Matching your outfit with your child’s is officially a thing. High street stores like M&S and Next are selling coordinated adult and children ‘Mini Me’ and ‘Just Like Me’ ranges for those style-conscious parents determined to keep it in the family.
The trend has even been given a nod of approval from Victoria Beckham who recently posted a picture to Instagram of seven-year-old daughter Harper showing off her new chic bob – very similar to the cool ‘pob’ cut that made mummy’s name.
If the Beckhams are doing it, the rest of us mere mortals are surely green-lit to follow suit.
We all know parents who ‘accidentally’ match their children’s outfits. And most of us have at least one fun style fixation – leopard, Breton, pink silk bow ties (I kid you not) – that means it’s a given we will occasionally crossover with our offspring in the style stakes.
But lately it’s all become a lot more contrived with shops catering to parents with pieces that transcend age so the whole family can embrace the latest trends at the same time.
The truth is, Mini-Me is a tricky style tribe to join. For many of us, keeping our own style sacred is the best option. Parents give up everything to their young – sleep, good hair, me time, our pelvic floors – so maybe leaving us adults a statement look (even if that statement is ‘I’m too tired to worry about fashion’) isn’t too much to ask.
But I fear it’s not actually the children leading this trend revolution. In our selfie obsessed society, it is possible our offspring have turned into just another mirror we can hold up to ourselves?
Before rushing out – or online – to buy your whole wardrobe in little and large, here are a few things you might want to consider. The confusion when it comes to sorting the washing, for starters. And the fact you will be showcasing the same outfits but with very different outlines.
But also ask yourself: who is in control here – and why? In my experience, children love to choose their own outfits, and their choices are often very different from their parents.
Is there an element of wardrobe vetting that’s possibly not the best way to encourage choice and independence in kids?
Cue M&S offering a mini me version of that fashion blogger favourite: the spotted, ruched waist jumpsuit. It’s a win for grown-up stylistas – not mumsy, but practical enough to compliment a body that’s evolved through motherhood. But what does it have to offer the mini-me?
I’d suggest not much – other than the unlikely childhood goal of looking like mum and a kerfuffle when it comes to going to the loo. The jumpsuit is certainly strikingly out of place among the rest of the season’s childrenswear collection that looks, dare I say it, like childrenswear: glitter, bows, cartoon characters and a rainbow’s worth more colours than navy.
If you’re still desperate to match your clan while encouraging them to discover their own personality and fashion sense, maybe let them choose the outfits? I’m guessing you wouldn’t be so keen if the trend involved JoJo Siwa bows and Spiderman Tees.