Ain't No Mom Jeans

How to Pack for a Summer Post-Partum Road Trip (Or For Anyone Who Wants to Be Really, Really Comfortable While Traveling)

Reader Question:

Hello! I just had a baby 3 weeks ago. We are driving to Arizona June 30th to visit family. It will be a long road trip, with baby and my two other boys ages 6 & 8. My question is …..what do I wear?! I am severely postpartum and about a size 16/18 right now. My belly is still pretty flabby ( from my 8 year old? Haha) I want to be comfortable, but I refuse to  wear yoga pants or maternity gear! After following your site for awhile and agreeing with your style…I am hoping you can lend some advice!! I am usually very good at packing and putting together outfits, but this soon after baby has me mystified ;)
 
Shannon

Answer:

Wow, girl!!  A road trip, several weeks postpartum, with two boys and a baby!  Impressive.  Let's see if we can't figure out some insanely comfortable, yet stylish outfits for you to pack.

Hip Moms, Prepare To Love Madewell.com (A more affordable, boho version of J. Crew)

Have you heard of Madewell?  It's a new concept store launched by the same folks that brought us J. Crew, and is, in fact, referred to in the media as "J. Crew's sister store".  From what I gather, the prices are roughly 20-30% less than J. Crew. 

What's the difference?  Madewell is a very tightly edited collection of clothing that leans to bohemian, rather than preppy (the look J. Crew is so famous for).  This tight editing makes it easy to shop (there's very little to weed through), and these forgiving bohemian silhouettes are perfect for camouflaging a multitude of post-baby body issues while remaining on-trend and hip.  And the lower price point doesn't hurt, either.

While Madewell stores have been around in select cities, Madewell.com just launched.  And I'm in love.  I'm betting this online retailer will quickly become a favorite.  It's hard to resist items like a perfectly slouchy T in just the right shade of gray (pictured at left), worn with an insanely cute-yet-mom-friendly bracelet that  manages to walk the line between tough and feminine (pictured at right).

And both pieces are each under $40.  Not bad.

Need more convincing? How about....

Where Moms Can Find Cute Swimwear (that fits a mom's body)

My sister texted me, in a rage:  "SHANA.  I just bought a swimsuit at Target.  Size? XL!!!  Who can possibly wear a small?????"

My sister is not a big girl.  In fact, she's pretty tiny.  But places like Target (or Forever 21, or Old Navy) often end up making swimwear that is much better suited to a 23 year old body.  Or for a 12 year old.  Stuff like this:

 

This model has the tinest little bum I've ever seen.  So cute.

Even my relative happiness at finding a Gap Bikini last year (See Your Pre-Baby Body Called, it Says it's Not Coming Back)...resulted in my returning home with a size large top.  Yes, I was nursing, but "the girls" had calmed down (I'd been nursing Raines for 18 months at that point), and anyway, I'm typically an A cup.  Sooo...someone who starts out as a gasp! C cup is then forced to buy an...XXL?  That's crazy.  And hard to find.   

Add to this mess the fact that we need swimwear to help hide our c-section scars, poochy stomachs, muffin tops, and cellulite -- all while chasing the kiddos around.  Oh yeah - and we'd like to look hot and young, not dowdy.

Reader Question: Craving Cropped Pants

Reader Question:

Okay, so it's now gotten hot where I live and I'm craving a shorter options for pants for work/play with kiddos. But a quick perusal of the stores this week left me swimming in a confusing sea of bermuda shorts, pedal pushers, capris, crops, and on and on. How can I tell what length pant is right for me? Or are they all equally right? I'm 5'9, thoroughly apple shaped, and constitutionally opposed to buying destroyed denim.

Thanks for your help!

Signed,

Confused about pants.
 

Answer:

No pant has greater potential to turn totally croptacular (particularly for those of us with bums and thighs or who are vertically challenged) than the cropped pant.  But done right, cropped pants are incredibly flattering and uber functional for moms.  

Dresses For Nursing Moms - Summer 2010

One of the most frustrating parts of nursing (well, after latch issues, colostrum staining issues, supply issues, pumping and bottle issues), was my complete inability to find cute clothes that allowed for easy nursing.  Never was this issue so apparent then when it came to dresses.  I know, dear readers, that you feel my pain.  We have had many of you asking for advice on this topic.

One would think this was easy.  In this day and age of pro-breastfeeding (almost to a fault, as M points out here) one would think that there would be scores of adorable nursing clothing available to help us legions of breast-feeding mothers continue to nurse. 

<snort>

Not so much.

While there is certainly more choice now than even two years ago when I first started on this quest, separating the dowdy from the cool takes a bit of work.  Especially when it comes to dresses.  Not only do you need easy access and minimal exposure, but if you are like me, you need something that works with a nursing bra.  Gone are the days I could get by bra-less, and while one can nurse in a strapless bra...strapless bras are neither supportive nor easy when it comes to nursing.

