Maybe Red Is It?

Such interesting feedback about my wedding-dress options! I was leaning towards the belly-button-as-missile dress, but that has come out as one of the last popular options. I also liked the Forever 21 hoochie dress, but was given pause to consider the appropriateness of shopping there when not only am I no longer 21, I am no longer even in my early 30's.

(Though if we could have a moment on that topic - yes, they are called 'Forever' 21, but now they carry maternity clothes. And so does H+M. And while certainly 21 year olds do get pregnant and do need to be clothed during that time, I think we've just been handed a little insight into the actual market the honchos of Forever 21 are after - it's us, people. Those women who have just looked around and realized 'DAMN! Am I not 21 anymore? Is that the Land's End catalog I hear, calling my name? What is this new and scary land I'm in?' Actual twenty-one year olds don't need a place to shop called 'Forever 21,' because yo...they know they're forever 21. It's the rest of us who are already in on the joke.)

Rant over. I paused, and have decided I feel fine shopping at Forever 21. No one gets to stay there forever, least of all twenty-one-year-olds. So enjoy it, kiddos...your time will come.

OK, my sister sent me one more dress to consider:

It's from Target, and gets bad reviews on the website. But I only have to wear it once, and it looks like it might do justice to my (momentarily) enormous breasts. They should get their moment in the sun, don't you think, before being exposed to the world five times a day as feedbags?

I really hear you, lovely commenters, on the dearth of interesting and fancy maternity clothes. It's pretty depressing out there, unless you go to A Pea in the Pod and spend a million dollars for something designed by Heidi Klum's minions and clearly modeled by someone who conceived last night. I would have thought the extreme interest in celebrity pregnancy might have spurred the cheap(er) places to step up their game a little, but perhaps the purchase power of the less famous pregnant people is not extending into the realm of evening-wear. After all, this is my third pregnancy and only the first time I've had cause to shuck my elastic-banded jeans and sweaters.

Thoughts on the new option? Or, on shopping at a place called Forever 21?

The Wedding Dilemma

So, I get to go to a wedding this winter, which in and of itself is fine. Fun, even.

However, at THIS wedding I will be about 27 months pregnant, or at least that is how I will look.

I've never had to dress up for a fancy occasion when pregnant, so I'm scouring my options and want to know what you think. Just so you have all the info, 1) it's a black-tie wedding, 2) it's on New Year's Eve, 3) my husband is the best man, so 4) I will be solo with both my kids for a chunk of it, and 5) I'm not spending a bushel on a one-night stand, which cuts out most of the really nice options.

Option#1:

Forever 21's new maternity section (which, as an aside, apparently can't be found in any stores near me) has this one dress which might be too casual on top/too short on the bottom. There will be family there, and showing your moneymaker to family while pregnant might be a pretty serious no-no. Otherwise, I like the way it hangs and I think it might be the closest to my style in the bunch. Middle of winter, though?

Option#2:

From the Pea in a Pod family, whatever the super downmarket version is (Motherhood?). I...like it. But not much. It looks a bit stiff, you know? But that might just be the model. It does have a pretty neckline, and is probably the most winter-appropriate fabric. This would, I think, be a very safe option.

Option#3:

This is from the Gap, not a place I've spent much time of late. Again, I...like it. Could the ruffly bits be a bit matronly? (Here is the definition: ma·tron·ly/ˈmātrənlē/Adjective: Like or characteristic of a matron, esp. in being dignified and staid and typically associated with having a large or plump build). One of my favorite things to do when pregnant is to try desperately to pretend am not that which I clearly am, i.e. matronly. OK, say the ruffles aren't matronly. Then I think I would really like the form-fitting without being form-cinching shape of it. It looks as if it would skim my bod nicely, and I could probably dance and sit without showing my undies. But will I look like I got lost on my way to a business meeting?

Option #4:

Last option, also from the Gap. These are probably nicely made, and when they say silk they probably mean it (unlike Forever 21). This one also hangs well, is a good length, nice color, blah blah. It's a style I like better than the previous one, and looks less like a work dress...though I'm not sure it looks like a black-tie-wedding dress, either. Also, I'm slightly disturbed, knowing what I do about post-photo editing, that I can see her bellybutton so clearly. If I can see hers that well in that dress, mine will look like a low-slung missile about to attack anyone who walks by.

OK, that's what I've found so far. Thoughts? Suggestions? Votes?