By Ann-Marie Proudfoot

I’m sure we’d all love to be able to fall out of bed, throw on ‘that old thing’ and look like a million dollars or have unlimited time to get ready each morning, but the reality is both are pretty hard to achieve, especially if you’ve more than just yourself to get ready. 

We were staggered at the results of a recent Debenhams survey which asked their Irish female customers what they wore on the school run:

• 6 out of 10 women admitted to feeling pressurised to compete in the fashion stakes thanks to ever increasing numbers of yummy mummies in the press. Half of this group admitted to taking tips from celebrity super mums like Elle Macpherson, using her as a benchmark of how it should be done.

It seems most celeb mums dress to impress when taking the kids to school, at least if these pictures of Elle McPherson and Stella McCartney are anything to go by. Designer McCartney looked chic in a belted trench coat, aviator sunglasses and knee-high boots while on the school run in London while McPherson opted for a white blazer, scarf, jeans and Monica Vinader bracelets and pendant. The top accessory for both? Dark sunglasses.

• 4 out of 10 women were managing to get their children dressed and ‘doll themselves up to the nines’ before dropping the kids off and returning home to change into more child friendly outfits

• The majority of women (79%) said they wouldn’t be seen dead in their track suits on the school run, 88% said they would never turn up without make-up on and 57% agreed that runners or Uggs are not appropriate footwear

• Mascara and lip gloss are viewed as the absolute minimum when it comes to facing other mums at 8am, closely followed by concealer and bronzer

Statistics aside, if you want to achieve a stylish yet casual look, here are our tips for Mum’s on the school run…

1. A coat or ¾ length jacket

You can hide a multitude under a ¾ length jacket.  For those chillier mornings, this oversized parka will look great with your skinny jeans and a pair of converse trainers. If you want a slightly smarter look this knitted rib coat can be worn with jeans or leggings. For later on in the season this lighter weight parka is a great casual option from Awear. Or again for a slightly smarter look, make like stylish Mum of four Stella McCartney in a Mac which is always a really good basic to have in your wardrobe as it can be dressed up or down.

2. Knitwear

Cardigans work for practically, comfort and look smarter than throwing on a sweatshirt. This Asos long line cardigan can be worn loosely or with a belt added to give a little more shape and add some detail.

3. Dresses

Dresses work really well because you have an outfit in one. Here are some casual styles that can be worn with leggings

 -  For a nautical look,  team this striped-shirt dress with denim legging and flat pumps or boots.

 - This oversized knit dress is great with black leggings and a bright contrasting scarf.

 - This denim shirt dress can be worn with black leggings or black skinny jeans.

4. Jeans

Whether you prefer skinnies or boot cut, make sure you have a pair that fit you well and can be worn with flats.

5. Leggings

A good quality pair of black and denim leggings are great staple pieces as they go with lots of different looks.

6. Scarves

For those days when you need a pick-me-up, throw on a coloured scarf to lift your complexion, like this printed option from River Island.

7. Flat pumps

Flats are a must for Mums. A black and a tan pair are always good basic colours to have in your wardrobe. Rockport have comfortable yet stylish ballet pumps with a built in wedge due out for this autumn winter.

8. Flat boots

Whether you like a slender or a chunkier style, a comfy pair of flat boots are always a good option to have in your wardrobe. Here’s great biker boot style from Red or Dead or if you prefer something more chic, opt for a riding boot.

What do you think is a good option for the school run?

Image credits: Getty

As well as contributing to WSW, Ann-Marie Proudfoot is a stylist over at Proudfoot Style.

Shopping is our favourite pastime. Read on to find out what we bought this week and let us know us what you bought too.

A stone coloured mac (€29, Penneys, £15 Primark, pictured)

This prudent pick also comes in ivory, navy and black and is currently in store. It’s time to ditch the winter coat and look to a lighter, brighter option for spring outerwear. We’re wearing with a vintage style silk scarf from River Island (€27).

A classic mac silhouette is our favourite way to make the transition from winter to spring, or in Ireland’s case from very cold to cold-and-probably-raining. Other trench coats in the shops right now include short and long styles at Debenhams and for those after a high end fix, a classic Burberry trench (€950, Netaporter) – worn by, dare we say it the conservatively dressed Kate Middleton in Belfast this week and by singer Elie Goulding, who was treated to an edgier studded version by Burberry, just for their London Fashion Week AW11 show.

WSW Style Tip: Taupe or Stone is a good basic colour for Irish (pale) skin tones – the neutrality of it will ensure that it goes with most things in your wardrobe. The warmer nude or beige tones suit, like what Ellie is wearing, only those with sallower skin.

