Is there anyone out there who has breastfed and still felt vaguely stylish?

[luckysocks]

If so, please please tell me how you did it.

I have 3 month old DD but also 3 year old (more energy than a puppy) DS.

My main stumbling blocks are...

1. The absolute need to wear shoes which are practical.

1. Not really understanding what suits my current shape - I'm not doing badly, but tummy size 14, lots of excess weight around upper arms and back, with skinny lower limbs and a size 10 in anything 'smock'.

1. Not wanting to spend a great deal of money on clothes which I'll grow out of in another couple of months - I'm finding trousers a particular problem for this reason. Maternity stuff now too big, normal stuff definitely too small.

1. The need for access and practical fabrics.

Can anyone give me any ideas? I'm sick of feeling so shabby and I need some inspiration.

TIA

How about a nice printed blouse/shirt with obligatory vest top underneath. Pair it with a maxi skirt with a bit of give, so it will still fit when you lose a bit around the waist. Accesorise with a nice belt and off you go.

I am still bf at 14 months and feel pretty stylish but a few things have been key for this to happen, which I will outline below.

1. Buy lots and lots of vests (I rate the spaghetti strap longer length ones from H&M, £3.99 a go) because you will wear them under everything.

1. Back in the early days when I still had post-baby belly issues, I stuck exclusively to a skinnies, vest, loose fitting top combo. Tbh I still mainly stick to it now. I find jersey blazers invaluable for creating a bit of structure to this look.

1. Big scarves are your friend. Great for modesty purposes, and add a little 'je ne sais quoi'.

1. Shoe wise, I wear heeled ankle boots and wedge trainers a lot for a bit of height while remaining comfortable. If I can't be arsed I wear flat biker boots, Superga plimsolls in a variety of colours or ballet pumps.

You don't need to spend a fortune, but I found creating a sort of 'uniform' helped. Then you can upgrade as you get back to your normal weight. H&M great for loose fit tops at a sensible price point, and I know a lot of people really rate the M&S jeggings and Primark skinnies.

OP, I know what you mean- sympathy!
I'm BF ing my 6 month old and am living in jeans. I still use a belly band- have in both black & white- which is great - for preventing acres of crinkled flabby tummy flopping loose-- and bought a Boob long sleeved t shirt from eBay. BF ing dictates everything I wear which is pretty much jeans and some kind of easy access top with a nice cardigan/ jacket/ scarf. Have also ventured out in a maxi dress with a cardi and hoicked boobs over the neckline to feed- was v impressed with self! can you browse eBay for basic bigger ' normal' clothes until yours fit again?
I still stick to converse or flip flops, but have just bought low heeled boots as am heartily sick of aforesaid converse & flip flops.
I have almost no time for grooming so I like to think that frequent use of a tinted lip balm slapped on lips & cheeks in the rear view mirror makes me look -like Heidi klum fairly presentable....!

I'm bf my 9 month old and have recently overhauled my wardrobe due to this forum mainly! SO I have chucked out all my frumpy stuff and the sales have been my friend. I have bought:

Petrol blue jeggings from M&S
Cream skinny cargo pants from Massimo Dutti sale
Navy skinny cargo trousers from Zara sale
I am still wearing my skinny maternity jeans which are v nice and from Gap and also have a black pair

Those are my basic trousers then I have lots of oversized but shaped sort of tops in basic colours and some fabulous scarves. Sssssh but a lot of these have been purchased for 50p at car boot sales - I have been scouring them now I know what to look for so when the baby gets me up at 7am on Sunday morning I pop him in the pram and head on down to the local boot sale where I have had some fabulous bargains. I too have more weight to shift so don't want to be investing too heavily at the moment in stuff that will hopefully shortly be too large.

I have treated myself to some new boots - got a lovely FC pair off Amazon in tan and some TopShop Mightys as well cos my feet arent going to lose weight. Oh, and my mum has masses of handbags so donated a couple of lovely leather outsize bags to the cause.

It can be done - have to say that it's the scarves which really add the final touch in my opinion, and they are v good at covering up stains as well!

Amber any recs for jersey blazers please :)

Thank you for ideas so far

Spookily maisiebabe, I had just returned from buying a long sleeved boob t-shirt on ebay when I came back and read your post! Great minds :)

Ambernectarine I took your advice and headed to the H&M site and had a basket full of stuff for £70...bargain... only to find out at checkout that it wasn't available until Sept and Oct. Gutted! I've found that before with kids stuff but had forgotten. I like your style though - I'm going to go and check in store for those vests and some of the other stuff I found.

vigglewiggle belted looks are out unfortunately, due to pot belly! The maxi skirt is a nice idea though. Hmm stretchy is good........

busyboysmum I'm too thinking that accessories may be the way to go. Second hand is a good idea, I need to get searching.

