Grown-up bodycon that hugs – but not too snugly
ON THE PARADOX OF MODERN MOTHERHOOD AND FASHION FIXES THAT WORK HARD FOR EVERY DAY
It may sound cliched to say that motherhood changes every part of you but most women can relate to the identity shift after you have a baby. It colours your life in an entirely new way and yet at times leaves you completely lost, fumbling in the dark for a new identity. What I have discovered as the dust settles and I re-emerge into normal life/office working is that fashion shapes so much of who I am and in many ways my wardrobe connects the old and new me. I may be wearing a fraction of it but the part that fits is testament to how style, in any shape or guise, can make you happy.
Three lockdowns are partially to blame for my post-partum weight struggles which may be why a lurex bodycon dress feels like such a breakthrough for me. Size fluctuation may not be the sexiest topic, but it happens to everyone and I’m sure it resonates with thousands of other women who have nagviated mew motherhood (equally apt for those who didn’t) in the height of a global pandemic.
After a long hiatus hiding out in voluminous nap dresses, I’m ready to embrace comfort dressing in waist-hugging streamlined shapes and remind myself that I do have a body worth celebrating. Before you shudder at the thought of waist-hugging I’m talking about luxe fabrics that gently skim rather than stick to your limbs, in a length that doesn’t scare the horses.
Call it the grown-up approach to bodycon. I love Olivia Rubin’s elegant ribbed knit dresses in rainbow shades or, if you prefer warm earthy tones, Rixo’s latest collection has beautiful prints imbued with signature square neck and cut-out details that are easy transitional fodder coming into spring.
On the high street, Warehouse, Oasis and Karen Millen collections (all bought over by the Boohoo group last year and rivalling stores like & Other Stories and Massimo
Dutti ) have stretch-knit dresses that look gloriously snug and easily hybrid between work and at-home wear.
If you’re shorter, a button-up jumper dress from Staud or Reiss veers into the same kind of terrirtory – the key to wearing it without feeling overexposed is a great pair of tights and knee-high boots. The lighter and sheerer the weight, the better when it comes to hoisery. And decent undies or shapewear underneath is advisable.
I recently ordered a Skims bodysuit and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to basics. Made from super soft spandex it’s scultps and shapes, a complete gamechanger. Equally joyful are Marks & Spencer’s Firm Control and M&S Collection edits. I always rely on their magicwear briefs and bras for smoothing and slimming while the vests and bodysuits are made from the softest modal rich fabric – equal parts comfort and joy.
FASHION SHAPES SO MUCH OF WHO I AM – IN MANY WAYS MY WARDROBE CONNECTS THE OLD AND NEW ME