From Kirstie

These days my acquaintance with womenswear grows more and more distant. If they aren’t wearing it on The Good Fight or Wild Wild Country, I probably haven’t seen it (though wearing only shades of orange, through red and into cerise does weirdly have some appeal for me). In fact, I find myself on many mornings thinking ‘I don’t have anything to wear!’ Or as Caitlin Moran puts it (perfectly):

"When a woman says, ‘I have nothing to wear!’, what she really means is, ‘There’s nothing here for who I’m supposed to be today.'"

Caitlin Moran, How to be a Woman

From Hayley

I am unashamedly in love with clothes. I even love window shopping; trying on masses of outfits and deciding what I would buy (if I could) is a great pleasure of mine. Now I have the kids this rarely happens, but I do spend an inordinate amount of time filling up fantasy baskets all over the internet. 

I use my clothes to tell a story about myself, to project something I want you to notice about me today. I think most women will recognise that feeling, and some men, though I know from the blank faces I’ve had when I’ve mentioned this, that it’s not all. 

I’m a little bit ashamed to say that I approach the dressing of the children in the same way - I see their clothes as a representation of my motherhood, though I try really hard not to. Especially as they are not extensions of me, they are busy trying out roles and presenting their own images. So it's been great for me putting this issue together -  I've really enjoyed taking a focused look at the messages on kids' clothes and finding out how to support kids who don't want to stick to the dress code. And I learnt a LOT reading our tips to make your shopping less gendered, and less stressful. Happy reading!

I enjoy kids' clothes too, I like finding unusual prints and colours. My eldest loves clothes and has fun putting outfits together. I’ve enjoyed watching his style develop, while simultaneously wishing he would let me choose! It was so great when they were babies who wore exactly what I wanted. Having such an independent and early dresser (he’s been putting his own clothes on since two and a half) has forced me to relinquish control, and deal with the funny looks and comments that eccentric clothes seem to warrant.   

As my children are still little, they allow me to buy their clothes without their input (mostly), though I dread the days that they go off shopping alone (sob). In this issue you’ll find some of our favourite high street and independent gems. It’s also been fascinating and (spoiler) quite shocking to discover what goes on behind the scenes in childrenswear buying departments. I believe clothes should be a pleasure and a joy, and kids' clothes even more so, I hope you have fun with this issue!