Mother of invention: how the all-in-one became mom's new uniform
In an east London church hall, pink overalls covered in red faces wink at me from a corner. Milling by the coffee stand is another pair, this time in blue denim. My blacks crowded with anything are in the wash, otherwise they might be here too. From sandboxes to ball pits, to any baby and toddler playground, someone will wear baggy overalls.
The Lucy & Yak brand, based in Brighton, is leading the charge. Since its launch in 2017, it has become the benchmark in the all-in-one market, in the same way that Zara's polka dot dress ruled floaty daywear in summer 2019.
Straps are a factor. "We often hear that [they] are very popular with new moms," says co-founder Lucy Greenwood, because they're "easy to adjust and loosen for breastfeeding on the go." Some models are appreciated for their absence of a belt, which, she says, “is ideal for changing your body”. Comfort, however, is king. "Naturally that's important for everyone, but especially when you're a new mom." spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-a2pvoh">
Dressing like a new mom is tricky. Even Rihanna found it difficult. As she says in her recent interview for Vogue, "dressing for pregnancy was child's play... But dressing after giving birth, what the hell are you doing?" What indeed. As Rihanna says, “You don't know what to wear. Everything is too small or too big."
While not necessarily to Rihanna's taste, that's where baggy overalls come in. They can seem inelegant and a little infantilizing, but to me they also feel forgiving to a moving body.Without harsh lines or belts, they were gentle on my C-section scar in those first few months.Plus, at the same time.. .
In an east London church hall, pink overalls covered in red faces wink at me from a corner. Milling by the coffee stand is another pair, this time in blue denim. My blacks crowded with anything are in the wash, otherwise they might be here too. From sandboxes to ball pits, to any baby and toddler playground, someone will wear baggy overalls.
The Lucy & Yak brand, based in Brighton, is leading the charge. Since its launch in 2017, it has become the benchmark in the all-in-one market, in the same way that Zara's polka dot dress ruled floaty daywear in summer 2019.
Straps are a factor. "We often hear that [they] are very popular with new moms," says co-founder Lucy Greenwood, because they're "easy to adjust and loosen for breastfeeding on the go." Some models are appreciated for their absence of a belt, which, she says, “is ideal for changing your body”. Comfort, however, is king. "Naturally that's important for everyone, but especially when you're a new mom." spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-a2pvoh">
Dressing like a new mom is tricky. Even Rihanna found it difficult. As she says in her recent interview for Vogue, "dressing for pregnancy was child's play... But dressing after giving birth, what the hell are you doing?" What indeed. As Rihanna says, “You don't know what to wear. Everything is too small or too big."
While not necessarily to Rihanna's taste, that's where baggy overalls come in. They can seem inelegant and a little infantilizing, but to me they also feel forgiving to a moving body.Without harsh lines or belts, they were gentle on my C-section scar in those first few months.Plus, at the same time.. .
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