The Therapy Edit - One Thing with Bronagh Meere on creating a school run capsule wardrobe

Episode Date: September 1, 2023

In today’s guest episode of The Therapy Edit, Anna welcomes Bronagh Meere from @whiledollysleeps who shares her ideas for creating the perfect capsule wardrobe for school mum life. Bronagh Meere kicked off her fashion career during Heat magazine’s heyday, when she landed a job on what was arguably the most influential style desk of its time. She made the leap to freelancing in 2008 and remains one of the industry's most in-demand stylists to this day. Whether she’s working her magic on celebrity shoots, big-brand advertising campaigns, music videos, TV shows or as a personal stylist to VIPs, her friendly approach, unrivalled work ethic and ceaseless style knowledge have kept her at the forefront of the industry. When her daughter Dolly was born seven years ago, Bronagh created an Instagram account called @whiledollysleeps, in honour of the fact that it was the only chance she had to get any work done! When her son Hugo followed two years later, she had even less time but an ever-increasing passion for posting vibrant, must-have, easy-to-duplicate outfits, as well as top style tips (and the occasional insight into her Edwardian house renovation, which she lovingly refers to as ‘the building site’). As a result, @whiledollysleeps has organically grown into a warm, fun, colourful account where followers can interact with each other about everything from raincoats to cowboy boots and keep up to date with Bronagh’s (occasionally out-there) day-to-day style.

Hello and welcome to The Therapy Edit with me, psychotherapist's mum of three and author Anna Martha. Every Friday, I invite one guest to tell me the one thing they would most like to share with mums everywhere. So join with me as we hear this dose of wisdom. I hope you enjoy it. Welcome to today's guest episode of The Therapy Edit. Today I have with me, someone that's going to help you. feel that little bit more yourself each day. And yeah, I need this advice. I'm really excited to hear more about it. I have Brona Mir with me. Brona is a fashion celebrity stylist and she

is also a consultant, found at While Dolly Sleeps in Instagram. She's got two kids to juggle and is also renovating a house and you can follow that journey there as well. Whether she's on photo shoots, music videos, styling celebrities and private clients or working on big, really known brand campaign. Broner's infinite passion and knowledge makes her a go-to for so many. And you can draw loads of inspiration from her Instagram as well. So, yeah,

I can't wait for your wisdom. Brona, hi, it's great to have you. How are you? Oh, that was lovely. Thank you. Yeah, I'm good. I am good. I'm sitting here currently looking at the house renovation that's covered in Lego and the kids I've sent them upstairs to their bedroom

so that I can do this. But apart from that, I'm great. Oh, gosh. I think I'm someone who just at the end of the day needs things tidied away and I'll run around for like 15 minutes just putting everything back where it belongs. So I think living in a house renovation for me would just be so hard because you can't just do that, can't you? You can't just tidy it around and tie loose ends at the end of the day. No, I mean we try our best but like there's nowhere for anything to go. Yeah. And then like you're just trying to keep it as clean as you possibly can.

but like there's dust all. Yeah, it's, it's been four years. So, yeah. Oh, it's the idea we're doing ourselves. So yeah, it's taken four years. It's taken four years. My son's only five. So he is only pretty much living in a building site. All his life. Anyway, the question that I've got to ask you today, Brona, is if you could share one thing with all the mums from all of your amazing fashion, and styling knowledge, what would that, what would that be? What do you want to impart in us? Okay, so my life, like, massively changed after having kids. So, like, I used to be wearing, like, you know, I'd go after my fashion shoots

and I'd be always wearing the most, the thing that was in style at the time. Like, I was, like, massive follower of fashion, obviously, because I worked for a magazine. But then suddenly I was thrown into this, like, different world of going to play dates. you know, like baby groups, and then it moved on to school. And I have no time in the mornings. I have no time. Like most of the time, I don't have time because I'm doing other stuff. So having to think about what to wear to go on the school run was always a bit like, oh no, like, you know, because my clothes, my wardrobe had suddenly changed and I didn't have the time

to kind of think about it too much. So I created accidentally, I think, I don't think I actually thought about it. It just kind of happened. I created a kind of like capsule school run wardrobe, which really, really works. Like I don't have to think about it too much now. And it's kind of then like become not just my school run wardrobe. It's kind of like my mom's style, I guess. Or like my style, really, because that's what Wild Dolly Sleep is all about. It sleeps is all about. It's about my style. So not about the celebrities that I style and the shoots that I do. It's all about what. what I like to wear. So what I'm sharing with you would be how my school run capsule wardrobe is. And, you know, if you like my style, then maybe that will help you. So. Yeah. I just think when you've, for a lot of your life, what, what you put together is an expression of who you are, isn't it? Like it's a very creative outward expression of you and your identity. and I think many of us may well have enjoyed those moments in the morning of choosing an outfit and leaving the house and feeling like, you know, I'm expressing who I am and how I'm feeling and what I'm wearing and then you're so right. You come to motherhood and it's just chaos and you're lucky if you kind of get to, you know, moments to brush your hair. And then you can feel like actually you've lost a little bit of your expression of who you are and just shoving on whatever your hand touches. And, hoping that it's vaguely clean. So I think it's almost an act of self-care to find a way to really

