Meet Daisy Murray

This week we meet the wonderful Daisy who shares with us some of her favourite tips for dressing through pregnancy, postpartum & beyond

Hi Straw Baby Club!

Hope you are all well and welcome to some of the new sign up’s we’ve had this week. Please feel free to introduce yourselves in the comments :)

I had some really lovely messages off the back of last week’s newsletter, who would have thought so many of us new mums would have broken bones during the first year? I’ve had so many messages of support and advice for how to cope with a 1 year old whilst in a leg cast and I’m so grateful! I’m off for my next round of scans today so fingers crossed there will be some progress. Also a huge thank you to those of you who became paid subscribers last week, it really does mean the world. As I said, everyone will still receive the same weekly newsletters across all subscriptions but those who pay will receive extra discount codes. This week we are giving paid subscribers 30% off our newly launched Straw Baby collection (we will be in touch directly with discount codes).

Meet Daisy Murray

This week has been a busy week for us but I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to catch up with the amazing Daisy Murray. Mother to the beautiful Bloom (age 2) and Dalloway (age 3 months) and also Site Fashion Manager at ELLE UK. I’m sure most of you follow her already on instagram but incase you don’t, Daisy style is a perfect mixture of cool and practical and for me personally has been a huge inspiration in terms of getting out of tracksuit trousers and dressing for joy whilst navigating life with baby.

Q - Daisy, as you know I am a huge fan of your style. You seamlessly navigate the way you dress when your body has been changing from pregnancy to postpartum. I for one have really felt like I’ve lost my style throughout this period of time. What is your best piece of advice for dressing to feel yourself whilst becoming a mother?

Thank you very much! I don't know about seamless, but I am still very much enjoying getting dressed and, if anything, the restrictions and practicalities of parenthood, pregnancy, breastfeeding etc has deepened my enjoyment (generally speaking). 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I fear a lot of people's struggle to feel 'themselves' getting dressed postpartum is somewhat due to a changing body, so my first piece of advice is to try and rid yourself from shame about how you look! Shame can be a useful emotion, one that could stop someone stealing from an independent shop or lying while in public office. But feeling shame about your body, be it bigger feet/nipples/belly, a flatter arse, cellulite, scars, random bulges, a new look down there - I could go on - serves no one, not your child, partner, family or friends who all have a vested interest in your happiness, not other people and women who bear those same scars, and certainly not yourself. 

Having said all that, I suppose my second piece of advice is to find the silhouette/s you suit and like yourself in and simply repeat it in different combinations. The body positive movement is a great thing, but sometimes I crave the outrageous advice of Trinny and Susanna who gave practical tips on how they 'disguise their saddle bags' or something equally hilarious and misogynist. I love my legs, so shorts, mini skirts, mini dresses and slim/straight cut trousers are my preference. I know plenty of editors who only wear outfits that pull them in at the waist and others who always have their arms out - if you really observe what people wear you'll realise most aren't more adventurous or confident than you, they just like a different part of their body.

The trick is to hold both the transcendental truth that you are loveable and valuable no matter what you look like, alongside having the quotidian knowledge that if you don't love having your arms out, that can be fixed by just not wearing vest tops. Ha!

My final piece of advice is not body-centered at all, and maybe goes against all personal style advice, but trends are a great way to breathe a bit of life into your outfits. Far from me saying you should revamp your wardrobe at the first mention of a new 'core', but playing with accessories (like ribbons!), colours, prints and jewellery over your chosen silhouette might help you get your groove back.

Q - Social media is filled with ‘mum uniforms’ which usually involve leggings and a baggy jumper and I won’t even get started on the nappy bags we are all urged to buy (we’ve used the same tote bag as Cosmo’s nappy bag since day one and can’t even think what people fill those huge bags with!). Leggings and baggy jumpers certainly have their place but what’s your best suggestion for an easy replacement outfit?

Bleugh, I completely agree. Nappy bags are just a bag you put a nappy in. 

If the athleisure look of a baggy jumper and leggings for the nursery run doesn't do it for you, then consider 'polished' sleepwear as an alternative. Cotton poplin nightdresses and PJs can be errand-running ready with some good knitwear (Shrimps, &Daughter, M&S and Herd are my favourites), coloured socks with a fun, comfy shoe (gardening clogs or Adidas) and some off-kilter jewellery (like a puka shell necklace).

