Dressing the bump – rainbow summer dress

I bought this rainbow cotton dress many years ago in one of my favourite second-hand shops in Copenhagen. It cost around 8 pounds.

I love the bold and bright colours as you can’t help but feeling cheerful when you wear it, and it’s perfect for hot and humid summer days where you need a bit of ventilation under your skirt.

I remember thinking that someday this would make a great maternity dress, as it can accommodate even the biggest of bumps, so the other day I decided to give it a try.

I’m wearing it with a ribbon tied around it, to make sure that I wouldn’t be mistaken for a ginormous tent

Dressing the bump – black on black from H&M

I was running out of comfy everyday clothes, so HAD to stop by my favourite H&M on Regent Street to get fresh supplies. I chose three different items that are easily combined, and they’re all stretchy so I’ll be able to wear them all summer (hopefully).

I bought this A-shaped cotton top with a pocket detail, as it’s perfect for wearing over trousers or leggings for that everyday casual look. £7.99.

There was also a big selection of viscose tops/cardigans on display. They come in many different colours, but I played it safe and went for good ol’ black. £7.99.

It’s perfect for wearing over the A-shaped top. I’ve spiced the outfit up with my old WoodWood necklace.

And the totally simple maxi-dresses are back.

Last year I bought one that was 100% viscose, but it’s shape has gone ballistic and it gets longer and longer every time I wear it + it’s so thin and see-through that you have to wear something underneath. Not nice for a hot and bothered pregnant woman.

So I was happy to see that this year H&M have mixed the viscose with cotton. And the fabric is thicker. This dress also comes in a white & blue + a red & blue speckled version.

Again I just went for black and bought two as I’m convinced I’ll wear them all summer, and they’re probably going to be sold out soon. £12.99.

I’m wearing it with my old brass Bambi necklace from affordable British jewellery brand Galibardy.

And I can of course pair it with my new viscose top.

The gladiator sandals are from Office. I bought them two summers ago, but they still sell them. They come in many different colours and cost £37. Buy them here.

I just wish the quality was a bit better as the leather is not soft enough and they hurt a bit when I wear them for too long. Guess I’ll have to go on the hunt for a pair of handmade ones.

Dressing the (summer)bump – Liberty print jumpsuit

Summer really has arrived, so I’ve been combing through my closet seeking out summer dresses and other comfy light garments….with an expandable waist of course.

The first thing I found was this home-made, second-hand jumpsuit, made from Liberty fabric. I bought it for £12.50 two years ago at the outdoors Greenwich Clocktower Market (open Sat, Sun & bank holidays 10-5).

It always had a very loose-fitted waist and before I had to wear it with a belt. Not so much anymore.

And if it gets a bit more chilly, I’ll wear it with my beloved old Camilla Stærk jacket.

On my feet are the even more cherished (they live on my feet every summer) glitter-infused jelly shoes.

Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A + dressing the bump accordingly

On a grey and rainy day like today there’s nothing better than cuddling up on the sofa with a cup of hot tea. But if you want to be a bit more active, you can always head for a fashion exhibition.

Even though I love (second-hand) clothes and shopping I tend to yawn and curl my lip in contempt when faced with catwalk shows, fashion weeks and the name-dropping of aaaaarrrhhhmazing designers.

It just bores me to death and I never learned to love the vacuous mingling and bitchy atmosphere of Copenhagen Fashion Week, when I worked as a fashion journalist.

But if there’s one designer that can get me up from the sofa it’s the ground-breaking Japanese Yohji Yamamoto. So last week I went to see the his exhibition at the V&A. It’s small but good.

Left-hand side is dedicated to a mannequin parade of some of his best designs, through the years. 9 out of 10 of his designs I would wear on the spot, and I was (almost) tempted to just tear a few dresses of the dolls and make a run for it 🙂

The right-hand side consists of a row of TV’s, showing Yohji Yamamoto’s catwalk shows  and videos about the controversial designer. Should you want to meet the designer himself, then I suggest you book a ticket for the talk on the 26th of June.

6 months pregnant or not, I felt I had to honour Mr. Yohji by wearing one of his designs to the exhibition. I only own two Yamamoto items: a skirt with a narrow waist (so that one was out of the question) and this dress:

So on it went. I had to leave the zipper half-open, but I still like the way it looks. If you want to see it in a non-pregnant state and read about where I bought it, click here.

