Bonkers mums are turning the tables and allowing their TODDLERS to dress them for a change.
The fun phenomenon was sparked by US actress and fashion blogger Summer Bellesse who allowed her three-year-old son Rockwell to dress her for a week last month. Since then, the fashion craze has gone global with #toddlerstylists trending on Twitter. In the name of invaluable scientific research, we decided to let a pint-sized style wannabe loose on a mum’s wardrobe.
Here’s what happened when mum-of-two Katia Ratta, 34, from Hamilton, was styled by her three-year-old daughter, Anna-Teresa.
MONDAY:
Anna-Teresa has never been shy to let me know what she thinks about her outfit. So I was looking forward to turning the tables on the mini-menace. I’d show her what it’s like to have your fashion picks mocked. But when I tell her about the challenge her wee eyes light up melting my iron resolve. I decide to go easy on her for a few days at least.
Monday’s pick shows promise – a white top, jeans and a pair of open-toed shoes. Sure they shouldn’t be paired with socks but who is going to notice? As we hit the shops it turns out a lot DO notice.
TUESDAY:
I’m Italian but have lived in Scotland for more than a decade. There are things I miss from my homeland. One of them is the fashion. Us Italians are renowned for our sense of style. Dressing well is as much part of our DNA as pasta.
Sadly, I married a Scot which makes little Anna-Teresa only half Italian. It might explain why today my top half is well-dressed but my bottom half a disaster. A nice dress paired with jeans and done-in gym trainers.
As they say in Milan: “Non!’
WEDNESDAY:
Last night I had a falling out with Anna-Teresa. She threw such a spectacular tantrum it meant an early bed-time for her. I’d hoped the tiny tearaway would have forgotten about it today. But she seemed to be drawing me daggers over our breakfast Cheerios. And as she settles into her now normal daily routine of plundering my wardrobe it seems she’s inherited another famous Italian trait the propensity for vendetta.
It’s the only explanation for pairing some fake leather leggings with one my husband’s vests. Worse, my mother-in-law pops around for a coffee. I suspect she already had doubts about my parenting skills. This fashion disaster has done nothing to change that.
THURSDAY:
Only two days to go! This has been a lot harder than I thought. Worse, Anna-Teresa is getting creative and thinking outside the box. My husband’s wardrobe is now being drained as a valuable resource as is the dressing-up box.
Today she wants me in a pair of his tracksuit bottoms, a baggy hooded top and a bandana. But the joke is on her. We’re going swimming and the outfit barely raises an eye-brow at the baths.
FRIDAY:
Disaster. Anna-Teresa’s one-year-old brother James has got involved. His picks are completely off the wall. It’s not long before the pair are arguing over what outfit I should wear. In a mad moment of parental diplomacy I resolve to let both have a say.
Big mistake.
Minutes later I’m in a bright pink cowboy hat, pyjama bottoms, one wellington boot and a red high heel. Parents at the toddler group I go to give me a look of utter bewilderment. “Is everything ok,” one asks.
Explaining my research does not seem to allay her fears.
CONCLUSION:
I’m all for modern parenting methods but this is a step too far. As far as I’m concerned it should be up to mums and dads to decide on the ABCs activities, bed-times and clothing. In all honesty the experiment left me exhausted.
Some might say I’m now suffering Post-Traumatic Dress Disorder.
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