Almost time...

...for a little shopping for mama.

Despite having found some real gems (my flutter-sleeve milkstars top is ridiculously flattering and comfy - and practical) online in the past few weeks and awaiting the arrival of more at my mama's house (shipped them there so I'd be sure to have them on our "vacation"), I'm jonesin' for some real shopping.

I'm sure I'll get frustrated and feel like a big cow in the dressing room (just part of the transition from M clothes to "real" clothes), but I'm excited. I'm feeling pretty good, and my Beans are relatively cooperative when it comes to being out and about. That means my mama and I can take them to the Exton Square Mall - or maybe even King of Prussia - and hit a couple of stores.

Yes, I'm going mall shopping.

For me right now - in transitional sizes - it's the most practical. It also helps that we're transitioning between seasons; I'm hoping for some sales.

On the list: a couple of pairs of pants, a skirt or two, and maybe some new shoes. I'd love to have more skirts than slacks, but so far, I'm not terribly inspired by what's out there. A simple denim skirt (lordy, am I having flashbacks there) will probably suffice, plus the black pleated one I ordered and have waiting for me at grandma's house.

My treat to myself, though (other than the massage my mama's making me get)? I'll see what fanciness I can find at Malena's. Like I've mentioned before, this is a gem of a vintage store (also reachable online) owned and expertly run by a childhood friend of my sister's (aka prettyinpink). She's always got a scarf or purse or buckle or pair of brilliantly gaudy earrings I just have to have. Unfortunately, even without the baby weight, I'm usually to Germanically-boned for vintage clothing, and my size 9s are usually too long for vintage shoes, but I can accessorize (what's that word? as Fancy Nancy* says) 'til the cows come home - and they will, up in southeastern PA, where I'll be spending the next week...

*Fancy Nancy is a gloriously diva-ish little girl who frequents a series of children's books. One of The Bean's favorite "aunts" brings her new installments in the series (sticker books, flip out books - the latest and most popular so far) when she visits. Thanks, BlueSuitGirl, for cultivating my daughter's interest in All Things Fancy.

Wishful thinking...

I'm lucky. I happen to love being pregnant. Sure, I have symptoms, am swollen, don't fit into anything, and can be incredibly cranky (just ask H...not sure he's speaking to me this morning). All in all, though, I'm a happy pregnant girl. (Full permission to hate me at this point.)

AND I'm really really really looking forward to spring collections. I know they're out there already. I know I'm behind the 8-ball. Who knows how long it'll take me before I'm back in "regular" clothes.

BUT I still can't help but be happy at the prospect of heading out to shop (as if I'll have the time) for a new blouse or skirt...and can take advantage of everything from Target to Cusp. I saw a picture of me the other day in a silver and charcoal silk halter gown...and just sighed. It's hanging on the back of my closet door - right in front of my wedding dress, which no, I still haven't had cleaned.

Do you think I can shop in Target with a vivacious 2.5 year old and an infant? I was trying to figure out just how to manage Bean #2 in the dressing room this morning...

In my dreams: colors, flounces, silks, and breeziness...I'll see if I can find a few minutes today and search for a few pics.

Thank Goodness for Knit and Jersey

Normally, I'm a structured silouhette girl...creases, form, bring it on.



But obviously, in my "condition" I have to rely on things that are a little more forgiving. The problem is, of course, for "forgiving" to not be "schlumpy." How does one look put together and professional without a) looking huge, b) forgoing comfort (increasingly important), or c) putting some sort of big, unflattering bow on one's chest, like they used to do when our mamas were growing us?

[Update: How the heck did this grammar girl not notice the apostrophed plural in the last sentence?! I'm mortified my fingers typed it, and sorry to anyone offended. Sigh.]

First, I'm a very lucky pregnant gal. My Beans like, apparently, to grow compactly. I suppose I have height to thank for this, but both bumps (so far) have been of the basketball variety. Which means that pants and skirts can stay slim (even though I do need those ridiculous panels now), affording me some leeway for volume up top.



The same rules of proportion apply for those of us wearing M clothes as "regular" garb:



1) Volume up top? Fitted on the bottom - and vice versa.

2) Well-fitting, if not fitted = always better than something that looks like it was made for someone else

3) Adapt, adapt, adapt with accessories.



A friend of ours "announced" her pregnancy at our wedding several years ago. She'd bought a relatively plain black dress with pretty pleats, just graceful enough to compliment her bump. And added a lime green ribbon at the bodice. Charming and pretty.



