Author: Amy Tara Koch
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: March 9, 2011
Format: Paperback
Genre: Pregnancy, Fashion, How To
How I Got It: I bought it
Goodreads Summary:
The key to pregnancy chic? Creativity. Effort. And a commitment to pushing the sartorial envelope even when you’d rather crawl back under the sheets with a box of doughnuts. But don’t let “thigh” anxiety drive you to sneakers and plus-size velour tracksuits. It’s time to turn nine months of potential frump into mega maternity moxie.
In this witty and accessible pregnancy primer to all four trimesters, career fashionista and mother of two Amy Tara Koch offers easy ways for moms-to-be to pop out of the preggo pits and pull together dozens of jaw-dropping maternity ensembles—without breaking the bank. This timeless style manifesto features sketches from today’s most popular fashion designers, including Nicole Miller, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, and Isaac Mizrahi, as well as tips and tricks from Koch and her “A-list”—a roster of fashion editors, beauty gurus, and celebrity stylists. Packed full of clever quizzes, skin care secrets, and a handy glossary of terms that every pregnant woman needs to know, Bump It Up will have you putting on the glitz throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
In this witty and accessible pregnancy primer to all four trimesters, career fashionista and mother of two Amy Tara Koch offers easy ways for moms-to-be to pop out of the preggo pits and pull together dozens of jaw-dropping maternity ensembles—without breaking the bank. This timeless style manifesto features sketches from today’s most popular fashion designers, including Nicole Miller, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, and Isaac Mizrahi, as well as tips and tricks from Koch and her “A-list”—a roster of fashion editors, beauty gurus, and celebrity stylists. Packed full of clever quizzes, skin care secrets, and a handy glossary of terms that every pregnant woman needs to know, Bump It Up will have you putting on the glitz throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
Since I don't tend to make fashion statements normally, I wasn't going to go all out now that I was pregnant. But I had felt like a ragamuffin the last three months of my first pregnancy and wanted to avoid it this time around. You'll find that when you first get pregnant you can't wait to start buying maternity clothes, but when you're awkwardly shaped and you see how much this stuff costs, you definitely don't want to spend that much money for clothes you'll only wear for a few months. I was very attracted to the line "pull together dozens of jaw-dropping maternity ensembles—without breaking the bank." Most of my maternity clothes were fall/winter clothes (yes, it gets cold in Kuwait) and it was not going to work in hot, humid Dubai. I needed to buy new maternity clothes but I wanted to be smart and non ragamuffin-y about it.
I am not a die hard fashonista but Bump It Up definitely had some helpful tips. Koch recommends several silhouettes (with pictures) that work well with each trimester. Here's where the effort comes in: you have to play around with clothes at the store to figure out which silhouettes work with your body type. Koch reminds readers that even pregnant they still have to dress for their body type and she includes suggestions for masking problem areas and making the most of your baby bump. Once you've figured out what silhouettes work for you, you need to create a base wardrobe, or uniform. This is what I really liked about Bump It Up, Koch shows readers how to create a lot of new looks using the 7-10 uniform pieces/outfits in your maternity wardrobe and dress it up with accessories and some your non maternity items. (Mostly I felt guilt free because I had a book backing up some of non-maternity purchases a few weeks ago.) I also really liked that she points out specific materials to look for or avoid based on how they flatter or accentuate problem areas. Some of her recommendations just won't work for me (I'm not going to turn chain belts into necklaces, layer brightly colored tights and fishnets, or wear "pregnancy shaping garments") but I walked away with enough basic clothing information to be happy with my purchase of the book.
Koch also includes a smattering of dietary, skin care, and makeup suggestions. I waited until the 13th week to tell people I was pregnant, and while I could hide all of the barfing, I couldn't hide the nearly 4 kilos I had suddenly lost (I lost 1 kilo in a week). People kept telling me I looked exhausted and haggard. Gee, thanks. I used some of the "Jessica Alba Effect" faux glow tips because I basically like buying makeup even though I suck at applying it. I tried the easy to follow tips (if I can do it then my 3 year old neighbor can do it) and while I didn't look like Jessica Alba's sister (damn!) I looked healthy, alert, and most importantly, not haggard.
Koch has a fun writing style and her whole tone is about making the pregnant woman feel good and confident during an exciting but sometimes difficult time. Unfortunately there were two guest blurbs that seemed a bit harsh and jarring in general, but especially after Koch's affable and supportive tone. Jill Kargman, listed as a "chick-lit author", avoided buying maternity clothes by shopping in "the fat sections of stores" (p.53). Seriously? Women feel topsy turvy, have to buy all new clothes because of needed weight gain, are seriously self conscious and your going to call them, or anyone for that matter, "fat"? But the one that really flipped my lid was the Vogue accessories editor, Filipa Fino. Fino says that Europeans "don't gain eighty pounds when they're pregnant. Eating junk and deciding to look like a slob during pregnancy is a choice." (p.18). Yeah, just like being a shallow, raging bitch is also a choice.
