Moot Thoughts & Musings

So this weekend, I have ventured forth on my quest in full force.

Earlier in the week, I stopped off at the Old Navy and Gap outlets on my way home from school (they're closer to Baton Rouge), but they didn't have maternity sections. In fact, none of the outlet stores had maternity. Scratch.

BUT one the Gap employees at the outlet recommended a store at a mall in Baton Rouge. Her exact words were, "They have a really great maternity section." So yesterday, despite the pouring down rain, Erica and I made use of our class-free Friday afternoon and went to the mall. It turned out that the really great maternity section was a couple shelves of over-priced unseasonal clothes. Even the stuff on sale was way too expensive, not that I would've wanted it. I simply can't buy sweaters, it doesn't get cold enough here for it to be worth it. We did have fun ogling our way through Baby Gap, though. I think it's the first time I've been able to get at and coo over cute baby stuff. (Since Chris really isn't the cooing type.) Scratch.

We also looked at a couple of other stores in the mall. Nothing. My favorite part was when Erica loudly said, "Is that a dress or a shirt?" It pretty much sums up my whole view of the maternity clothes enterprise. Ha! Scratch.

I did get directions to an Old Navy with maternity. So after several wrong turns and missed quirky turns and pouring rain, I finally made it. I was so discouraged by this point that I practically wept for joy when the Old Navy actually had a maternity section! They had great stuff. I especially like how they turned the awful waistband into an opportunity for style, with a fun floral print. I was able to pick up a couple of Tshirts and another tank, which were all on sale. I wanted to get a pair of pants, too, but they were still a bit on the pricey side, and I thought I'd try a few more options before spending the extra money. Because a good pair of casual pants or jeans is what I reallly need now! Scratch.

Chris promised to brave the Thrift store market with me today. I haven't been much a of thrift store person here in NOLA, because I just haven't been able to find good stuff the times I've gone. I think successful thrift stores depend on the area feeding into it. Imagine St. Elmo feeding into a thrift store and that's New Orleans. Not entirely bad, but not really great stuff either. I didn't find anything. And what irked me even more was that at the Salvation Army, maternity was incorporated in the Plus sizes. Upon closer scrutiny, it wasn't even normal maternity, rather Plus maternity. :-S But Chris found a couple things, so the trip wasn't entirely wasted. Scratch.

So we drove around a little more to see if we could find thrift stores that we hadn't thought of in Uptown the uptown area where the all the wealthy people live. As we were driving down the road, we wondered why cars were stopped, and then realized there was a parade going on! Oh yea, Mardi Gras starts this weekend! St. Charles Ave. is a two-lane road with the street car line going down the middle. The parade was one side, and we could drive on the other. It was fun driving along the parade route with the windows down watching floats going by tossing beads, and high school bands strutting their stuff. I love living in New Orleans.

Anyway. So after a couple of entirely frustrating and discouraging days of maternity clothes shopping, I have a few quibbles with the maternity clothes industry. For one thing, only one part of your body changes drastically and needs accomodation, the belly. With this simple fact in mind, the maternity clothes industry could be greatly reformed. Everything else stays the same, just add room for the belly. So you don't need an A-line shirt, your back isn't growing, too. Also, maternity does not mean plus size. You don't need something much bigger anywhere else except the belly. So conflating maternity and plus is not helpful. Why are these simple truths so hard to find in practice!!!??!?!

Upon conclusion, I would like to post a Desperate Plea. If anyone has summer maternity clothes in size small or extra-small (for tops--I'm only 5'2" remember--although small will still work in the tops category. Medium is way too big.) and you would be willing to lend them to me until July, I would be more than willing to pay postage and take very good care of them and mail them back to you as soon I can get to the post office after having the baby. I now have two Tshirts and two tanks with shelf-bra. So pants are next on my list of things I need to start feeling more comfortable. My email is jjone84[at]lsu[dot]edu, if you would be willing.

In other news: I think I'm starting to feel Elvis move. :-)

UPDATE: Yes, I have tried Target last weekend. I got a decent pair of black pants there on sale, which will be good for teaching. Our Target really has a dearth of selection, though. And they, too, have the unfortunate view that maternity and plus sizes should be conflated. Not so!! It was very difficult sorting through their maternity section, even with Chris's able hands. I was really disappointed, because just walking by it seems that they have a good section, but not really, at least at ours...