Why we all want to dress like a social housing director from Mumbles

Telegraph

4 hours ago

On paper, Cath Weller – for the last four years, the 'face' of fashion brand Wyse – shouldn't be someone I warm to.
The idea of an influencer who extols diet advice on their 'grid' would normally make me bridle. But then again, warm to her I do. Because Cath isn't your average social media influencer.
In fact, despite her 37k followers and her role at Wyse, she's not really an influencer at all, or at least, not full time.
Cath Weller, 54, who goes by the social media handle @mrsaddtobasket, has a full-time day job a world away from the filtered reality of Instagram's little squares. She's a director of the largest housing association in Wales, where her job is to provide critical services like a place to live and caring support to those in need.
'I don't need to be an influencer,' she tells me when we meet over video call from her home office.
'I already have a full time job I enjoy. But I've always joked that I'm a frustrated TV presenter as I feel very comfortable in front of the camera, and I also love fashion and finding solutions to people's problems.'
Cath wears: Slogan knit £125; Loafer jeans, £195, Wyse
Weller who lives in Mumbles with her husband Matt, 58, son Teddy, 21 and black labrador Margot, has a softly sing-songy Welsh accent and appears smiley, groomed and impeccably made-up. She is wearing a bright red jumper emblazoned with the slogan 'Never Too Much' from her forthcoming capsule collection with Wyse, and a rail of clothing hangs behind her ('that's my rail of joy!' she says, happily) ready to pack for her forthcoming holiday to Crete. I spy one of her trademark Gucci handbags perched on the end of it.
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Cath's style rules
Get Cath's look
How it started
'Around the time of the pandemic, a lot in my life changed. My job was stressful. I was in charge of health and safety for our social housing company and you can imagine how that was during Covid, trying to protect elderly people in care homes. When we went into lockdown, my meetings would begin at 6am and sometimes I'd be working til midnight. Matt would bring me food and drink to my desk as my working day would be 14-16 hours long but… I was able to start working from home which saved me a lengthy commute in the car. Then my son Teddy, who is now 21, finished his GCSEs so he needed me less, and I'd started a diet which would ultimately see me lose 3.5 stone, so my body was changing. As 2020 went on, I had some downtime to fill.'
It was then that Weller – who confesses she's 'always been obsessed with fashion and beauty, I'm a born consumer!' – started really using Instagram.
'My friend Helen had actually set up the account for me but I rarely used it save for the occasional post about a beauty product or something I'd bought. I had 100 followers for about two years and I wasn't trying to grow it or anything.'
Cath wears: Pointed-toe pumps with straps, £329, Maje
Weller discovered Wyse during the first lockdown, through Helen. 'At that time, Marielle [Wyse, founder of the eponymous label] was doing a lot of community building, a lot of 'Live' Instagram sessions, and I started really engaging with it,' she says.
'I was at home, I wanted a bit of joy. I'd lost three stone and wanted to incorporate a bit more colour in my wardrobe. Also, video calls meant people could only see my top half. I just needed a whole new look.'
A self-confessed 'over thinker', Weller began contacting Marielle Wyse directly, asking her advice about sizing and sending photographs of herself in some of her purchases. When the pair met at one of the brand's shopping events between lockdowns in 2020, they really hit it off and began to collaborate on more live videos on social media. The customers loved them.
'They flew!' says Weller, with visible joy.
Cath wears: Lauren blouse, £165, Wyse; Blondie medium top handle bag, £2,530, Gucci
'People were asking me styling questions, sizing questions, Marielle was also getting a lot of engagement, it was an incredible reaction. The brand was also at a juncture, they were trying to grow. At the start of 2021 I became an official Wyse ambassador. It was a real honour, because I've always genuinely loved what they do. It just all fell into place completely organically.'
How it's going
That sense of happenstance and authenticity is a key part of Cath Weller's appeal. She says she will only work with brands she genuinely likes and has turned down many lucrative offers from companies whose products she doesn't believe in.
'I don't accept collaborations from things I don't think genuinely work. A lot of pressure on influencers is that they earn all their money through doing this. Don't get me wrong, this earns me money that I can spend on a nice holiday or a Gucci handbag, but it isn't my core. It's not where I get my security from. So that allows me freedom.'
Her day starts at 5.30am and ends at 8 or 9pm. 'I have a lot of energy,' she says.
Cath wears: Charlotte Coat, £425, Wyse
'I speak to Marielle every morning, then I'll do our social posts, creating the content and publishing it by seven o'clock. Then I'm on the golf course walking Margot, I come back, cook food to eat later and at eight o'clock, I log in, to start my work day.'
Weller also admits she doesn't resemble her Instagram self all of the time. 'I don't wear make-up very often,' she confesses. 'What people see online is the tip of the iceberg.'
In many ways, Cath Weller's split life story replicates that of Wyse founder Marielle whose original career was in TV production, specifically nature documentaries. After taking time out to look after her two children, in 2015 she decided to try her hand at fashion, something she'd always enjoyed.
In 2019, her brand expanded from knitwear to a more diverse offering of separates aimed at women between the ages of 40-65 and from sizes six to 18. When the pandemic happened, Wyse decided to leave department stores to sell directly to customers through their own website and social media. Which is where Cath came in.
Cath wears: 18ct gold signet ring, £1850, Alicat
'When I met Cath five years ago it was such a joyous moment,' Marielle says.
'I recognised her from pictures she'd sent me on Instagram. To sound a bit corny, it did really feel like we were picking up a conversation. She was such a bundle of joyous energy and positivity – not to mention totally stylish so there was no doubt we were going to carry on chatting… She's a Wyse customer, so she was able to showcase how to wear Wyse in a way that sometimes I just didn't have the time to do. She calls me Batman and I call her Robin. It's kind of like that.'
The 10 easy pieces
And now Weller has her own 10-piece capsule collection with the brand, revolving around a navy and red palette, with pops – of course – of animal print.
Cath wears: Vivienne Dress in Tomato Red, £280, Wyse
'I can now tell people I am a director by day and a designer by night,' Weller giggles. 'I'm wearing the straight leg jeans right now, I've worn them for two days before and I will also wear them tomorrow. They really are great. Marielle and I worked together to create these pieces from my feedback about what I thought Wyse was missing. The reaction from shoppers has been amazing. People at my age have often lost their way with their style. Many lose their identity, they're menopausal, maybe their kids have left home. Often they don't know how to dress anymore. Then there's me, somebody real going, 'It's okay for you to wear this with that,' or 'Here's how you can style this jumper five ways.''
So does she see her work with Wyse to be about finding solutions, I wonder?
'Yes. It is exactly that,' adds Weller.
'I'm not a trained fashion stylist but I am used to finding solutions through clothing. Because I wasn't always as comfortable or as confident about my body and looks as I am now. For years I thought about what to wear to make myself look either slimmer or enhance my best bits. It made me get creative with what I wore, and see the possibilities in clothing. Now, being able to help other people feel great is how I get my kicks. Doing this is just an amazing and unexpected gift.'
Cath's style rules
Tonal dressing always works harder – it elongates the figure, looks luxurious…the key is mixing textures.
Stick to three colours when outfit building – anything more and the balance is lost.
If in doubt, size up – you'll look better and feel more comfortable.
A pointy kitten heel finishes everything – it adds polish, lengthens the leg, and gives a little height without sacrificing ease.
If in doubt, overdress – it's never the wrong decision.