Q - Pre Cosmo and throughout pregnancy I absolutely loved floaty midi/maxi dresses but lately I’ve begun to feel far more milk maid than I had ever hoped. These dresses have been so easy to just throw on and have got me through the summer but I am now dreading the turn of the seasons. You've shared lots of tips in the past for breastfeeding friendly outfits (like boxer shorts under dresses), Do you have any Autumn & Winter friendly breast feeding outfit ideas you could share with us?

I don't think that's just you - there's been a vibe shift when it comes to floaty and floral midis and maxis so I've sold some of mine and put the rest in underbed storage for when they come back around. This a/w I will be wearing my trusty combination of smock mini dress/oversized men's shirt with hot pants for as long as the weather allows. Then, I'm looking to kilt/pleated mini skirts to pair with cardigans, vintage Levis 501s to pair with breton tops and vintage suits to wear with white t-shirts.

Q - You have a very inspiring attitude to sustainable dressing, I often see you buy items from pre-loved sites and vintage. Sometimes vintage dressing can be really challenging (especially with a new found increased bra size) and often the best pieces are always so so tiny. Have you ever encountered this problem and if so, how do you navigate it?

Thank you! Of course, this is why I buy a lot of men's suiting (Paul Smith suits via eBay are my go to), nightwear (Snooper's Paradise stall 67 has great white cotton nightdresses always) and pre-loved contemporary items from the 1990s onwards. 

Q - Do you have seasonal edits of your clothing & accessories? Do you find it easy to clear out pieces that don't serve you anymore?

Yes I keep clothes in baskets under my bed and they are made up of high summer clothes, deep winter clothes and then pieces that don't fit me/my lifestyle right now. I am constantly reselling and donating clothes too since I get gifted a fair amount of stuff and there simply isn't room for it all. 

Q - and how does that translate to your daugther's clothing? Are you a hoarder like me and cannot bear to part with anything?

We live in a flat so there's not much room for sentimental hoarding. Thankfully, my mum kept all of Bloom's clothes (which were, in turn, her cousin's before) for Dallo, but since she's likely my last, we've already got a bag of newborn bits ready for a pregnant friend. 

Q - I've loved watching your recent unboxing videos on TikTok and have discovered some really great accessories brands in particular. What three accessories do you think everyone should have in their arsenal?

Lots of ribbons to wear as trainer laces, belts and bag accessories, a corsage and a basket bag a la Jane Birkin. 

Q - Whilst we haven't met in real life yet, you come across as a lovely, bubbly, confident person via social media. Have you noticed a change in confidence whilst/since becoming a mother and do you have any advice for keeping spirits up during these big life changes? 

Thank you so much! That's incredibly kind and I'm glad I come across that way! I think generally speaking I have actually become more confident - being able to withstand one birth where I laboured for days and then was sliced open (ha), and another where I pushed out a baby unmedicated, have both made me feel like an absolute beast. Looking at my girls and seeing how beautiful they are and knowing what kind of life and mother/parenting they deserve has made me more determined than ever. I have had moments, particularly in the postpartum period after Dallo, where I have experienced those often mentioned feelings of lowness and despair, but they have, thankfully, largely passed. 

I often hear and read people describe the 'journey' of becoming a parent as unlike any other experience and something only other mother's can understand. And while that is true in some ways (why should someone without a child know what cluster feeding is?), I have found it much more useful (perhaps because I don't have a lot of mother friends) to see becoming a mother, pregnancy, birth and parenting, as somewhat of a microcosm of all of life. Trying to have a human experience within the structure of society, relinquishing control, being confronted with grief, love, physical pain, mental anguish and anxiety - these are all things most people can relate to. This perspective feels much less alienating to me! 

You can learn more about Daisy, her great style & beautiful family via Instagram & Tiktok. The links aren’t working here for some reason so I will link via Instagram stories.

Thank you so much Daisy for sharing not only your dressing advice but also some really profound life advice that I know will resonate with a lot of us!

It’s incredible to hear how your confidence has soared since becoming a mother of two and you’ve offered a really positive mindset which I will try to use myself.

Thanks again to all members of Straw Baby Club who are just the most fantastic community. Many of you have left the kindest comments about the launch of Straw Baby & Child and I wanted you to know that it’s not just my little boy who I’ve been designing for… its all of yours! As a thank you for bearing with me and my slightly infrequent emails over the past few months I wanted to offer a special launch discount code to you all. Until Thursday 12th (midnight) all SBC members can use the code SBCSEPT24 for 10% all Straw Baby & Child pieces.

Hope you all have a fantastic week and speak soon!

Lots of love

Emily x

Straw Baby Club