Back to the Structure of School

By Jessica Moore

Jessica is a director at Helen Moore and mother of four

The summer holidays have come to an end and I have survived. In fact, not only have I survived, I have actually had a really good time and the weather – never far from the centre of the conversation – has been kind. However as much as I lament the end of the days in the park, the lazy mornings snuggling under throws and the endless camping trips, I also enjoy the turn towards school, the return of time to work, to beautiful autumn days (the ones with blue skies and a crispness in the air) and the routine that all this delivers. I think that although we all enjoy the carefree life there is a lot to be said for structure. The children all feel ready to go back to school and the new baby is literally crying out for a routine. This poor little boy has had neither the chance to develop his own rhythms and timings nor the steady beat of the school day to adapt himself to. He has had no two days the same for six weeks and we both need to know a little better about how and when he can sleep and in my slightly desperate head this is going to be large, meaningful chunks in the day, adapting slightly to the changes in number 3s preschool locations and fitting seamlessly around school hours and my work. In the same way that the children are looking forward to getting back to school, I can’t wait to get back to work. I love the autumn; as it is our season. This is when everything we have worked towards for over a year finally hits the shelves, hits the press and arrives in our beautiful cardboard packages to homes across the world! It is hard to believe that ‘Shooves’ were a concept dreamed up over a year ago and are causing as much excitement as we hoped. The Weekender Bags that can fit a two-year-old child in (yes I did) are big and beautiful and here. The Pom Button Collar, the Anneka, the Boa, from sketches to samples, from focus groups to photoshoot, we have been on a journey with them all. We love them, and we can’t wait to share them. At the same time as delivering these new beauties to you, we are also working feverishly on 2019. I know our new colours and have seen the new styles, this month with the children safely back at school I will get the utter joy of bringing these to life in our AW19 photoshoot, working with our ultra-talented team including Catherine de Crevecouer and Britta Dicke. So yes, back to school will signal a return to the endless repetitive begging of ‘please put your shoes on’ and I will have to drag four children out in the cold and dark so that one can fulfil an extra-curricular desire, but I also am planning the return of sleep (I just hope that no.4 complies) and I can’t wait to have a few precious hours every day when I can think furry thoughts and plan furry things. Jessica Moore, August 2018