Today, I'm sporting a favorite BCBG black and white jersey dress with a pop-arty print (non-M). It's supposed to be a shirt dress. I simply belted it at the bodice instead. Minimizes my bump much more than any M-designed clothes in my closet.



I have about 5 other dresses in my closet - all some sort of knit or jersey - some M, some not, but they all fit me without bagginess. They hug the curves H loves so much (I'm blessed to have an H that thinks I'm the most beautiful pregnant girl in the world) and keep me happy in the style-department.



Oh, and then I throw on my beloved patent leather peeptoe lillybee pumps with my biker chick leather jacket, and oilá! I'm the hippest Mama at pre-school drop off.

I gave in to trend...

I hit Tyson's on Saturday afternoon, hoping beyond all hopes to add some roomy but stylish garb to my wardrobe (I'm in a terrible between phase, where most M clothes look huge and cow-like on me, but "regular" stuff is iffy. Even my new beloved Phillies jersey won't button over my bump. Sigh.).

I did shop, and I did find a few things, including today's Pretty-Woman-polo-scene-inspired dress. Granted, it's navy & white rather than brown & cream, but it's shapely and sweet, and I can wear my Modern Vintage riding boots (score from the spring DSS) with it.

H yelled at me when I got home, because I'd bought bags of things for The Bean, Original Version. She needed things, daggoneit. Thin cotton pants won't do for an October playground, and sunhats are only good for so long...a pumpkin beret and two courdory caps were necessities.

The big purchase, though?

Booties.

Sigh. Never thought I'd go there. I couldn't stand them in high school, the first time around. They've been wearing me down this time around, unlike their blue/black plaid lumbershirt counterparts (shudder, seriously). BlueSuitGirl and I were both coveting a particular military-inspired grey pair on a pitstop to our Girls Weekend a while back.

So I bought them Saturday (on sale, too!). If my back weren't killing me today (sigh again), I'd be wearing them, paired with tights and a skirt. Can't wait to show them off.

Ugh. The Bug's Got Us

After a lovely week Down Tha Shore and wearing my beloved Gap cargos almost 24/7 (no need to carry a purse when you have all those pockets), I thought I'd have to get dressed properly today and present myself to a rabid bunch of "volunteer" writers who don't want to write.

The Bug saved me.

From the writers, anyway, until tomorrow. And I was in yoga pants and a T one more day while we administered juice, cheerios, and multiple doses of on-demand Mickey Mouse to The Bean. She's doing better, but needed her mama home today.

So now I really do have to figure out what to wear to work tomorrow...and it needs to be relatively easy access for the 19 week - yup - can't believe The Bean 2 is 4 months away - ultrasound.

This is when the 70s-80s teacher wrap-around skirts are sounding really good. An apple or a schoolhouse, anyone? And don't forget your bermuda bag...

I cannot tell a lie...

...at least not intentionally...

When I posted about my style solution dress that made my boobs fabulous and made people ask, "are you?" I answered "No, I'm not."

Ooops.

Just didn't know it yet.

So now I get to rethink my wardrobe again - and again - and again. While no one would really know, stuff just isn't fitting the same...making the go-to pants and the go-to skirt not quite as go-to.

In Honor Of

Yesterday, I had to attend a service for a friend and colleague. 52, just remarried with a son who'd just joined the Navy and a stepson who needed him. A fun, vibrant human being with stories to tell and a ready laugh.

It wasn't such a terrible thing, picking out my clothes yesterday. It seems trite, I suppose, to be worried about a thing like that when others have lost their heart. All I had to do was reach in the closet and pull out a dress. T can't ever reach next to her, where B's hand should be, and touch him, just to know he's there.

Yesterday's service got me thinking about the last few I've been to...my cousin, last fall. At 37. I'm sure I thought about it, but have no idea what I wore. He wouldn't have cared, of course. My grandmother, last March. Then, I just had to worry about - ahem - access, since I had to pull out ye olde pump in the car on the way there and back. My grandfather, a few years before that...couldn't tell you.

But about 3 years ago, I had the awful chore of getting ready for the type of funeral (as if there are any) you never, ever, want to have to go to - a child's. He was 17, the only son of friends. He'd had a heart condition, and went into what should have been relatively routine surgery to repair his heart, and never woke up. The grief is unimaginable.

