Thursday, March 31, 2011

Ch-ch-changes

So I'm pregnant. That radically changes my thinking about fashion and consumption like nothing else has. Some days, I couldn't care less about how I look.

I don't really want to buy things that I might outgrow in a few months and that I might not be able to fit into post-pregnancy. Ironically, although this pregnancy has disordered all  my plans and complicated things quite a bit (it was both planned and unexpected), it has, on the other hand, simplified my wardrobe into about a dozen workable pieces. I now have a minimalist's wardrobe! haha.

But I am determined to buy as little maternity-specific clothes as possible. There's no point in buying things you'll only wear for a few months, in any scenario. As long as I can still pull from my old closet, I'll continue to do so. It helps me to feel more like me, too, which is important because I have no plans to morph into Mom, capital M, with all its social expectations and stereotypes. There are no mini-vans in my future (but I feel obliged to say that if a mini-van were to appear in my {non-existent} driveway, I wouldn't refuse it! a 30-year-old short-bed truck is less than the ideal baby transport).

Which isn't to say that I haven't stuck a toe into the maternity arena. I went down to the local thrift store to see what maternity clothes were to be had, and it was a quick lesson in aversion therapy. Everything was either ugly, gigantic, shapeless, frumpy, or a combination thereof. While I feel sympathetic to the women who, I imagine, were strong-armed into such garments solely by the forces of circumstance and practicality, I hope to not end up in such desperate straits. (But really, who's to say? One thing I've learned in being a full-time incubator is that there is not a lot under your control.)

Towards that end, I have isolated two women whose maternity style I admire. One is Melanie Huynh, former editor at Vogue Paris, and Nicole Richie, former best friend of Paris Hilton. I'll post a study of their styles in separate posts at some point. I don't really plan to fully emulate their style--I did not wear spiky Balenciaga heels prior to being pregnant, and I certainly won't during--but I think they both tweaked their individual style admirably  to accommodate their changing body shape, in ways that would be instructive to anybody.

9 comments:

  1. First of all, congratulations!!
    Second, hahhaha, I know what you mean about Mom. And I think Geraldine Saglio looked AMAZING during pregnancy and I think fellow bloggers My Mommy Style and Garderoben have incredible tips on how to not fall into the maternity clothes stereotype trap.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations then, on having a human being growing inside your belly! I'm sure you'll manage to look just amazing, even if your body is changing rather rapidly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations! That's certainly a change... Good luck on avoiding Mom-dom, let us know how you do? I really want to avoid that too, eventually. I think it starts by keeping your (awesome) truck. Screw minivans.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations! I've been trying to get pregnant for 4 years now so I am excited to see your style tips and see how you decide to dress your new body. And keep your truck.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations! I've always liked the Sofia Coppola baggy sweater/ankle pants look while preggers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations! I fully agree with Amanda that SC would be an inspiration for effortlessly chic maternity wear, or perhaps Natalia Vodianova would too?
    Hope you are embracing the changes!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks everyone for your congratulations! This is my first baby, and I'm thrilled.

    Fleurette --
    I have seen a few pictures of Geraldine Saglio and thought she looked fantastic. It was all about fit for her, as I recall. Thanks for the tips about the other blogs. I will be sure to check them out.

    Ane Marte--
    I have gained 6 pounds last month! So yes, rapid changes. I started showing at about 6 weeks.

    leilanie.e & Moya --
    It is technically my boyfriend's truck, though we have been mixing finances for so long that it's mine as well. We're not getting rid of it. I just have to learn how to drive a stick so that I can move myself about.

    Moya --
    I had been off the pill for about 2 years and did two IUI's before this happened. My fertility specialist said, given the length of time we had been trying, that we had something like a 5% chance of natural conception (we had unspecified issues...all tests were normal). I'm not sure of the exact number, actually, because I promptly ignored her. I don't want to hold myself up as an example, but I have learned from my experience that it can happen regardless of what the numbers say. Good luck!

    Amanda--
    Thanks for the tip. I don't like all of what she wore during her pregnancy, but I do remember that that particular silhouette was particularly cute.

    K--
    I agree that Natalia Vodianova would be a fantastic muse, especially if I had any red carpet events to attend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. CONGRATULATIONS! Hope pregnancy is treating you well. I'm new to your blog, but I don't see any signs of you morphing into Momdom. I like the idea of looking at Melanie Huynh and Nicole Richie's style. Both looked wonderful pregnant. As did Geraldine Saglio. I also adored Vogue US's Meredith Melling Burke's pregancy style- she looked amazing and just seemed to glow. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Appreciate youu blogging this

    ReplyDelete