A mum has gone viral after swapping leggings for designer dresses and turning her weekly Aldi shop into a catwalk.
Elizabeth Shankland stunned shoppers by wearing glamorous outfits from brands including Sister Jane and Missoni while carrying out everyday errands.
The 46 year old decided to stop saving her favourite clothes for special occasions after being challenged to wear one of her fanciest dresses to Aldi.
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What started as a bit of fun quickly took off online, with a video of her supermarket outing racking up more than 14,500 views and hundreds of comments.
“It’s strangely really liberating, and actually just a lot of fun,” Lizzie, from Manchester, told What’s The Jam.
“Why are we saving our best clothes for a life that doesn’t actually happen that often?
“Why not wear them to the everyday places – the supermarket, the school run, grabbing a coffee?
“So I put the dress on and went to Aldi, and that was it.”
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Lizzie, a part-time teacher, also works as a stylist and runs dress rental business The Didsbury Wardrobe.
She said the idea came after years of hearing women say they had nowhere to wear their favourite outfits.
She said: “I’ve got a wardrobe full of incredible pieces, and most of the time, nowhere particularly ‘special’ to go.
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“Recently, I bought this amazing pink dress from Sister Jane at one of my pre-loved pop-ups, and one of the girls said to me, ‘It’s gorgeous Lizzie… but when on earth are you going to wear it?’
“I laughed and said, ‘I might just wear it to Aldi.’
“She dared me, and two days later I thought, why not?”
After taking the plunge, Lizzie shared footage of herself shopping in the dress online.
She said the project has become a reminder that people do not need a major event to enjoy wearing clothes they love.
Among the outfits she has worn on her everyday adventures is a pink Sister Jane dress bought for £40 and a floor-length vintage Missoni gown estimated to be worth around £1,000.
She added: “[The Missoni dress] felt very extreme in comparison.
“I think that’s partly why I chose to wear that one to Marks & Spencer, it just felt a little bit more ‘appropriate’ and slightly more classy than Aldi.”
The unusual challenge quickly won fans online.
One person said: “omg why not! Love this. Think of Carrie in sex and the city, go for it!!!”
A second person wrote: “Gorgeous always lead never be a follower.”
A third viewer added: “Exactly I dress dopamine 50s kidcore everyday stop saving things for special occasions.”
Another person said: “I LOVE this sentiment.”
Another user wrote: “Why not look fabulous every day as you do in that dress.”
Despite the attention online, Lizzie says shoppers barely seem to notice.
She said: “Weirdly, when I’ve been walking around places like Aldi and Marks & Spencer, nobody really seems to bat an eyelid, which honestly makes me giggle every time.
“So many people who follow me on Instagram have messaged me, and the response has been really, really positive.
“I’ve had loads of ‘yes, wear the dress’ energy.
“And the best part is that it seems to have encouraged a few people to be a bit more daring, a bit more bonkers, and just get dressed up for the everyday – even the most boring life moments.”
But not everyone in Lizzie’s household is convinced.
She revealed her daughter Nylah finds the whole thing “pretty mortifying” but said: “It probably makes me want to do it even more.”
Lizzie says she has no plans to stop and hopes other women will follow her lead.
She added: “I would absolutely encourage other women to do this.
“My advice would be, don’t get in your head about it.
“Have a laugh with it, maybe even do it with a friend the first time so it feels less daunting.
“And most importantly, just wear the dress.”
READ MORE: Mum-of-three feeds family of five for just £1 a portion with budget Aldi shop
