More of Me Maternity Please

Saturday I got to meet local designer Jessica Boulanger, the creative talent behind the DC-based More of Me Maternity. The designer appeared at a trunk show at Bethesda boutique Daisy Too showcasing her very first collection for More of Me Maternity--a summer line of dresses, tanks and maxis suitable for moms-to-be or not. Leave it to Daisy Too owner Fabiana Zelaya to find the best new mom-to-be lines to add to her shop. (But of course she would. She's expecting a baby herself in August.) Jessica, a former press secretary for Rep. Roy Blunt, just had her second baby in May and was in the store showcasing her line of dresses that, really, are way too chic to only wear for nine months. "I wanted them to look non-maternity but it's that fit that's so important...You really need that maternity fit," she says. I remember stuffing myself into "regular" clothes not wanting to invest in a whole new (and back then slightly weird) wardrobe during my pregnancy. Now women can wear Jessica's designs from "Yes, You're having a baby" till long after "It's a boy/girl!" Jessica was wearing a blue jersey maxi that was far more flattering than most filling stores right now. The cut is slimming, the V-neckline flattering, with "bra-friendly" straps to keep things neat. Her "Cupcake Tanks," are tank tops cut a bit longer for moms-to-be-- or women like me with long torsos. The line also features silk dresses and a linen dress that comes in a shimmery champagne or Jessica's signature orange that work with or without a baby bump. I wish these existed when I was in the baby biz. But I would get the maxi-dress now anyway. And, there are no babies looming on this horizon.