simply and quickly pull something together that feels like you. Yeah, and it gives you more confidence. Like, you know, like, I mean, before, before kids, I would plan my outfits the night before. Like, I'd have them probably laid out because I'd have that time. Like, that, that's just gone. There's no way that's going to be happening. But, you know, to go out in the more morning or what I say in the morning, that's probably a little bit of a lie because I like to go off to the gym in the morning if I have time. So I really do kind of go off, drop the kids in my gym clothes with no makeup, hair on top of my head. And then when I come back and I've had my shower and I do my work. And then when I do pick up, that's probably more me. So yeah, what you're seeing or while

don't sleep, the pictures are afternoon school run. Okay. Okay. Morning is just like, I love it. I love it. So for those listening, including me, who are thinking, oh, yeah, I would just love to find a way in the morning to just quickly throw on some stuff that actually has a little bit more thought in it. There's a little bit more reflective of who I am to give me an extra spring in my step as I go about my day in the chaos. Yeah. What, what, yeah, what do we do? Okay, right. So number one, if you are a denim person and I massively, I love denim, you need to get yourself a really, really good, fitted pair of jeans. And when I mean fitted, I mean for your shape. So this sounds wrong to say it, but I'm just going to say it.

Ignore what everybody's saying. So the fact that the people said, oh, skinny's out of fashion now. Do you know what? If it suits your shape and you feel good in it, don't worry about it because fashion comes round. So, you know, I didn't get rid of my skinnies. I still wear them. I've still got them. They'll come around again. In fact, they might have even come right around. People are still wearing them. Kate Moss wears them, you know. So find a really good pair of jeans, whatever for your shape. And I would advise you to go to somewhere that has lots and lots of denim. I mean, obviously, I'm lucky because I live close to London, so I could go to Selfageers and there'll be denim everywhere. Go and spend a day trying on jeans. or if you don't want to spend too much money, you don't have to. You can go to the high street. There's loads of great high street denim on there. I mean, H&M, Zara, where else would I go to?

Arquette, if you want to spend a little bit more. River Islands, great for denim as well. But just make sure that you just keep trying them on. Even if you think, oh, I don't know. I don't know if that's going to look right on me. Try it on. Because honestly, the amount of times that I've done shoots, and even celebrities, and they're like, no,

doesn't suit me, I'm like, just try it on. Honestly, it might surprise you. And it has surprised them many times. And if you don't feel comfortable going into the shops to do that, because sometimes you get a bit hot and bothered and you haven't got the time, like who has the time, you can always do it online. Like, you know, someone like ASOS who have loads of different brands, you could just try them all, order loads, try them on, send them back afterwards, you know, whatever you decide not to keep. So that's that. But some people I know, Jean fans. They just don't like them at all. So I would say the alternative would be a really good quality pair of leggings. Now, I've only started wearing leggings again over the last few years.

I suppose maybe it was the kind of like fact that I was going to the gym and wearing my gym leggings in the morning. I was like, oh, this is, you know, this feels good. And you kind of get it. I know it's that kind of cliche thing, like your mum going, not going to the gym, but wearing your gym gear. Yeah, yeah. But it really does work. And you don't have to wear a gym leg. leggings, but you can if you want. So like a good quality pair of leggings. And when I say good quality, not the ones that are see-through, not the ones that are going to kind of like, you have to be pulling them up all day because that would just drive you crackers. Like I've got a really good pair and they've annoyingly sold out. I've discontinued them and I keep looking,

but they're like black, quite high-waisted as well. And they've got like kind of a thick band over like my, my belly where I kind of want that extra bit of, like, tightness, like to hold me in a bit. So that's your kind of first one. Then the second bit, I would say, is get yourself some really good classic quality, timeless, t-shirts and vests, depending on the weather. So, you know, you can't go wrong with a white tea. Look, today I've got like a slogan, I love a slogan tea. but you know if you're not really into kind of like more like my style like I'm saying this is definitely what I would wear like I love slogan t-shirts I love anything with bright colours but if you're not you don't have to be it you can just stick to a classic white a nice mild grey black even and then you've got your basic kind of background I kind of like blank canvas kind of outfit that you then layer so you start layering this with get yourself a really really great raincoat. And I mean, it might not rain where you are, but it rains a lot at school run time in this country. It does. Why does it do that? And where do you get a raincoat from? Because

Brona, I've got a raincoat and it's not actually, it's not waterproof. Like, who makes non-waterproof raincoats? Okay. Well, okay. So I have a really good one. I've actually, I don't know if I didn't add with it. So I don't know if I'm allowed to say that, but I'm going to say it anyway, because it's really lovely. And it's, um, and it's all Achille at, now, I I say, I should know this. Is it regatta or regatta? I don't know. Regatta, regatta.

