The meltdown

My hubby and I planned to attend one of the Caribbean Premier League’s (CPL) cricket matches being staged in our country’s capital, Port of Spain, one Thursday afternoon. As any fashion oriented woman, I need to plan my outfits ahead of time, as a way to get dressed in a timely manner on the day of the event. Thursday afternoon came; I put on my outfit and was in the middle of putting on my makeup when the doorbell rang. It was my cousin and her two young daughters. I was excited to see them because this was my first time seeing the girls having recently returned to Trinidad after living abroad for some time.

I had a few minutes to spare so I played and chatted with the bunch. They soon left and I went back to dressing only to discover that my top had gotten soiled from the merriment.  I had to change outfits because I didn’t have enough time to wash and dry it. I opened my cupboard full of nothing, and began to go through my tops. There was nothing in my cupboard that could either fit or was appropriate for the setting. By now my husband was ready to leave the house and I was topless. Panic ensued and the tears began to fall. I was in the middle of a fashion meltdown. I can laugh at it now, but it really didn’t seem funny at the time. As much as I knew I was pregnant and the day would come where I would have to fully transition from my regular clothing to maternity wear, I did not realize that that day would be today.

As your body changes during your pregnancy, you will need to go shopping for a variety of things e.g. new clothing, nursing pads panty liners etc. If you’re an avid shopper like me, you’ll jump at the opportunity to shop for anything.  After all, you’ll finally have a valid reason that no one will refute. After my meltdown, my husband was all game for me going shopping.

Now I consider myself to be a clothing connoisseur. Fashion on the whole interests me, but there is nothing that I love more than clothing. I look at everything from design, fabric and notion selection, the stitching and then I look at the price to see if it makes sense. Now I can judge on price simply because my mom was a part time seamstress for over two decades and I was her little assistant. I know the costs of patterns, various fabrics, notions, what machine might have been used, the time and cost of labor for a particular design etc. I cannot be fooled when it comes to clothing!! So imagine my disappointment when it came to maternity shopping.

Firstly, I decided to look for maternity clothing in my country, Trinidad and Tobago. What a complete waste of time!!! Don’t get me wrong, there are stores that say they sell maternity clothing, however, by my standards, their buyers need to be shot. Yes, shot! The styles and prints are not even fit for my 93 year old grandmother to wear. Mind you, I just turned 30 this year, so I will not be caught dead in that shit. The next problem with the fabric selection was that most garments were not properly lined or stitched, so one round through my washing machine and I would need to go shopping again, i.e. the clothing would be in tatters. This finally leads me to the price! Who is the genius that decided that a garment that would only be worn for 4-5 months (because most women don’t need new clothing in their first trimester) should cost more than clothing that I’ll wear for several years (especially if they’re hideous!)???? Really??

 Retailers I need better than that. I think I deserve better than that! I’m not a vagrant begging for a piece of clothing. I’m a swanky, shopaholic who is having a baby and simply wants something to meet my taste level. I feel as though retailers equate pregnancy to something that I should be ashamed of. I’m with child! I feel lucky! You know how many women are unable to have children. I feel so blessed, I want to celebrate it! So I need clothing to match my taste level and mind set. Can you get on board with that? Or should I just keep my money and denounce your pathetic ‘findings’? Get it together if you want to have longevity in this business.

This then led me to online purchasing, as I didn’t have the time to physically go overseas to shop. However, most overseas stores now have online stores, so I really wasn’t missing anything by not being physically present. Some stores fell into the T&T category, while others ‘hit the mark.’ “I could work with this!” is what I exclaimed to myself when I saw something particularly attractive. Then I glanced at the price and let out an incredible sigh of disgust. “$169US for a dress! Are u f&%king kidding me?” I exclaimed. I’m in my 7^th month of pregnancy and now need new clothing for the first time, so you’re telling me for a dress that I will only wear for 2-3 months, I must pay that price?” Sorry I’m no Ivanka Trump or Kardashian. Oh did I mention that these items were not even high end brands!

Meltdown number two took place. Tears began to flow. It seemed as though my cupboard was empty and probably going to stay that way and that I would have to resort to wearing garbage bags.

So what did I learn? I learned that designers and manufacturers are making clothing for the dirt poor and the upper class. If you’re middle class you’re in trouble, because you’ll either need to pretend to live above your means and fork out that extra dinero or be prepared to look and feel like shit. As if your hormones don’t already have you feeling like shit. Sigh.

If there’s anybody out there listening. My hubby and I plan on having at least two children. There is time for a designer/manufacturer to make stylish, affordable, transitional maternity wear for the middle class community.  I also did research and spoke to 100 Trinbagonian women who felt like I did, and I’m sure if I speak with 100 more, locally and internationally, they will share my sentiment. Please don’t let another pregnant women have a meltdown. There is a market for this product!

Add a spark to your life.

Love, CT