13 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Max & Cleo, from BCBG Outlet
• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Earrings: Honolulu swap meet
• Wedges: Lauren by Ralph Lauren, via Macy’s super shoe sale

End Notes:

You know that seafoam green belt that I’ve blogged a couple of times? It’s actually came with this dress: a wonderfully tailored jersey dress with inverted pleats at the neckline and pockets tucked away in the waistband pleats. I only had this dress for a little while before becoming pregnant, and I had been reluctant to pull it out this summer, wondering if I would fit it again and not wanting to be disappointed if I didn’t.

The good news is that my post-preggers body — particularly my breast-feeding boosted chest — quite possibly fills out this dress better than I did before. Whee! I want to be honest, however, and admit that not all forays back into my pre-preggers wardrobe have been as successful. Things have just…shifted…or something…and my pile of summer clothes to donate has grown. But, whenever I am tempted to despair over the fact that a skirt or a top or a pair of shorts no longer flatter my body, I try to remind myself that the fact that my body overcame some pretty substantial obstacles to have a baby in the first place, and that tends to refocus my perspective.

Speaking of refocused perspectives (like the segue?), S.’s post yesterday resurrected some of my personal neuroses concerning slogan tees. Due in part to personality, in part to upbringing, and in part to the fact that I have close relationships with people in radically different cultural, political, and religious spheres, I’ve never been much of a slogan tee kind of person. I would, to give one example, always prefer to write a long letter than go to a rally.

I am, unfortunately, quick to extrapolate and file. If I see a stranger wearing a certain t-shirt, I assume that I know the entire gamut of the owner’s political views, whether right or left, and I similarly assume that the same assumptions would be made about me. I have never had a good experience of striking up a conversation with a stranger whose slogan tee I disagreed with. Instead, after a few past encounters that devolved into frustratingly hyperbolic one-way expositions, I tend to shy away altogether. My personal rule of thumb has become one of only discussing politics with people that I have a close personal relationship with, in safe spaces where nuance and fuzzy gray borders and third spaces can exist. In these conversations, I surprise my friends and am surprised in turn as questions and counter-examples and confessions come out in messy ways that don’t lend themselves to pithy statements.

But this is my experience, and I’m willing to reconsider. I certainly think that there are inherently political aspects to how we dress, but I tend towards implicit rather than explicit expressions. Have you ever had your mind changed by a slogan tee? Has such a tee sparked a great conversation with someone of an opposing view? Do you make your politics or religion explicit in what you wear? I’m curious.

- E.

Caylin Wedge, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

One of our readers asked if I wore tights during my pregnancy or if I became strictly a pants and bare legs girl. Because the weather was warming as my bump grew, I actually never had to make that choice. I did, however, wear a couple of pairs of regular tights when the bump was still in its mini stages because I just loved skirts and dresses too much to give them up, even in the cooler months.

I took two approaches to transitional prego-tights wearing. First, I bought some low rise tights from Target, thinking that they could go under my burgeoning bump. While this worked well for the very first stages of the bump, I soon ended up abandoning them for another option (explained below). The low rise led to too much awkward bunching and fears (however irrational) of tights rolling down.

My other option was pair of purple tights from Banana Republic, purchased in their “Tall” size. That gave me extra fabric in the rise that could stretch over the bump. This actually worked really well for me, as demonstrated in the pictures above and below, taken at about five months pregnant. I actually liked the support of having something stretched over the bump, but that’s a personal preference.

…

…

Had I been more pregnant during the cooler months, I’m pretty sure that I would have sprung for some maternity tights. Motherhood Maternity offers affordable maternity tights, though the color selection is certainly not as varied as non-maternity options. And Target has recently begun carrying a new line of maternity hosiery that’s received some good online reviews.

Do any of our readers have recommendations for maternity tights, especially in fun colors?

Like A. and S., I found compiling my list of top ten to be a worthy exercise. As I sifted through old photographs I was struck by how quickly my own taste can change. There are quite a few outfits that I was happy with at the time but that I have no desire to wear again. (Perhaps, like A., I will undertake some outfit revisions in the coming year.) On the other hand, there are some outfits that I still love. These are some of them.

This was — for lack of a better term — a weird year for me to start style blogging. My body changed a lot this year: a growing baby bump, post-partum jiggles and shifts, and nursing mom…er, chest expansion. My style this year was not solely a means of self-expression. It was also about practicality and accommodation and, on my best days, about creatively celebrating whatever body I happened to have at that moment. And since I gave birth to baby e. in July, it’s appropriate that half of my top ten are from during my pregnancy and half are post-partum.

