Maternity Monday: The Blazer
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I’ll be honest: even though HATCH is one of the darlings of the “chic casual” maternity-wear scene, a lot of their stuff just seems too… unflattering. (In the non-maternity scene, I have the same problem with Everlane.) But: this soft maternity blazer really does look lovely, and wearable before and after pregnancy. I love the allover slub look, as well as the fact that it’s lined. There are matching pants but… well, let’s not get into those. The blazer is $268. HATCH The Blazer (L-all) Building a maternity wardrobe for work?Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines.Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
I’m in an exec role at my company and SURPRISE pregnant (now 3.5 months along). This is great for me, but the last time I had a baby was when I was in middle management at a very casual business casual company (so, maternity t-shit and jeans was passable, Maxi dress with sweater was VERY passible) and I need some new maternity wear.
I know this site posts a plethora of maternity wear but I’m hoping for someone to repsond with their workhorses (or link me to a post where people do)?
Specifically, I need 2-3 outfits for Big Meetings I have with clients and business partners in the next few months. Because of my prepreg shape, dresses tend to fit better than pants but I suppose I’ll have to wear pants in the next 6 months. A suit is both unnecessary, and too formal for my tech-based org. If I need a suit, I can wear my black maternity pants, structured cardi and shirt in a pinch and play the pregnancy card without issue.
So! Send me your recs. I’m a pre-preg pear and will not/cannot wear skinny jeans (sadly, unless there are miracle maternity skinny jeans that accommodate my generous calves and thighs)
I have to share my good news because you all have been so supportive and informative: I’m done pumping at work! Kid turns one in a few weeks and I dropped daytime feelings this weekend. So happy to not disrobe at the office anymore! A little sad about weaning in general but not sad at all about not pumping…freedom!
Vacation suggestions with an 18-month old? DS is 13 months now, so would be around 18-20 months around summer time. Looking for a destination where we can have one “home base” for naps and early bedtimes (rather than changing hotels) with lots of kid-friendly museums, parks, etc. nearby. But I’d also like it to be close-ish to outdoorsy places we could visit, like a national park. We could do anyplace within 8-10 hours flying time of the east coast. Suggestions? Seattle came to mind. I’ve always wanted to go Iceland or Alaska but I fear those would be boring for the baby.
We do lots of travel with the baby to see far-flung relatives, so I’m not as concerned with the logistics of it, just trying to find a destination that has “something for everyone.”
Giving notice to nanny. I’m really not looking forward to this but we are planning to let her know Friday giving her about 6 wks notice. We do need her to stay to the end of her period and will give her an additional 2 wks severance payment if she completes the term. She’s full time and has been with us a year.
We are moving to an au pair instead. I plan to offer her references and post to the local parents group about her availability to get some leads.
Sound okay? Anything I’m missing or you wished you did differently. I do trust her to remain professional with the kids, but I’m not looking forward to the awkward in btwn stage after giving notice and before she leaves. I just can’t swing more than two wks severance and think she deserves a longer lead time.
We’re attending a prospective parents session next week for preschool (it would be 2 mornings per week starting this fall for our twins who’ll be 2 1/2 by September). What should we be looking for/asking about? Honestly what we care about is pretty basic: socialization with kids other than each other; exposure to people (including adults) outside the family; exposure to some germs (they’re otherwise home with the au pair all day); and some clapping/singing/arts & crafts. As for school-type learning they get enough of that at home — nothing structured, just playing with alphabet blocks, singing the ABCs, counting things and naming colors — but plenty for toddlers. I was a little put off by the fact that when I emailed the director to ask about meeting teachers she said that that wasn’t possible but that she would be able to answer all our questions at this January meeting. I don’t want to overthink this and make it higher stakes than it is — 6 hours per week of clapping and singing with other toddlers — but don’t want to miss any red flags either.
Second Meg Murry’s recommendations, but also eager to hear others – our daughter is just shy of 16 months and we had some really rough nights recently. My neighbor with two year old twins swear it has to do with planetary alignment…I’m hoping it is over soon! We aren’t breastfeeding, but teething, sickness, and Christmas got us off our schedule that she has been on since sleep training, and I am fairly convinced that deviation from the schedule more than once or twice a month spells serious trouble for us. She slept well last night after going to bed half an hour early – maybe some catch up sleep if she is overtired?
Didn’t get any sleep last night – our 16 month old screamed most of the night. We did sleep training a couple of months ago to some success, but then travelling and sickness got in the way and we have hit a major regression. The other problem is that I am still nursing 2-3 times a day (morning and bedtime) and when baby cant sleep she demands to be nursed. Any words of wisdom before I lose hope?
I’ve had to return a number of Everlane purchases in the last few months. The proportions were all off for me (I’m 5′), even though I purchased an XS. But I’ve had luck with some of the sleeveless tops. Hatch doesn’t seem very appealing to me at all, but at least it’s an alternative to all the maternity body con dresses.
I actually loved Hatch! On sale, of course. I found the winter stuff to be super cozy. I only got a couple pieces but they were workhorses for me at the stage where I was super pregnant… (Just a counterpoint!)
If you’re in NYC you can go try things on in the showroom and I think that makes all the difference in the world.
For those of you who have hired someone to clean your house, how often do you have the person come? I loathe spending all weekend cleaning but am not sure whether having someone come once or twice a month would even make that much of a dent in my to-do list? For reference: I have two kids, two dogs and a cat and the kids are home with the nanny/soon-to-be-au pair during the day.
Couldn’t agree more. I tried so hard to like Hatch’s stuff through both my pregnancies. Ordered and returned several items. They were ridiculous.
Oh my gosh. Those pants. Ick.
And they also sell a maternity jumpsuit. Oh my. Oh my. It’s like a big mommy onsie.
Postpartum pants alert! I went back to work a couple weeks ago at 10 weeks pp, and although some of my pre-pregnancy pants fit, they’re all tighter through the stomach and not super comfortable. So I bought these knockoff Betaband “dress yoga” pants from NY&Co: http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/prod/sale/suits/7th-avenue-design-studio-knit-pant-signature-fit-bootcut-petite/A-prod4550056/#.VpPE7fkrLcs. I’m obsessed. I’m going to get them in all the colors. Totally fine for my business casual office. For sizing, I was a 12-14 before pregnancy and the XL fits well, with room for a few extra pounds.