are doing while staying with them.

They are in France around the centre, so it will be similar to the south of England or slightly warmer. They live in a newly built house so I'm hoping the insulation will be good. DH has zoom calls with them but I don't as I'm not that great at French (another issue)

If you are on Facebook look up the group
‘Can I breastfeed in it uk’ It has some really good ideas, also eBay maybe your friend if you have a limited budget.

@Elllllle

There's no way I would wear joggers or leggings around my inlaws. It would be a terrible faux pas. It depends entirely on who (as in type of people) and where they are and what you are doing while staying with them.

This!

Why don't you just ask DH what sort of things they wear around the house and you can decide based on that. I don't mean wear the same, but to get an idea of the level of dressing that you might feel comfortable with.

I always have to give a lot of thought to what to wear when visiting my inlaws, because 1) their house is very warm but where they live can have extremes of weather, 2) we go for walks and things that I don't really do at home, 3) I like fitting in with how my SIL and MIL dress (but that is just me).

I guess it depends very much what sort of people they are. Stereotypically the french are not of the ambling around the house in nightwear persuasion even if you are on maternity leave!

@hoven

They are in France around the centre, so it will be similar to the south of England or slightly warmer. They live in a newly built house so I'm hoping the insulation will be good. DH has zoom calls with them but I don't as I'm not that great at French (another issue)

I generally find that in France especially as in the centre it's usually a few degrees warmer than here.

Also if you want to wait and get bargains either in 'les soldes' then French fashion even maternity wear can be better than British. Monoprix, Carrefour, Intermarche, E LeClerc are supermarket brands to look out for - in E LeClerc they do Daniel Hechter lingerie but Intermarche do some very nice leggings etc.

You could do a few French practice sessions now - just practice with your DH or get a basic French schoolbook and go over that with him - even a few simple phrases like 'How are you?' 'The weather is nice' 'What sort of food/films etc?' do you like are good. Also on Channel 4 website More4 4OD they have lots of French language mini series - Philaharmonie being one - if you watch a few you may pick up some phrases.
Final tip - gift ideas or things to bring as a 'gift from England' - they love M&S and Waitrose food and love anything like tea, if budget allows get either very 'naice' tea from latter two shops or Fortnum & Mason etc, also similar eg shortbread, our Christmas cake etc. They have a Bouche de Noel so don't bother with our chocolate yule log! Mince pies also go down well. I also think the French don't have crackers so if you bring those across they will go down well too. If they have a French Trivial Pursuit (my DPs have one) this can be good for practising your French. Newly built house sounds nice and if I know the French with these then they're well done and should be warm - the French can be quite good with their eco solutions eg like heating houses. They 'might' if Catholic like you to go to church with them - but then again socially distanced etc you could get out of that. Take the opportunity if you can to book yourself in for a pedicure etc whilst there - I always find the French beauty salons and pedicures etc are far superior to British ones. Similarly stock up at the pharmacy on French brands (La Roche Posay, Klorane etc) and in Intermarche etc they have nice stuff including Le Petit Marseille shower gels etc. They also do great soups in cartons and their crisps are really nice - different flavours to here lol.

I think generally if your inlaws know you already they'll be fine with what you wear - they know you're not English and also it's a myth that all French women are impeccably dressed and slim. If you go out though eg for dinner people do make an effort generally I find so maybe just bring a nice dress etc for going out. Of course with social distancing all the things I used to do when in France visiting parents at their holiday home there - it has probably all changed due to covid 19 but you're spared their brocantes with fireworks - the 'Son et Lumiere' which can happen any time of year but at Christmas too are good fun though if they're happening.

@lemonsandlimes123

I guess it depends very much what sort of people they are. Stereotypically the french are not of the ambling around the house in nightwear persuasion even if you are on maternity leave!

the French do do lounge wear though - my parents neighbours teen and early to mid twenties DD's definitely do lounge wear even though it's quite dressy and movie star like.

And - the French wear leggings, jeans etc.

The more rural you get I found the less high fashion conscious they were and I spotted some awful fashion crimes committed by the French especially like leopard print skirts etc - not joking!

Clevercatty - agree about rural france not being a bastion of style! I have been several places where the shell suit seems never to have gone out of fashion! Like i said it depend on what his parents are like!

@lemonsandlimes123

Clevercatty - agree about rural france not being a bastion of style! I have been several places where the shell suit seems never to have gone out of fashion! Like i said it depend on what his parents are like!

lemonsandlimes123 I was shocked when I went out to a Son et Lumiere (dinner dance sort of thing at a restaurant) for Bastille Day one summer to see all the local rural blokes and their wives all in their shell suits or tracksuits - and the fashion on sale in the local hypermarche was shockingly similar and dire! I was dressed up (well as good as you can get!) and got rather a lot of attention, for an English woman LOL.

Even in the local town - the lingerie shop was lovely - but they take this quite seriously - lots of lace - and definitely suspenders etc but they seemed more aimed towards the bedroom as I couldn't see French women wearing them generally commuting etc especially there. Even shudder in the nearest big cities - Bordeaux was one - if you went to one part it was all tourist tacky stuff and 'cheap/tracksuits' etc and then you went to another area and got the nice boutiques, high street chains and also more designer shops too.