What the mums of east London are wearing
Outfits spotted at the park, playground and nursery
I have spent the last month on a covert mission, spying on mothers around east London. During the nursery run, at the playground, and passing other pram-pushers in the park (sometimes doing ‘the nod’ to acknowledge a familiar fellow tired-ass mother), I have been pencilling down what they are wearing. My phone notes are full of outfits.
I have written before about how my style changed when I became a mother, the need for comfy, loose trousers and pockets. How you have to sacrifice a lot of white and heels of any kind. I usually spend so much time wandering around east London in a daze but when I started to really look at how other mothers were dressing themselves, I realised how much inspiration I could get from them.
I didn’t speak to any of the women I’ve been taking notes of so I obviously can’t be sure where anything came from - although I did recognise some pieces and brands - but here I have recreated some real life outfits that I’ve spotted out in the wild around east London while the mums were mum-ing. I saw a lot of caps, wide-legged trousers, oversized coats, ironic/retro sweatshirts and tees, and sunglasses when the weather barely required it (exhausted eyes). Obviously it’s not a million miles away from how anyone would dress but comfort always seemed to be key. They’re not necessarily all my style, but I thought they all looked great.
This first one was the outfit that prompted me to write this piece. This woman looked so chic on the school run. I’d have never paired my Adidas trousers with a tweed suit jacket and while I’m not sure I want to wear down my Gucci loafers taking my kid to school, I respect the commitment. The cap is from “the coolest bookstore in the world” which I instantly recognised.
OK this woman’s Ninja Turtles (lol) sweater was much more vintage-looking but you get the idea. Adidas are still definitely the preferred brand of trainers among east London mothers (according to my water tight research).
Sofia Coppola and Chloë Sevigny are two women who have decried the wearing of athleisure when not exercising but I liked how this woman paired the plum leggings with boots (white socks poking out) and a barn jacket. The most ‘clean girl’ look I saw during my research.
This was a fun one and it proves that the concept of ‘Ganni mums’ is still alive and well in east London.
Can confirm UGGs have been spotted at the playground. Oversized trenches were also pretty ubiquitous, as were rugby tops. The preferred jean shape seems to be straight or wide and slightly cropped (see below). Barrel jeans barely got a look in.
This is probably closest to how I dress for the nursery run. Spotted in the park. And there we have it! A solid account of the state of mothers’ wardrobes around east London.
If you’ll excuse an enormously clunky shift then next I wish to discuss Charles Manson or, more specifically, Netflix’s new documentary Chaos: The Manson Murders, which I watched this week. Before you roll your eyes, this isn’t your typical brash, rehashed true crime Netflix doc, it’s by Errol Morris, the genius Oscar-winning documentary maker behind The Fog of War, The Thin Blue Line and, more recently, The Pigeon Tunnel about the author John le Carré. Secondly, if you think you know everything there is to know about the Tate–LaBianca murders, then this doc might just surprise you.
It’s based on CHAOS: The Truth Behind The Manson Murders, a 2019 non-fiction book by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring. Now, I haven’t read this book but I was there when my husband did and, let me tell you, he didn’t talk to me for three days while he devoured it. The overarching theory that the book and doc present is that Manson wasn’t just a charismatic cult leader trying to incite a race war with the murders, as prosecutor Vincent Buglosi and his bestselling Helter Skelter would have us believe. Instead, here it is suggested that the Manson murders can be linked to a secret CIA mind-control programme that used LSD to create government assassins. The motive? To create fear of the hippie movement, deemed subversive like the civil rights and antiwar movements, women’s lib and the Black Panthers, who the Manson family tried to blame for the killings.
Morris merely presents us with the theory, rather than telling us to swallow it whole. The doc is far from perfect (and fails to reach the sophistication of Morris’ other films) but if you are interested in shady political conspiracies, the Sixties, or, indeed, the Manson family itself, then it’s a compelling watch.
The documentary also asks why we are still obsessed with the Manson killings all these years later. O’Neill and Morris believe it’s not that a Hollywood star was involved, but that people want to know how Manson exerted such a level of control over people, how he brainwashed them to kill. That, they argue, is what ultimately keeps us fascinated.
I was pleased to read this week about a breakthrough of sorts for endometriosis. The NHS has approved a daily pill that works by blocking the specific hormones that contribute to endometriosis while providing necessary hormone replacement. I have a number of women in my life who have endometriosis and it is a gruelling, horrific thing for them to live with. A few years ago I went to a discussion in Parliament and watched as women with endometriosis opened up about their experiences and broke down about the pain they endured and how, for some of them, the condition had even left them unable to work. The gender health gap makes me absolutely irate. Historical decisions - by men - about which diseases and illnesses should get research funding have left women with no answers and nowhere to turn. We’ve completely let them down. Because we all know that if men got endometriosis there would be a cure by now.
See you next week,
Gillian
Please note that I use affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What a fun (and needed) style round up. Love the “what fashion girlies are wearing” that are all around, but this is definitely more aligned with where I’m at! Thank you!
Love! So helpful. And pretty please need an update for Spring!
Signed, A style-clueless and confused Mom of two preschoolers who would love to have better style and look decent at the school run but has no idea how to repurpose what I’ve already got and no budget for a new wardrobe. Send help.