Introducing, The Dress
When I was pregnant with my twins I found shopping for maternity clothes surprisingly fun - I mean what a great reason to add to your wardrobe and adopt a new style. There is an amazing world of Instagram, Pinterest and fashion blogs dedicated to ‘styling the bump.’ I loved scrolling for ideas on how to mix my ‘normal’ clothes with my maternity clothes, and attempted a comfortable spin on Parisian ‘layered chic.’ I discovered the joy of spandex waisted jeans, and embraced long cardigans, rouched jersey tanks, and piles of long necklaces.
But after the twins were born and I wanted to be a fashionable mama on the go, I was at a total loss for what to wear. I was breastfeeding and pumping, and couldn’t find anything that was both flattering or functional. I scoured the interwebs for tips, but I sadly learned that most women get by with either draping themselves with layers of scarves to hide their exposed boobs/nursing baby, or “cutting boob-holes in old tank tops and then layer with a button-down shirt for easy breastfeeding access.”
This was PPDD - Postpartum-Dressing-Depressing!
What were all the #ladybosses wearing when they returned back to work and had to pump a few times a day? Did they untie their wrap dresses and go frontal in the pumping room? Or did they sit in a bathroom stall with their blouses unzipped and rolled up? How did the chic yummy mummies breastfeed over brunch? How was one supposed to pump on a cross-country flight or a 4 hour road trip? Luckily I was living in London where statutory maternity leave was 1 year, so I had time to do lots of research and survey all the mummy FB groups.
After coming up empty-handed I started sketching how to re-engineer the traditional dresses and tops that are the staples of every professional women’ wardrobe. My goal was to create a perfect capsule that would get women through the breastfeeding and pumping months until they could go back to their ‘normal’ wardrobe. In between tandem-feeding the twins, and changing a million nappies, I day-dreamed about how to engineer tops that would open with magnets and invisible curved zippers.
My design parameters were simple: the pieces must be washable (no mom has time for dry cleaning or hand washing), the pieces must enable easy exposure for feeding/pumping, the design must allow for double feeding / pumping (shout out to all the twin mamas out there!), the pieces must keep the tummies covered, and perhaps most importantly, the designs must be flattering and make the mamas feel gorgeous and confident.
Breastfeeding is becoming normalized through the lens of down-to-earth Insta feeds of celebs like Chrissy Tiegen and the Rachel McAdams. Mamava pods are popping up in airports, and Spectra and Willow are releasing more portable and powerful pumps that women can wear on the go. The basic infrastructure to empower women to ‘have it all’ is slowly being developed. But we still need to reimagine clothing design that will make breastfeeding and pumping more feasible anywhere and everywhere. The average woman in America returns to work within 3 months of giving birth, and 1 in 4 return within 10 days. This hardworking #ladyboss deserves to look great and feel comfortable while pumping for her baby at work.
Our initial product, The Dress, is the ultimate LBD for the modern mama.
Designed for the mom who pumps at work, the mom who pumps on a flight, the mom who wants a date night, the mom who needs a girls night, the mom who brunches and breastfeeds, the mom whose new boobs just won’t fit into any of her old clothes…
The Dress - for the woman who wants it all.
The Dress is made with a gorgeous washable jersey sourced from a family-run factory in France. Our patent-pending design features hidden magnets and a duel wrap-design to allow for discreet breastfeeding and pumping. The lite compression waist band keeps your tummy covered, and the classic V-neckline shows off your amazing new curves while still being office-appropriate. Dress it up, dress it down, its the Little Black Dress that fits every occasion.
Take a peek at The Dress here - our limited edition is on sale now!
If you’re a momma, you’re looking for a gift to spoil a new momma, or you’re just one of our good friends who wants to follow along for the fun photos of our babies on trips to the Garment District, sign-up for our product release announcements and follow our pumped-up Insta journey @thelongestnights #lesolstice
Thanks to all the amazing mamas out there who’ve tested the initial designs, and thanks to all our friends for the feedback, support, and babysitting help over the last year - it really does take a village!
Our first production will ship mid-August. Pre-order for a beautiful mama today, and sign-up to our newsletter to hear about our upcoming product releases.
Please reach out if you have design or size requests, or if you want to be a part of the team! We're just beginning on this journey, and excited to bring function and beauty to the modern mama to make her life just a little bit easier :-)
xoxo
Kate
