What I Wore: Girls’ Brunch Date
I have been eyeing the Bailey 44 column dress for a few months now, and by “eyeing” I mean obsessively checking eBay. Unlike many of my eBay stories, this one doesn’t have a happy ending; I never found one within my admittedly small budget. But wait! It was not an entirely tragic ending either, because I found this lookalike and the nice seller took pity on me and let me have it for $40, shipped. (Did I ever mention how much I hate shipping fees? A lot. This dress only cost $20 to start with.) I like the dress a lot, but it’s not without its issues. It’s definitely body-conscious in the most, um, conscious way possible (more on that in a minute), and it’s a smidge shorter than I’d like. Definitely not work appropriate, on both counts. All in all, a bittersweet tale.
OK, guys, can I get personal for a minute? Can we talk … unmentionables? Specifically, shape-wear. I have 2 kids. (You’re shocked, I know. Because I never, ever talk about them.) Anyway, sometime around the 4 month mark of pregnancy round #2, my abdominal muscles were all, like, “Eff it, lady, we’re out!” I haven’t seen them since; they are probably auditioning as extras on Jessica Alba’s torso. But I digress. Post-babies, my stomach is … well, there is no nice way to say it. Smooshy. It’s smooshy. Which means that I’ve had to reconsider my previous, belligerent stance on shape-wear, at least on occasions when I’m wearing something like the dress above. And by reconsider, I mean that I went to Target and got me the mother of all granny panties a pair of these:
These are rated for “firm” rather than maximum support, which means I can still breathe while wearing them. And at least look at a restaurant menu.
I also got a half slip, which I’m hoping will prove to be my secret weapon against skirt- and dress-static next fall and winter. As an aside, I can now answer the question “When did you first feel like a proper grown-up?” It was April 11, 2014. Because nothing, and I mean nothing, will make you feel more like you’re turning into your mom (the benchmark for adulthood, surely) than buying a slip.
I have that dress! I can only wear it when I’m at my fighting weight because…yeah. And you know I am the staunch defender of the slip.
I know! You totally got me to reconsider the slip. But I think I’m going to need a full-length one, not a demi.
My mom wears a girdle too 🙂 It’s really the sign of mommyhood.
I’m embracing my smooshy belly. BF prefers it over a flat one.. so *shrug* Why fight it?
Yeah, men don’t typically notice/care. For me, it’s more about being able to wear the things I like … this dress being one example. Generally, though, I tend to stay away from body-con things because I value comfort highly 😉
So pretty! I need to get me some spanx, but I’m afraid I’d never want to take them off again. I’m like 10 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, buuuuut I need to lose like 20 pounds really. She says as she eats a bag of potato chips. #notjoking
Haha! Yes, I keep meaning to do something about the 15 pounds my kids have “gifted” me, but I can’t seem to find my motivation. It’s just easier to buy new, pretty clothes than it is to live on lettuce, ya know 😉
so, you’re the funniest cat on GOMI and the funniest blogger on the block. you’re, as they say, defintely SOMI for me! your outfits are rad and wearable, and your hair has me totally jealous. cannot wait to follow along for more of both, and especially your wit. we need more of that in this blogosphere!
xo nicole
writeslikeagirlblog.com
Thank you! There are a lot of awesome cats on GOMI, and quite a few of them have cool blogs – so that’s very kind of you.
Thanks for checking out the blog, and I hope it stays on your SOMI list 😉
Hey,
That fine and stylish unmentionable is not reserved for moms only!
Traitor muscles run away from home for other reasons too, such as anti-pasta and bread protest or a passive-aggressive boycot of potato chips overload.
That said, ever since “the great muscle exodus of 2004”, i’m in a desperate need of girdle. Yet, I haven’t been able to breathe in any of the (10000) girdles I’ve tried on.
I’m hopeless.
I can’t help ya there. I am still in denial about the need for a girdle, and in full anti-girdle mode. I need to breathe, dammit, and so do my food babies!
Love the dress! I usually shy away from stripes, but goodness, that dress is awesome!
Thank you! It’s a beautiful dress, but it does require a full complement of support garments. I’m a bit too low maintenance for this dress, hehe!