Every pregnancy is different. I was one of the lucky few to enjoy the elusive “easy pregnancy” my first time around – with really no symptoms or complications and mobility enough to continue working out through my 36th week. The entire time I only purchased one single item of maternity clothes – a pair of jeans. Most would consider my second pregnancy close to, if not equally as easy, and so I do hate to complain, but by comparison to the only other experience I’ve known, this third trimester has hit me like a ton of bricks. I feel more hot mess than radiant glow, walking has become waddling, and the mere act of changing clothes is as tortuous as creating outfits themselves that can be worn to work while still upholding my revised comfort requirements.
It is not easy to feel beautiful during this time, but when the sun came out and the temps climbed into the 50s on an early New England Easter this year, I managed to pull it together for the day – thanks to equal parts gracious husband, our country club locale, and some fortuitous fashion synergy. I’ve always been a proponent of pairing high and low fashion and it’s possible that this outfit set a new personal best in pushing this concept to the extreme. The bump-friendly babydoll dress is straight out of Forever 21, circa 2010, and probably cost around $24. Thankfully, it’s slightly too-short length can be overlooked due to the more conservative drop of the plaid coat by Marni, which I scooped from Barney’s Warehouse with an original MSRP price tag of $1970. I felt very Betty Draper in it, although in the context of a pregnancy related post, she’s probably not the best role model to be referencing.
The shoes are some of my favorites by Rachel Comey (sold at Anthropologie a few years ago for $398) and I love how the nude base with thin black straps mimics the yolk detail of the dress. Needless to say, this will have been the last day of my pregnancy to wear such high of heels! In fact, since becoming a mom three years ago, I rarely ever wear heels anymore, what with the newfound attention to practicality that innately happens when you become a parent. And along those same lines of shifting priorities, although it is always fun to dress up and feel fashionable, I’m even more looking forward to putting outfits together for our new little girl who will be arriving next month! It’s exciting little premonitions of the future like this that will undoubtedly be what helps me get through the home stretch of this otherwise tedious pregnancy. Wish me luck!
