Maternity clothes: keep or castaway?

For those of you that have been following BBP for awhile, you already know that much of my passion for pregnancy aside from all of my ranting about 'fat' and bodies is maternity fashion. I can't get enough of it and I love to follow the trends. Nevertheless, while it may appear that women are overwhelmed with choice now when it comes to choosing what to wear, when I was writing my PhD thesis back in 2006, there was almost no academic work being done on the topic. So I'd like to think that I'm a bit of a pioneer ;-) ANYWAY, one of the more fascintating things that I realised was that as I talked to pregnant women I became more interested in was what women did with their pregnancy clothing once they were no longer pregnant. Were the clothes given to a pregnant friend? To a second hand shop? Thrown in the bin? For many of the women in my study, even though they hated a lot of the clothing that they had to wear (maternity jeans are never perfect no matter how expensive or designer they are...), several women said they were hesitant to just get rid of them even if they were not planning on having another baby any time soon or ever. This article by Kate Haas for Salon is excellent because it reminded me so much of some of the themes that came up in my research about maternity clothing when it comes to the circulation of pregnancy clothes between women (mothers and daughters but also girlfriends) and the emotional significance of clothing during pregnancy but also more generally (for example, wedding dresses). Haas recounts having her mother offer up her old maternity clothes and not being interested in them given their preponderance of horrible patterns, ugly buttons and generally unflattering shapes. She doesn't want to wear them but at the same time realises why her mother kept them for so long.

Did you inherit maternity clothes from your mother? Your girlfriends? Did you keep your clothes or did you pass them on? If you kept some of your pregnancy clothes which items did you keep?

Forever 21 launches itself into maternity market, cutout vests, leggings and all.

So it seems that Forever 21 (that shop where everything is sized for a 12 year old) is launching a maternity line.

Questions that spring immediately to my mind:

1) What woman would want to wear maternity clothes from a shop that considers this or this to be 'outerwear'?

Oh, that's right...a 21 year old.

2) Why on earth is Forever 21 stepping so clearly outside of their market?

Oh, that's right...they're not.

Let me explain. The maternity duds are only available in Arizona, Alaska, California, Utah, and Texas.

Why these states? Well, the girls over at Gloss point out that three of these states (Arizona, California and Texas) have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the US. Utah and Alaska are otherwise a mystery to me.

So there you have it. Forever 21 can see dollar signs in tragedy. Natch.

Disney to make maternity clothes even Minnie wouldnt want to wear

Hmm. Just when you thought that maternity clothes were moving into 'fashion' as opposed to 'frumpy, Disney has announced it is creating a new range of maternity clothing.

What better way to say I'm pregnant, than with Mickey Mouse...

All I can say is YIKES.

Alicia Keys, working her bump in satin

Could Alicia Keys look any hotter in this magenta satin maternity frock?

Forget about buying preggo clothes: RENT THEM

If you're the kind of gal that likes the idea of designer fashion without the price tag, now you can hire boutique maternity gear from a new company that launched on Monday: Rent Maternity Wear.

Featured in the LA Times, the company has a limited collection of designer gear that you can rent starting from $35 per week. They also have lots of formal dresses which can cost up to $70 but in the end, I suppose it's cheaper than buying a formal maternity frock.

Would you hire maternity clothes?

Leather leggings, maternity unitards and stilettos OH MY.

Okay so as many of you know, following in the footsteps of Nicole Richie, Heidi Klum is doing a maternity line for A Pea in the Pod called Lavish. Now, Klum was quoted recently in Us mag as saying that her pieces would be a bit edgier and she was including, among other things, leather pants and glitter tops. But seriously, while I'm all for looking stylin hot when you are preggers, can you seriously envision yourself wearing LEATHER LEGGINGS when you are knocked up?! Or what's worse, could you picture yourself wearing a maternity unitard? I mean it's like if you don't have an absolutely flawless figure without an ounce of fat on you, how on earth could you possibly wear either of these pieces? And by the same token, leggings/leotards DO NOT (I repeat, DO NOT) qualify as being fully attired. Leggins are not trousers, by any stretch of the imagination. Leotards cannot replace tops/dresses without some kind of bottoms. So if you stay with me and my logic, a unitard is not a suitable replacement for a top and trousers. In fact, I'm not sure a unitard should be seen anywhere outside of a dance performance, and even then I think we're skating a fine line between 'too much information' and camel toe.

I rest my case.

EPIC FAIL.

Chiarakruza lands at Target!

Guess who's landing at Target stores on 15 Feb?

That's right. Chiarakruza, maternity designer to all the celebs. This is the first time that Target is branching off from Liz Lange (the doyenne of celeb maternity fashion).

So hurry up and get knocked up because these pieces will be going fast!

Love you, want to be you

And more from the annals of 'must be nice':

Leap Year actress Amy Adams is rocking her first pregnancy with a custom wardrobe from style queen Carolina Herrera. Herrera has been reworking her current collection to suit Adams and let me tell you, it sure beats shopping for maternity at Target.