I love how this last windblown picture reminds me of the poster from the exhibition. Noone does those avantgarde silhouettes quite like Yamamoto. They’re instantly recognisable.

Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A, until 10 july 2011.
Read more & book tickets

Dressing the bump – Japanese polka dots

I had a dinner date with some friends in East London last week. And with all the young hipsters running around in that part of town old Mette kinda felt the pressure to retro-dress-up the bump a bit.

Looking in my closet the options were very limited, but then I remembered this dark blue polka dot dress with puff sleeves, which has a very high waist. I bought it ages ago in a second-hand shop in Japan for around 3 pounds.

But the big question was: could I squeeze the bump into it?

I could. So I chose to ignore the fact, that it’s made from 100% polyester and left for a lovely dinner at one of my favourite East London restaurants, Lennie’s Snack Bar.

Here I’m wearing it with a pair of studded ankle boots from Topshop to make it less dressy.

The snuggliest of dressing gowns for a soon-to-be desperate housewife

As you might have noticed, the fashion content on this blog has been sliding downhill like a growing snowball for a while. Comfort has won the battle against vanity. And second-hand shopping is no fun when nothing really fits the bump.

And here is what it has finally come to, in the grey shape of my latest buy:

A velour tracksuit/dressing gown combo!

I had no idea this mutant existed before I found myself fondling the soft miracle in good ol’ Marks & Spencer. I had been looking for a more traditional frotté dressing gown/bath robe but decided that I was sick and tired of their bulky shape, not to forget that annoying belt that always seems to come undone.

No such problem with this darling as it unzips from both ends. There is simply nothing better than jumping into it in the morning + after a long day wearing uncomfortable tights.

And for some reason I feel more “dressed” in this than a traditional gown, it might be because of zipper and the sporty hood. Fact of the matter is that I wouldn’t be too embarrassed if I had to answer the door wearing this.

Have you decided that you just can’t live without one of these? Good, then go ahead and buy it here (where it has received raving reviews). It also comes in navy blue and you have to choose between two lengths. Mine is the long one. Costs £35.

And it’s perfect for lazy weekends. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Dressing the bump – black and blue dots

HAHA! I found another two items in my wardrobe that still fit.

Strangely enough I’m not really into (second-hand) clothes shopping at the moment, so I get very excited when I discover that I can squeeze the bump into old stuff from my closet.

Like this black & blue dotted top, bought from a second-hand shop on Edgware Road ages ago for around £10. (I’m also wearing it here in a non-pregnant state).

I’ve paired it with an old H&M zip-up skirt which fit the bump after I stretched the seams until they started popping…..woops.

I really like the puff sleeves and cheerful dots on this hand-loomed sweater and the fact that the look changes, chameleon-style, from black-on-blue to blue-on-black dots, depending on what side you’re facing.

Blingin’ up the bump

What do you do when you want to dress up but your waist has disappeared alongside 99.8 % of your wardrobe?

Well, my answer is you either sit down or cry or you bling it up baby.

So yesterday when I was going to Soho for a party I decided to spice my beloved stretchy H&M dress up with a gold second-hand belt and my Chanel earrings.

The belt might be in a weird position, but who cares, it’s shiny & glittery!

Dressing the bump – H&M cropped animal print top

So, I stopped by Topshop the other day to check out their maternity range. I left empty-handed (apart from a pair of leggings) as the collection failed to impress me, especially when you consider their pretty high prices.

Instead I stopped by always cheap and reliable H&M where I bought this cropped viscose top for £13.

I haven’t really had any weird pregnancy-related food cravings, but when it comes to clothes I don’t seem to be able to resist animal print at the moment. Very strange.

Here I’m wearing it with converse boots (bought many many years ago in India), a long viscose skirt from H&M and a wooden second-hand bracelet, found in Chiswick (notice how I’ve colour-coordinated boots w. bracelet….wohooo).

Dressing the bump – H&M python print dress

My old cold has been substituted by a new one. Great. But in between being sick I did manage to pop into H&M at Regent Street.

I was there to buy socks and leggings,  but their sale is still on and I just couldn’t resist the flirty looks from this python print dress.

It is made from a mix of cotton and modal and is so comfortable and best of all: stretchy. It was half price and only cost 15 pounds.