I was pregnant. I was torn. I in no way wanted to be pregnant in front of his mother, the woman who had just lost her baby. I tried on every outfit in my closet, asking H each time which one made me look the least pregnant. I couldn't bear the idea of hurting her any more. Looking back, I'm sure there is no way she would have ever noticed in her grief. How could she have seen anything at all?

But what struck me at the time, and still does, is the delicate dance of showing respect. Clothing may not be important at such a horrible time, but we still use it to try and honor. We probably fall short, but still, we don our grey and black, and wear an appropriate solemn face. Our servicemen and women - whether military or law enforcement - pull out their dress uniforms and shine their buttons.

We tell ourselves it's to honor. I wonder if it's really to sheild.

Life Restyled

Sometimes life throws things at us and we have to adjust. And when those things set you back, or flip your world on it's head, it might seem silly, trite, or trivial, but feeling like you look good and projecting that feeling become important.

As most of the Infintessimal Readership knows, I went through a lot of that when preggers with The Bean, then afterwards. Pregnancy's a wierd and wonderful thing where you're supposed to feel beautiful and glowing, but then there are all these hormones and your clothes don't fit, but M clothes are too big...and you feel like a big lump.

prettyinpink's been feeling just that way.

We won't go into the fact that my BabySis is pregnant, we're just going to focus on the style here, but yes, it's wierd to have your sister, whose birth you remember vividly (Chris, my 2nd grade gymnastics teacher, telling me, "Your grandparents are going to come pick you up today because your mom went to the hospital to have the baby."), be pregnant.

Enough on that.

prettyinpink is trying to find her zen place, style-wise. In between, not "out" at work yet, and dealing with growing boobs and a baby bump. She was frustrated because her failsafe Banana, J. Crew, BCBG reliables weren't working. So she took the plunge, much like I did the other day, and hit ATL, The Limited (why is it I still get flashbacks to the Firenze sweaters I never owned?), and Macy's. She ended up with a couple of pieces that will serve her well and stylishly through most of her 10 (yes 10) months, and most likely again after her peanut arrives in November.

And now she feels much better.

Style Challenge: Lunch Hour Update

The Challenge: Work-appropriate pants that fit. In an hour. In Clarendon, not quite the fashion capital of the world.

The Solution: Ann Taylor Loft. Really. At heart, I'm a mass-production-hater. In reality, I appreciate the ATs and box stores for the anchor pieces - black slacks, a white shirt, you get the picture. So three blocks down from the office, in torrential rains (I really needed an update), I pulled every stinkin' pair of slacks off the racks that wasn't capri or some wierd knit that reminded me of the trousers the residents wore in the nursing home where I worked in college. Rapid fire dressing room - on, turn, squat, yes/no. Yes, hang on one hook, no, hang on another.

Out of 6-8 pair of slacks, I bought: One.

My motto: if they don't fit perfectly, don't bother. I didn't go to find another pair of poorly fitting pants. I went to find ones that fit. I ended up with the "Ann" cut, which isn't a high-waisted trouser, but certainly isn't a low rise - high enough to tuck in a shirt without looking strange, and not so high as to scream "2007." A little bit of perkiness in a pale blue double pinstripe - on navy, with a cuff.

The Backstory: Post M-clothes, I've been fortunate enough to loose the Bean Weight (I credit one-handed eating and choosing sleep over food. That, and walking as much as I can with her for months because that was the only way she'd sleep during the day.) So even the slacks I bought Post-Bean, because my others didn't fit, are now too big. Walking around in them, day after day with my single dress belt (also too big, actually) cinching them in not enough to look like a purposeful paper bag waist, well, it just feels plain old unhealthy, actually. This morning, when I put on my new pants (and a new blouse, see below), I felt trim, healthy, and alert. Told H, "I just can't believe how much better I feel - it's amazing what I new pair of pants can do for a girl."

I still have a few more updates to make, but in the meantime, I feel better, and have a few more choices in my closet. ATL has some adorable summer choices. Most are decidedly in the preppy camp, but if chosen carefully, and paired with some thought, you won't look like you've just stepped off the Annapolis-based yacht (not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you have the means to be yachting, but...). I've got this sweet button down on with my striped pants - stripes on stripes being my cheekiness today. The fabric is light, but substantial, and the fit good. I'm tempted to go back and pick up the navy polka dot version. I also picked up a fitted cable v-neck in what ATL calls "Embellished Blue." Not sure what "embellished" means in this context, but it's a clear, bright blue that provides just the right kick.