Oh no you didn't!

Oh no you didn't!

Guess who is launching two new maternity lines?

The Kluminator's newest project is pregnancy fashion. She's designing two lines for A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity named Lavish and Loved *groan* respectively.

Heidi explains the cheeseball names thus: "I chose to call my collection for A Pea in the Pod Lavish because there is no grander name to express everything you want to give yourself and the child growing within you," Klum said in a statement. "For Motherhood Maternity, Loved is a celebration of new life and the love around you and your baby."

Wonder what Christian Siriano thinks considering the Project Runway contestant just launched his own line of maternity wear called Fierce.

Boobs and bras

Confused about maternity lingerie? Khali Whatley, our good friend at Ma Mere is on board to give you some advice and the chance to get a free copy of her guide to choosing the right undies.

By the way, have you entered the caption contest to win a free maternity set?

The importance of a good maternity and nursing bra

There’s so much to consider when you first fall pregnant that the last thing on your mind is your underwear. However most new mothers don’t realise that wearing a bra with an incorrect fit or support system can cause complications during the later parts of pregnancy and into the nursing period. Therefore the beginning of your pregnancy is an important time to make sure that you have the right bra.

During your first trimester a network of lymph glands and milk ducts will start to develop in your breasts and a well-fitted maternity bra can make sure this happens correctly. Its important to be aware that bra underwires can affect the development of these ducts and glands inhibiting circulation, causing discomfort and even leading to infection. Maternity and nursing bras don’t have underwires for this very reason.

So what’s the difference between a maternity and nursing bra?

When it comes to features, they are basically the same. The primary difference is that a nursing bra has clips that allow breastfeeding. If you buy a nursing bra at the beginning of your pregnancy thinking it will last you until after you finish breastfeeding you will probably be disappointed.

Most women’s breasts increase in size during pregnancy and increase again after their baby is born and mature milk is produced. Their ribcage also expands as their baby and belly grows larger and retracts again once the baby is born. These changes affect both the cup and band size – and therefore the bra that should be worn.

The lack of natural muscle support in the breast increases the chance of sagging or changes to the breast shape at this time, so the right bra can provide the necessary support to maintain your breast shape.

With all of this in mind, you should be prepared to purchase several different bra sizes during and after pregnancy. You’ll probably buy fewer maternity and nursing bras than regular bras, which means they will be washed more frequently and therefore stretch and wear out faster. Hand washing and line drying (in spite of care instructions to machine wash) will prolong their life and make sure you get the support you need.

Would you like more information? Send Khali an email for a free copy of her Guide to Maternity Lingerie: khali.whatley[at]mamere.com.au

Tokyo preggos go nude

It's hard to believe that back in 2006, the image of Britney 'doing a Demi' for Harper's Bazaar was actually banned from display in Tokyo subway stations for being 'too stimulating'. A censored version with a big black band hovering over Brit's bump was used instead.

Being naked and pregnant, however, has suddenly become more popular with Japanese women. Apparently, a Japanese pop star called Hitomi posed naked and pregnant in an album photo in June 2008. According to local media, the picture was displayed on large billboards over busy streets in Tokyo and the related photo book became a bestseller, selling more than 10,000 copies in its first week of publication.

Now mums-to-be pay around 35,000 yen ($368.20) for a studio photo shoot, which takes less than two hours in "Ixchel."

"Before this boom, women didn't know where to go to take these kinds of pictures even though they wanted to. Because of media attention, they easily found our studio," said Natsuko Takada, the owner of photo studio "Ixchel."

This is really interesting because when I was in Tokyo in January 2007 I found absolutely no images of Japanese pregnant women who were showing skin. Maternity clothes were really dowdy and all of the parenting/pregnancy magazines targeted to young women used cartoons and other really childish images to talk about being a mother. Being a 'sexy' mum was definitely not culturally appropriate. Interestingly, as I noted in a post at the time, the only images of motherhood that were even remotely 'racy' were of Euro-American pregnant models.

Nicole Richie: maternity designer?

Nicole Richie is now a maternity designer. She talked to PEOPLE exclusively about the new line for A Pea in the Pod, explaining that the collaboration works because “Pea in the Pod is such a known company for pregnant women. They carry great lines, and so when they asked me to create a line for them, I was really excited and eager to do it.” The collection hits stores on Friday.

More things you don't need

Geez. Next to Tori Spelling and Nancy O'Dell, The View host, Elisabeth Hasselbeck sits high on my list of people that I would punch in the head if I saw them in the street.

Reebok recently realised that they had been failing the pregnant market (more like they realised that pregnant women should be duped into spending money on shirts that say stupid things). So, like everyone else with the ability to silk screen, the athletic company has decided to release a line of football-inspired maternity tops replete with team logos (um, ew) and bad puns about pregnancy like 'kicker' and '#1 draft pick' *puke*.

