Dresses

It is nice to see everything you’ve been eyeing for the summer months go on sale, but it is also nice to see the Fall 2010 items start rolling in. I had a great preview of samples from the new Fall 2010 maternity lines back in April and I made a list of my favorites to make sure I posted about them as soon as they went on sale in the online boutiques. Olian Maternity always occupies a huge corner of the sample showroom I go to and I usually browse through their offerings without ever being really impressed. I don’t tend to like their choice of prints for pregnancy and I don’t feel as if their pieces are ever that special, particularly considering the huge portion of the market they occupy.

I did, however, feel differently about this ruched wrap dress. Obviously every pregnant fashionista will have one or two or three wrap dresses in her closet. But finally Olian is giving us something a little bit different with this ruched raspberry dress. What pregnant woman doesn’t appreciate a bit of extra ruching? This is more than your basic wrap dress and it makes choosing what type of undergarment you are going to be wearing on top a bit easier because of the ruching (with the V-neck, you will probably have to wear a camisole). And I really like the color, as it is a bit different than the typical colors available for maternity dresses. Isabella Oliver used to sell its Ruffle Wrap Dress in a raspberry color and I wore that dress to all sorts of special occasions. Olian Maternity’s Ruched Wrap Dress is now available here at Euphoria Maternity for USD $126. It is still available in all sizes. Olian runs true to size, but whatever you do, don’t put their items in the dryer.

By the way, I congratulated my friend Reena on her newly announced pregnancy in my last posting and I lamented the lack of maternity fashion options she was facing in Jerusalem. Silly me–turns out that a lack of fashion is definitely not Reena’s most serious problem.I had forgotten what it is like to be pregnant in the face of Israeli security. I had an awful time getting into coffee shops and hotels when I was pregnant in Jerusalem, particularly when I was pregnant with the twins and did look as if I had to be hiding something sinister underneath my clothing. But Reena is a journalist and she has more important things to do than pick up a latte or enjoy a hotel buffet breakfast, which were my primary daily activities in Jerusalem when I was pregnant. Poor Reena was on her way back from working on a story in Gaza this past week when the Israelis at the border crossing subjected her to a full body search. The IDF forces simply could not figure out why Reena’s jeans had an elastic piece attached to the top that stretched all the way over her belly. Obviously, the Israelis assumed, she was using the elastic piece to transport something illegal into Israel, not simply to keep her jeans from falling down. Whomever is training the IDF might need to add a course on the rudimentary basics of maternity wear. Like I said last time, best of luck, Reena.  You will clearly need it…

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I am just back from a holiday weekend in New York and Connecticut and am full of new maternity wear suggestions for the long, hot summer ahead. (It is, by the way, a balmy 101 degrees in Jerusalem today, so cool yourself off with the idea that no matter how hot it is where you are, it is hotter here). I managed to sneak into a few different maternity boutiques over the past few days and even discovered a brand new maternity line in a boutique in New Haven, Connecticut–quite the shock, as that city is hardly a fashion mecca. I have been a delinquent blogger these past few weeks, but I promise a new posting ever day this week, provided my numerous offspring does not figure out an innovative, new way to ensure I have absolutely no free time.

For those of you who have been emailing and asking for a dress recommendation for your upcoming baby shower, I think I have found you the perfect selection–behold Moody Mamas’ new Strapless Watercolor dress. I have made no secret of my skepticism when it comes to the quality of the Moody Mamas line, particularly the Fierce collection, designed by Christian Siriano. In recent months, I have been in touch with the founders of Moody Mamas, Elise and Martalisa, and they have assured me that they have been working hard on improving the quality of their line. According to Elise, Moody Mamas is now using a larger company to manufacture its collection and the quality has consequently improved. I spotted this dress in Bellydance Maternity’s online boutique a few weeks ago and asked Elise to send me a sample–she was unable to, but I thought it was so cute that I went ahead and ordered one for myself (nope, not pregnant again, but yes, still ordering maternity clothing). Elise is right. As I wrote here after viewing Moody Mamas’ Fall 2010 line, there is a noticeable improvement in the quality of these pieces. I compared this Summer 2010 Strapless Watercolor dress to another chiffon dress I purchased from the Fierce line in Fall 2008 and there is a marked difference in the quality of the fabric, as well as the workmanship. And this new dress is less expensive than the dress I bought 18 months ago. The Strapless Watercolor dress is available here on Moody Mamas’ website here for USD $190.

I personally think the catalogue photos for this dress are irresistible, but I should warn you that this dress has a sweetheart neckline and is actually a bit short. This is a shower dress for the pregnant fashionista looking to flaunt what she’s got, so to speak. Were I a particularly busty pregnant woman, this would not be my first choice. Besides the obvious problem with the lack of straps, the neckline also allows for the display of a bit of cleavage. You can definitely wear a strapless bra underneath this dress, but make sure it has a decent dip in the middle. The strapless maternity bandeau bras will not work with this particular dress.

Otherwise, I love this dress. Squeeze those swollen feet into a pair of towering peeptoes, and you will look fabulous at your shower.

For those of you PF readers who are currently pregnant in New York City or somewhere nearby, New View Maternity opened its sample sale today in the Fashion District. This sample sale isn’t highly publicized, so PF readers are among the lucky few who are now officially in the know.  New View Maternity is a fashion showroom completely devoted to maternity wear and New View oversees the East Coast distribution of most of the best-known maternity lines, including Olian, Japanese Weekend, Pure t, Maternal America, Hatch, and Moody Mamas, among others. Samples from the Spring/Summer 2010 lines will all be on sale at wholesale prices from today through the end of the month. But sizes are limited, so try and get there ASAP. The address is 347 W. 36th Street, Suite 1602, and the sale will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 930am to 330pm. There is a special event this Saturday, June 5th from 9am to 1pm, at which all items will be priced at 20% below wholesale prices. Call Armanda at 212-643-9547. And be sure to tell them Pregnant Fashionista sent you!

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