You bought..or steered clear of

‘Penneys trilby hats €5 in a range of styles, love them, couldn’t help buying more than 1 for that price. I’m avoiding stack heeled shoes. Yuck!’ DMcC

‘I’m avoiding leopard print.  It’s awful’ KB

We want to hear from you and feature your hot buys here on WSW too! Tweet us what you’ve bought at www.twitter.com/whatshewears, email us on info@whatshewears.ie or post to WhatSheWears Facebook page. Or simply tell us which trends you’re avoiding in the shops right now!

P.S When we mention them, we’ve put your names up as initials instead of your full names. Some people just don’t want to appear when Googled! If you’d like your full name added though, do let us know and we’ll be happy to put it up here.

I’ve liked Myleene Klass every since I saw her bikini clad body in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Call it a lesbian moment, but she had one killer body by the end of that show, partially due to living on insects I’m sure, but a good body all the same.

An accomplished musician (she plays a mean piano), she appears on TV, radio, is a mum, does work for charity, wrote a book (My Bump and Me), has a kids clothes collection (Baby K) and shows off her chestnut locks as the face of Pantene Pro V shampoo….I simply can’t keep up with Brand Klass.  Who says an appearance in a (teeny) girl band won’t get you places?

She went on to become one of the faces of Marks and Spencer in 2007 and yesterday launched M&STV which is a new project where she hosts short instalments called “Myleene’s Makeovers”.  In the ten minute programmes she will tackle common shopping problems posed by real M&S shoppers.  You can watch the instalments online via the M&S site on M&STV.

Pictured, Myleene wears a Per Una ruffle neck mac (€109.00) and Autograph leather platform court shoes (€60.00), both by Marks and Spencer’s, of course.

You can’t go wrong with a pair of patent courts and a trench coat – it’s classic chic even if there’s nothing on underneath…we’ll just never know.

Image:  Ian West/PA Wire

Emma Watson has really caught our attention and indeed that of the fashion world with her pretty English rose looks.

So much so, that Christopher Bailey, Burberry‘s creative director, has chosen the actress to front their ad campaign next season.  “I wanted the images to represent both the rich history and the modernity of the Burberry brand, while at the same time reflecting a quiet beauty, timelessness and strength that is particularly significant today.”

Seen here wearing a signature Burberry mac in one of the campaign photos on the right, which was shot in Westminster (how English can you get?) by famous fashion photographer Mario Testino.

Watson then went on to be pictured on the front of Teen Vogue, announcing shortly afterwards that she is going to launch her own clothes collection.

Despite the shock when we read her date of birth (she was born in 1990!), we’ve seen the Hermione character grow up on screen and it’s suffice to say that Emma has transformed from school girl innocence to stylish fashionista with designers constantly vying for her to wear their creations.

Watson decided to ignore them on this occasion, when all eyes looked to her at this week’s Harry Potter premiere in London.  Pictured here left, she wore an Ossie Clark chic vintage dress.

Ossie Clark was an English fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era.

Emma Watson has really made her mark on the fashion industry in 2009, and we can’t wait to see how our July Muse of the Month progresses through her twenties.

Related Articles

Top 5 Trench Coats

What She Wore: BAFTA’s 2009

With the transition from winter to summer wardrobes, its difficult to know what type of coat to wear.   As April showers are sure to hit, one can always wear a jacket for more casual days, but the smart choice is to invest in  a trench coat.

The trench coat has become a wardrobe staple for Irish women (yes it tends to be our substitute for a rain coat). Historically it was first introduced for the military by Thomas Burberry back at the turn of the 20th century.

Also known as  a Mac, the trench coat became a fashion item in the 1960s and was made popular by fictional characters such as Dick Tracy and Rick Blaine from Casablanca. 

So history and weather patterns aside, here are the whatshewears.ie top 5 picks of trench coats around:

1. Blake Lively, wears a fashion forward Burberry trench coat with ruched sleeves (€823). Underneath, she wore a plaid, Kettle Black dress (€110), opaque tights and a Bubble Quilt Chanel handbag in burgandy.  Blake’s funky footwear add the finishing touch in the form of Orniron Christian Louboutin ankle boots (€653).

2. Pop colours are all the rage this season, so brighten up the rainy Irish days with trench coats in lively colours.
Take for instance, this classic red trench with full skirt (€72) from Miss Selfridge.

