Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Best readers ever!

I am so grateful for all the fashion advice and comments below.

It's like having a dressing room packed with your best, most honest girlfriends!

Can you believe I found 2 plain maternity wedding gowns at the thrift store? Can you dye a synthetic fabric, anyway?

I also hit Once Upon A Child's maternity clearance rack. This $1 shirt plus $1 DNKY trousers make a cheap outfit for everyday.

My plan: gather more formal options, grit my teeth, and put them to the sounding board sometime next week.

48 comments:

Beverly said...

What a cute shirt! I have no doubt you will find the dress that is meant just for you to wear for the wedding. I know it's stressful finding the perfect dress but just remember to have fun looking!!!

April said...

I don't think you could dye the synthetic fabrics, but you could paint or stamp on them! You are creative enough, I bet you could make a lovely pattern!

Anonymous said...

Meredith,
It's such fun being your blogging friend. You are kind and gracious.
I'll just sign "annonymous" because there are soooooo many of us who feel this way about you.
Love,
Annonymous

Anonymous said...

You're really already a more stylish preggo than I am. That shirt is very cute!

Unknown said...

That everyday outfit is very classy!
As for dying fabric, ask at rostitchery:
http://rowena.typepad.com/.

She is an extremely knowledgeable and sweet mama.

Annie

Anonymous said...

Cute top! Don't worry, you'll find something fabu to wear. In my experience God always provides. And remember to enjoy the search!

blessings, Donna

Shannon said...

They dye the synthetic shoes to match bridesmaid's dresses, so you must be able to, right? The new top is cute! It's fun playing dress up with you:)

Leslie said...

Cute top! For the sleeveless dress...I have seen a lot of crocheted type shrugs (is that the right word?) recently at places like TJMaxx. Maybe one of those would look cute over the dress and make you feel more confident. Oh, and not be too hot. Even if it isn't maternity it might work since they are cut rather high.
~Leslie

Anonymous said...

If you're not brave enough to dye, go for some accessories--scarf, nice necklace, earrings. The bonus is that you get to wear them long after the maternity dress is over! Glad you have some working options now!

Meg said...

Dharma Trading Company should be able to help with the dying the synthetic fabrics. (dharmatrading.com)

I feel your pain, I was due last Wed and 2 weeks ago dh and I took the kids to the symphany. The question became "Does Omar the tentmaker have a line of evening wear?"

Meg

Anonymous said...

Cute, cute, cute top! Wish I had known about OUAC when I was pregnant - I certainly don't remember owning anything that hip. Can't wait to see the next crop of contenders for the wedding...

MaryAnn

Anonymous said...

I happen to think that YOU are the best ever. Your blog always inspires and is so honest. Thank you.

One thing I wanted to pass on to you, it has been way too many years since I was pregnant to even remember really, my sons are 35 and 30. But I do have a beautiful daughter in law who has been pregnant twice. She is small, and normally very thin, but when pregnant the poor girl swells like no body's business. Goodness, anyway, she wore a lot of MEN's t-shirts while pregnant and working. They came in all colors, were longer than women's shirts so the covered her tummy, and she could wash them with no problems. She told me the most she paid for 1 was $4.00....I made her several pairs of pants and skirts and jumpers. As she is just 5 ft tall she is hard to fit. She was always so pretty while pregnant. (she is beautiful now too) I am a blessed mother in law. Roxie

Darcy said...

Hi Meredith!

I think that shirt looks great! I thought you received so many great suggestions in your earlier post so I didn't add anything then. This morning I remembered being able to find a few cute things at babystyle.com when I was expecting and thought I'd just see what they had available right now. There is a really cute black wrap style dress with 3/4 inch sleeves that is really adorable. It's on sale at their online outlet.
http://www.babystyle.com/common/dProductDetail.asp?PMId=22684&SIND=1&cmCL=estyleoutlet&frm=2

I thought I'd send you the link just incase you had decided to consider black. And it would look fabulous with the necklace you are wearing in this picture! :)

Looking forward to seeing what you find!

-Darcy

Anonymous said...

Are you considering wearing a maternity wedding gown or did I misunderstand? I thought this was not a formal wedding in terms of guest attire since it is an island setting. Wouldn't you look more like the bride than a guest if you wore a maternity wedding dress? Even if you dyed it, I see it as being too formal.

