The whole world is facing a crazy & unsettling time and none of us know how long it is going to last or how long we will all be home-schooling our children! In and amongst the crafting, the endless chants of “Mummm, I’m bored….” “Muuum, I’m hungry” and of course (and we don’t judge you one bit for this…) a LOAD of screen-time, we wanted to brighten your day with a MASSIVE £250 giveaway for one lucky Mumbler courtesy of Joe Browns clothing.
I had always been vaguely aware of the Joe Browns brand- their catalogue had fallen out of glossy magazines that I’d read in the past, but I had never paid them an awful lot of attention if I’m honest. It turns out that this has been a huge mistake on my part!
Joe Browns have an AMAZING selection of clothes. They don’t stick to one style or genre- they have got something for everyone. They are predominantly on-line which is ideal during this period of staying at home, but for when things settle down & get back to normal (whenever that may be!) they have a flagship store in Meadowhall in Sheffield, and an outlet shop at Mcarthur Glen in York and plans for more stores in the future.
It feels like a lifetime ago now, but in early March, I went along to the Meadowhall store to see the clothes in real life. I took a fellow mumbler (Emily) with me, to try on some clothes on our behalf. She’s a clothes size 12, I’m a size 18 and to be honest, I wasn’t hopeful that the stock would look good on me. Well, let me tell you how wrong I was!
Firstly, the sizing at Joe Browns is great. The clothes are extremely well made & properly sized. It was an absolute revelation for me to be able to try on (& look good in) every item I picked up in my size. As other curvy girls will know, shopping is often a case of “does it fit” not “do I like it” In Joe Browns, everything fit beautifully. In some cases I could have even gone down a size (so shallow I know, but goodness me, did it feel good!) The clothing is well cut and lined where necessary. The attention to detail within the tailoring is just fantastic. I don’t think that you necessarily pick that up from the catalogue, but the tiny touches are evident when you see the clothes in store- cool jacket lining fabrics, coloured buttons as features, stitching & embroidery.
Emily’s own clothing issues are different than mine, she’s only a small size but she’s also a classic pear. She often has trouble finding sizing that flatters both her smaller bust and her curvy hips. In Joe Browns this wasn’t an issue at all- primarily because there was such a wide variety of styles to choose from- some more tailored, some relaxed but all beautifully & skilfully made to flatter & fit well. Emily is also a mega bargain hunter and won’t spend unless if feels like value for money. This was not a problem at all with Joe Browns as the pricing is incredibly reasonable. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t fast & disposable fashion- it is however, unique & remarkable clothing & accessories that are incredibly well priced for the style & the quality.
When you get down into the detail, it’s absolutely amazing that the clothes are priced as they are. I’d say the pricing is generally on a par with Marks & Spencers but the detailing & style is way ahead!
In terms of the look of a typical Joe Browns garment, it’s hard to say as the choice is so varied. Personally I was drawn to the vintage styling of the polka-dots range, Emily immediately went to the greens & jungle print dresses. We both loved the “basics” ranges- the t-shirts, the jeans, the jackets. All beautifully made and extremely reasonably priced. The fabrics all felt like quality and you can just tell that they are going to wash well.
One of the things that I really loved is the new “Mixology” concept, which is in effect, a capsule wardrobe of items that you can mix & match- colours & styles that work together with no thought or effort from you. This is IDEAL for a busy mum, who can then just throw on an outfit & know it’s going to work.
As part of our partnership with Joe Browns, they invited to try on a number of outfits in the store & then take some away to wear & wash in real life. That way we could give you a much better idea of how they work with busy mums. I’ll let the pictures below do the talking! We also took a few pictures side by side so that you can see what the same outfit looks in a size 12 & 18.
We sneakily did a secret shop as well, to test drive the online ordering service. I’m delighted (& relieved!) to say it was completely slick & the clothes arrived quickly, well packaged & exactly as I had ordered.
I took my new vintage style top out on a night out Mr Mumbler recently & I felt AMAZING- what was particularly lovely was that 2 separate people remarked on how good I looked. Whilst vintages styled, the top isn’t a massively “out-there” style, just different enough to be remarkable. After years of feeling invisible, I can’t tell you how great it felt! Emily has been wearing her haul on pretty much a daily basis! The cosy hoodie is a firm favourite however now that the sun is making a much needed appearance, the sun dresses have had a few outings too. You can see below how she’s styled her maxi dress with a hat & denim jacket- it looks awesome and is incredibly easy to wear.
Advertising Feature for Joe Browns Ltd.
Some clothing items were gifted by Joe Browns, an embarrassing amount of additional items were also purchased by us (Sorry Mr. Mumbler- we just couldn’t help ourselves!)
MUMBLER & JOE BROWNS COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS
– The competition closes at midnight on Sunday 24th May 2020.
– One winner will be selected at random within 1 week of the closing date. The prize is a £250 voucher from Joe Browns that can be spent across the clothing and homeware range.
– If the winner cannot be contacted via email after two (2) attempts within two (2) weeks of the decision date, we reserve the right to select an alternate winner.
– We reserve the right to select an alternative winner in the event that we have reasonable grounds for believing that a winner has contravened any of these Terms and Conditions.
– The Joe Browns £250 voucher is to be used at www.joebrowns.co.uk, via telephone (0113 270 6655) or in-store only.
– The prize cannot be exchanged for a monetary equivalent.
– This competition is not open to employees of Joe Browns & Mumbler or family members of employees.
– It is assumed that by entering the competition you have the legal capacity to do so and you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions (which may be amended or varied at any time by us with or without notice), our decisions are final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.
– If you have ticked the opt-in box, you are agreeing to be automatically added to marketing programmes by Joe Browns. You can unsubscribe at any time.
– Joe Browns and Mumbler reserve the right to publish the name or names of entrants on their websites and social media channels, the winner may be required to take part in some publicity.
