Striped maxi dress (nursing + bump friendly) by the sea

Thanks to everyone who helped me choose this look on Instagram! I had tried on a number of pieces from Express lately and narrowed my picks down to this tie waist utility romper and this striped maxi dress. Both are chic, available in petites, and nursing-friendly (the dress is also bump-friendly) so I had a tough time choosing! The maxi dress won the popular vote, but since the romper also got a lot of love, below is a fit photo again.

I tried on my usual size xxs petite in the romper and found the torso length and bottom length to be a little short (I’m a mom now … no more hot pants lol). One size up was a more comfortable fit. If you wear regular sizing, I don’t think you would need to size up, but petite ladies who are my height (5′) or taller might want to do so in petite sizing.

This very lightweight maxi dress has a crossover ruffled front hem, and floats airily when you walk. I agree with the other reviews from shorter ladies that the stripes are elongating, and the ruffles drape and flow well so don’t add excess bulk. The elastic band across the top on this dress is wide and flat, so it actually stays in place whether you wear it on the shoulder (see photo below) or off the shoulder. There’s also a slip skirt underneath that ends above the knees. This would be a beautiful vacation or weekend event piece, and can also be dressed down for backyard barbecues with a denim jacket.

Length-wise, I’m about 5 feet tall and this dress in petites is a little long on me to wear with flats. Since the waistband is elasticized, one old trick I like to do is to pull the elastic higher up my waist and fold extra torso fabric over the waistband, as pictured below. This will raise the hem and shorten the dress a few inches, and you can add a skinny waist belt to keep it in place (the belt will be hidden by the fabric that’s folded over). For my expecting mamas, I also tried this dress on with a pillow stuffed underneath to see if it’d be bump friendly, and it’s actually quite cute with the elastic waistband worn above a “bump”!

Since I always get undergarment questions, I usually wear my adhesive nippies, but for easy nursing access I’d recommend a simple stretch bandeau style bra that you can just pull down to breastfeed in.

Here’s how it looks worn on the shoulder:

Thank you to Express for partnering on this post. You can use code 7416 for $25 off $100 either in-store or online (see coupon terms and conditions).