The Tamesis
Addressed is a column about the act of dressing. Everything from animal prints and runway styling tips to how to create the perfect winter shoe wardrobe is up for discussion.
We need to be as adaptable as our elastic waists!
I gave birth to a baby 11 months ago and I know what it’s like to have nothing to wear after giving birth. In the beginning, I had two delusions about how to dress as a new mom: One: I could wear what I thought was a generous tent-like contraption to cover my now-unfamiliar body. One or two: I can ignore my postpartum silhouette and wear every trendy outfit I wore pre-pregnancy. Neither option works.
Two weeks after giving birth, I was trying to fit into my husband’s Levi’s jeans, which felt like a heartbreaking belt, and soft elastic waist pants became my savior. Yes, I know the mere mention of an elastic waist strikes many women into existential trepidation. Just like a pair of pants, even the slightest bit of looseness can sound the death knell to a person’s previous self and style. Unfortunately, we think of elastic waists as an extension of our postpartum identities: lengthening and slimming! But this is the wrong way to think about it. Just like a stretchy waist, we have to be malleable!
After all, everything can be elevated, yes, even the elastic waist. I love LA-based designer Brooke Callahan, who creates really luxe, cool-girl-style pants with drawstrings in incredibly beautiful colors. If you like skirts, CouCou Intimates has them washable Wear it in gorgeous mesh cotton.
My friend Amrit Tietz, co-founder of Spread the Jelly, which is essentially like a cool moms WhatsApp group, sent me a few links, including a pair of soft silk pants from CommiSi, a pair of polished leather pieces from La Ligne, and a pair of tried-and-true Leset’s famous Ariel pocket pants. These are elegant pieces; pieces designed to inhabit and transform you.
While we were talking about pants, Titz, the mother of an almost three-year-old, said something that stuck with me. “I think people are hesitant to invest in their postpartum wardrobe. They think the transition is short-lived, but it’s not. It’s taking a lot longer than we expected.”
