Note from Founder:

Dear Readers,

Here is our disclaimer and warning. This article may have components that may upset some readers. Read and proceed with caution. As you know, we welcome all of your feedback and appreciate this platform we have created to exchange our ideas on.  This article was placed in the magazine after very careful consideration. We are all moms in the magazine and I personally very publicly breastfed both my children, one for 22 months and the other for 8.  I want to explain our reasoning to publish this piece as it has become a hot topic in our online community.  We are reader generated and we give a voice to our community and all differing opinions whether we agree with them or not.  As Thomas Jefferson so eloquently said during his inauguration speech, "every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle." So with that said, let the differences of opinion live and let the dialogue continue. It is also worth noting that the author  does not suggest that she is against breastfeeding, she is suggesting that new moms do not breastfeed in public. As you know now, I did indeed breastfeed in public and strongly endorse breastfeeding as we also publish many articles on the benefits of breast feeding. I want to remind everyone, we do not endorse any of our contributors.   We appreciate you for being a part of this dialogue.
To sisterhood, Hulya

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Simple Tips for Always looking Fashionable

Many women, including some new moms, reflect their self-esteem in what they wear. Because many new moms gain more weight than they may ever have before during their pregnancy, they are unused to their new body shape and often become very self-conscious, reflecting that self-consciousness in how they dress.


Hiding their new body shape sounds like a good idea, but it isn’t. Facing reality is actually the best idea. You gained weight because you brought a little baby angel to the world, not because you ate too much cheese. There’s no shame in that at all. People understand and respect that. New moms become exhausted from dealing with all the many considerations that go into raising a newborn and they become over-stressed from dealing with their new life. They barely have more than three hours a night to sleep and, of course, they don't have time or energy to think about fashion.

None of these are good excuses to dress poorly. Women should always strive for elegance. No matter what situation you are in, you must always keep your head up and remain poised. The secret is, as long as you care about yourself a little bit more, as long as you don’t yell out,“I am not a woman anymore. I am a mom,” you can always look stylish.

Here are some of my basic fashion tips for new moms :
• Don’t breast feed in public. I am sorry and feel awful saying it, but, to me, it really is unacceptable. I am glad that I don’t see that very often, but when I do it makes me queasy. There is absolutely nothing beautiful or stylish about breast feeding in public.

• Take your baby shopping in small-sized boutiques. The best time is early on a weekday morning. There are usually few customers in the store (around lunch is the busiest time), so you will get as much help as you need.

• No need to spend too much money on one item (other than shoes). The reason is obvious: You will lose weight soon, and these larger than your normal sizes are only temporary. Right?

• Wear solid, subtle colors or small prints instead of bright colors or big floral prints, which only make you look bigger than you are.

• Cotton and jersey is better than silk or polyester. They are soft, breath well and are machine washable. Beautiful as they are, babies can be messy.

• Put anything white aside for a while, for practical reasons. Stains on white materials stand out like beacons.

• Avoid low V-neck tops, especially when you are nursing.

• No mom-jeans! Mom-jeans are unflattering, poorly fitted jeans having a high waist a few inches above the belly button. Low-rise jeans might be uncomfortable for you now, so it is okay to wear high-waist jeans. No matter where the waist falls on you though, the jeans have to be flattering, fitted, and nicely washed or treated. Boot cut and straight legs are good choices.

• Diaper bags don’t lie. You think nobody notices your diaper bag? Wrong. You may dress stylishly, but if your diaper bag is encrusted with dirt and stains, all your effort to look good is for naught. You want to find a couple of light weight, fun print, large-sized, machine washable totes and rotate them to match your outfits. I am talking about those real tote bags with shapes. Not the ones you can fold up to save five cents when you buy groceries.

Remember when we just got out of college, poor and confused, but we still went through all the celebrity fashion magazines? Those celebrities you used to emulate are mostly moms now. Do the same thing, go through some magazines and see how they dress. Even if you can’t live their lavish lives, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to emulate their fashionable looks in your special way.

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KAREN SHU DEGATEGNO’S career spans television, film, media communications, and the international fashion industry. She is the author of NYC Fashion Book magazine for Gossip Girl Simplified Chinese edition. Its online magazine nycfashionbook.com has subscribers from over 20 countries.