What do the cool mums wear?

[Jacaranda75]

Following on from the Mum Boot of Trainers thread, I am wondering, what do the cool mums wear? Are there any brands or items of clothing that are considered 'cool' for school run mums?

@allfurcoatnoknickers

Where I live they wear Gucci, Golden Goose and Zadig + Voltaire trainers and 80s style high waisted jeans. Plus a lot of Acne and Rag and Bone. Sling on a SAM parka and you're there . Lots of Cartier, Hermes, Roxane Assouline and Lele Sadoughi accessories. Dannijo and LoveShackFancy for the more boho types.

That's for the weekend/non office days. In the week it's workwear or scrubs for the medical types.

I live right on the edge of a bonkers expensive area and the people watching is the BEST. Worth the crippling mortgage.

And I haven't even got started on what the kids are wearing...

Are you sure? Only I’ve yet to come across an NHS trust that lets clinicians wear scrubs off site….

@DazzlePaintedBattlePants Not in the UK! Private dermatologist and a vet. I didn't specify human medical types .

leather look leggings and over sized jumper with chunky trainers or flat mules. cant go wrong.

I am a cool mum according to my friends children. I wear 'quirky' charity shop clothes, at least one bold block colour per outfit, Unicorn hair, baggy boy cut shirts with rolled up sleeves, paired with mini skirts and thick tights, flat walking boots, costume jewelry. I aim to give off an artsy and effortless vibe, although I spend a lot of time effort in picking clothes that work for me.

I always wear baggy clothes on one half of me and flattering on the other. So if my trousers are loose or whatever, my top is well fitted and my sleeves tighter. Accessories and distinct clothing items that you absolutely love are key. That way you feel good about what you wear and it radiates off you.

But this kind of thing makes you cool with kids not other adults so it depends who's approval is more important to you

My teens tell me skinny jeans are an absolute no no!

Maybe it's where I'm from, but nobody dresses up for the school run here or cares what anyone else is wearing. Nobody wears pyjamas either, but in general it's just leggings or jeans and a top. No big brands or anyone trying to be "cool". That's the way I like it.

It's all about confidence and good looks/body shape - not brands.
Someone with the right combination of the above would look cool in anything.
If you don't have 'it', it doesn't matter how much Zadig and Voltaire you wear. You'll look lovely, but not necessarily cool.

@PegasusReturns

If you want to be actually cool as opposed to school mum cool (and I have an 18 yr old model DD so speak with some albeit vicarious authority here)

Then it’s all about bias cut satin dresses over cropped roll necks; lace bustiers with low rise jeans and teeny tiny dresses with chunky boots and cropped chunky cardigans.

Think Paris Hilton late 90’s. For those of us who were ourselves teens in the 90s this is obviously a bridge too far

Ha, this! I had lunch with my two very cool cousins yesterday who are 22 and 17. They absolutely looked like they could have walked off the set of My So Called Life.

Surely standing at a school gate, waiting to take young children home/ swimming/ rainbows in the middle of the day, immediately cancels out any attempt at looking cool anyway.

I absolutely need sunglasses in winter. A December glare is far more powerful than anything the summer has to offer. I had no idea eye colour made a difference to this though. Learned something new today!

I also think some posters are taking 'school run' literally. In my mind, it's more of a catch all term for the kind of boring stuff you have to do with children like go to the park or take them swimming or whatever. Prior to children, I had work clothes, going out clothes and slobbish at home clothes. The transition to a new type of occasion - toddler groups, school runs etc - was hard especially when you throw in a post-partum body which may or may not be the same as it was before. For people who are interesting in fashion and style (or even if you're not), it can be quite challenging as part of the wider difficulty there can be in finding your identity as a parent.

I’m assuming this is a joke thread?

Why would anyone want to be’cool’ for the school run? I never did a school run as we used breakfast and after school club as I was usually on my way to or from work.

Surely you just wear normal clothes and arrive at school when it finishes so are only there a few minutes?

Agree! So much sneering on this thread. If you don't care about fashion why get involved?

It goes both ways though doesn't it - you have the posters pretending not to care (so, as you say, why get involved?) and those self-appointed style queens calling a certain brand 'pedestrian' and people who wear them sheep. So, the thread is full of people not being particularly kind one way or the other really.

Totally agree calypso. It's about finding outfits that are practical and comfortable but a bit stylish and, dare I say it, "cool". On these threads people always race to sneer at an imaginary image of desperate women strutting around trying to be cool whilst literally outside a school gate.