And for others on the update prowl, the sale racks are ripe for the pickin'. I didn't score any deals - nothing fit quite right, but there are plenty of little jackets (like the drool-worthy pink one in this earlier post) and a retro housewife dress I wish was still there in my size. It doesn't have quite the flair the Goodwill version does, but with well-chosen jewelry (Dariaux, here's the place for that blue necklace!), it can be the perfect canvas for individual style.

Style Dilemma: First Day Out

Dear DC Celine:

I'm leaving the house for the first time tomorrow - after months of seclusion and ventures out only in sweats and baseball hats - Stacy and Clinton would have a cow in their "secret footage." I'm going to celebrate birthdays with my dearest girlfriends at Jaleo in Bethesda, and want to wear something chic and casual - and fitted. Months of baggy Ts and post-maternity clothes are wearing on me.

What to do?

Baggy in Bethesda

Dear Baggy:

First thought: trouser jeans. And heels, heels, heels. (I know you've been running around in sneakers - and not even the cute little ones.) The top is a little harder. I like blousy tops with tailored bottoms, but if you're jonesing for some fitted wear to show off your body a little (or at least not feel like a schlump), try a cute little blouse with ruffles, like the Banana one at left. Channel a little old-school secretary. Too make sure you're not going librarian on us, make sure the heels are sassy, and wear your hair down or at least in a messy, I-don't-care updo.

Hope that helps!

PS - yes, yes, yes, Infintessimal Readership, you guessed it, it's me. Baggy and schlumpy, I haven't had a shower in days. But tomorrow I celebrate 4 birthdays within 2 weeks of one another with my dearest dearest girlfriends (Go Terps!), and am really looking forward to a few hours of girl time. (And the shower.) Daddy's (formerly known as H) got The Bean, and Mama's looking for a brand new...well, everything!

The Perfect Day

It was the kind of day where we didn't look at our watches until, well, until we did. No cares about time. Our clock was our stomachs and our feet (and the number of bags we could carry).

For what will likely be my last Girlie Hurrah, Sugarplum, 31204ever, and I decided to spend the day in downtown DC.

Started at Zaytinya. One of my favoritist places on the planet.

Neither of the girls had been there for more than drinks, so I was thrilled to share the food with them...we ordered two mezze at a time, so paced it perfectly, and rounded it out with Steve Klc's brilliance.

lemonatha - sparkling lemonade with orange blossom water...perfect.

banjtijan bil laban - fried eggplant with roasted garlic yogurt sauce. butter. absolute buttah.

spanikopita - how in the world they manage to make their own phyllo, I have no idea, but they do. And it's worth it. I'll never tire of it.

let's not forget the freshest, pipingist hot, steamiest bread with olive oil and pomegranate reduction.

arni souvlaki - lamb kabob with a yogurt cumin sauce. so tender, it melts.

sea scallops with yogurt-dill sauce (see a sauce pattern here?!). more buttah.

debate, debate, debate. smart waitress reminds me about the shrimp.

garides me anitho - sauteéd shrimp with dill, shallots, mustard, lemon juice. i'm neither a huge seafood nor mustard fan, but these are so tender, sweet, and juicy that i'll cross major amounts of traffic to get to them.

patates tiganites me yourti "agaia kremezi" - basically, the best french fries ever. fried in olive oil and served with a huge spoonful of yogurt on top. heaven.

pause while we debate desserts. two were easy choices: turkish coffee chocolate (deepest chocoloate, espresso, and cardamom - more of my favorite flavors) and turkish delight (my description: deconstructed baklava).

finally decided on a summery blood orange, wine gelée and citrus sorbet (think one was grapefruit) concoction to round it out. the wine gelée was the coolest thing ever. a girl could get drunk on it.

then we all had the same idea: H&M. Walking distance. Sales.

Couldn't tell you how long we were in the store, but we actually braved the dressing room lines and each managed to find a few new "essentials." Florals were high on our list (Sugarplum a skirt, 31204ever a top), and we discovered more good basics (one of the main reasons to hit the store, in my opinion), and the little known fact that H&M has M clothes. Yup, M clothes. H&MMama, the line's called. Same adorable hipness, just with room for The Bean. They didn't have a sexy cute cherry print top in my size, so I consoled myself with a sexy mama (H is going to love it) dress. It's already slated for M & Sugarplum's annual BBQ next weekend.*

My M feet were killing me at this point, so Starbucks to the rescue (and thanks to Sugarplum's students for the gift card that got us our treats). Rest, rest, rest, then on to Macy's.

