Pregnant in clothes (part 2)

Jun 17, 2024

You know where I think I’m landing with getting dressed is that a pregnant body is most beautiful when it is accentuated. When it can hang how it wants to naturally without the interference of clothing’s compression.

This is probably true for all bodies, that they’re most beautiful when they’re not being forced to act out of their nature. It’s the task order at hand when we all get dressed: how do I put myself in something that is going to further accentuate, celebrate, galvanize the physical parts I like most, as opposed to: how do I put myself in something that’s going to hide the parts I like least.

The answer in my case seems not to be: bigger is better. In today’s part 2 of dressing for pregnancy, the theme is letting yourself hang free. We’ll start with the pajamas.

Pajamas

Tory Burch coat (she’s gone, but love this *a lot* for an alt. All the best ones are jacquard), Doen onesie/”romper” (it’s from last year, but worth looking at is the sleepwear category on the Doen site, there is good stuff in there. I have my eye on her), Jamie Haller sandals

One key insight relates back to the summer coats of part 1, but they’re different here in that a more formal coat can change the constitution of your pajamas. Chiefly, probably, because the formal coat feels less like a robe.

One reason Doen’s romper works so well is the v-shaped hem (flattering for the legs)/pointelle fabric combo (a mainstay of in-between dressing). The sunglasses and fancy earrings and heavy buckle (but very light) shoes are all deliberate anchoring choices too, to make the look more formal.

It looks like this with a nightgown:

Massimo Dutti jacket, If Only If silk nightgown (I love that the hem curves at the sides of my knees; my eye’s on this sale dress too), Dries van Noten sandals and Savette bag — I would use something like this too

Which you can do with a long or short jacket (I happen to love it with the Kallmeyer coat from Part 1, but there’s something about the contrast of the suede over the silk and how the former greets the small rosettes on the dress).

The sandals come like this too. I wouldn’t be averse to your considering these

Because of the suede, there is freer (more whimsical) terrain with the bag and shoes, which I specifically like because their sole is wide. It provides good balance against the dress.

If you’d rather not wear a jacket:

Tory Burch top, Donni pants, Valentino ballet flats (two good pair here), but maybe you’ll go for these and have them soled?

A structured top with pajama pants does the same thing. I styled the combo with leather ballet flats (still flimsy to add to the look’s looseness) and a straw bag to compliment both.

Delarge sunglasses, Mark Henry rings. Love that my weird brother Henry keeps changing its name. Now it’s technically called “Leandra’s patriotic signet ring”

The jewelry is simple, but asymmetric and deliberate: an ear cuff (Ana Khouri) on one side and two pinky rings stacked over each other on the opposite hand.

Back to nightgown dressing for a second — with the right black sheer piece, you might need nothing else:

Prada sunglasses, Heirlome dress (I removed the slip, but it does have one), Gabriela Hearst sandals (here they are on Poshmark in black. Totally different vibe, but I love these from Doen too), Etsy market tote

A bold way to fashion yourself into a city look, no doubt, and you can try it with a slip underneath, or with fuller coverage shorts, but I can’t overstate how good it feels to be naked these days. It’s pretty impossible to be mistaken for a sexual object when you’re pregnant. In this state, your body is but a mere vessel to worship.

Next module: Leggings are pants

Here’s another Tory Burch coat styled with a grey pointelle tank (good neckline here), Pucci leggings and old Gucci sandals. A search term I use to find similar alts: “metallic slingback sandal heels.” Most recently, these might be the next end-all, be-all.

You can approach this bullet point with much eccentricity — but what you’ll notice is that the individual components, in spite of their colors or prints, are quite simple: a single breast coat, classic pointelle tank, zipper-hem leggings and slingback sandals. This is why the prints and colors make sense together. It is the only complication factor.

Next order of business: all I can think about these days is the right length, size and material clutch to wear for everyday with utilitarian clothing. This is the closest I’ve come so far, with this in second and she is in third (purely because I don’t know what to think about the rose gold hardware).

