Lauren, we spotted your account on Instagram and struck up a conversation about slow fashion, you work full time and have a busy family life. You love styling outfits and sharing them on your account but maintain you don’t see yourself as an influencer, you champion slow fashion by repeat wearing your looks and wearing small independent and sustainable brands, tell us how did you start @styledby_mrsj ?
I set up account about 3 years ago when I was on maternity leave but a couple of people, I knew found it and requested to follow me, so I deleted it without ever posting anything! Then last year hungover after a weekend in Manchester for my husbands 40th I set up a new one again in secret and on private and did the 30 days challenge. I found it so awkward and cringe to start with, but I confessed to my sister and she made me come off private! Sam Preston who I followed for ages was lovely and offered me a zoom call to give me some tips and hints which was helped me so much and a friend who has an amazing Bookstragram gave me loads of advice on reels and how to make them, I think without these I would have probably given up. I think posting pictures of yourself makes people think your confident, but I am not at all, it has got less awkward, and I do enjoy it now so I’m glad I stuck with it. The best bit is the community you make on here, I definitely didn’t get the ‘social network’ bit before I started posting and I have been so lucky to meet so many amazing support women, its not something you always get in the real world!
Slow fashion vs Fast fashion. Do you approach shopping differently now you are sharing your looks?
I definitely felt the need to buy more when I first started so I didn’t look ‘boring’ but re wearing is the best type of inspiration for people and I think people see through just ordering for ordering sake. I do all my shopping online which is really convenient, but a lot of the time things don’t look how you expect them to, so I only keep things that I absolutely love, if I do buy something that I don’t wear as much as I thought I sell it on Vinted rather than hold onto it.
Posting has introduced me to some amazing female owned brands offering something a bit different to the high street which I love and am trying to shop from these brands more often and mix in with my usual high street favourites.
We all seem to be time-poor, do you plan looks in advance? Tell us your go-to outfits for a work day and then a weekend off….
I use my weekends for shooting content so that is a good way to plan but sadly our weather is so unpredictable at the minute it usually goes out the window. I don’t really dress differently for work vs. the weekends, I’m lucky that I work from home 3 days a week and my office is casual so I can still dress like myself. My go to is probably blazer, t shirt and jeans or maxi skirts, and I still dress like this when I’m working from home so I feel in work mode! Weekends are pretty much the same, I would love to be an ath-leisure girl but I wear that to the gym so never feel like wearing at the weekends.