MIA: "The wardrobe problem I never thought I'd have."

I’m just going to come out and say it. Twice this year, I’ve bought the same pair of shoes as my daughter.

On both occasions, we were in a kids’ store so technically, she got there first.

The first time it happened, we were in Shoes & Socks, looking for winter shoes. I’d recently become aware that the only shoes my daughter had that still fit her were a pair of thongs and her school shoes. Not sure how that happened. Onwards.

At Shoes & Socks, we found these cute high top trainers which I bought for my daughter (age 8) in blue and my son (5) in green.

While they were being fitted, I casually asked the sales assistant what size these trainers went up to. And then I tried them on.

Bingo.

“We’ll all have the same shoes!” I enthused to the kids who were frankly, more interested in collecting their pre-promised bribe from the Doughnut King next door.

So here we are:

I didn’t think too much of it, except for the part where I was really smug about buying some new shoes that were far cheaper than your usual adult pair.

But then last week, in Witchery, I was exchanging something and sent my daughter into the kids’ section to see if there were any boots or slip-ons she might like. She came back to me with the cutest pair of spotty flat boots. My daughter is very particular about shoes – it’s virtually impossible to find any that she finds comfortable enough – but these fit like a dream.

You can guess what happened next.

Not only did I discover they went up to my size (36) but when other women in the shop noticed me wearing them, they began to comment and I morphed into a salesperson. “Oh they go up to size 37 and they’re SO COMFORTABLE AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY TRY THEM ON GO ON TRY THEM!”

Spotty ankle boots for everyone!

Aware that me buying the same shoes as my daughter had now moved from novelty to pattern, I broached the subject out of courtesy, expecting her to dismiss my concerns. “Um, darling, do you mind if I have the same shoes as you?”

She paused and looked slightly uncomfortable. “Well, just don’t wear them at the same time as me….”

Hmmmmm. How did this happen? Anyone who says parents must never treat their children as fashion accessories is totally right. But we totally do and anyone who insists we don’t is quite literally kidding themselves. The very act of choosing clothes for your child requires a million conscious and subconscious decisions.

Everyone has fashion preferences.

I just started to list what mine where  – and are – for my kids and then deleted it because if I say I never put my babies in teeny tiny baby jeans or bikinis then someone who does is going to take it as a personal attack. Which it’s not. It’s simply a preference. What I’m saying is that whether you realise it or not, if you’re buying clothes for someone else then you are projecting your own fashion likes onto them. Even if it’s just certain colours or particular style philosophies (like…..say…..leggings are not pants).

Most mothers have had that ‘ooops’ moment where they are walking around in the world with their baby or toddler only to realise she’s inadvertently dressed them both in the same colour.

OR IS IT JUST ME.

Colour combinations and leggings policies aside, I’ve always been very conscious (I thought) of not blurring the lines between the way my daughter and I dress. The fashion industry is not making this easy however. All my favourite labels – Witchery and Seed in particular – have fantastic kids lines that are now closing the circle by launching new bridging ranges for tweens and teens. They’re not mini versions of the adult clothes (there are kids labels who do that and I’m not really into my kids wearing little leather jackets or shrunken down adult anything – I want them to look like kids). They simply take the aesthetic of a brand and make age-appropriate clothes for the daughters and sons of their customers.

So. It sounds like I’ve pretty much justified style stalking my daughter by blaming the labels who are making such great clothes and shoes and accessories (oh, did I mention how many accessories I’ve picked up from Seed Kids over the years? Shhhh, don’t tell anyone) that appeal to grown-ups.

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. All our sponsored posts are clearly marked as such. Neither Seed nor Witchery nor Shoes & Socks knew anything about it. And none gave me freebies! But I’m often asked about the clothes I wear and where they’re from and I simply like to share information. Always have. It’s what good women do. I could have written this post without mentioning brands but that would have been positively mean-spirited and manifestly unhelpful.

And now for a walk down the memory lane of Mia’s outfits through time…

Have you ever noticed yourself wearing similar outfits to your kids? And do you wish that the kid’s department of most shops came in adult sizes?