Style It My Way: Izzy Pugh

Izzy Pugh photographed her twins playing dress-up and wearing her favourite picks from the SS18 collections

The Animals Observatory cardigan, £105.90

 

Tell us a bit about yourself…

‘We are a family of five living in Acton. Our twins, Finn and Iza are 4¼ years old (the quarter is important!) and Minnow is snoozing at the end of my bed – she’s just five days old today and pretty cool so far. I’ve always been a big lover of fashion. Aged 8 in the 80s, I insisted on a bad crew cut and wore awesome yellow-and-turquoise polkadot culotte suits with matching headbands. I love taking photos and Instagram’s creativity and community, plus the ability to discover amazing brands across the world.’

Where did you take these photos?

‘At our house the week before Minnow was born, just playing dress up and “holidays”. My favourite photos are those that capture Finn and Iza’s personalities: the funny faces, little strops, mad outfit combos and when their imaginations take them on lovely journeys. The Bobo Choses stripy top with a butterfly on it quickly became a “magic superhero top” and the pattern is a button that “if I press it I will turn into a magical eagle and fly very fast” so I find myself chasing an “eagle” round the bedroom trying to take photos while making sure the “eagle” doesn’t fly off the top of the bunk bed.’

What do you like to dress your kids in?

‘I’m a sucker for crazy prints and quirky stories and would pattern clash all day every day. I have to force myself to buy plain clothes otherwise it all gets a bit crazy! I look for clothes that trigger Finn and Iza’s imagination: “my cat cardi” or the onesie that’s “my ninja suit”.’

What do they love to wear?

‘Iza is very into choosing what to wear and will pick out amazing outfits the night before. Some days it’s long skirts and a frilly cowgirl shirt (“like in Spirit”) and the next day it will be leggings and a tee. Finn is happiest in a tee, shorts and a dinosaur-hunting helmet.’

As twins, do they ever match or swap clothes?

‘They are quite clear on whose clothes are whose and we get in trouble if we muddle things up. I love the more gender-neutral, creative kids’ brands because it means we can mix and match pieces without having to get boy stuff for boys and girl stuff for girls.’

Which are your favourite SS18 pieces?

‘The summer dresses from Bobo Choses have been a big hit so far, especially the blue one with footprints. Finn is a bit in love with the stuff with comets on from The Animals Observatory because who wouldn’t want a vest covered in “fireballs that fly through space”. There are some amazing culottes for boys or girls this season and I love the red and white stripy ones from Tiny Cottons and Fresh Dinosaurs, too. I’m also excited to see Main Story as their tops are lovely, soft and seem to “go” with everything. For beautiful basics, we recently discovered Mini-A-Ture and their baby stuff looks really lovely.’

What do you like best about summer?

‘My 40th birthday present to myself was a treehouse so in the summer we hang out there with water pistols, spotting birds and hoisting “treasure” up and down in a little bucket. The best days are mostly the days where we “do nothing”: being outside, all day, preferably with a paddling pool, a pile of blankets, an empty to do list and a full glass.’

Instagram: @IZZYPUGH