The mum boot of trainers

[yahyahfashion]

What would you say the mum boot of trainers looks like?

New Balance are far from mum boot equivalent trainers - definitely having a moment and stocked at Net a Porter, Matches etc.

My trainers are Asics. Am I even a mum?!

Mums having the audacity to wear boots or trainers? How revolting.
As soon as I became a mum I had the decency to bind my feet and remove myself from public. God forbid anyone be put through the trauma of viewing my attempts to cover my mum body in mum clothing.

@OBface

New Balance are far from mum boot equivalent trainers - definitely having a moment and stocked at Net a Porter, Matches etc.

They're everywhere really. They're having a moment, and not just among mums lol. I see loads of the local uni students wearing them. To clarify though I'm talking about the retro looking ones, not the athletic 'dad' ones. ASOS, Schuh, etc. are full of them.

The retro coloured ones, not the white 'gym / dad' ones like the last pair

I’m not sure “Mum boots” is always a commentary on the wearer of the boot. I see it as shorthand for “practical, good value for money, affordable price point, durable - all above style if need be”.

Some people are reading “practical, good value for money, affordable price point, durable - and I don’t care about style because I’m a mum now and I’ve given up on my appearance”. That’s just bitchy, and I don’t buy into it.

Vejas and Converse manage to tick all the boxes AND look stylish (or styleful (?) - depends on what you go for). They’re just worn by lots of women to happen to be mums. They’re still Mum trainers to me. Louboutin heels will NEVER be “Mum heels” (to me at least) though. That’s not sneering, they’re just impractical for 90% of what mothering entails. Doesn’t mean a mum can’t wear them when she’s not mothering, though.

Well I don’t think I’m ever going to leave the house again. Size 9 feet with a high arch so struggle to get any sort of decent shoes. Also a carer for my disabled son so can’t afford multiple shoes for different outfits. I wish I had the luxury of shoes that fit and the money to buy them, but I don’t. So sneer away if you will, but if you see me in the same shoes day after day on the school run, it is because I am struggling to afford the cost of living on carers allowance and have to wear what will fit me for an affordable price 🤷🏽‍♀️

I don’t get the veja trend. They’re just white trainers? Here in France they are everywhere so to be honest I don’t rate them as stylish as they are so common. I find them really bland.. Don’t get what the fuss is about x

I love the idea that women who wear Skechers have somehow given up on life. How dare women wear comfy shoes!

I wear Skechers trainers at the gym, and haven’t given up on life - far from it - I just want good support for my feet whilst exercising! I’m not the only Skechers wearer either …

@Dancingonmoonlight

I don’t think people pay much attention to your footwear unless you get it badly wrong!

Oh yes they do! Footwear makes or breaks an outfit!

They really don't. I'd notice if somebody had ace boots on, but wouldn't notice anything else.

The hotter trainers I wear for my Nhs clinics. I'm not sure how Hotter can make normal trainers look like gran boots but they have managed it. They aren't that comfortable either.

I’ve just come back for the gym - for the first time ever I took notice of other members’ footwear. One lady had Nikes, one chap had Adidas (both had visible logos) but I couldn’t really tell what make of trainers everyone else was wearing. However one thing that was common to nearly every pair of trainers, was the white sole/white bottom layer of the shoe.

My 17yo dresses pretty much entirely from charity shops (except footwear!), and she can wear things that were probably aimed at me when new and look fabulous, whereas I would look...not fabulous. I think that's where the "but 18 yos wear them" argument falls down a bit. That said, I'm an old enough mother to go for comfort over most other issues. Especially in footwear.

I have a pair of fitflop trainers btw. Pretty sure they fit the brief.

Ffs. Flat leather ankle boots are a winter staple for women of all ages who live in cities and take public transport/need to walk reasonable distances. The tube in London or the metro in Paris or Madrid or New York will be full of women wearing these kind of shoes. I always wear boring shoes because I buy expensive comfortable ones that keep my feet warm/dry and no in pain. They cost a lot of money so they have to go with everything. I didn’t change the kinds of shoes I wore at all when I became a mum because I’d already worked out what kinds of shoes work for me.

I don't understand why people are indignant at the thought of certain shoes not being stylish because they are in the comfort over style bracket.

This is the 'Style & Beauty' section. Its perfectly reasonable for the people who post here to be interested in what is stylish not practical.

@Dancingonmoonlight

I don't understand why people are indignant at the thought of certain shoes not being stylish because they are in the comfort over style bracket.

This is the 'Style & Beauty' section. Its perfectly reasonable for the people who post here to be interested in what is stylish not practical.

This assumes there is a given definition of 'stylish' though, which is obviously ridiculous.

@Dancingonmoonlight
It assumed comfort and style are opposed. It assumes mums and style are opposed. Which makes people react. Especially when the shoes in question are fine. A bit dull, but nothing that anyone would react negatively to in real life.
The mumsnet ´Style’ and beauty section is full of threads asking for practical recommendations for coats and shoes and other bits of clothing that do an important job and cost significant money. Yes there are also threads for people wanting to go ´ooh that’s gorgeous’ or ´help me find a beautiful dress for a wedding and I don’t care that wedding dresses are impractical for daily life.´ Mumsnet could rename the section ´clothes and cosmetics’ but it’s probably not so good for clickbait.

I agree the terms mum coat/boot/bob
aren’t flattering but people generally know what others mean when something is described as ‘mumsy’. It could be mums of any age but sadly as a mid 40s woman I AM the age it refers to. I’d rather know if I appeared mumsy looking than remain oblivious that I’m on the road to beige slacks and a cardigan territory.

I have yet to meet a single dad who is at all concerned with style points like this. Looking auld-mannie, sure, but when they say that, they mean accidentally dressing like their grandfathers.

And it's not as though the men aren't prone to a bit of fashion cliche. We all know a dude who spent the first paycheck from a raise on an expensive, large-faced watch and a leather jacket. But that guy likes them, and he's comfortable. He's certainly not comparing himself to the other dads like an insecure pre-teen.

And the answer is Puma Calis in white. I own them, I wear them, I neglect to polish them. And they comfy.

This is the 'Style & Beauty' section. Its perfectly reasonable for the people who post here to be interested in what is stylish not practical.

I agree, but the sneery tone in some of the replies from the fashion police are downright nasty.

The physio recommended New Balance to me and she was spot on! So I can see why they are popular amongst elderly Americans! Where I live, these Vans seem to be the 'universal' trainer, I see countless pairs (on men and women) every time I go into the city centre. They don't seem to last well, the majority of them (the Vans, not their wearers) look really scruffy.

This is the 'Style & Beauty' section. Its perfectly reasonable for the people who post here to be interested in what is stylish not practical.

It certainly is. That doesn't mean they have to be unpleasant about it. Or sneer at someone else's choices of what they may think is stylish. Style, like many things, can be subjective.

I've seen many posts on here with people falling over themselves fawning about something that I think is hideous. I wouldn't dream of trying to make that poster feel small because I'm not a twat. It's really quite easy to post that you're not keen on something without that passive aggressive undertone we seem to see so often on here now.

@Margotshypotheticaldog

Any boot on a mother = mum boot, by definition. Same for trainers. So if you want to avoid mum boots, trainers , jeans whatever, just don't be a mum. Job done.

This thread has Cod written all over it. Yahyahfashion indeed.