Not to mention that the grey tank tones down the rest, while the shoe silhouette adds a bit of refinement.

But say you’re looking for a more practical approach —

LMND black button down (this one from Q House of Basics is a good summer companion too), Splits 59 leggings, Repetto genuine ballet shoes that have to be soled and consider the sweater around my waist a belt being used to hold my belly up.

7/8s classic leggings with a neutral color button down (and I’m using the sweater around waist as a belt to cup my belly but it’s really the ballet shoes that serve as the zest). These are actual slippers from a collab that Repetto did with a Villa Magnan, hotel in Biarritz. But you can get them and sole them and wear them out as I’m doing.

Have you ever fallen down the Fendi baguette vortex? Gimaguas red bracelet

Bag is completely optional — but here are a few personality choices if you’d rather let your accessories express your crazy.

Finally: tighter and smaller feels better

Not all the time, but it has a place.

Area denim mini dress, Etsy market tote, Soeur sandals (these are comparable, so are these)

Like long city walks that might be interrupted by lunch dates or meetings or planned entrances into neighborhoods full of interestingly dressed people.

This wild dress is fun to style too — looks great with a suede or denim jacket and loafers

I like this dress in partic because of the wash of the denim on the dress and the fact that it’s non-stretch, so it hugs me firmly. The color is great with the sandals and it feels French with the add of the bag, even though the dress with its ridiculous rhinestone straps is a little more tacky-fab than effortless French. The sunglasses add a different style archetype.

But you know what? I’m more likely to wear separates:

Christopher Esber top (this is the dress version; alt top options include a, b, c), Cafe Leandra x Soeur shorts from last year’s collab (these could be a good alt — I like the idea of the ivory ones with a red top; then from Leset, these are less precious), The Row sandals from a few years ago (I’m inching closer and closer towards these, but these are the best alt for mine)

It’s usually about striking a balance of exposed and not — I’m not much of a crop top wearer when I’m not pregnant but enjoy letting her hang out these days.

It doesn’t get lost on me that Rihanna genuinely, seismically changed how women think about dressing their pregnant bodies. I think the piece about letting it all hang out and free that I opened with is related to her impact.

Key with getting it right is making sure whatever I’m wearing on the bottom hits at exactly the right spot of top of butt. If it’s too high waist the combo of belly and ass confuse the integrity of the garment. This is why a drawstring works so well.

If you don’t have as much flexibility with your bottom — like it just sits higher:

Gimaguas shirt (on sale for angel number $111) and shorts (they’re gone; these from Asos or these feel like the next best thing), Rotate sequined top (she’s good too), blue suede slippers from The Row and Rue de Verneuil tote (not no?)

A button down shacket is a good option. Then the sequins serve as the festive meat inside the red stripe sandwich.

Nice to know this person is still somewhere inside of me

While the suede loafers tone down the sequins.

Last thing here is: I’ve been wearing a lot of mini dresses and something about how they style with regular shoes hasn’t been sitting right with me. A pair of loafers or sneakers with calf length socks are good because they add weight to the bottom of the look, but lately it’s really been about styling them with riding boots —

Doen dress, Alighieri necklace (but I just found this silk rope on Etsy and ordered some to string all my shit through), Gabriela Hearst boots (an insane, unworn, $200 recent Real Real find; these are the next closest thing, or these? I also came across this gem if you are a size 6)

Not sure how long this one is going to work for (it’s hot, I’m starting to swell, etc), but again, it’s a style cue I rarely take and one that I have liked making my own these past few weeks.

The sunglasses are Oliver Peoples (this is the shape in a diff color)

There’s something refreshing about actually coming around to finding yourself in trends you’ve previously not considered very “you.” I think in a way it ties back to one of the points I made earlier re: acceptance with a fluctuating body, and the different ways our clothes can help us reconfigure what it means to come into your own.