What do stylish people wear on the school run?

[highlighteryellow]

I've got a new job and can now do school drop offs and pick ups

After years of pregnancy/toddlers/wearing uniform to work I'm feeling hopelessly out of fashion.

I've definitely missed the veja trainers and wide legged dungarees memo that the other school run mums seem to have received.

Obviously it doesn't really matter but...I would like to fit in more! So, how do stylish people dress on the school run where you are?

[Floisme]

Right. Next time someone starts a thread asking for advice about what to wear to a wedding, I'm going to say, 'Why do you care? What does it matter what you wear? Do you think everyone will judge you because of what you're wearing?'

Only I won't because I'm not an arse.

[UnreasonablyPissedOff]

Yes @Floisme! And we can add it how pointless a question it is because surely everyone's wearing what the normally wear to a wedding
So many arsey answers here...

[UnreasonablyPissedOff]

They

[Idonotwantitthanks]

@ZenNudist

It's a bizarre question because its so pointless. If you want to look stylish you do all day long, not just at school. It's like saying what do stylish people wear to the petrol station, the supermarket, costa etc?

Come on. Op is clearly talking about what to wear in the day to do errands like school run and such like. She is mixing with school mums for the first time and has noticed some of them look stylish and is wondering what people would recommend, to wear as a mum going about her business and mixing with other mums. Why is this hard to understand?

[Harriedharriet]

@newnortherner111

Be an individual, just be clean, neat, tidy and make sure you drive to an adequate standard and don't park inconsiderately or illegally. Don't become a fashion victim and consider that fast fashion is the second largest cause of climate change.

Hard to be an individual on your own.....

(Derry Girls reference!)

[Idonotwantitthanks]

@Ilovemaisie

Ok I will be off then.
OP my message to you is be yourself, be proud of who you are - whatever you are wearing.
Focus on your child's education and support the school and enjoy the primary school days.

I’m going back to this post which I think says a lot. We’re indulged if we ask what to wear to an interview, to a new job, working from home, work zoom calls. We’re not indulged on here if we ask about clothes for the “school run”. Looking after kids is a bloody job, doing all the admin that having kids brings with it can be a job and the school run is part of that. Mixing with mums for the first time can be a big deal, like starting a new job and trying to make friends with colleagues, so yes, perhaps we are anxious
About it. Perhaps we do want to fit in. Perhaps we don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb. Perhaps we do want to stand out! Who knows, but the point is, we’re allowed to want to look stylish in this new part of life and are allowed to ask for advice on that, without being told to “focus on our child’s education” as clothes are too frivolous presumably.
Fuck off thanks, I’m sure the op is on top of her child’s education, she wasn’t asking about that.

[omgthepain]

It always makes me chuckle all these women in gym gear
You know they haven't been to the gym unless they're filthy as they're still wearing it at the end of the school day

It's like "look at me I look so cool"

Grow up!

[PegasusReturns]

It's like "look at me I look so cool"

I had no idea that’s how it was interpreted! I put “gym kit” on because the stretch is comfy when I’m sat behind my desk all day, it doesn’t need ironing and it’s aspirational in so far as I always hope I’ll get out for a quick walk around the park….

[Ilovemaisie]

Idonotwant I have come back to this thread just to respond to your comment. When my child started school (nursery class age 3) I had little confidence in myself and was lost in who I was and where my place was in the world. It took till about when my child was in Year 2 that I really had some confidence about being the person I wanted to be and to be proud of me, my interests, in what I could do. This involved having some CBT therapy, being on sertraline (still am).
Looking back I wish I been more confident in myself during those early years of my daughter's school life and reading the OP saying she wanted to be able to 'fit in' made me sad for her that she feels she has to follow what others are doing rather than just being herself - that's how I interpreted it anyway.
As I said I am not 'into' fashion. Clothes are clothes to me. Threads like this are like some weird alternative universe that I can't believe actually exists.
All I wanted to do was really was let the OP know that (in my experience) no one cares what a person is wearing (as I said I didn't even notice this was the style and beauty section).
Anyway.... that's all I wanted to say.
I have nothing against fashion if that's what people are in too and I honestly never realised it was such a thing for some people to be thinking so much about what they wear for the 'school run'.
I don't appreciate being told to fuck off. Absolutely charming of you.