I know it is hard for you to spend money, but I do think that if you have already spent the money to get there and you obviously want to look good, then you should - for just this once - buy a knockout dress (or linen pantsuit with fab jewelry) and don't fret over the cost. Also, I hope you have included in the attire budget the cost of grooming because you definitely want to have good haircut, pedicure and manicure and nice makeup. Otherwise, you won't feel pretty. The cutest sandals made would not matter if your feet lacked a pedicure. I am not implying that you don't care for your feet, but I think a professional pedicure is definitely in order for this occasion. Just blow the budget and look good! If you sold some things to buy your husband a fishing trip, you can sell some more for an expensive dress and some spa treatments for you.

The top you are wearing in the picture is cute.

Anonymous said...

Good for you, Meredith! Your plan is very do-able and I'm so looking forward to seeing how things shape up.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was a soloist in a wedding three weeks before she was born. I wore a spaghetti strap black tank top, flowing black pants (both from Motherhood Maternity at my mall) and a beautiful grey silk scarf my husband got me in Spain (big enough to drape across my shoulders and arms and about halfway down my belly). I bought a fat grey pearl brooch to pin the scarf with and that was all. The cool thing about that top and bottom is that they dressed way up or way down because they were so basic.
Blessings to you!

TJ said...

I love the outfit you found! You look great!

I think it's wonderful that everyone here can be kind and still give an honest opinion. I know you'll find the perfect outfit with all the help! Thanks for including us!

Karen said...

Love the top and necklace together! Are the pants maternity also? I like DKNY and had no idea they did maternity.

Good luck with the dye if you decide to go for it. I look forward to your updates!

Roberta said...

have you looked at www.motherhood.com? They have some adorable dresses on sale for great "new" prices.
I hope you enjoy your trip, and find something that makes you feel comfortable.

Anne Marie@Married to the Empire said...

That new top is very pretty.

I could be wrong, but I don't think synthetic fabrics take dye. And dye is a pain in the butt to work with, IMO. I tried redying some shirts once, and I used the Rit dye that works in the washing machine. I think I had to run the washer 8 times before all the dye was gone. Waste of my time and resources.

TracyMichele said...

Can't help you with the dye question. Truth be told, I would have come to YOU for the answer. LOL.

LOVING the top! Gasping at the price. WOW... so great. :)

Sandy said...

Hi! Love the shirts, great prices, such a darn cute photo of you (below), and I'm just now catching up!

Yay for a lot of maternity posts! LOL. (and great advice).

Meredith said...

Well, I spoke with the bride's mother yesterday. People are wearing "dressy casual" whatever that means--but most of the girls will be wearing cocktail type dresses suitable for hot weather.

That's why I wondered about the wedding dress I saw at the thrift store. It's basically a straight-lined, 2 piece cocktail dress in white, and it fits great.

But I've never dyed anything synthetic before and am loathe to bother if it won't work.

Hmmm...

Meredith said...

The DKNY pants are not maternity, but they are sized 1X and made of some type of stretch fabric.

They fit much better than any of the maternity pants I've tried, with lots of room to grow.

Meredith said...

I just want to clarify that I am willing to buy just the right dress, IF I can find it.

I just can't throw my money away on a dress that is not quite right, especially if it is expensive.

Anonymous said...

If the dress fits great, I think I would give dyeing a shot if the fabric isn't too hot. You don't have much to loose. If you look and feel good in it, then you could go all out on the expense of accessories and grooming .

Anonymous said...

What does it say on the box of dye? I dye cotton all the time but have never tried any fabric that was not 'natural' as in wool, silk, cotton....a cotton blend takes dye well. If the dress is cheap enough it might be worth a try. Have you asked a 'professional' as in at a dry cleaner store? Sometimes they have great information. Roxie

Anonymous said...

Have you mentioned what time of day this wedding is? If it is in the evening, then the dress should probably been a bit dressier than what you would wear to an afternoon wedding. What would you have worn had you not been pregnant? I would wear the same degree of "dressy casual" pregnant or not. Dressy casual means vastly different things to different people, so that really doesn't tell you much. To some that means dressier than jeans and shorts and to others it means "get gussied up". Oh, well, once you find the dress, you will know it and then you can find the right shoes and accessories and forget about it!

Anonymous said...

Since you found a two-piece, would it work to pair either the top or bottom with something of another color? Then you may not need to dye anything.
Mrs. L.

Michele @ Frugal Granola said...

Cute outfit! :)
Remember to daily check Craigslist.org, too! You never know when something might pop up in your size.
This site talks about dyeing synthetic fabrics (sounds kind of scary, though!):
http://www.prochemical.com/directions.htm
Blessings,
Michele :)
www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Okay - I'm going to throw in my 2 cents because I hated buying maternity clothes - it seems like such a waste.

Also - I moved to the carribean when I was 8 months pregant - trust me you want something loose fitting in a light color - black is awful!

