While my belly has been massively expanding over the last eight months, my wardrobe hasn’t. My pregnancy dressing tactic has been to buy a few key maternity pieces and then fudge the rest with my regular threads. Fake it ’til you make, if you will.
I hate spending money on something with such a short lifespan. But then I found a middle ground where maternity meets postpartum wear.
Aussie brand Elk Accessories makes a line of A-line T-shirts
that are insanely soft (thanks to a blend of cotton, modal and spandex) and
incredibly forgiving. The swingy bottom half of the tee accommodates
bumps big and small, while the top part form fits the bod in the most
flattering way. These are not maternity specific tops–in fact there’s
not one bulge or bump on the model on their website. But they sure do the job.
The
$65 price tag seems justifiable, considering that The Tee will take me
into my post-pregnancy months. You know, when I need a kind and gentle shirt that
won’t make me feel self-conscious, all the way back to my (hopefully) before-pregnancy shape –Melissa
Find the A-line T-shirts from Elk Accessories in heather gray, in black and white
If you look at the pictures of the model wearing this shirt, she’s quite thin and I don’t see a bump on her. It would be better to see a mom who actually has a bump to see if this shirt is more flattering on a figure with curves. As it is, this shirt isn’t flattering on this model. It looks too large for her and oversized for her small figure, making her look rather frumpy, exactly the look a mom would prefer not to have in public. It appears as though a maternity shirt has been cut off/shortened as a budget saver, not at all a trendy look. Truly, a shirt with a bit of smocking that flares back out again loosely around the hips will hide the bump and the hips, adding a nice curve of a waistline. If she chooses one that buttons and is loose on the top, she can open up to nurse baby easily. Or even with very loose elastic on the bottom, I’ve been able to pull up the bottom to nurse easily. These fabrics breathe and are forgiving of wrinkles for easy wear. (Says the experienced mom of 12, who happens to still be a size 0-2, 5’6.5″) Don’t forgo style and fashion for hiding that bump! Mine is still there, but only a few people ever see it!
My torso is so long I don’t think these would work for me but they may be good for postpartum – only a month away so I have been looking for some shirts that will work.
Thanks!
Hi Kathi,
I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when I saw pictures of this top, but when I tried it on, I was pleasantly surprised to see just how flattering and stylish it was. Since my whole pregnancy M.O. has been to save money and not buy maternity wear (because of the short life span) I found the top–which is actually not a maternity top at all–to be a great compromise. It may not be the best fit for everyone, But I found it to be perfect for my figure.
Melissa