Wait, are you me? I could’ve written this haha. I’ve had really good success w Abercrombie pants recently. I had not literally thought of them in almost twenty years, but someone on this forum recommended them and I am so thankful! They come in 4 different inseam lengths (bc who has time to go to the tailor right now!), and have a “curve love” fit that has 2 extra inches in butt and thighs so you don’t have waist gap. They have workwear-style trousers (Sloane) and lots of different cuts and washes in denim, and no denim brand tag that screams “A&F” or anything like that. Frequent sales.
Feel like in the past several years, a lot of formerly “polished” people have gone boho/beach, Ulla Johnson or Faherty, which I’m not convinced works for me, but I’m willing to try it out since the landscape is so casual now.
But I will second what a PP alluded to upthread, which is that your first stop is a professional bra fitting and new underwear. That really made a huge difference to me in how I looked and felt.

Anonymous wrote:Bodies don't change, motivation and metabolism does.

Crawl back into your hole.

Bodies don't change, motivation and metabolism does.

40 with a 2 year old hits different. I have recently resigned myself to, "I guess this is what I look like now" and bought all new jeans and tops.

I second the recommendation for M.M.LaFleur. My kids are 6 and 2.5, and I too recently had to accept my body was different now and stop putting it off. I figure if my body continues to change, the clothes will have decent resale value and I’ll have felt good about my appearance in the interim.

I agree with the posts about being open to your body continuing to change and finding an interim solution that still allows you to look put together (whatever that means to you). Initially when I returned from leave, I got the same work dress in a few colors from M.M.LaFleur in a forgiving silhouette and larger size than my usual. My weight and shape have changed substantially since weaning and I’m now starting to get clothes in a size closer to what I wore before pregnancy. I also considered a rental service, which I think is a good idea to tide you over, but ultimately decided against it because dealing with packages is a pain point for me.

Unrelated to your question, but I am also finding that many of my clothes before pregnancy (mainly above the knee dresses and shorts) do not really work for chasing a toddler around the park, so I have been changing the styles I buy for that reason too. It is all an adjustment and a longer process, I think.

Post-kids, I want pants that right at my natural waist. For some reason, the lower ride ones just slide down my butt now, plus the really cut into the part of my lower belly that never did recover. After a really frustrating day at work where my underwear was really cutting into my little fat roll or getting caught under it and rolling under, I ordered a whole bunch of stretchy high rise underwear and it was the best decision ever. The hanky panky high rise stretch lace are great. I gained a whole new understanding for "mom jeans". What seems most flattering is straight front pants with a waist that hits right at natural waist (which is sometimes now called high waisted, for some reason) and falls straight down from the hips (which is sometimes now called wide leg, even though I think prior to the skinny jean era these would have just been called "straight leg" or just "leg").

Comfy dresses also work well, if you can find the right shoes and don't hate how your calves look. For some reason, post kids my calves swelled way up and never really came down -- they aren't fat, they are just really wide now.

If you want nice garden party stuff, someone just posted a thread about The Fold, and they have some really pretty dresses in florals. For cheaper, Boden has some nice stuff that is figure-forgiving usually. Anthropologie also sometimes has some stuff that will work.

Please post your body type (apple, pear, etc), approximate size, and any reason you have trouble finding clothes.
For example, I'm an hourglass with a long torso and short thick legs: I find high waist pants and long (size tall) shirts work well for me, but somebody else might look terrible in the same clothes.

Also, go get professionally fitted for a bra. It changes how your clothes fit.

Anonymous wrote:Firstly, it’s not your child’s fault about your post Partum body and I would urge you not to say that to them as they get older.

Secondly, one year post partum is really not that much. I have a 7 year old and I was able to return to my pre pregnancy measurements when he was about two. It is hard to find the time to exercise when they’re first born. When I was in your shoes I did not invest in a total wardrobe overhaul, I bought some inexpensive things that fit me in the moment. Most of those clothes were from target, old navy, and kohls.

My mom still says her belly is from having children. Her children are in their 40s.

If you feel like your body may be changing (which is totally fine and expected!) would highly recommend a clothing rental service. In my experience, Nuuly has the best options for the price ($99 I think?) Especially great for cocktail attire and a few work jackets. I've also used it to try on clothes and ended up buying them

Firstly, it’s not your child’s fault about your post Partum body and I would urge you not to say that to them as they get older.

Secondly, one year post partum is really not that much. I have a 7 year old and I was able to return to my pre pregnancy measurements when he was about two. It is hard to find the time to exercise when they’re first born. When I was in your shoes I did not invest in a total wardrobe overhaul, I bought some inexpensive things that fit me in the moment. Most of those clothes were from target, old navy, and kohls.

Still working on this myself but one thing I've noticed is that there has been a big shift in silhouettes since 4-5 years ago, with shorter shirts and looser pants. I usually shop secondhand and am finding it tough and going to places like Old Navy for basics like jeans and t shirts that look a little less dated.

What body type are you? That is the bigger question.

I bought stuff all over the place. It’s more the individual piece than one particular brand.

Accept your body and you buy stuff that fits. Properly sized the Moffit clothes are 90% of looking good.

Hey, moms. This is tangentially related to my toddler, as in I guess it’s partially thanks to my toddler. 😅

Being a good bit beyond the one-year mark now, I think it’s overdue time to accept I need a new wardrobe for my new body. I haven’t shopped much in the past 4-5 years, partially because of WFH, covid, pregnancy (mostly limited to comfort and at-home pieces to get through those months), etc.

Now need to stock up on workwear, and a few special occasion garden-cocktail type of attire. Maybe this is a dumb question, but where are people shopping these days?