When Dancer Girl first got her brace it was clear the immediate need was for pants. Her current t-shirts and sweatshirts would suffice for covering the top short-term but none of her pants fit over the brace.
The fashion challenges:
1. The brace extends down in the back, sort of mid-pocket range.
2. The extended piece wraps around one hip.
3. It has a higher part right into the armpit on one side.
4. There are three large, bulky velcro straps in the back.
5. Dancer Girl is very tall and quite slim.
Our fashion solutions for pants
1. When possible we got the same or similar pants in two different sizes - one for in brace, one for out. That way, if she needs to take the brace off she can avoid a complete wardrobe change.
2. Bigger pant sizes for the brace can mean wider legs. If you want to go for a narrower leg, try jeggings or pencil style. They are harder to get on and off in the brace but do still keep a slimmer look so it's a trade-off. A slimmer styled boot-cut can also work well and will be easier to get on & off.
3. Darker colors were better than lighter ones for concealing the lower part in the back.4. Designs on the pockets also help conceal the line of the brace in the back.
5. A belt is good to help keep the pants in place - it provides security and can look good too.
6. I have read on other blogs that some girls like to wear leggings, yoga pants, and other stretchy materials over the brace. Dancer Girl is not really into those styles outside of dance class but I would imagine they could work quite well with a longer top that covers the bottom part of the brace.Problems we encountered:
1. We bought a really cute pair of pants that fit over the brace but find that when she sits down the waistband is just low enough that it falls below the bottom velcro strap. It gets caught when she stands back up.
2. It was very tiring for her to get pants on & off with the brace on in a small changing room. Make sure you have lots of time to spend and take breaks if you need it.
3. Not all sizes are created equally!! Even within the same brand, different styles sometimes fit very differently. Grab a range of sizes and styles before heading to the dressing room!
4. She is two sizes apart in her brace and out, but we found that a fit over the brace didn't automatically mean a smaller size would fit well without the brace.
5. She has to pull the pants higher over the brace than she would otherwise wear them to get it over the bottom velcro strap. That makes the pants a bit shorter so you might need to search for longer styles.
Stores and brands that have worked for us:
1. For pants we have had our best luck so far at Kohl's. They have a great selection and often have items on sale. Plus, with a Kohl's card you often get 15% off just for using the card.2. Wallflower brand faded bootcut jeans, (the "Curvy" line ironically!), was a favorite - trendy but not over the top.
3. Other brands we found that worked include: Rewind, Lauren Conrad, and Sonoma.
I have a boston brace too and I found out that high-waist jeans work great! For me, jeans that sat on the hips or below would scooch down while I was sitting (even with a belt) and then get stuck below the brace. That was really embarrassing at school! The jeans I got were from Delia's and they were called Skylar High-Waist. I hope this helps! I like reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the high-waist idea. We will be sure to check that out next time we shop for pants. Glad you like the blog!
ReplyDeletejeans were something we had to give up for a long time, and then I found something that was great! American Eagle sells "super high waisted" jeans! they go up and over the middle strap, and do not fall down at all. Plus, they are super stretchy, so they fit her both with and without the brace. Maybe a little big, but nothing crazy. best find for her in a long time...middle school is hard enough for a girl (with autism, nonetheless!) to fit in, so being able to wear things that are style is awesome.
ReplyDeleteGreat tip - thanks for sharing!
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