My Mum Holiday Wardrobe

The mum wardrobe must-haves for a family holiday…

The count down to our first ever family holiday has begun. In 3 weeks the brave crew over at Thomson Holidays will be jetting all 5 boys, and us grown-ups, to sunnier climes. So, this week saw me traipse into town (Brighton if I’m being precise), baby and mother in tow, in search of the perfect mum garb for our jaunt to a warmer location/summer 2016. I’d tried and failed with my usually reliable online shopping, perhaps as I had quite specific requirements from my new, more revealing wardrobe…

• Bum coverage. I’ll be bending down to pick up bubs and generally running round like the proverbial chicken – so the last thing I want to be doing is a) flashing a left buttock on a regular basis and b) have to pull a swimming costume from my crack every other minute.
• Boob supporting – I don’t want a poolside Janet Jackson style mishap, nor do I have any aspirations of becoming a glamour model anytime soon, so spilling out of my top is not necessary or desired.
• Fanny coverage – no one wants a flash of my gash.
• Fuss free. I don’t have a Kardashian style entourage willing to strap me in, frou-frou my frills or zip me up, so none of those over complicated numbers, thank you.
• EVERYTHING must go with everything else. If I stick to my usual palette of grey, white, black and denim I’ll feel comfortable and the kids will still be able to recognise me across a packed, all you can eat buffet.

The Results…

The Swimsuit

So, since pushing out #3 last year I’ve done zilch about getting one’s bum and tum back into shape, and I couldn’t actually care less, however, this is the first time I’m not feeling massively comfortable about getting my wherewithal out for all the resort to see, so I went in search of a, dare I say it, one piece. I originally bought this one, as on paper it ticked all the boxes (including original criterion #1: it was black), but when I got it home I decided I wasn’t quite ready to bore myself to tears via swimwear just yet! Finally, abandoning #1 I went with these two:

1. Mum always knows best, after much hesitation from me I gave in and went to M&S – but with super titty holders, a full bum and a nice little tummy camo, this monochrome swim suit is the dogs bits! Honestly, if you want to feel “held in” and comfortable whilst retaining a touch of sexiness – M&S is the answer! 2. A surprising win from Tesco’s with their sunset funky number! Two amazing plus points – sewn in booby pads (not those pesky things that keep coming out under your armpit) and the price…. £16!!!

The Denim Dress

After many an insta-mum has shown me her casual staple of the year, I went in search of my very own denim shirt dress – a little late to the party perhaps, but better late than never. After having tried a few online attempts, the short, toddler-running-after unfriendly hemlines were getting me down (sorry H&M you came up short – literally!). But never fear, trusty M&S is here! On my way to the swim suit department for the above, I spotted my denim hero – this is the point I would usually tell you all about it, but I’ve since found out it’s sold out online (available here in the PLUS size though) but they had plenty in my local store – so get a shift on! Or, this one’s pretty cool too.

Two other dresses I’ll be packing are THIS one and THIS – both amazing by the pool during the day or dressed up with a glittery necklace for the evening! Multi-tasking clothing is where it’s at!

The Denim Cut-Offs

Lastly, to bring all those white floaty tops I have into play again this summer I needed some denim cut offs. As ever – not too short and not too long, also, they have to look knackered…

H&M you did me proud on this front – my “my surfer boyfriend just had these things for years and I just chopped them off” ones (left) are sooo comfy and the “I go with all everything you own ‘cos I’m faded black” ones (right) are the softest ever!

Considering we’re only going for a week, I’m starting to think I may have over thought my luggage!