I purchased many of my things at Old Navy. I also purchased clothes at Lane Bryant. Most of the Old Navy Maternity and Plus sized dresses are under $40. No one will be looking at your arms and most of the Old Navy dresses look like cute cocktail dresses.

Anonymous said...

Could you pair the white top of the 2-piece wedding dress with the comfy but pretty black pants? Add a necklace and some cute sandals and you'd be ready to go.

Anonymous said...

Sweet Meredith,
Congrats on the baby! You are so creative you will find the right dress. Have you looked on ebay? When I was expecting my last baby (at 41 years old) I was sooooooo not expecting that & had given away everything, but I found some great, inexpensive things on ebay.
SuzeQ

Anonymous said...

Maybe you could call a bridal shop for advice on dyeing the cocktail dress?

Darla said...

SUPER cute shirt. Would wear it and am not preggo. =)

Arden said...

I am due in Sept with our 8th. I just really want to know why you look pregnant and I just look fat.


When is your due date?

Anonymous said...

I stumbled upon your site looking for a recipe......

I understand your dillemma with the maternity dress issue. It is true you CANNOT dye synthetic fabric. However, do you, or a close friend know how to sew? For goodness sakes girl, as a frugal housewife, you certinaly should know how to sew for yourself and your children!

You should be able to make a very nice dress for the summer wedding event for about $20, and you will probably be able to wear it after the baby comes.

I am astounded that no one suggested this............

Tubo Family said...

Love this top, and--as always--your cheerful and adventurous attitude. Looking forward to seeing the new contenders. This exchange reminds me of the "naked lady" clothes exchanges my mama's group has a couple times of year--the honest assessments of how something looks/fits can be hard to get used to but so helpful! I do think a professional mani/pedi and haircut would be worthwhile splurges, maybe your mind doesn't work this way, but I feel so special and pretty for weeks afterward!

Amy said...

Wow, that is a super cute top and I love that necklace too! It looks like you got some really great feedback. I don't know about dying fabric, but I have loved reading the suggestions everyone has offered!

Meredith said...

Anonymous, welcome to the blog!

I think most of my readers know that my #1 frugal failing is an inability to sew well.

Anonymous said...

Really cute ensemble, Meredith! Congratulations on finding such good deals.

Brenda

Anonymous said...

My dear, you are an awesome woman - in every way that matters! I have children your age, but I'm always learning something from you. I've lurked your blog for a long time, and you constantly amaze me!

I must say that I never heard of maternity wedding gowns, though I shouldn't be surprised. "I swan," as my grandmother would have said.

Marty

Meredith said...

I was a little surprised, too, Marty! I knew they existed, but what are the odds of finding 2 in the same day?

Carrien Blue said...

Again, synthetic is going to feel really uncomfortable. Hold out for something better.

Here's an idea I just thought of. HAve you ever seen a Kurta? It's an East Indian sort of tunic. I wore them a lot during my pregnancies. They can be very formal or very casual and you can wear them over pants or skirts.

Here's a sight to get an idea.

http://eshop.webindia123.com/shop/category/apparels_&_accessories/womens_wear/ladies_kurtas/paging/0

With the right accessories they can look really great. And they are comfortable.

I have one in a sage green light material with a bit of shine. It doesn't cling. I'm not sure what kind of fabric because I picked it up at a thrift store years ago and it has no tags. I could send to you if you want to try it. It fit me at 9 months. Interested?

An Adventurer in the World said...

Great top and SCORE on the DKNY pants!

This has been a lot of fun because of your cheerful attitude. We can't wait to see what you come up with : )

I'm with Carrien, hold out for something NON-synthetic or you'll be roasting...

deb meyers

New Mom said...

Cute shirt! For what it's worth, synthetic fabric doesn't take dye very well.

Kim said...

Meredith, did you get my email? I have a maternity dress that's perfect for weddings (I know this because that's why I bought it! lol). If you're interested, email me. My Yahoo account seems to be really buggy lately.

Gini (Hallquist) Young said...

Wow! Amazing! You did really good on the pictured outfit AND sounds like the formal maternity stuff as well. Love the top and necklace! I too just hit a fab maternity clearance at our local thrift store in town. $1 rack as well except that I splurged for one fun shirt at reg thrift price 3.99. You are on the right track! Don't forget about the scarf/tie option if you go sleeveless. You can probably go that route with the thrift store as well.

Anonymous said...

Once upon a child is my fave! I love it when they have boxes marked for 50 Cents and the 1.00 boxes! It's the best place to exchange/barter/ and buy clothes for the kids and pregnant mamas!
Good job, Meredith!