Fashion Week - mother of 2 style

It never quite makes sense to me that I can be awake at 6am yet still struggling to get out the door by 9am. I should be washed, groomed, dressed, caffeinated and fed, with time to spare to read the newspaper. You'd think.

So if getting out the house on any given morning can be a challenge, getting ready to attend the New York fashion trade shows is quite another story. They are attended by some of the most stylish, elegant and well put together women you'll ever meet. A daunting crowd to spend a Sunday with.

Standards have to be set.

I would say that as a rule of thumb, if you can't remember when the last time was you washed your hair - it's time to wash it. Washing, however, is the easy part. What to wear is the big question. When in doubt, I always reach for black. My black skinny pants however are lying beside the bed, where I left them 2 days ago, and our grey & white cat is sleeping on them. A lint brush would be nice but packing tape will have to do. My black cardigan is still smeared in my daughter's dinner. My glasses, which take much frantic searching to locate, have fared just about as well as everything else and are covered in little sticky finger prints.

Yet somehow at 9:10 I am out the door. I turn back to see my blueberry pancake covered children have their faces pressed against the sitting room window, still in their pajamas, waving goodbye frantically and blowing kisses. It makes up for the fact that the brown boots, patchy black pants, shirt and navy blue coat aren't really the outfit I was hoping for.

I always get excited by New York Fashion Week. An occupational hazard I suppose. We always look at the non-maternity styles first for Bump. At the very beginning when we were envisioning Bump we always planned on fusing non-mater nity fashion with maternity styles. During our first pregnancies (pre-Bump) we both wore a lot of contemporary fas hions and believe that our customers would appreciate buying styles from us that cad a wardrobe life that would extend after pregnancy. For us it has become a fundamental component for store.

We saw some absolutely beautiful styles that we're excited to bring in for fall and winter. Exquisite fabrics that drape beautifully - pregnant or not. Soft grey, camel, blue and purple tones. Less bold prints than we've seen this year with the exception of Daughter of the Revolution, a fabulous line from California that we adore (pictured).

Next we will be looking at maternity styles. We will continue to hand pick styles that stay true to next seasons trends while offering the best maternity fit. Our goal, as it has always been is for our customers to be able to give up wine, coffee, sushi - not fashion.

www.bumpbrooklyn.com

Stretch mark creams - are they worth it?

We sell 3 kinds of stretch mark creams at Bump. The million dollar question is do they work?

This is purely unscientific, but I've used all brands we carry and I never got stretch marks during both my pregnancies. The cream? Genetics? Poor eye sight? I can't say, but what I do know is that moisture can never be bad for your body, pregnant or not.

Our first stretch mark cream is by Barmon. I used this during my first pregnancy, and in the spirit of full disclosure, it's my brother-in-laws company so I'm a little partial. His father bought the company when his wife was pregnant with their first child. It has a mild kiwi scent and it is wonderfully rich.

Our second stretch mark cream is the oh baby! belly butter by Mambino organics. This is a super rich, lush body butter. I love the mango scent - delicious. The Mambino line was created LA's top Aesthetician, Maki Maodus, who used to work with Ole Henricksen. All ingredients are organically grown.

The last stretch mark cream we carry is from Basq, a wonderful skin care company founded by 2 New York mothers who felt there was a need for a truly great skin care line specifically for pregnant women. The cream is very luxurious and has a really delicate aroma.

All the creams are priced around $30 so it really comes down to what scent works best for you and how much your hormones are reeking havoc on your senses!

In Good Company

I've always found incredible comrade with women - never more so than as a mother. I've heard it said that there is a great divide between mothers who work and mothers who stay at home. I have never found that. What I have found is that what unites us is much more important than what separates us.

Pregnancy, child birth and motherhood is beyond transformative. There may be subtle differences in dreams, fears, anxieties, joy, exhaustion, triumphs, challenges and laughter but the love is universal. At Bump we really feel incredibly fortunate to be a small part in a woman's journey into motherhood.

As mothers and small business owners, we face a lot similar retail and entrepreneurial challenges as our small business comrades do. We have almost been in business for 3 years and are at another point when we need to make another professional leap of faith - that of growth.

We sat down yesterday with Amy and Adelaide who are the founders of In Good Company a truly wonderful resource for women business owners. They have the most beautiful space on 23rd Street that is a physical space for women to meet, work, share ideas and grow.

For an hour and a half they encouraged and inspired us, provided valuable insight and acumen, and provided not only a valuable third party point of view but gave us the confidence to move forward.

So after 1 unfortunate false start and a lot of reflection, yesterday we got our call to action and will be launching phase one of our e-commerce site soon. Stay tuned!

Bump Brooklyn

Bump Appeal

Sometimes I miss being pregnant. I miss it because when I'm pregnant I feel like I have permission to be curvy.

I've been sucking in my tummy for at least 20 years. Every since puberty impacted my body gave me a DD cup, I got the kind of attention I thought I wanted then wished I didn't have. I slouched my shoulders and tried to slink away into the background.

Then at 33 years old with a burgeoning bump housing my first child, I suddenly found myself liberated. No more sucking my tummy in. No more slouching. I found myself walking taller (especially before the final month when I was robbed of my ability to walk city blocks in stilettos), and figure hugging clothes became my new BFF. It was a revelation.

I wish I could say it was because maternal instincts were kicking in, but the reality is it was vanity induced. When you're pregnant people look at your curves with admiration and affection. My bump made me approachable and friendly. My ogle worthy DD cup was now nurturing. By sharing my body with my baby I slowly took ownership of my body and it became something to celebrate.

Post pregnancy everything shifted from nurturing to providing nutrition and there were yet more issues to wrap my head around, but I have noticed a shift in how I feel about my body. I certainly don't wake up every day celebrating it as I did when I was pregnant but it has more character than ever before. I miss wearing figure hugging clothes with abandon and I and exert a lot of energy again sucking in my tummy - but not always.

I will always be grateful for how pregnancy opened up my mind to how I perceive my body. I doubt my tummy sucking in/slouching ways will every be cured forever, but my bump appeal has been replaced by my children appeal, and I have the great fortune to spend my days with unbelievably beautiful bumps at work.

So if you are pregnant, embrace your curves. Throw caution to the wind and learn to celebrate your body. It's liberating.

"Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat" By Claire Mysko and Magali Amadei
Bump Brooklyn

The great jean debate

Skinny, straight, boot cut, boyfriend or wide? With jeans dominating our wardrobe as much as they do, picking the right pair when pregnant is a daunting task. It is also often also one of the most expensive purchases. Factor in the weather for 9 months and an unpredictable expansion of your waist (not to mention thighs and rear end) and you might want to skip denim all together.

The general rule of thumb with jeans - as with all maternity clothing - is don't dress out of character and don't lose sight of your own personal style. It will help you feel grounded when so much else is changing in your life.

Ok, so pep talk aside, the current trend is definitely on the skinny side. Some pregnant women will look at us with a distinct look of horror when we suggest trying on a skinny jean. We understand. But here's the skinny on the skinny - when you balance a skinny leg with an abundance of curves elsewhere the effect is a knock out.

Our best selling jean by far currently is the Maternal America skinny jean (pictured). If you're on the fence about getting a skinny jean, we have found that this jean is a great option. The fit (not skin tight), comfort (stretch and super soft underbelly waist band) and price ($104) make for a great combination.

Not convinced. Don't worry - we've got straight, boot cut, boyfriend and wide leg too!

Bump Brooklyn