Interview with Davida, continued: Fashion for New Moms

One of the topics we covered in my radio interview with Davida Sidrane Hogan on her live show, Radio WD, was what to wear in those early, hazy, up-all-night days of motherhood, when you often find yourself still in your PJs at noon. Davida confessed that she was a "mess" in those early days, and I felt the same way. If you're trying to adjust, to do a good job taking care of this precious new little person, and the overwhelming nature of it all, then you do end up letting yourself slide. You find yourself skipping showers, not brushing your teeth for the first time until bedtime, etc. I remember being so wiped out, and not wanting to wake the sleeping baby next to my bed, that I would wait until it was dark and I was laying in bed, and if I had miraculously managed to put makeup on that day, I would swipe a baby wipe from the side of her cosleeper and clean my face in the dark. Nursing presents a different set of challenges, as lopsided leaky boobs and sex appeal do not go hand in hand. Plus, nursing severely limits your wardrobe options. Try feeling fashionable in one of those sleep bras you wear in the early weeks of nursing. I could have gone on and one about this topic, but since time was limited, I offered a few basic suggestions for getting back on track, wardrobe-wise:
1. Wait a while to buy jeans. Frankly, it's depressing, and there's nothing wrong with wearing your (cool, flattering) maternity jeans for a few weeks or months post-partum. As soon as you're up for it, buy a flattering pair for your body the way it is now, not the way it will be when you lose the weight. Give yourself a break, and some time, to lose the weight.
2. Buy yummy, feminine clothes that work for your new lifestyle. I stocked up on super-soft, pretty jersey dresses from James Perse, Ella Moss, BCBG and Rachel Pally, and similar styles are available in every price range. They're a cute way to look comfy, resist wrinkling and spit-up stains, and some days, I didn't bother to change out of them at bedtime. Also, since they're stretchy, they make great transition pieces and help conceal a lumpy, post-baby body.
3. Shop online! As Davida pointed out, most women (us included) find that we don't shop for ourselves for 2 years after having a baby. Our priorities shift. But I think this is a mistake, because you need new clothes for your new lifestyle. I never had time to shop for myself in those early days, except for an occasional half hour here and there online. That's when I would shop for the occasional item that would boost my wardrobe, and my morale. I bought my beloved jersey dresses, cute tees and tops that I could wear with my transitional or maternity pants and skirts (see my blog on cute mom tops from February 11), and shoes.
4. Sweats happen, as we all know, and my best piece of advice regarding those ubiquitous mom uniforms is to break them up. Buy one or two really cute ones for those at home days, if you must, but otherwise, wear your sweatpants with a cute tee or tank, and then only at home or to yoga class (right, I know - who has the time), and wear your hoodie over a slim, tunic-length tee or tank and a pair of jeans or cords. Better yet, upgrade by replacing a hoodie with a cute cardigan. Anthropologie has the best ones ever, but they're available in all price ranges. Make it snug, not sloppy, and wear it with a longer tee (great for concealing the tummy - my current faves are the painter tees from J. Crew, which are super soft and a great length) and any bottoms you want. They'll even make a pair of sweat or yoga pants look respectable. A cute cardigan, a tee, and a pair of pants is my new mom uniform.
5. Bargain shopping: I love a bargain as much as the next girl, but you need discretion, or your whole wardrobe ends up being disposable. I used to be a bit of a snob when it came to wear I would shop, but then I discovered Target. Cool pieces from cool designers at guilt-free prices. Who can beat that? Old Navy also has some great trendy pieces that are truly disposable: you can update your look one season without feeling guilty if you don't wear it the next. I also love a good outlet store. On a recent trip to Southwest Florida, my in-laws watched the girls while my husband and I had a rare opportunity to shop. While the Off 5th outlet was a total waste of time, Neiman Marcus' Last Call was a find: we bought tons of Baby Sara clothes for the girls, Giuseppe Zanotti, Pedro Garcia and Marc Jacobs shoes for me, and even a couch! As Davida pointed out, going to an outlet store can be overwhelming, and while I don't write a grocery list of items I'm looking for, I do go in with a plan, like finding a pair of jeans or a cashmere sweater. It's safer to stick to buying classics or basics, and avoiding tempting trendy items that will be out of style before you leave the store (remember - you're shopping last season's merch). I always head for the accessories first: shoes, in particular, are almost always a good bet, as are sunglasses and costume jewelry.