While not all of Koch's advice and suggestions are going to work for everyone, there were a lot of helpful suggestions and ideas. I'm sure just about anybody would take something useful away after reading this book. From how to pair down your closet to what you can wear now and later, pulling up out of season items that will work, to investing in the necessities, this was a helpful book. I really liked that specific clothing, make up, or skin care items were listed (though some are quite expensive) as well as mentioning what ingredients you must avoid during pregnancy. Koch could be a bit repetitive, "sartorial" was used way too much and she kind of beats readers over the head with the accessorizing idea, but there are no major complaints. I finished this book quickly and have since gone back to double check different sections.
I am not a die hard fashonista but Bump It Up definitely had some helpful tips. Koch recommends several silhouettes (with pictures) that work well with each trimester. Here's where the effort comes in: you have to play around with clothes at the store to figure out which silhouettes work with your body type. Koch reminds readers that even pregnant they still have to dress for their body type and she includes suggestions for masking problem areas and making the most of your baby bump. Once you've figured out what silhouettes work for you, you need to create a base wardrobe, or uniform. This is what I really liked about Bump It Up, Koch shows readers how to create a lot of new looks using the 7-10 uniform pieces/outfits in your maternity wardrobe and dress it up with accessories and some your non maternity items. (Mostly I felt guilt free because I had a book backing up some of non-maternity purchases a few weeks ago.) I also really liked that she points out specific materials to look for or avoid based on how they flatter or accentuate problem areas. Some of her recommendations just won't work for me (I'm not going to turn chain belts into necklaces, layer brightly colored tights and fishnets, or wear "pregnancy shaping garments") but I walked away with enough basic clothing information to be happy with my purchase of the book.
Koch also includes a smattering of dietary, skin care, and makeup suggestions. I waited until the 13th week to tell people I was pregnant, and while I could hide all of the barfing, I couldn't hide the nearly 4 kilos I had suddenly lost (I lost 1 kilo in a week). People kept telling me I looked exhausted and haggard. Gee, thanks. I used some of the "Jessica Alba Effect" faux glow tips because I basically like buying makeup even though I suck at applying it. I tried the easy to follow tips (if I can do it then my 3 year old neighbor can do it) and while I didn't look like Jessica Alba's sister (damn!) I looked healthy, alert, and most importantly, not haggard.
Koch has a fun writing style and her whole tone is about making the pregnant woman feel good and confident during an exciting but sometimes difficult time. Unfortunately there were two guest blurbs that seemed a bit harsh and jarring in general, but especially after Koch's affable and supportive tone. Jill Kargman, listed as a "chick-lit author", avoided buying maternity clothes by shopping in "the fat sections of stores" (p.53). Seriously? Women feel topsy turvy, have to buy all new clothes because of needed weight gain, are seriously self conscious and your going to call them, or anyone for that matter, "fat"? But the one that really flipped my lid was the Vogue accessories editor, Filipa Fino. Fino says that Europeans "don't gain eighty pounds when they're pregnant. Eating junk and deciding to look like a slob during pregnancy is a choice." (p.18). Yeah, just like being a shallow, raging bitch is also a choice.
While not all of Koch's advice and suggestions are going to work for everyone, there were a lot of helpful suggestions and ideas. I'm sure just about anybody would take something useful away after reading this book. From how to pair down your closet to what you can wear now and later, pulling up out of season items that will work, to investing in the necessities, this was a helpful book. I really liked that specific clothing, make up, or skin care items were listed (though some are quite expensive) as well as mentioning what ingredients you must avoid during pregnancy. Koch could be a bit repetitive, "sartorial" was used way too much and she kind of beats readers over the head with the accessorizing idea, but there are no major complaints. I finished this book quickly and have since gone back to double check different sections.
Verdict:
I enjoyed Koch's humorous and conversational tone. All in all, it was a useful, fun, and quick read. I enjoyed the skin care and make up tips the most, but now I have some pretty good ideas on how to create a useful maternity wardrobe without a major investment. While I liked the book, I don't recommend buying it, this is a great one to borrow from a friend or library first. (My anemic pregnancy collection gets a lot of traffic from pregnant coworkers so this was a good purchase for me, but if I'd been in the States I would have picked up at the library.)
Related Links:
Koch has a website that gives you a pretty good feel for the book as well as some tips.
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