Rigata, potato, potato. Yeah. And it's really good. It's like floral print, lots of different colors, but it's got black in it. So it kind of teems it and white. So it kind of teems in with your base outfit underneath. But, you know, that's because it's really, it's quite loud and that's what I like. But there will be other ones.

Go on a sort of rains do nice ones. Go on. I mean, this time of year now. now as we go into this to autumn there will be loads so go on the high street you might not want to spend loads of money um well vintage is great as well actually i was looking at rains rain's coat on vinted and there are quite a few on there as well at the moment yes vintage is amazing and like because especially with something that i i've got my raincoat some people might go oh i don't know if i want to wear it next season um because that people have seen it not like me i'm like a proper

hoarder if it comes to my clothes i talk about my loft quite a lot i have a lot of clothes and my loft because it comes back round. And I keep telling my husband, it's for styling purposes, you know, so I once stalled a whole witch chute using my own denim. So, you know, we need to keep these things. But some people don't. So they would then clear out their wardrobes, put it on vinted, and then they'll buy their new one for the next year, whereas you can get it because, you know, it would be so cheap. Well, much cheaper than, you know, full price. So, yeah, a good raincoat and also a good winter coat. Because it is going to get cold, you know, we don't want to talk about it, but it is.

So a good winter coat, just a nice, classic winter coat that makes you feel good, and you can put it over your jeans and your tea. But we then have to talk about sweatshirts, a good sweatshirt, because it's all sorts of weather. I get good ones from, I've got a really lovely one from H&M. Arquette do really great ones. There's loads on the high street. Zara.

There's loads. There's, what else would I say? So, yeah, I feel like I'm going on a little bit too much about the kind of basic stuff. But the other thing I would talk about is shoot footwear. Because when you're in a rush like me, I mean, I always think, I've got five more minutes. And then I'll leave. Five more minutes. Then I'll leave.

And then I'm like, I've got like 10 minutes to get to school. And what if I can't get a parking space? And I do always make it. But the things that help me make it is the fact that I have slip on shoes. So summer, get yourself a nice pair of slip-on sandals that you can just slip your feet into, run out the door. And I live in my Birkenstocks. So I have a black pair of the double-strap burkenstocks, but I've also got them in the rubber. So when it's raining, because it's perfect.

And also then in spring or autumn, I have a checky pair of vans. Again, slip-on. Perfect, good to go. And then in the winter, I live in my black patent Dr. Martin boots, which look great with jeans and leggings. And when they're patent, they're good for the rain. So that's kind of like your base stuff, really, isn't it? Yeah. But what about those extra little additional things that kind of add a bit more?

Yes. You. Yes. Because I know the first thing I noticed when you came on today was your lipstick. I was literally the first thing I noticed is kind of beautiful. corally reddy lipstick that you've got on. So tell me about the other little

extras that just give us that. So I've always worn bright block coloured lips because I'm rubbish at doing my eyes. That was the main reason. And my mum always wore a red lip. So I don't know whether that's got something to do with it. But if I don't have a lip on my face, I look dead.

Like I need fake tan because I am so pale, like see-through pale. I've really got that. My family are Irish, and I've got that real kind of Celtic skin look. So I'm kind of like my things that I have that make me feel a bit better is I do my fake tan and I put a bright lip on. I also put some mascara on to open my eyes. And that's kind of, you know, all I really need to make myself feel a little bit more like me, And yeah, it kind of just gives me a little bit more confidence.

Like I noticed myself that if I haven't got those three things, I'm a lot quieter and I kind of like want to get in, get out. I don't want to talk to anybody at the school gate. Whereas if I'm feeling like more myself, I'm, you know, you can't shut me up. You're more you. You're more you. So it's finding those little things, isn't it? finding those little things, whether it's a certain scarf that you like wearing or maybe just

putting another one on your birthday list next time of your Christmas list so that you've got some more options. Well, thank you so much for just encouraging us to just, yeah, just pull together some bits and pieces, just write down this list, the perfect pair of jeans or leggings, classic t-shirts and sweat shirts, depending on the weather, a good raincoat or winter coat and a pop of color and some time saving slip on shoes, something you can just shove on. and they just sat there before you go out of the door as you're wrangling people into the car or whatever it may be.