Aw OP I know just how you feel. The recommendations so far pretty much tie in with what I've been wearing and am wearing still at 7months, so long line vests and skinnies, scarves and shirts.
My biggest issue tbh has been my complete and total loathing of breast pads to the point where I just can't support them anymore even though I'm still a bit of a milky moo in terms of leakage. So darker clothing and lots of washing...

PS and Converse. In my humble opinion everyone looks decent in Converse.
I also have black hogl flats which are comfy enough but really, nothing comes close to Converse.

Bfing 6 mo, running after 4 yo. I have

• a number of Boob tops sourced from ebay.
• a couple of "loungers" from Oliver Babycare, basically a dress/long Tshirt with boob access which are good for nightwear and lounging round the house and are respectable to answer the door in.
• a black Boden maxidress - Vneck wrap - which does v well with a vest underneath and a maxi skirt as suggested above.
• a smartish blue bfing dress here which works ok as I am an overweight hourglass atm.
• some Boob hoodies whch are warm for feeding, again sourced cheaply from Ebay, for the winter.

Amber another one wanting your jersey blazer tips please!

Right, Jersey blazers.

I have and like:
TS Ponte
Zara Jogging blazer
T by Alexander Wang bit pricier but warmer for Winter.

I like:

Hush 10% off til tonight with PREVIEW12 I believe
H&M
Internacionale
another Internacionale bargain

My uniform is very similar to Amber's. It should work well for you if your legs are slim.

I have tried the Bravado nursing vests and been impressed. I wear them on their own at home but my ample bosom means I have to wear a bra when I go out. They give me a decent uplifted shape under clothes though which makes them worth the money for me. I second the H&M vest recommendation - if you can get to a store they always have them in stock, often on one of the round displays. The ones I wear have red tags with a number on. They wash well and dry quickly.

I have bought a few pairs of jeans that fit me now. These from Zara aren't to everyone's taste but the pattern makes them extra slimming on the legs and they're not tight on the tummy which makes them practical.

These jeans again from Zara, really do have super powers. The rise is a bit higher than most of their jeans which holds some muffinage in without being too tight to sit down comfortably / entertain toddler.

Zara jeans / trousers seem to have a decent resale value on eBay too.

These wine coloured treggings from Dotty P are good on slim legs and in a "fashionable" colour.

I have loved wearing leather leggings the past two winters and will again this year. The Topshop skinny pleather ones are a good place to start. I wear them in the day with a chunky knit and in the evening with a floaty shirt and blazer.

Again, not to everyone's taste but these tie dyed leggings are lovely on.

I wear these with a vest, then either a loose denim shirt (see Gap sale for a decent one), blouse like this and in colder weather a knit like this

There are some lovely scarves out there atm. The COS cashmere scarves are c£65 but excellent value for cashmere. They come in lots of colours and are super soft and big enough to use as a scarf / baby blanket etc. I have this M&S scarf thanks to DMBL40 (one colourway is in the sale) and it is massive, lovely and very useful. For this autumny weather I really like this from M&S too.

Go to a good store and get help trying on some really nice trousers. With slim legs you can wear sailor cut pants and look really good-they are elegant and flat fronted so will help that interim belly.

Try on some blazers, jackets because properly cut armholes will help with upper arm refining.

Get a well balanced pair of low boots. Try Clarks for proper fit. Spend money on shoes if you feel your body shape is fluctuating too much at the moment. Good shoes help posture.

Go for some nicely cut shirts. Slightly nipped in at the waist will balance the top half. They can be unbuttoned easily.

Cool scarves, belts and other accessories will cheer you. Try Vera Moda for good well styled separates.

shop.bestseller.com/vero-moda/?gclid=CMCN5aLokbICFSPHtAodM1oAlw

Thanks so much for the replies, they've given me lots of inspiration.

Monkeysmama, I also use bravado nursing tops. I love them for lots of reasons (not least that you can get away without breast pads - I have a stash of them!) but like you, I don't always find them quite supportive enough. They're also a bit short on me to be of any use when layering.

Amber, I love the idea of jersey jackets but I'm put off at the thought of keeping them sick free. Do they wash and iron well??

I'm going into town next week armed with all your suggestions :)