[thecatfromjapan]

I think the 'fuck off thanks' was to the concept, rather than you, Maisie. It would easily be replaced by 'Fuck that!', in which form the meaning (and object) would perhaps be clearer.

But welcome back to the thread anyway, Mrs Lamb.

[RickiTarr]

If you’ve got to the point that you want to dress to look stylish ^on the school run% then lockdown has really got to you and you should buy yourself some tickets to something smart (opera, theatre, ballet, whatever, or get on a waiting list for some), and buy an outfit for that.

[Featherstep]

I don't think all these mean comments are warranted at all.
Covid means that on many days the school run is the only time I get out of the house and see other humans. It's not sad to seek ideas for how to look nice.
Many women (me!) struggle with looking fashionable while casual and comfortable enough for WFH and mundane tasks like the school run, grocery shopping etc.

Though I agree with PP that the school run isn't necessarily a reflection of whether someone is stylish or not. I'm fairly stylish but just cannot go beyond throwing on jeans and a top and trainers for the morning drop off, when I haven't had my coffee and all I'm doing is go out for 15 minutes and back to the house!
I make more effort for pickup, I like a midi dress and trainers.

[Idonotwantitthanks]

@thecatfromjapan

I think the 'fuck off thanks' was to the concept, rather than you, Maisie. It would easily be replaced by 'Fuck that!', in which form the meaning (and object) would perhaps be clearer.

But welcome back to the thread anyway, Mrs Lamb.

Absolutely, it’s a fuck off (or fuck that), to being told to focus on the child’s education.
It’s like someone asking how to look stylish to a wedding and them being told to stop being so silly and focus on the happiness of the couple who were getting married because that’s all that matters. And we know that would never happen on style and beauty. Posters would be linking dresses all over the place. Because it’s ok to look nice at a wedding but apparently not when you’re out and about with your kids.

[Ilovemaisie]

Oh FFS... I never said someone shouldn't dress 'nice' while doing the school run. I just said people should be themselves and wear what they want and (from my experience) most other parents in the playground don't care or notice what others are wearing.

[Ilovemaisie]

I was actually attempting to give the OP some mental health support in not feeling that she doesn't 'fit in' because she possibly might be wearing the 'wrong' clothes.
Whatever.

[RickiTarr]

thecat I’ve never ever seen you post like that before. Have you been hacked or something?!

[teezletangler]

This is such a weirdly hostile thread. I don't care what people wear on the school run, but I do enjoy checking out the looks. I live in a place where fashion is not high on the agenda, but there are a few mums whose style I really admire and I like to see what they're wearing from day to day.

If I'm doing school drop-off on a non-work day, I'm often in a jumpsuit (with trainers and a bare ankle or chunky black boots), or a winter uniform of knit jumper and jeans. In summer I wear lots of dresses and wide-legged/cropped linen trousers with a t-shirt or blouse. (I then obviously keep these clothes on for the rest of the day, too!)

[RickiTarr]

I think some people are saying they like dressing for the school run and some people are saying the feel pressure to dress for the school run and yet others are saying sod that, and another group are saying honestly don’t bother, especially in the mornings, and it’s all just opinion, good natured crosstalk, cacophony and some discussion of school gate culture differing from place to place and it’s all FINE and fair comment and then a couple of people inexplicably went Uber-catty and it was suddenly weird.

[highlighteryellow]

@ilovemaisie I'm sure you had good intentions but please don't worry, "fit in" is just a turn of phrase. Nobody is refusing to speak to me because of my trainers!

I don't need any mental health support, and I'm really happy with the school. I just wanted to chat about clothes because I haven't paid much attention for a while and now have a bit more time to focus on it - that's honestly all there was to it

[SocksAndTheCity]

If it makes you feel better OP, it's not that many months since I was carefully planning what to wear to put the bin out

[OneYeminRoad]

It's a bizarre question because its so pointless.
I've been on MN for eighteen years. Half the questions are pointless to some people. That's because different people have different lives and different interests. That's how it works.

You might be interested in being a nudist and want to talk and ask questions about nudism. Other people, like the ones who come to Style and Beauty are interested less in nudism and more in clothes.

I doubt they would barrel on to a thread you started and trumpet on about how pointless your life, your interests and any problems you might have are.

[WhereDidIGoNext]

Not sure how posting “No. One. Cares.” was any real way of offering mental health support to the op though

[toots111]

Buiiivigviv