Changing form - Finding Concert Clothes that Fit
I'll never forget when I was rushing to one of my first gigs postpartum a few months after my second was born. I was living in a suburb of Paris and I had spent the morning running from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for medication for my infant (in France when you get a prescription you are responsible for finding it and bringing it to your appointment!). I was preparing to rush out the door to catch an Uber so that I could squeeze in one extra nursing session, and getting dressed, I realized that my maternity pants were too loose to stay up but my former concert pants were too tight to button. Ugh. In a slight panic I threw on a long black top and the too-loose pants hoping for the best. Why didn’t I consider this dilemma sooner? With my first child there were no concerts the year after his birth - born as an early-pandemic baby. Now having to wear concert black, I was finding I had nothing adequate for the postpartum phase - it had been so difficult to find maternity concert black in the first place.
The postpartum body feels like an elusive and ignored part of common maternity discussion. It is clear about what to expect from pregnancy: from building up fat, protein, and other nutrients to grow a little human being, growing an entirely new organ (the placenta - woah baby), and putting on pounds of water weight and other liquids, etc. Then in the days after giving birth it is one wild ride: uterine contractions while breastfeeding, the milk coming in (I was totally unaware of the painful milk delivery!) among other physical changes. Oh and probably an emotional roller coaster too!
In the months that follow, every woman is different but it can be really difficult finding what clothes work for that new (and sometimes unrecognizable) body. As a classical musician, finding concert black attire that actually fits, is dressy enough, comfortable, and accommodates maternity & nursing can feel like a wild goose chase. Perhaps concert clothes that may work are too expensive and it’s hard to justify buying clothes that we can only wear for a very short period of time. Or we waste time and money on cheap clothing - I once bought a long black maternity dress of an unknown brand online and returned it the very next day - the fabric was stiff, cheap, and it did not fit well at all.
“So the question is, why is it so hard to find concert black for maternity and beyond, especially pieces that can be long-lasting, and carry a tired mama through all the different stages? “
Recently I connected on instagram with Mercedes Smith (@blackstrad),, principal flute player of the Utah Symphony and founder of Blackstrad, a clothing line specifically for concert attire for professional musicians. After sharing my struggles about finding concert black for maternity and nursing, she actually added to her collection a beautiful maternity long, long-sleeved black dress! She said that inclusivity is important to the company, as is quality, breathable, eco-friendly materials and I was thrilled to be able to test out this dress in my own concerts.
This Blackstrad maternity dress solves the problem of not being able to button pants anymore (and is much more comfortable than pants), it is stretchy, breathable, long without having a slit, and I can confirm has great access for breastfeeding. When I put it on it fit perfectly and was clearly made from quality material. It is the type of dress you could keep wearing for years to come - it is that classy.
If you are a performing mama in any stage of maternity or postpartum, here’s a dress that you can trust - thank you Mercedes at Blackstrad! I absolutely recommend this dress and I’m looking forward to wearing it often.
Do you have any less-than-glamorous experiences trying to find concert clothing in your maternity or postpartum journey?
Share below and check out Blackstrad here and on Instagram at @blackstrad!
