Lisa Wipfli and husband Michael better known as ‘Wippa’ welcomed their third child, Francesca, in the first days of the pandemic, “so the poor kid hasn’t had much life experience in her two years.”
The mum and fashionista is already preparing for the day she gets to introduce her daughter to the world of Australian fashion through her own wardrobe, putting away pieces for when Francesca is older.
“I hope she is [interested in fashion] because you know, with jewellery and things like that, what you want is to be able to pass it on,” Lisa says over the phone, Francesca giggling in the background.
Lisa Wipfli is eager to pass on some of her favourite fashion pieces to daughter Francesca.
(Image: Instagram)As a teen Lisa often wished her own mum had held onto pieces that would now be considered vintage gold, something she doesn’t want to repeat with her daughter.
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“I need to be mindful of that and keep some special pieces so she can play dress up when she’s older,” Lisa adds.
“I see young girls wearing all these designer brands and I think ‘my God, I’m not ready for Francesca to be a little sassy teenager!'”
At just two-years-old, Francesca is no stranger to playing dress-up; the whole Wipfli family embraced glamour for a Christmas shoot with The Australian Women’s Weekly, Lisa recalling feeling “like a princess that day”.
But her and Michael’s sons Theodore and Jack are more excited about their school holiday trip to Kangaroo Valley, which is set to include plenty of bush walks, bike rides and campfires rather than glossy magazine shoots.
This trip has been a long time coming after multiple lockdowns and Lisa couldn’t be more excited, especially now that her two eldest are pros at packing their own suitcases.
“They’ve turned into little wise kids, which is wonderful, as Francesca adds an element of chaos,” Lisa laughs, her daughter yelling as if on cue.
Despite the outdoorsy nature of the trip, Lisa will be planning her outfits in advance and packing her favourite style staples, no matter how valuable they are.
“Even if we’re just going for an explore in the bush, I still love to coordinate things and feel nice, no matter what,” she admits.
That desire to dress up has only grown stronger through the pandemic, with the self-confessed “homebody” ready to get out of the house with Michael and their three kids as much as possible.
Like millions of Aussie families, the Wipflis are eager to explore their own backyard and do plenty of domestic travel, but there’s one major factor too many people overlook; insurance.
Research from Allianz shows that a whopping 64 per cent of Australians are more attached to their valuables than ever before – think “jewellery, iPads, Nintendo Switches” says Lisa – yet 2 in 5 are unaware they can insure their valuables as portable contents under their Home Contents Insurance policy.
In the “chaos” of travelling with three kids it can be all too easy to misplace a priceless pair of earrings or leave a tablet behind in a hotel or restaurant, which is why Lisa is urging Aussie mums, dads and everyone in between to check in on their insurance policies across the board.
There are plenty of valuable pieces inside Lisa’s enviable wardrobe.
(Image: Instagram)“Before kids I was so disorganised and I’d be forgetting things left centre, but now I’m a lot more organised … I just can’t afford to have these moments where we leave stuff behind,” she says.
It’s why she makes lists, checks the luggage and always makes sure everything is accounted for while the family travels. So, what is Michael up to?
“He is just on bike duty, so he packs the bikes,” Lisa laughs. “He’s a bit hopeless, but I feel like that’s a guy thing, they just think ‘let’s wing it’.”
She’s not keen on that strategy so takes on most of the travel planning, including piling all the dirty laundry into one suitcase before heading home at the end of a trip, so it can go straight into the washing machine when they get home.
“He’s a bit hopeless,” Lisa says of her husband’s approach to packing.
(Image: Instagram)Does she make Michael carry that suitcase? “Francesca found that very funny,” Lisa says, her daughter laughing loudly in the background.
Francesca is finally out of the messy, hectic newborn stage – something Lisa was more than happy to wave goodbye for the third time.
“When you’ve gone through the early stage of having newborns, you spend two or three or four or even more years of your life feeling like a shell of yourself,” she admits.
“Now I’m starting to come out of that, we have a wonderful family and I’m so lucky I can actually spend a bit more time on myself.”
WATCH: Lisa Wipfli shares video nursing newborn daughter in hospital. Story continues after video.
That will include a special celebration for her 40th birthday this year, though she hasn’t quite decided what it will look like yet; perhaps a glamorous party or a trip overseas.
Lisa divulges that Michael is little worried about the cost – he says “we can’t do it all” – but he should probably get used to it now they have a little girl.
“Can you imagine [when Francesca turns 16]? Kids will be even more demanding then, no doubt,” Lisa laughs.
But they have plenty of time before that happens, so they’ll be making the most of it while they can.
Lisa packs to go away with a little help from Francesca.
(Image: Supplied)Allianz Australia delivers a wide range of personal, commercial and corporate insurance products and services to more than 3 million policyholders and is one of the leading private workers compensation insurers in the country.
