Six and a half months into this pregnancy journey, it occurred to me this morning that I was going to need some maternity clothes. I am literally down to three dresses that fit me, and zero pants. After work this evening, armed with a gift card courtesy of my Pop, I tackled Motherhood Maternity and Pea in a Pod on 57th and Madison.
Observations/Take Aways:
1. Maternity clothes, by their very nature, suck. Apart from some of the higher end stuff, pretty much everything was cut boxy and square and with an empire waist. Basic rules of design dictate that no one looks good in an empire waist, so when you're preggo these clothes only make you look more like an orb than you already are. (For the record, I'm nowhere near being a planet, at least not yet.) I spent two hours in the store and walked away with two pairs of pants and four really cute tops, all for $157. (La Pauline never pays full price.)
I realize there are women who just want to be covered when they're pregnant, and don't care about things like cuts and fabrics, because what is one to do when they're 20 pounds heavier than normal? Unfortunately, I do care. Perhaps vanity is my albatross. Is it wrong to want to look hot when you're pregnant, to not look like some bored, barefoot housewife?
2. I walked away from a super cute green tee with a sparkly collar, that looked great on me, mostly because it was $60, and that's way too much to pay for a t-shirt, no matter how good the cotton/lycra blend. The voice of my father, who worked in textiles for years, echoed in the back of my head. That fabric is probably $3 a yard and the shirt was put together for pennies in Malaysia. The mark up is ridiculous.. I guess I'll just wait for a sale.
3. A Pea in a Pod had maternity wedding dresses. They were off white. Ha!