A few passing observations:

• Yellow is my confidence color.
• I clearly missed high-waisted skirts during pregnancy.
• Unexpectedly, pregnancy confirmed skinny pants’ place in my regular wardrobe rotation.
• My post-partum/mom style has been a great opportunity to experiment with different shapes and proportions.
• I have not yet hit my limit for “too many” pairs of great wedges.

Academically, this upcoming year is supposed to be something of my coming of age as I finish off department requirements and move into independent research and writing. On the mom front, I’ll be starting to chase baby e. around and clean up even more messes. I’m excited to see how my style continues to evolve to reflect these changes, and I’m hopeful that I’ll get to share some of that with all of you.

I am a long way off from fitting back into my pre-preggers pants and skirts.

Oh, yes, good readers, I have some significant jiggly below my stomach that seems to be in no real hurry to leave. Between having a torso of epically long proportions and carrying low throughout my pregnancy, my post-preggers body has managed, weirdly, to achieve a flat abdomen with all the squish hanging out below. I’m serious.

Ultimately I remain relatively unfazed by this state of affairs. My body is recovering from some pretty dramatic stuff, and having my beautiful son in my arms is worth a pooch below the belt. Still, the fact remains that the clothes that made me feel best pre-preggers — my favorite jeans, my denim skirts, my beloved trousers, and my sleek pencil skirts — must remain relegated to the basement for a while longer.

So that left me with a couple of choices:

• Resign myself to wearing only stretchy fabrics and maternity pants for the next three months
• Obsess crazily about crunches and carbohydrates in an attempt to hasten my return to pencil skirts
• OR fill this style gap with new (or new-to-me) clothes

I chose the third option and, a few weeks ago, ventured out to the my neighborhood thrift store with a budget of $30. An hour and many garments later, I left with a pair of gray trousers to cut into bermuda shorts, two pairs of jeans, three tops, and a pair of wedges. Seriously, it was like Christmas.

But here’s the thing. Those pants and jeans? They’re two sizes larger than my pre-preggers size. At first it was a little bit of a blow to my ego to pull jeans from the rack that my post-baby hips absolutely refused to fit into. But then…then I slipped on this pair of jeans and did a happy dance in front of the mirror.

They fit perfectly and, in doing so, made me feel like I had my pre-preggers body back early. I mean, if they can make my legs look three days long I could care less what number is stamped on the tag. And as if the thrifting fairies weren’t already being exceptionally kind, the jeans were 7 For All Mankind — my first time owning this coveted brand — and cost only $8. And those pants-turned-bermudas? They’ve become a sleek, go-to staple in recent weeks. And that other pair of jeans? With some minor alterations, I have a custom-fit pair of harder-to-come-by straight leg jeans.

So while I’m still committed to getting back into shape, this little thrifting trip has made a world of difference for my postpartum self-esteem. Again, I’m dressing the body I have now, and dressing it in “real” clothes. Clothes with waistbands. Clothes that are flattering. Clothes that, perhaps most importantly, let me delight in being a mom, without fretting or feeling guilty about worry over my body. To me, that’s worth much more than $30 at Goodwill.

In theory, the modern woman knows that a stylish pregnancy is possible, and perhaps, with the availability of maternity lines at Gap, Old Navy, and Target, even expected. From the very beginning I knew, at least on an intellectual level, that I wanted to maintain my sense of style throughout my pregnancy and that I never, ever, wanted to settle for any garment that even remotely resembled a circus tent. Yet theory alone — as we graduate student in the humanities so often find — does not a methodology make. Recognizing the specificity of the situation — accepting the fact that my body and this particular pregnancy were unique — was the first important step in embracing the challenge of dressing a body that seemed to be a different shape every single morning.

A few months ago the always-fabulous Allie of My Wardrobe Today did a guest post on Already Pretty with a really stellar list of practical recommendations for the preggers fashionista. Many of my thoughts overlap with Allie’s, so rather than review the generalities I wanted to instead point to the particulars by reflecting on some of my favorite outfits from my “obviously pregnant” months. Consider it an annotated image appendix of sorts.

Maintaining a sense of self:

A major goal I set for my pregnancy style was to keep looking like me.  I didn’t want to look back at pictures from my pregnancy and wonder who the lady in all the floral prints and pastels was. So, within the bounds of practicality, I worked to maintain my self-described “machine washable elegance” of simple lines and unexpected colors.