3. Your friends will be green with envy with our third choice of trenchcoat – Star by Julian Macdonald at Debenhams (€77).

4. Try this voluminous, turquoise blue trench coat from Red Herring at Debenhams. Was €44 reduced to €13 online.

5. You can always count on Next for a classic trench coat in beige colour.  Not a colour that suits us Irish girls, this longer version of the classic trench is still a best seller (€72).

So ladies, even if it rains, you’ll still look absolutely faboulous in your chic trench coat.

Contrary to the cobolt blue hue which still continues to be a big hit sine Summer 2008, the new blue hue for Spring is dusty blue.

Jennifer Aniston matched her Burberry dress to her stunning blue eyes for the London premiere of Marley and Me in early February 2009.  Rumour has it that she had Burberry dye the dress the exact colour of Jennifer’s eyes.

A dusty blue coloured dress would look stunning on you if you have Jennifer Aniston coloured eyes.  If you are looking to wear dusty blue to your next black tie event, we found a similar dress to Jennifer Aniston’s one in Coast.  You will be glad to know that Coast now offer an online shop with Euro prices for Irish shoppers (previously one had to order from their UK online shop if their stuff was sold out in Irish shops).  

At the Golden Globe Awards 2009, Drew Barrymore swapped her normal rock chick look for a
Hollywood starlet look in a dusty blue, John Galliano for Christian Dior Couture dress.  Her shoes, though not visible here, were Roger Vivier.  The sheer overlay on her gown provides some bounce as Drew dazzled in a diamond bracelet and jewelled earrings.

Blue Makeup

Blue makeup has had a bad reputation of late, probably because it conjures up images of eighties gone wrong aerobics.  So,we were delighted to see a blue revival on the Spring Summer runways, namely in the form of Temperley London.

Add to your smokey eye makeup pallete with this navy blue look.  Instead of using charcoals or greys, copy the Temperley eye makeup shown  here with the following Mac products:  Fluidline in Waveline (€12) and Eye Kohl in Smoulder, again (€12) .

Alternative and similar products to create a stormy eye effect can be achieved with  Make Up For Ever’s Eyeshadow in True Blue 8 (€14) or  Matte Eye Shadow in Riviera Blue by Revlon (€4) .

While the Temperley runway version demands a lot of eye shadow applying, you can easily do a more wearable version. Check out Kate Hudson pictured here at the Bride Wars film premiere.  Instead of blending the shadow to the far edges of her eyes like the Temperley model does, she confines the colour to the eyelids only.

If this style is still too OTT for you, change the midnight blue eyeshadow for one that’s lighter and more grey.

Today we introduce this season’s best hair and makeup tendencies. For Spring beauty 2009, you will find the whatshewears.ie team’s favourite Spring styles and the top products for getting these looks.

Straight Hair

This doesn’t mean the end of beachy waves or curls anytime soon, but this season is all about straight, swingy hair, if you can imagine such a thing. Unlike the GHD straight hair of previous seasons, this look is full of natural, movement with no need for straight properness. Think Claudia Schiffer who captures this look perfectly and her fabulous flowing mane. To get this supermodel-type hair, here are some key tools of the trade:

My hair stylist once advised me to brush with a paddle brush to dry my hair, not a round brush. It gives you bounce and smoothness,all at the same time. The best brush to achieve this is The Body Shop’s Paddle brush (€9.65)

To get your hair feeling smooth and silky use Redken’s Satinwear 02 Ultimate Blow-Dry Lotion.

Bo ho Up do’s

..are a totally differently glam hair do for those of you who don’t have long locks. See how to sport this trend which we covered a few days ago.

Bold Orange Lipstick

Chloe Sevigny wears this lip colour no matter what the occasion or season. This sassy, bold shade was really big on the runways this spring, seen combined with messy hair at Proenza Schouler’s fashion show.
How to achieve this look? Leave your face “barely there”, with some mascara and let this lip shade take centre stage.

The easiest to come by lipstick in this shade is Mac’s Lady Danger (€11.20) which is described as vivid, right coral red.
Try this blood-orange lip colour by Max Factor’s Vivid Impact Max Lipcolour in Ms Right (€7.20).

Purple Nailpolish

If you haven’t already noticed, the colour purple was huge over winter and is big again this Spring. Zac Posen’s runway was full of futuristic violet shades which can by hard to pull off. Instead we have opted for the darker shades of this colour scheme, letting you dip into the trend without looking too space age!

Check out this luscious purple lacquer by Laura Mercier or a rich dark violet in the fabulous form of Vendetta by Chanel (€18).