Dressing a body in transition is something new to me, as a person experiencing her first wanted pregnancy. Philosophically speaking, all of pregnancy can be described as a state of liminality-- an in-between, a precipice, or even a threshold. And although maternity clothing options exist to suit a range of price points (from Old Navy to A Pea in the Pod), I personally am not yet in a physical space where loading up on maternity styles makes sense. I don't know how I will "carry." I don't know the size my body will become. And I don't know what my body will be like, post-partum. I don't really think I am "showing" even though I have begun implementing the famous rubber band trick with my pants.
Right now, I feel like I need a few key wardrobe pieces for that awkward space of in-between, when a sizable (and ever increasing) portion of my current wardrobe feels confining and tight but maternity styles hang off me uncomfortably. I guess that's what I get for dressing a waistline for so many years! I have plenty of tent dresses that might work in colder weather. But most of my summer wardrobe clings. And I can't go belt crazy or wear waist-conscious shirtdresses without feeling like I'm busting through.
Thankfully, it seems that summer comfort styles include lots of elastic, jersey knits, relaxed fits, and longer lengths. I was perusing the Anthropologie sale (so many markdowns!!! Roxy has the most comprehensive list, as always) and actually found some clothes that I think might help. I didn't buy all of these, of course. But all of the above are marked down and I made a few careful selections. I also got to take advantage of the free shipping promotion!
Truth be told, a lot of these items would not typically be on my radar or my wishlist because I tend to covet those waist-emphasizing, girlie dresses that dominate the Anthro portion of my closet. Although these are out of my comfort zone, in the spirit of embracing the liminal I plan to experiment with new styles and different shapes while my body changes. I hope that what I bought will help me solve my current problem of the "in between" and maybe even prove useful during post-partum transitions. But if these pieces don't work, I can always return to my local store.
How do you deal/have you dealt with a transitioning body when it comes to wardrobe? Of course, transitions are not relegated to pregnancy only. So I hope advice can come from a range of folks!
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8 comments:
Good choices! The petal window tees are also flowy enough to work with an expanding belly! Unfortunately you are in the worst awkward stage of pregnancy. Normal clothes are getting too small, maternity are too big...it can be tricky, but rubber bands, bella bands and flowy non-maternity tops are awesome. I wore normal clothes are a high majority of both of my pregnancies, just larger sizes or with stretchy material! Good luck!!
Thank you for the tips, the commiseration, and the encouragement to bridge billowy styles into even later in maternity!! I hope I can pull it off but my body feels like such an unknown variable right now.
Last summer I lived in my loose and flowy Anthro tanks and fold over jersey skirts from Old Navy and a couple of knit banded skirts from Anthro. I also managed to find some decent non-maternity shorts with knit waistbands. I carried really low so eventually even maternity jeans were not comfy and I ended up wearing foldover maxi skirts in the fall (and some tent dresses because they just felt too good). Anthro seems to have lots of belly friendly items this year--even pants!
That in-between stage can be a little frustrating! I bought normal tops in larger sizes or flowy tops. Sometimes, I would wear a longer tank top under a shirt-sleeved top if I thought my belly would show at all (and to cover up the hair band that was holding my pants together). As for pants, I bought maternity pants from Target, which were super comfortable until I was bigger. I carried low with all three of our children, so eventually it wasn't comfortable but I had to just 'make do' since I had already spent money on those clothes. After the pregnancy, those maternity pants were very, very comfortable. I felt like they held my belly in a little bit. :)
Whenever I get pregnant again, I would clothe myself a la Carolee: http://blog.caroleebeckham.com/2011/04/24-weeks-aloha.html. That's just one of her pregnancy update entries. Her style is so smart and cute. She used a lot of skirts and belted above her belly. I'm not sure if a belt that high up would be comfortable, but I think it's cute enough to try it out.
Also, Kelsey (http://snappycasual.tumblr.com/page/13) has a really cute style. Other than some maternity clothes that won during a contest, she said she didn't buy any maternity clothes at all. She did mostly leggings/tunics and dresses.
When I was early in my pregnancy, I definitely preferred looser, more flowy items. But once I was showing, I wore things that were a lot more fitted. They made me feel like I looked pregnant and not just bigger than usual, and I preferred the look overall.
I must have missed your announcement! Maybe when I was traveling this past month as my blog reading was very limited due to a lack of internet in the flat I was renting in Madrid....? Anyway, many congratulations!
After having three kids (a singleton and then twins), I grew to appreciate the flowy Anthropologie tops. It was nice to be comfortable and stylish. I bought some inexpensive elastic band pants at NY and Co. as work wear. They felt like sweatpants, but looked fairly nice. Some versions were cuffed, so they looked formal. A few girlfriends and I had a big box of maternity clothes we passed around. It saved all of us a ton of money. Congrats again!
I recommend yoga pants; they're great for growing with you, comfort, and shrinking with you again after the baby comes. Also, a lot of women experience sensitive skin on their bellies at some point (for me, it was postpartum) and their softer material is nice for that. Besides that, I love the Old Navy roll top jersey skirts
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