The photo above was taken 3 days before I gave birth, and I am inordinately proud of the fact that it encapsulates “E” style with the clean, modern denim pencil skirt, the pairing of magenta and orange, and, of course, the ubiquitous wedge heels. It’s me; it’s just me pregnant.

Another major component of maintaining that sense of individual style throughout pregnancy was identifying and then ruthlessly tracking down the maternity-version of pre-preggers wardrobe staples. For me, that meant finding a pair of gray trousers with a “real” waistband rather than a stretchy panel or elastic band as well as a gray skirt. Thwarted by Target, Old Navy, Gap, and Motherhood Maternity, I turned to eBay. It still took a while, but I finally managed to nab a fantastic pair of trousers from Ann Taylor Loft Maternity and a sleek tulip skirt from Mimi Maternity.

I’d like to blame most of it on the hormones, but, really, I would tear up and a do a happy dance in front of the mirror every time I wore those pants or this skirt during my pregnancy. They made me feel that good. Their familiarity instilled a confidence in me that could not be stymied by the increasingly unfamiliar body I saw in the mirror.

Taking Matters Into My Own Hands:

Being stylish through pregnancy not only necessitated tracking down maternity versions of my pre-preggers favorites, it also meant pulling a Tim Gunn and finding ways to “make it work.”

“Making it work” also meant taking up a scissors and seeing the transformable potential of store-bought garments. Unable to find a bright, sexy dress for my first baby shower, I fashioned one from a halter maxi dress. Less elaborately, I made myself the perfect maternity bermuda shorts by shortening a thrifted pair of maternity jeans. There was something rather empowering about making pieces of my maternity wardrobe, crafting items that were exactly what I wanted rather than what stores happened to be carrying at the time.

Trying something new:

While much of my preggers style-mantra revolved around the notion of channeling my pre-pregnancy style into my maternity wardrobe, I was also delightfully surprised by the opportunities to be adventurous in my preggers fashion choices.

I was not a fan of maxi dresses prior to being pregnant and I will likely eschew them in my postpartum style, but somehow, for some reason, this outfit (with a gifted maxi dress from Gap) remains one of my favorites. The color combination still plays into my fascination with warm color mixing, but the carefree shape and hippie chic styling were new to me. Having a bump, somehow, helped me pull this off.

And yes, then there was the ultimate preggers-lady-only fashion statement: belting below the bump. I look triumphant, maybe even a little smug, in this picture. And I felt like it, too. This outfit was not about making do or working around the bump. Instead, it was celebrating the body that I had that day. And in the end, isn’t that what getting dressed every morning — pregnant or not — should be about?

18 July 2009 – Neutrals with a Pop of Baby, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Beige cardigan: Pretty Good, from Marshalls
• White nursing cami: Target
• Cream skirt: BR Outlet
• Metallic wedges: Target.com
• Baby e.: self-made!

End Notes:

It’s been exactly one week since we brought baby e. home from the hospital. Ironically, today is also baby e.’s original due date. I suppose this picture can serve as my final bump picture.

Adjusting to motherhood has been just as exhausting and just as wonderful as everyone had predicted. Baby e. is a delight. I have been relishing the time that N. and I can spend with him as my gracious MIL and SIL have been in town to help us out.

I spent most of the week rotating through my trusty jersey skirts, but today I wanted to make one little contribution to our review session on neutrals and pulled out this airy cream cotton skirt that has a forgiving elastic waistband. The open front cardi — a just-before-baby buy — has a wonderful, snuggly drape and offers the necessary coverage-but-access for breastfeeding. This is a really light, soft palette for me, but, like S. discovered a few days ago it has a quiet sophistication about it.

And, of course, it makes the perfect backdrop for a little pop of baby.

18 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Purple Top: F21
• Pinstriped bermudas: Gap Maternity
• Red Wedges: Naturalizer
• Necklace: gift from Husband N.

Endnotes:

This is what E. was planning to wear to meet me for coffee after her doctor’s appointment on Wednesday afternoon.  She packed a pair of flip-flops (or “slippers,” as she calls them) so as not to upset her doctor.  Not all women can sport high wedges at almost 9 months pregnant.  What her doctor doesn’t know, is that E. is not your average pregnant woman!

Back detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

But, as it turned out, E. never made it for our coffee date!  Her lovely son, beautiful baby e. was born early Thursday morning!  Little did E. know that this would be her “birthing-day outfit.”  Luckily, those “slippers” came in handy for waddling around the hospital and made a perfect pairing with her hospital gown!