31204ever was on a hunt for, as she put it, "non-boring tops" to wear to work, so we scoured the racks @ Macy's - to no real avail, though there were definitely some cute pieces. I picked up a pair of pants for H for his foray in to prepdom (baby blue cotton slacks - I nearly fell over when he showed them to me - not his normal style) and another comfy bra for me (let's just say that things change with The Bean).

Then home.

It was the perfect, leisurely day with two of the most wonderful women in the world. No hurries, no worries...just time spent together...and, of course, in the most stylish way.

*I only wish that we could share pics - silly H&M still hasn't put pics on its website.

Shopping Results

Note to self: don't shop for clothes when 36 weeks pregnant. It does not yield good results. Mostly just near breakdowns.

After I got through that, I did manage to replace my miserably smelly Mia flats (oh, so cute, and served me well, but they need to be retired) with a pair of Air Bria from Cole Haan. As I said to the nice salesman who actually sat on the little stool (didn't put my shoe on for me, though), red is just another neutral. I rationalized the cost by saying I'd buy a really cheap pair of black ones to cover my bases.

And despite some honestly cute options at A Pea in the Pod, I could barely make it out of the dressing room without crying. Something about how I look like a tent in most things, and the things that are fitted won't cover my left boob. They don't carry anything larger than a large, said the very un-pregnant saleswoman. Ugh. I just can't take the clothes in my wardrobe anymore - that would be the reason I'm trying to buy new clothes with less than a month of pregnancy left.

Macy's - yes, Macy's - to the rescue. I just went in to check the shoes, and notice on the little signs that they had a maternity section. Turns out it's Mimi Maternity and Motherhood Maternity combined - literally.

I made myself feel better with quick, cheap purchases: a pair of green khakis that won't fall down all the time (like the other M pants I have) and two simple v-neck t-shirts, black and navy (slimming, right?). Or maybe it just belied my mood.

I'm going to try and cheer myself up by wearing my new ruby slippers tomorrow.

Style Poll: Bump or No Bump

If you were pregnant, would you wear clothes that fit to your bump and accentuate it, or would you wear things that hide it more?

Mmmmm... M Mojitos

Q: How does one make a mojito for a Girl with a Bump (other than asking The Liquid Muse for one of her PreggatinisTM?)? It's not as if you can sub sugar water for the rum. Take that out, and all you have is lime juice and mint leaves.

A: Give her Orbit Mint Mojito gum. Apparently, I'm way behind the times, as gourmet sites have been dishing on this stuff for a while now. I discovered it through a scantily-clad Marketing Girl out in Georgetown Saturday night. Yummy. For gum, it's a pretty sohpisticated taste. I tend towards classic gum flavors, even retro, like clove or Black Jack, so something like this is a stretch for me. And I swear they snuck in a little bit of rum, just to make me feel better. Now, to find it in the stores...I can walk around the office humming Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portundo...and tomorrow I'll throw on something breezy and white...

Style Poll: Name Your Style Today

As I'm leaving this morning, I "apologize" to H, "I'm going for the Preppy Pregnant look today." Bright pink and orange plaid collared blouse (sorta like the Motherhood Maternity one at left) and M khakis. Summery, bright, cheerful, I thought it might make me cheerful.

No luck.

So what would you call your style today? And is it helping your mood?

Style Scoop: Scandanavian Lifestyle Hits Silver Spring Tonight

I'll say no more, my lips are sealed. But all will be revealed tomorrow, after the "event of stylish proportions" tonight.

What I will say is that I'm attempting again to be stylish and preggers all at the same time. Yes, I've reused the outfit from last week's missed Momzillas launch. It certainly didn't make it into any of the pictures, and, well, it's lovely.

Makeup bag is tucked away in the desk drawer, as are the Chie Mihara pumps (will decide this afternoon if I'm going to sport the fashionable ballerina look or use the heels as God intended - to make my legs look fabulous.

Cross your fingers that I make it there this time.

Shop in Style: alice + olivia at Cusp Georgetown

Cusp Georgetown
April 26, 2007
10am-7pm

A rep from alice + olivia will be on hand to help you do what Sienna Miller does and Edie Sedgewick did effortlessly. Above are a couple of my favorite alice + olivia looks from Cusp's parent site, Nieman Marcus. Needless to say, these are looks that for both those With Bean and Without.

Specially designed tanks are also free with purchase (while supplies last, of course).

