It’s been a couple of weeks since my last maternity blog, and my many moments of “what-do-I-wear” confusion for different summer occasions have definitely given me some new ideas for what to address. Today I want to talk about good ways to flatter your new curves, and utilizing drapier styles without hiding in too much fabric.
So your pregnancy body is often quite different than your usual figure, and there are as many pregnancy body type variations as there are mamas-to-be! Still, there are some consistent themes: bigger boobs, wider hips, and oh yeah, a little extra roundness in the belly! The overall visual effect is one of roundness and curves, and while we all miss our tapering waists and lack of water retention, we have to make a choice between spending 9 months whining about what isn’t, or embracing what is. I am choosing the latter, especially because my non-pregnant body type is more Jackie than Marilyn in the chest department. It helps to think about famous voluptuous women who celebrate their shape and know how to dress it (Christina Hendricks! Salma Hayek!) as well as pregnant celebs that dazzled us on the red carpet in spite of their extra weight (Natalie Portman, Catherine Zeta-Jones).
But I digress… We have real lives to dress for, and one of the recent occasions that stumped me was my son’s 5th birthday party, which took place on a farm. I knew I’d be in pictures, and as I pulled on tanks and stretchy summer skirts that I normally feel great in, my reflection in the mirror was not the “hip mama” look I was going for, but more “hoochie mama”. The new curves combined with hot weather and a children’s occasion presented a difficult equation. I didn’t want to wear something very blousy and flowy and risk looking like a whale after the obligatory 10 extra camera-added pounds. I also did not want to go the common Boston-mom route and settle for sporty shorts, sensible shoes and practical boxy cotton tee (comfy? yes. cute? not so much). I ended up choosing a knee length, a-line black knit skirt from American Apparel (which I had acquired 5.5 years earlier while pregnant with my son – talk about quality, I wore that thing through pregnancy and my post-partum summer), a bright yellow ribbed tank with a nude lace Hanky Panky camisole underneath (it’s ok for straps to show if they are pretty). The style crisis was averted, but it got me thinking: what are some good rules of thumb for dressing for casual, kid-friendly occasions? Here’s what I came up with:
- No cleavage. Save that for a night out when you need to show up your skinny girlfriends with something.
- Check for sheerness before heading out the door – an adorable gray skirt that I wore with leggings through the spring was rejected for a hot sunny summer day for exactly that reason. (Make sure to have good lighting by your mirror)
- Balance out a form fitting piece with a breezier style (like one of the tops pictured above from oldnavy.com) with a pair or skinny cropped maternity jeans
- No high heels – if you must have height, choose a 2″ cork or espadrille wedge. Aside from the obvious discomfort, you’ll look like you’re trying too hard for daytime
- Day dresses are great, just choose styles that are machine-washable and don’t wrinkle and make sure they are knee-length or just above the knee (boden.com has some great styles). Maxi dresses are cool too, but don’t do the in-between mid-calf length as it is unflattering to most.
- When choosing drapier pieces, avoid voluminous empire-waist styles and oversize pieces – you’ll add a size or two to your frame.
– Maria
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