Post-baby style tips (guest post by Mary)

Mary is a mom and personal stylist who blogs over at Atelier. She has the best tips on classy dressing to compliment your complexion and figure, and I'm so happy that she took time out of her crazy busy life as a mom to guest post today.

Erika has so kindly asked me to write a few words on postpartum style. Awhile back, I wrote this post on general tips for dressing postpartum. Today I want to talk about something more specific: tops. Finding tops that I feel comfortable in and that are flattering is my biggest postpartum challenge. After four children, I've discovered that there are certain styles that camouflage and flatter more than others.

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The Wrap / Crossover: Wrap tops and dresses are almost universally flattering. The v-neck creates some negative space around the face, drawing the eye upward. Also, the area around the tummy has a drape that camouflages lumps and bumps.

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The Bubble Hem: This type of top can be dressy or sporty or casual, but it's defining feature is always a fuller hem at the bottom of the shirt. The fullness may come as a result of the fabric being rolled under then hemmed, or a bit of elastic.

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The Optical Illusion: Patterns that continuously repeat like small stripes, polka dots, or chevrons are useful camouflage tools because they keep the eye moving. A well placed wide stripe at the narrow point beneath the chest can create the illusion of a smaller waist. Color blocking can draw the eyes upward. Just remember, finding the perfect optical illusion will usually take some trying on of tops, because where the graphic, patterns, line, etc. falls on your particular frame can make or break the deal.

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The Boyfriend Tee: Basically a tee that has a looser fit. Despite the name, you don't want to just wear your boyfriend's tee shirt. There is a nuance of cut to the women's shirt monikered "boyfriend," that isn't there in the original.

And just a couple other things to keep in mind:

Choose a bra that fits correctly and keeps the ladies up high.

Don't fall into the trap of trying to camouflage your midsection by buying tops in a sizer bigger than you need. It's always better to buy the correct size in a more forgiving cut.

Avoid tops with hems that fall at the widest point of your thighs, because the eye will be drawn to that point. Be especially careful of this with empire cut tops; in my experience this style tends to be longer.