Full boobs, thick stomach, can’t lose (either of them right now). It’s a postpartum girl summer over here, which means I am uncomfortable in every sense of the word when it comes to my body. My breast size is out of control, my ass Irish-goodbye’d months ago and hasn’t been seen since, and getting dressed in this state is what I imagine Hell to be like — just every hour of every day is you in a too-small dressing room with terrible lighting, putting on clothes that feel and look like shit and stepping out to show Satan who’s sitting in a chair, casually sipping his iced mocha and guffawing over how terrible clothes look on you for infinity.
Anyway, I’m doing GREAT! Why do you ask?
While I HATE buying new clothes in this freshly postpartum stage, I have to otherwise I will quite literally have nothing to wear besides sweatpants, which I love but aren’t exactly built for summer and give “I’ve given up” at daycare drop-off and pick-up, and we can’t have that. So I decided to lean into linen this summer because, while linen wrinkles the second you lay eyes on it, it’s one of the most forgiving fabrics, and I need a lot of forgiveness right now.
I’ve ordered from Quince in the past and haven’t been blown away by any of the pieces I’ve received (pretty sure I returned them all), BUT they have a great selection of linen so I decided to revisit the clothes that look expensive but aren’t brand, and now my entire summer wardrobe is Quince linen. No joke. There are a few other pieces sprinkled in, but the majority is Quince.
Now, I wanted to put together a quite reel of me “modeling” all the items I’m about to share with y’all but the thing is, I am 7 weeks postpartum and only have help with my newborn two days a week, so doing my makeup and hair and changing in and out of outfits and acting like I don’t have a care in the world on camera is NOT IN THE CARDS. So you’ll just have to take my word on all the clothes I’m about to share. I also have a handful of non-linen items I’ve recently acquired that I feel deserve a shoutout, too.
Let’s go.
Quince Linen
Shorts
Something highly irritating right now (there are so many things) is that I am between sizes. My chest is an XL, my waist is a L, and my hips are a M, so nothing fits how it should (SO FUN!). These linen shorts are fabulous, though, even if the large is a little too big and the medium is a little small. I got them in three colors (brown gingham, flax, and french blue) and plan to wear them into the ground all summer. Depending on the day, I will fold the waistband over once for a slightly better fit, and even though the large is a bit too big, they’re still great.
Button Downs
I don’t know what it is, but I’ve always looked and felt good in button downs. I went through a phase my senior year of college where I bought every flannel button down I could and referred to it as “fem flan” (feminine flannel). I’ve graduated a bit and go for more classic button down styles now, and these linen button downs by Quince are fucking fantastic. Roll the sleeves up and French tuck it into the linen shorts for a whole lewk. I got the white, french blue, and blue and white stripe.
Pullover Shirts
For a more summer-friendly version of a long-sleeve button down, these are the answer. God, they are SO GOOD. Short-sleeves, breezy, easy. And the collar and open neckline make you look put together even when you just had your fifth sobbing breakdown of the week!!! Pull this shirt over your head and forget all your troubles.
GAP Linen
These linen shorts by GAP are not only adorable but their sizing makes it so I take a medium, which makes me happy on the most shallow of levels. They’re a bit longer, too, which my mom bod LOVES. I got the red and black and even though the cut is bit more conservative, even Zac was like “Those look so cool.” TRUST ME!
Old Navy Linen
Dude, these cropped linen pants from Old Navy are so good that I’ve only been able to find ONE color in my size. They are basically sold out across the board, but you may get lucky — you never know. Grab whatever color you can in your size!
Madewell Linen
I treated my current body to ONE dress, and it’s this linen one from Madewell. I love the neckline and also love the white stripes down the sides of the dress; they make it more casual and approachable with a touch of flair.
Non-Linen that I Actually Love
The following items are not made with linen but have joined my current summer wardrobe regardless.
This v-neck t-shirt by Madewell is literally the perfect fit on me, and I am LIVID that every single color besides white is sold out in my size (large). I think this is a tee they’ve had forever and I’ve just slept on it, so I missed out on buying every color variety for myself. I actually got TWO of the white because it’s so good, I’m not willing to risk one getting ruined and not having a backup. Yeah — it’s serious.
Speaking of t-shirts, the owner of the nail salon I frequent was wearing what looked like the perfect oversized tee last time I was there, so I asked her about it and she led me to these Old Navy tunic tees. Needless to say, she has my business forever because these long-ass tees are a postpartum woman’s DREAM. Or a regular woman. Or a pregnant woman. Literally any woman. They are just the best, tucked in or worn out. I got 4 colors because I have no chill.
I’ve always loved a bike short/running short layering situation. Like, I love the flow of a running short but the security of a tight bike short underneath, and these Amazon shorts answer my very desperate call. They’re perfect for summer and even better for whenever I start exercising again (hopefully soon).
I couldn’t resist these red and blue striped jogging shorts by Clare V. Like are you kidding me? I didn’t get the matching sweatshirt because it has no place in Texas summers, but the shorts came home with me. AND I took a medium in them, so they run a little big (YAY!). I’m excited to have a “fun” pair of shorts to add to my otherwise neutral pile.
Lastly, this is your reminder to buy a pair of Aerie’s pull-on denim shorts right now if you didn’t last summer. THEY ARE EVERYTHING, and they’re on sale right now as I write this. Don’t think — just do.
Shop ‘til you drop (the baby weight)!
xox,
EGM
Just ordered four of the linen button downs from Quince! Thanks for the rec.