So just write those down, think about what those things might be for you and then just grab them in the morning and feel a little bit more like yourself. Yeah, thank you. That's really helpful. And obviously go on to Wild Dolly Sleeps to get some more inspiration

because sometimes I do that. I literally go on different style accounts on my Instagram and I look for, I scroll for inspiration. And I always find a picture that I think, you know what, I've got a shirt a little bit like that. I've got some jeans that, oh, I hadn't thought about wearing it like that before. And it just, they're, you know, it's amazing that you're sharing your skills in a way that actually can make us feel a little bit

more ourselves, which we all deserve to feel. But I do that too. I do. I mean, I always, yeah, yeah, I worked for, I worked for magazine before and it was all about celebrity style. But now, it's, you know, looking at other people's and getting inspiration. It's, it's lovely. I love that we're all sharing it. Yeah. And it is. And it just. sometimes you look at your wardrobe and actually if you can just see someone else wearing something like you have in a slightly different way, it just can make you feel completely different about that piece of clothing that you might have otherwise just kind of totally looked over. So to finish off, Brona, I've got some quickfire questions for you.

What is a motherhood high for you? Oh, I don't know, I suppose sometimes like life is so busy and it's kind of like at the end of the day when I'm I don't know like when I'm having a chat with the kids and they they I always ask them at the end of the day what was your favourite part of the day

and you know I'm so I'm constantly thinking oh we must do this we must do that we must go to all these lovely places and we do them when we can but sometimes they turn around and they just say like the most simplest things like you know when

I don't know like this morning I sat down and played a bit of Lego with them like not for long because I didn't have time I had to get ready to do this, but I played a little bit. And that's the sort of thing that often they turn around and say, oh, and we did this. Like it's our one kind of like checking at the end of the day to say what, what they enjoyed doing. And it's kind of like a nice thing to think, actually, it's when they're spending a bit of time with me that they're enjoying it. So I kind of think, oh, well, I must be doing an all right job if they were.

Yeah. It's just the simple things, isn't it? It's so simple things when you're just kind of giving them your attention and maybe joining in something that they're already doing. Yeah, and I feel I'm constantly feeling bad because life is so busy and like with the house renown and working and stuff. And I feel so I kind of when they, when we have those little moments together, I kind of think, okay, well, I'm doing all right because they're remembering those.

Like I am, I feel like, okay, I've checked, I've done, I've done that too today. Like I've managed to do a bit of, you know, something good. I love that. It's often the simple things, isn't it, that they record at the end of the day? And you're like, but what about this brilliant thing that we did or this that we got? Or, and it's, no, it's just the Lego. Yeah. The Lego. That was the thing. So my final question for you is clothes and fashion and styling aside, what's another thing? And renovating. What's another thing that makes you feel good? Going to the gym, that sounds so bad, doesn't it? That sounds, I never thought I was going to be

that person. But you know what? I haven't been able to get to the gym for two weeks and I can feel it like not in my body, in my head. Like going to the gym and I often put this on my stories and I thought, oh God, people are going to think, oh, you know, oh, off to the gym. But I cannot tell you how it's, I cannot tell you how it has changed my mindset. This odd, sounds a bit going a bit deep, but I lost my dad and I got into going to the gym then and it really has been a game change it because when I feel like my thoughts are just too much or anything like everything's overwhelming if I go and do a spin class the whole day changes for me so that's what makes me feel good so amidst that grief just finding that time and space for yourself to just focus on something

different yeah well I pretend that I'm in a nightclub which is you know some of them are a bit like that aren't they yeah I do it home yeah I love that how wonderful that you discovered that at a time when you probably just needed to, yeah, you just needed input and tools, don't we? And it's amazing the tools that we end up reaching for that actually we surprise ourselves. Yeah, it wasn't me before. It wasn't you before and then now it is. Yeah. And now it is. Well, thank you so much, Brana for inspiring us to take that time to pull together something that actually just expresses who you are and makes us feel good because we're deserving of that. And again, people can find you on While Dolly Sleeps, which we'll tag in all the stories that we'll go up and we publish

this episode. So thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for listening. Please do take a moment to subscribe, rate and review as it really helps get these words out to benefit more juggling parents like us. And head to annamartha.com to find my resources on everything from health anxiety to people pleasing, starting at only 20. pounds and finally don't forget to pre-order my new book raising a happier mother how to find balance feel good and see your children flourish as a result i can't wait for you to have that take care and we'll chat soon