What I Wore: Graphic
dress | bag | shoes | lipstick
Dress: Boden (14 R) | Bag: Hobo (old; similar) | Sandals: Bella Vita | Earrings: Argento Vivo | Bracelet: Gorjana | Ring: Etsy (similar) | Lipstick: Revlon in Hot Coral
Continuing with showing pieces that were “hits” from this Boden review post , here is the maxi dress I mentioned. Though this is a regular length, you can see it's wearable even with super flat sandals. The bodice is lined so it's easy to tuck in a little safety pin at the bustline to keep from popping out all over. This is a super fun print that garners so many compliments; I wore it last week when I was feeling pretty crummy yet had people stopping me to tell me how nice I looked. Gotta love clothing that makes you look better than you feel!
This post shows how if you have the room, it's worth it to hold on to handbags and lipsticks. This is a lipstick I bought back in 2014 and usually I find it too intense, but loved the bright orangey-reddish-pink color with the print of the dress. This bag is uber old; I scored it at a Hobo Bags warehouse sale in 2011 (check out those baby Emerson shots!) along with my favorite black clutch and the wallet I JUST replaced a couple months ago. This bag works as a clutch, a shoulder bag, and I love how it can hold a lot yet it's still a very slim profile. As for the sandals, these are the ones I keep mentioning in every post; no arch support or cushioning but they come in a variety of widths and colors and look dressy even though they're glorified flip flops!
Did you like what you just read?
Consider tapping here to buy me a coffee in thanks. The best gift you can give a content creator is the gift of sharing. Consider sharing this article on Facebook or Pinterest. Thank you so much for your support!
Very flattering. I’m surprised such a bold print looks that good on a curvy woman.
I think a bold print is more flattering than a solid – optical illusion. Also another thing curvy women should consider is stripes. Throw all those fashion rules out the window!
Mind opened!
You really shine in this outfit, Allie!! It shows interest and a ton of personality with that print (IMO)—very eye catching!
I rarely throw out a lipstick. If I don’t love the color by itself, I’ll layer it with another color—it’s so hard for me to just throw them out until they’re yucky!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Unless they go rancid, there’s no need unlike mascara and liquid makeup. I’ll slice off the top if it’s been a while but they keep kicking… I’m the same with eye shadows. I don’t wear metallic navy or silver shadow on the daily but I’m often glad to have them in my arsenal!
Ooooh, I love that dress!
Question, though, since you own it: how much belly space is there, actually? As in, I’m currently 2 months pregnant, and likely to be showing by the end of summer and quite large by the end of fall, given my previous patterns (and this seems like something that’d be cute with a blazer or leather jacket, for slightly cooler weather. Is this something that would accomodate a couple of inches of extra belly? Is the wrap-bit under the breasts, or at the actual waist?
Also: this means I’d be breastfeeding next summer. Is the top something that could be tugged aside if needed, for that purpose?
(AKA: I’m willing to buy a pair or two of “maternity” pants for the last 2-3 months of pregnancy, but I’d rather look cuter for the first 6, and have clothing I can keep wearing AFTER my pregnancy, if at all possible!)
I think this is a wrap with a decent amount of wrappage, if that makes sense. No worry about flying open in a breeze, and I often find my belly (especially before I cut out most gluten earlier this year) would make wrap dresses skimpy in front. This one not so much, it has extra fabric in front. The top is very nursing-friendly and the lining would keep it from getting stretched out. I LIVED in wrap dresses when I nursed and found lined jersey or matte jersey (synthetic but with a nubby/crepe finish) were the absolute best for just slipping to the side to nurse or pump. This is a dress that would work into second trimester I think but not through the whole pregnancy. It can get you through the summer, and I think would work with a cardigan or leather jacket. The waist is almost natural waist for me, but I believe if you were taller it would be a bit below empire – like ribcage, not quite under bust. The belt part is very wide so you can adjust it and sort of custom fit and alter the look of the waist to your preference.
I got to where I despised everything I wore during my pregnancy because it was all worn so much, except a few things. One ponte jacket and one waterfall cardigan sweater/jacket thingie. But the other day I wore a dress I bought while on maternity leave to wear to work. I was a 16 at that time and all boobs and I wore that dress weekly to work and often on the weekends as well and I am still wearing it. I think it’s the great print that kept me loving it after all these years while the “basics” I was OVER wearing far faster. In fact, had the same dress also in black and ended up giving it to a friend because I couldn’t wear it any longer, I was so done with it! Good luck!
Thanks! That’s great commentary, and I may try it.
Based on my last pregnancy, I have a few pieces of “will fit you when you feel the size of a hot air balloon” clothing that I never want to see again, mostly because they also make me feel like I’m the size of a hot air balloon (those over-the-belly pants… ugh). At that point, honestly, bodycon dresses with rutched sides were the only thing that made me feel vaguely attractive, and THOSE need maternity tights. Thank you, Old Navy and Gap: maternity tights and cute dresses are all I needed. 🙂
It’s the earlier stages, though… up to about 6 months, swing dresses, wrap dresses, etc all work, if they’re a good cut, and you can wear them after. I would NOT spend 100$ on a maternity dress I’d wear 3 months, but on a dress I can wear for the next 6 months, pause for winter/huge belly season, and then pick up again next year, and have a cut that fits a changing body? Worth the cost. Or, at least, that makes it a cost-per-wear I can justify.
Also, I wanted to thank you for your maternity/breastfeeding posts. During my last pregnancy, I basically searched through your archive, and bought the Anita nursing bra that you recommended, along with 2 others. It was the most comfortable, nicest, made my chest look good under clothes… basically, it was a good bra that also happened to be a nursing bra. The others failed at shaping ANYTHING. I hand-washed it and wore it continually for 18 months and the elastic is now all warped and stretched. This time, I’m not bothering with anything else. 3 of that bra, please, in black and beige. Done. THANK YOU.
Oh yay! I spent so much on crappy bras that were hard to pop open and made me look like I had one tube of saggy fat in the middle of my torso instead of breasts. Anita bras ROCK! And I think this dress will be great for you!