‘Mind The Bump’
On March 18th we observe the Goddess of Fertility Day. Traditionally this would be the time before Spring Equinox where women wishing to conceive would make offerings to the Goddess of Fertility, Aphrodite. In celebration of what can only be considered as ‘perfect timing’, I persuaded the three expectant mothers of Tilletts HQ to sit down with me and talk babies, cravings and of course - Fashion!
So, who are these three glowing ladies? Well we have Jess, our Operations Manager who is pregnant with her 2nd child and due on the 3rd May. Lucy, our Customer Service Exec who is expecting for the first time and due on the 22nd July and finally we have Grace; Director Of Tilletts also pregnant for the first time, due on the 10th July.
Before we began our photo shoot and interview I asked the girls to fill out a little questionnaire for me. I was intrigued to know how they all felt about traditional maternity wear and the styles available without the influence of one another's opinions. As I expected, they all came back to me with pretty much identical answers. When asked what she had found to be the main problem with sourcing maternity wear, Jess responded:
“I don’t like myself in maternity clothes. I want to feel comfortable and stylish but it’s so hard to find anything like that.”
For those who aren’t as familiar with Jess, she is a very stylish and chic individual. She loves her designer fashion and is sucker for all things stripes but with such a naturally petite frame she often struggles to find styles to suit her shape. I naively expected for her to actually find it a little easier once she announced she was pregnant but these past few months have certainly opened my eyes to a new world of issues within fashion that I have not yet personally encountered. Suffering with back issues, Jess spends most of her day standing as it is more comfortable so she needs the right clothing to accommodate that too, of course Jess still wants to feel good about herself so a hoodie and joggers is not going to cut it. On top of this it needs to be practical but still portray her individuality. Not an easy feat by anybody's account. Luckily for Jess, she had the striped Jumpsuit from Tilletts last Summer season (pictured - Jessica Jumpsuit RRP £22) that fit her size 6 frame perfectly and amazingly has transitioned and grown with her bump.
“Once the baby has arrived, I know it will still be the most comfortable and stylish piece of clothing I have in my wardrobe and now we have received more in new colours so I’m all set!”
“That’s the beauty of one size clothing” Grace explains. “I’m surrounded by fashionable, comfortable pieces that I can team with my leggings or maternity jeans that I will still be able to wear post pregnancy, that’s why tilletts has been great for me”.
Lucy added “Exactly, tilletts is a great alternative to traditional maternity wear as you are not restricted to when you can wear it. There are no 'bands', inserts or change in the way the garments are sewn and therefore you can continue wearing the clothes long after pregnancy.”
Newlywed Grace, has also chosen the Gia and Jessica Jumpsuits for the Summer ahead but the piece she can’t get enough of at the moment is the Sofia Stripe Tee (pictured RRP £18). Describing the style and fit as ‘perfect’, Grace loves how the top was and will be with her before, during and post pregnancy.
Pregnancy got off to a tricky start for the eldest Tillett daughter with her realising she was pregnant whilst on a Business trip to Las Vegas. Grace recounts:
“I had a funny feeling but dismissed it. So, on the only day we had free (Nancy and Mum were suffering with a hangover), I suggested I would go out and fetch them food as an excuse to go out on my own. I then google mapped the nearest Pharmacy, and took the test in the hotel loo while on the phone to Lewy. Typical day in the life of the Austwick’s! Ha ha”.
Lucy on the other hand has had a pretty smooth journey so far, bar a craving for all things cold she has taken to pregnancy like a duck to water. The shortest of the three, Lucy’s biggest issue has been finding trousers to fit her small frame.
“Not many places offer various lengths in maternity wear and those that do, provide styles that are just not me.”
As a solution to this, Lucy has been wearing various tilletts shirts with tilletts leggings as she can pull these up over her tummy while still feeling like herself in the animal print styles. The Amber Animal Print top has proved a firm favourite due to it’s “lightweight and versatile” feel. A new arrival caught her eye just before the shoot which we insisted she wore as it suited her so well. (Pippy Portrait Tee RRP £16 pictured).
At this point I looked to Jess who was lovingly cradling her ever growing bump and asked if there was any advice she had for Lucy and Grace as first time Mum’s, anything she wish she had been told before she had her little girl?
Jess immediately responded:
“Just don't judge yourself, there is no wrong or right way to do this. You'll know what's best for your child, no one else. Most importantly try to sleep when the baby sleeps and enjoy this time with your little ones as much as you can.”
Of which the girls nodded and mentally took note of the wisdom passed on from their friend and colleague.
It was almost time to place our three Mum’s to be in the spotlight, unbeknown to them with a hurricane of confetti heading their way! But there was just one last thing I wanted to know - what other item would they recommend to other expectant mothers as a must-have in their wardrobe? Without hesitation, they all answered simultaneously “A COMFY BRA!!!”.
Right, well we’ll get looking into that one then girls!!
Thank you for reading.
Love Always,
Team Tillett xx
Author: Sheryl Gibson-Hill