Hasselbeck, now pregnant with her third child and married to a former NFL player, is modelling the line due out in stores during football season 2010. “The NFL has a tremendous amount of female fans,” Elisabeth tells WWD. “Watching a game can be a real family bonding experience, and I can tell you that the women behind the games are truly the most intense of the fans.”

Yep, Liz if I see you, make sure to duck.

Rub my belly...or not.

Um...

As if preggos need to invite people to touch their bellies.....And seriously, what 7 months pregnant woman wants to be pay US$42 to have her belly compared to a big old Buddha?

Heidi Klum: foil fashion

Heidi Klum is looking very um...shiny? Sort of looks like tin foil and I'm not sure that's a good look. Love it or hate it?

P.S. Have you joined The Baby Bump Project Facebook group? Big contest coming up soon --- only fans are eligible to enter!

How 'cooked' is your baby?

A maternity t-shirt for the new millenium......

Sheer dress? Sheesh.

"It's not exactly the type of dress you would expect to see a pregnant mother wearing."

That's what the Daily Mail had to say about Billie Piper's sheer gray dress she sported yesterday in London.

I mean really. So it's sheer. Big deal. Considering that most days we see pregnant celebrities flaunting their naked bellies or in some state of undress, a sheer dress is like the maternity equivalent of a hijab.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/3l4h6e

A look back at maternity fashion

As you can probably gather from reading my posts, I am a little bit obsessed with maternity clothes. As I've been writing and re-writing and then re-writing my thesis (which is due now in less than 8 weeks!) part of my work has been constructing a history of Australian maternity wear. And much to my surprise, there has been basically nothing written on the subject. For those of you in America, you have Pregnant Pictures written by Sandra Matthews and Laura Wexler. It's not a maternity clothing history but it is one of the most comprehensive collections of images of American pregnancy and a lot of you can learn alot about the history of maternity fashion just by looking at the images.

Anyway, I spent the better part of Friday at the State Library of Victoria looking at issues of the Australian Women's Weekly in a search for maternity fashion images. I was surprised to find that maternity fashion never featured in the magazine until the 1960s and even then it was not really until 1966 and more so around 1971 that maternity clothes were even considered to be 'fashion'. As in the image above, pregnant women were never really featured in advertisements together. It's actually hard to tell that the gals in the ad above are even pregnant. The A-line dresses that they are wearing are pretty mainstream when it comes to fashion of the time period and there is nothing distinctive about their dresses that says 'pregnancy'. For the most part, in the 1950s, pregnant women were only pictured with their 'husbands'.

I was surprised, however, to find a number of advertisements for stretch mark creams which suggests the body fascism directed at new mothers in the present day is actually not 'new' at all. 'Ugly' stretch marks have been marked as the bane of a mother's existence for quite some time now in the west. Also, lots of ads for maternity bras from Berlei which go on about 'saggy' post-baby boobs.

Nicole Richie: the next maternity designer?

So Nicole Richie wants to launch a maternity line. *Yawn*

"My line will be about making women look and feel good at a really emotional time. It's about showing your best self, not your tired, worn-down self," Richie said.

This annoys me. There is already too much pressure to be perfect when you're pregnant, aside from what clothes you are wearing. The idea that being 'worn down' is something women should hide is ridiculous. Celebrities have no place telling women what they should be wearing or how they should 'do' pregnancy because they have categorically different experiences. Most pregnant women actually do not want to spend alot of money on clothing that is only going to see them through a few months. Let's face it, being 'worn down' is part and parcel of the experience and there is no amount of clothing or money one can spend to get around the fact that when you are housing another human, it's alot of work.

Bah!

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/people/richie-to-release-maternity-line/2008/03/19/1205602433479.html

Maternity fashion advice for Jamie-Lynn

Apparently the doyenne of fashionable American maternity wear, Liz Lange had this to say to People about Jamie Lynn and dressing up her bump:

"She's a young girl, so I would want to keep [her look] innocent."

Um. Right. She's clearly had sex and she's pregnant. What part of 'innocent' should she be trying to pull off?

"I think little cute dresses and jeans with tight-fitting tee shirts. ... She's 16, and I'd like to see her look her age. Britney was into cowboy boots with little dresses. That was her style. I'd like to see Jamie Lynn go a little plainer. [No] belly baring for her!"

I find these comments so bizarre, especially coming from a woman that made the pregnant belly the centrepiece of a maternity outfit. Lange's comments are almost shockingly incongruous with the veritably oppressive cultural enticements for pregnant women to dress like walking sex. I mean pregnancy is the most 'sexed' state of being a woman can embody in her lifetime. A pregnant belly is visible evidence that you have had sex. Just because Jamie Lynn is sixteen why is there still a sentiment that someone should be trying to protect her from the big, bad world of sex when she's already been a happy customer long enough to get knocked up? 'Looking her age' suggests that Jamie Lynn should be trying to re-capture the virginal status that is so often attributed to 'respectable' young women. The comment about 'no belly baring' similarly suggests that the exposure of her sixteen year old body would be too sexual, even though she is telling everyone she has had sex just by virtue of being pregnant!

Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20167356,00.html