One more reason to skimp on the regular chai lattes this week & save up the extra cash for a trip (or two) to Georgetown.

Report from Greece: Overdue

Yeah, yeah, so I'm a little behind.

And so I overpacked a little. With good intentions. Problems with my packing:

1) It never got really warm in Greece - not even on Crete, though there were some jacket-free days there.

2) The M khakis I brought, while perfect for the plane (very comfy and lots of room), were/are really too big. I wore them out one day in Athens, and found myself hiking them up constantly. I wanted a belt, but M pants don't come with one. At least not that pair.

The result was that I wore my jeans 24/7 (except for Easter night, when I wore a dress). Tummy Sleeves saved my fashion life. I played the Layer Game. Almost every day was a combination of Tummy Sleeve, tank, and sweater or T. Flats, too, as my Grasshoppers were lovely, but not broken in enough (I should know better).

So here's the edited list of what I took/wore:

2 Old Navy tanks (one in True Blue, one in a berry color that doesn't seem to be on the website)
orange sparkly Indian-inspired Chrome Hearts tank
INC sheer blue T (didn't wear at all)
4 summery, flowy tunic-y blouses lent me by a marvelous GreekGoddess friend who just gave birth to her first daughter (only wore two. One regularly, one one day only. They currently make me look much bigger than I am, and that's just not a good thing. They're hanging back in the closet for later.)
an iie
blue Motherhood Maternity dress
linen Old Navy halter dress (for some reason not on the website - wish it were - it's so non "M") (never got warm enough to wear)
a standby cami
tummy sleeves (one black, one nude)
underwear (of course)
socks (in case my feet get cold at night)
trouser socks (eew, I know, but just in case it gets cold over there - it's possible) (and I couldn't have lived without them. Note to self: shoes with teensy star cutouts leave teensy star blisters on bare feet.)
tights (see above comment, but without the "eew") (never really got cold enough)
Old Navy rollover waist khakis (Babsie D, you were right, right, right - don't knock 'em til you try 'em - and I never want to wear anything else ever again - but also can't find these online)
Citizen standby jeans
an old standby printed Ann Taylor skirt - just in case (didn't even pack)
favorite brown merino v-neck sweater
favorite black cowl neck sweater (again, just in case it's cold) (not cold enough, though)
a black cotton motorcycle jacket (Gap, 300 seasons ago, but it's still one of my favorites)
red cotton raincoat
teal silk pashmina-like shawl - perfect for the plane!

Shoes are a little extensive...but here goes
Mia stars flats - like slippers - with stars! (for some reason, 3 of the last 4 pairs of shoes I've bought have been Brasilian-born - something to look into there)
my orange flats (didn't bring 'em along)
standby black heels (just in case)
gold strappy sandals (we didn't go out, really. I was too darn tired the whole time.)
my favorite bought-in-Miami with BlueSuitGirl ankle wrap sandals (never got the chance to wear them)
my new Grasshoppers
slippers (oddly enough, also with stars)

I Did It. I Gave in to Maternity.

A long, long time ago, when I first came out about The Bean, I said I was going to try not to buy any M clothes.

Yeah, that idea didn't work. Made the first Official Maternity Purchase yesterday.

And I'm more than pleased.

Determined not to spend huge amounts of money on the M clothes that are out there, I hit Motherhood Maternity. (Isn't it amazing how lovely some of the M clothes are? I'm always walking by A Pea in the Pod and stopping in the window before I realize what store it is. It's so good to know.)

In & out, I was gonna be. With H and friend BlueSuitGirl in tow, I was determined to buy one outfit and an accessory that I'd seen on a friend - a tube top for your waist. It's designed so that you can still wear your regular pants, but don't have to do the Rubber Band Thing, and it looks just like you're wearing another cami underneath.

We ran around the store going "how cute! how cute!"

After about 8 dresses and just as many tops (I just couldn't bring myself to hit the pants yet), I walked out with one dress (top right) and two Tummy Sleeves. I would've bought another dress or two (one, bottom right), but they didn't have my size. I was thrilled, and can't wait to wear it.

The best part? $30 a dress.

My only beef with the selection was that, oddly enough, there wasn't enough room for my boobs. I know they've grown, but all of the tops I tried on were, of course, empire-style, and the bustline ran right across the middle of mine. Not attractive. Oh well. On to the next store. Just need to find another top or two (and a few camis or tanks) to wear, and I'll be set.