E., N., and baby e. are all doing well and should be home from the hospital soon.  Here is a sneak peak at the gorgeous little guy!  (I promise to post some pictures from my baby e. visit.)

Welcome to the world baby e.!  We are thrilled you are here!  -A.

Welcome Baby e.!!, originally uploaded by academichic.

8 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed.

• Coral sleeveless sweater: Gap Maternity
• Brown jersey skirt: ON
• Patterned ballet flats: ON
• Green jade bracelet: Gift from S. from San Francisco

End Notes:

Coral, as wise color analysts have frequently cited, is one of those (almost) universally flattering colors, yet it’s one that has not shown up that frequently in my own closet. I’m not sure why. I do love the color, especially in this more vibrant tone, and I love how it looks against my skin and hair. But, for some reason, I don’t have anything this shade of coral in my pre-preggers wardrobe and that’s something I’d like to fix post-baby.

I remember a few years ago Real Simple Magazine had an article on four universally flattering colors: eggplant, true red, Indian teal, and “mellow rose.” And you know what? Of all of those colors the only one I kind of have in my wardrobe is the teal. But before the temptation could strike to run out and stock up on “true red,” I was struck by how none of those colors really fit my own style. I’m sure eggplant would look nice on my skin tone, but it falls a little flat for me given my pull towards more vibrant colors. And the “mellow rose”…way to close to an unfortunate run-in with a pink dress in grade school.

I suppose what I’m getting at is that while there may be hues that are almost universally flattering strictly in terms of color theory, the associations that go along with that color may not be universally appealing. What do you think? Is a color just a spot on the color wheel or does it carry certain connotations with it as well? Do you like a color because it looks god on you? Or are there colors that you won’t wear because you just don’t like them — they remind you of your high school band uniform, your grandmother’s carpet, etc. — not because they don’t look good on you? How emotional are your wardrobe color picks?

8 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

6 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed.

• Denim skirt: ON Maternity
• Gray tank: ON Maternity
• Wine cardi: H&M
• Orange bauble necklace: Forever 21
• T-Strap Wedges: Target.com

End Notes:

It was only after I put this on yesterday that I realized why it looked so familiar:

13 February 2009 – With Coat, originally uploaded by academichic.

I had essentially worn the same outfit this winter. But yesterday, nstead of February’s dark gray sweater, I wore a dark gray tank top. Instead of cognac boots I wore t-strap wedges. I think it’s funny that I even wore my orange necklace in the same alternate way (with an extra chain attached to alter the shape).

Orange Bauble Necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

Oh, right. And I guess this time around I’m also almost 9 months preggers.

I suppose this means I have a consistent style through the seasons and through pregnancy! But I’m curious if any of you feel like your style changes with the seasons. Do you pull more to the hippie, bohemian side during the summer but are preppier in the fall? Do you embrace the retro look more in the spring and go mod in the winter? Or does your style stay fairly defined year-round? Do you have summer versions of favorite winter combinations?

6 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

2 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed.

• Navy blazer: BR Outlet, endlessly remixed
• Magenta tank: F21
• Pinstriped bermudas: Gap Maternity
• T-strap wedges: Target.com
• Earrings: gift from my husband

End Notes:

I’m a little shocked that I’m able to say this, but the weather has been behaving quite nicely in our little patch of the Midwest. So well, in fact, that I got to pull out this favorite navy blazer of mine today. All of us have praised structured little jackets to the skies at some point or another on this blog, and I know that many of you agree that a blazer adds a sense of polish and a boost of confidence that few other single items of clothing can elicit.

I don’t have a meeting today, nor do I have plans to see anyone I know. I’m still working my way through my “things to do before baby arrives” checklist, which requires mundane outings such as trips to Target, Home Depot, and the campus library. And yet, I am wearing a blazer. In my mind, it transforms my list of errands into a responsibility I should and can handle with composure and aplomb, rather than anxious fretting.

A month or two ago, A. and I did dress up for a meeting with an administrator who has frequently and frustratingly refused to take us seriously. One reader who is also in academia wondered if our efforts were in vain. “Do you think he can differentiate between your standby denim and this gray skirt?” she asked.

That question got me thinking a lot about who I dress for. Indeed, I don’t think that either that administrator or the cashier at Target will necessarily treat me differently if I wore this navy blazer instead of a navy hoodie. But I know the difference…is that reason enough? Is dressing for your own self-confidence and dressing to garner others’ respect mutually exclusive? I tend to think not. Is there a symbiotic relationship between the two? Does one lead to the other causally?

Most simply: who do you dress for?

Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.