But this kind of thing makes you cool with kids not other adults so it depends who's approval is more important to you

This is a very good point. Some MN posters put all their faith in the opinions of teens for some reason. Totally different body types, different lifestyles, different budgets, different maturity levels. Bizarre really to choose their teen children over Edward Enninful and Anna Wintour (assuming people do want someone to tell them what they "should" be wearing).

I much prefer the school of thought where you wear what suits you AND what you actually like. It's not so hard. Be yourself. Be confident in who you are and what you like. This dressing likes clones smacks of insecurity. It's all very high school. It was unpleasant back then, why are some people trying to carry on that same unpleasantness into their adult lives?

@WhatAHexIGotInto

I said Vejas were pedestrian because I think they are, I also have a pair. Why is that unkind?

@allfurcoatnoknickers I’ll wind my neck in!

Beige puffer coats and veja trainers seem to be the uniform around here.

I think it’s such an individual thing. I always think the coolest people look like they haven’t tried too hard or they carry a certain self confidence. I always like the straight jeans rolled up, classic white fitted tee with Converse/Vans, maybe a little lipstick or gloss, it always looks so simple and effortless. I quite like the oversize look too but I think you have to have a certain type of figure to pull that off. I have big boobs so oversize tops look questionable on me.

PegasusReturns
If you want to be actually cool as opposed to school mum cool (and I have an 18 yr old model DD so speak with some albeit vicarious authority here)

Then it’s all about bias cut satin dresses over cropped roll necks; lace bustiers with low rise jeans and teeny tiny dresses with chunky boots and cropped chunky cardigans.

Think Paris Hilton late 90’s. For those of us who were ourselves teens in the 90s this is obviously a bridge too far.

This! My younger sister is studying fashion design and she’s been rocking this look for a while. Although seems to be moving on to a more 60’s/70’s vibe at the moment. Twiggy inspired shift dresses and chunky boots was last nights outfit choice.

I’m not a school run mum yet, mine are at nursery. But I tend to wear loose straight leg jeans, docs, with fitted t shirts and chunky over shirts or chunky knits. Sometimes skirts or dresses with boots, tights and knitted jumpers or cardigans. I’m not a massive fan of coats, but I have a practical black puffa style jacket if needed or a oversized grey wool/tweed type (difficult to explain) that I wear with a oversized scarf.
Skinny jeans are definitely out though, that’s what my sister and much trendier friends tell me.
Trainers wise I’m still in converse, vans and gazelles, no idea if they’re cool but they’re comfortable running after toddlers and I’ve got them in every colour going. I weirdly don’t like new looking trainers though, never have done. I prefer them a little worn in.

Perhaps controversial, but a 'cool' mum to me would look cool no matter what she's wearing, because her figure and posture are the main thing. I'm overweight, with boobs smaller than my waist and no amount of money spent on clothes would ever make me look cool.

@PegasusReturns not quite yet the same but DH's deeply cool 18 year old half brother is currently visiting and he looks like he just fell out of 1994 . Jordan Catalano floppy hair and checked shirt and all.

@liveforsummer

I absolutely need sunglasses in winter. A December glare is far more powerful than anything the summer has to offer. I had no idea eye colour made a difference to this though. Learned something new today!

Same - I wear huge sunglasses all year round especially when driving but winter sun seems far harsher. I have blue eyes and my eyesight in bright sunlight is shit, I'm constantly squinting - plus I get pounding headaches from the eye strain. My optician tells me it's called photophobia and is a common problem in people with light coloured eyes, something to do with not enough pigment in the various layers of the eye. If anyone thinks I'm trying to be Madonna they can fuck off.

This thread is in STYLE and BEAUTY. Not sure why anyone would think for a minute it was a joke . It's nice to go out in public and feel good about yourself and for some people what they wear helps that. Personally I keep it simple but have something on trend. At the moment it's my chunky biker boots that I wear with chunky socks because it's cold and an oversized jumper. Big coat again because it's cold. In the spring I'll lose the socks and roll up my jeans and replace the big coat with a leather jacket. If you've got a couple of nice system pieces like boots and coat the rest doesn't matter so much. Fwiw like another poster my dc and friends think I'm cool. (High school age) it's quite a middle class area with older parents of the more hippyish variety so lots ancient patterned woollen jumpers, floaty skirts or cords and sandals or coloured moccasin style leather boots with buttons so it's unlikely they think im cool at all. You will never see sports wear round here unless they are going for a run. I think it must be very area dependant

@Moonface123

The coolest mums are the ones that wear the hell they like, discard the latest fads and couldnt care less about others approval.

This