So to narrow the scope somewhat, here are the "rules" I applied to all dresses to be able to qualify as "nursing dresses":

The Rules

1. Easy Access -- You must be able to nurse in this dress without having to untie it from the back, lift it over your head, or go through any other weird contortions.
2. Minimal exposure - One boob at a time, please.  Just one boob at a time.
3. Nursing Bra - You must be able to wear a nursing bra with this dress.  While there are a few that would require a decent looking bra, all cami style or strapless dresses are out.
4. It must be washable.  Spit-up happens. 
5. Bonus points for pooch-hiding properties

Here are my picks:

Found: Cute Mid-Height Wedges - Lucky Brand Bree

Pre-babes, as a 5'4" (and 5/8ths!) chicky, 3-1/2"+ heels were a near-daily part of my wardrobe.  I loved the colors, the patterns, the bows, the peep toes, the purposeful clickity clack of my gait and (of course) how they made my legs look, but most of all, they made me feel like I was the height I was actually born to be. . .  But as a heavily pregnant soon-to-be mom, somewhere in the middle of an ice lake/parking lot in January, it occurred to me that my heel habit might in truth be a borderline form of child abuse.  What if I slipped and fell on my cute round belly?  What if I tripped whilst baby wearing?  Or was unable to dash after my toddler due to a footwear malfunction?  Thus began my slow acquiescence to flats and (gasp! so much worse!), mid-height footwear.  

While my true tastes run more in this direction. . . 

   
 
Cynthia Vincent Luella ($400)
MICHAEL by Michael Kors Carly ($130)
GAP Lace-Up Denim Wedge ($98)

I now know that to pull these 4" and 5" platforms off, exclusive of girls night out and date night, I would need to be accompanied either by my husband or a nanny for the duration of any outing.  Not practical, no . . . especially considering we don't have much of a budget for "help."

Alas, I've hit gold in the mid-height heel department.  The Lucky Brand Bree Wedge ($89) is my new summer casual, appointments and running errands with the kiddos, go-to shoe.  It's an incredibly flattering and comfortable mid-height heel with a padded footbed, supple, non-chaffing leather and a grippy rubber sole.  With studded details and woven leather, the look is all together current and doesn't totally scream sensible mom shoe.  On first glance, I wanted more woven leather, but when I tried them on, I realized the lower cut is really flattering at this heel height and works to elongate the leg as much as a heel an inch higher would.  I picked these puppies up on sale at Macy's on Saturday and already I've worn them with a short dress, cuffed denim and rolled slim cut utility pants.  Love.  Them. 

Cynthia Vincent, I'll see you in a few years, when I'm not wearing any humans on my body and my kids start listening to direction (that will happen, right!?!?).

- M.  

Reader Question: Denim Skirts For Moms?

Reader Question:

 Okay so I love love love your blog, your advice, and have a question! This summer I realized I officially hate shorts! With a passion! I hated them prior to the babe and hate them even more now. I do however, love skirts…especially Hard Tail roll-over ones - nothing more flattering on a tummy. My question though is what is a late-20s, mom-on-the-go, appropriate jean skirt? Much like you, I am a self proclaimed jean snob but shelling out $200.00 for AG’s Box Skirt (I’ve been stalking it and it never goes on sale) makes me, well more my husband, cringe. I refuse to do true minis but don’t know how I feel about running around in a denim pencil skirt at the playground. Any suggestions?

Thank you! xoxox

Julia

Answer:

Julia, thanks for writing in, and for your kind words on the blog!! 

The AG Box Skirt you mentioned (pictured at left) is adorable.  But how annoying that it's $200....I can get jeans for that price, and this skirt has roughly half the material!  Boooo!  

So.  You are looking for a jean skirt that is (reasonably) mom-friendly, and less than $200.  Got it.

The "less than $200" part is easy - there are a million options.  Finding something that's mom-friendly is a bit trickier -- I agree that running around the playground in a denim pencil skirt is...well...humph.  Not even sure how to describe.  Too fashion-victim?  Just plain scary?  I mean....you can't even climb the steps to help your kiddo down.  So yeah - I think the pencil-skirt-at-playground scenario is out.

Even if we rule out the denim pencil skirt, I think we have several other cool options.  Here are my favorites:

Perfect For Moms? Lesley Evers Day Dresses

There's something stealthily sexy about a day dress.  Perhaps it's because the day dress is so unabashedly feminine.  Perhaps it's because the silhouette is so different from the normal uniform of jeans and drapy tees.  Perhaps it's because these dresses are cut to celebrate the real female form (you know - the one with curves).  Whatever the reason, the sexy day dress is worth another look.  And you'd be hard pressed to find a better version of the day dress than the one that Lesley Evers has perfected.

Reader Question: Baby-Friendly Necklaces?

Reader Question: I want to wear necklaces that are on trend but my son will pull them off. Could I wear a scarf as a necklace look? Even in hot a$$ summer? thanks. love love love your site.

Answer:  It doesn't seem like fashion trends could get any mom-friendlier right now.  What happened? Was it the celebrity baby boom of 2008/2009?  I mean, rock hard abs are a distant memory, the hottest footwear out there right now are cork wedges and flat sandals and muffin top is actually in.  But it's true ladies, the gettin' has gotten even better.  Now we have fabulous, mom/baby-friendly neck gear to boot. 

Reader Question: Cute and Comfy Shoes for a Trip to NYC?

Reader Question: Please Help! I am going to NYC for the first time for a weekend trip in three weeks. Can you recommend some cute and stylish yet comfortable (oxymoron,yes?) shoes that I can walk around in all day? Thanks!-Jen 

Answer:  NYC is a tough one as a tourist.  You want to look edgy and up-to-date, but New Yorkers walk, on average, two miles a day, and tourists probably walk more.  So, to get the absolute most out of the city, footwear choices have to be spot-on.