More Summer Clothes for the Boston Brace

We have now had a few days of really warm weather and are looking forward to many more.  Dancer Girl is still able to handle layers with her Boston Brace although there have been a few days where she ends up fairly hot.  We are looking for, and starting to find, some options for getting rid of some of the layers she usually prefers while still maintaining optimal brace coverage.




This short-sleeved dress we actually found at TJ Maxx!  It is a knit fabric with a subtle stripe design and mixed weaves.

Dancer Girl is wearing it with leggings in this photo but you could easily go without for a cooler feel.

She also opted to wear a lightweight sweater overtop.


You could cover it up with a denim jacket for cool evenings and a more casual look.
















This next outfit works both with the denim jacket layer and without.


Dancer Girl likes the extra layer for more security in hiding the brace but it is not necessary as you can see in the photos.



These items were all found at Kohl's.











This is a fun, flowing, loose-fitting, pretty summer dress from Kohl's.  It comes with an attached slip/camisole layer so you could go without a cover over the brace if you want, if it doesn't snag the fabric.

Dancer Girl is wearing a cream colored Sugar Lips seamless tank under her brace and opted to go without an extra brace cover layer.  It worked well.

She started the day wearing the lightweight green shirt as a coverup along with some leggings.  But taking off the jacket/top also worked well and it was nice to have the option as the day warmed up. She wore this to church and I doubt anyone knew she had a brace on underneath and she got a number of comments on her cute outfit!

Summer Clothes for the Boston Brace

Summer is on it's way!  Today it is near 80 for the 3rd day in a row!  Not entirely typical for New England in May but we are certainly enjoying it!

We bought a few sleeveless summer items for Dancer Girl recently, from Kohl's and H & M.  More are likely on their way as we figure out just what will work best for the warmer weather.



The first is a summer dress from H & M.  It is black with tiny white flecks.  The waist is a thin elastic which provides some fullness as well as a waistline.  It hides the brace lines beautifully because it is dark, has a pattern, and it isn't tight fitting.  It would also look cute with a white or black cropped sweater, or even a denim jacket.  Dancer Girl is wearing a black Sugar Lips seamless tank under the brace.






The second is also from H & M.  it is a flowing tank top, black with small white zigzag stripes.  The pattern hides brace lines amazingly well and the fabric is nice and light. She is wearing the same black tank under her brace for this one.  It looks good with jeans, shorts, or a skirt.  (The jeans in this photo are from Kohl's).








The next three outfits are all from Kohl's.  We found a pretty, flouncy sort of tank top but the back is too revealing for the brace (it has lace and almost a racer back style). BUT, by putting this fun white denim vest jacket over top she found she can wear it with the brace. She was very happy.



This vest is likely going to be a popular item to cover up brace strap lines on days where another layer won't cause her to wilt.






This next one is a very pretty, almost sheer fabric. Dancer Girl is wearing a Sugar Lips seamless white tank under it in this photo but you could also go for one that is more off-white to match the lace.  Because of the delicate fabric she is also wearing another tank/cami over the brace.

The fabric flows so it hides the brace even though it is almost sheer and a light color.  It isn't as concealing as darker colors might be but she is happy enough with it.  The top did come in darker colors (orange and navy blue I think) but this was her favorite.





This last one looks like two tops but it is just one - the layers are attached along the shoulder seam. It is a lightweight fabric and the colors & design do a great job of hiding brace lines.


We know the hot summer days could prove to be rough, but we are on our way to being ready.  Dancer Girl still needs more shorts - she only has one pair right now that fit over her brace!!

Scoliosis Clothing: Part 3

We have found our local Kohl's to be a great place to find a variety of items that fit over our daughter's Boston brace for scoliosis.

Here are a few items we have found for cooler/cold weather;




This is a fairly light fabric but in a dark color to hide brace and velcro strap lines.  It looks nice over a tank top.  The belt adds a waistline that is otherwise hidden by the brace. The shirt can be worn without the belt for a looser fit.









A denim jacket is a great layer over shirts, tanks, long-sleeved tops, etc. and hides the velcro straps well, allowing you to wear a shirt underneath that might not otherwise be a good fit over the brace.  Styles come in a variety of lengths.  We found this one hid all the back straps well.  Shorter ones may not do to the same job so make sure it is long enough.








This pairs a nice, thick, warm sweater with a long-sleeved top.  The sweater has some texture to it with different woven patterns and can be worn open or closed.  The length hides any trace of the brace in the back of the pants.  The shirt has a wavy design on it, front and back, that do hide the brace lines well even without the sweater overtop.








Button-down casual shirts are a terrific layer over t-shirts and tank tops.  They can be worn either open or closed and many have the option of rolling the sleeves up and fastening them in place for a shorter-sleeved look.  These ones have some subtle lines and shape to them which can be seen best from the back.





For more clothing suggestions, check out some of our other posts:
In Scoliosis Clothing: Part 1 we posted about pants we found at Kohl's that work well with her brace.
In addition, Scoliosis Clothing: Part 2 talks about tops we found at H & M, another store where we have had success shopping for brace-appropriate clothing.

Scoliosis clothing: Part 2 (Tops)

Thanks to various blog posts from other teens with scoliosis (see the sidebar for links to some of those) we knew to look for the following when we went shopping for tops:

1. Colors, textures, patterns, and stripes are your friend.
2. Loose, flowing clothes over a tank look very nice.
3. Dark colors can often hide the velcro strap lines better than lighter ones.
4. Layers are a great way to mix and match, and also hide the straps.
5. Wear tops below the hip to hide any brace lines in the pants.
6. A belt can help define a waistline that is otherwise covered by the brace.
7. Try a size up (or two depending on the style) from your regular clothes.

H&M shopping spree:

Sweatshirts and sweaters are a great coverup but don't have to be boring.  We found this nice soft woven one with a hint of a stripe pattern.

If Dancer Girl put her hands in her pockets and pushed down a bit it did pull the sweater in the back and showed the straps, but if she is just wearing it casually it hides it all.




This is a lovely, light, flowing peasant top style with a simple tank underneath.  It is airy so won't be too hot as it gets warmer out.  It came in a few colors but Dancer Girl liked this one the best.  It is long enough to cover any brace lines in the pants.









This is a similar idea for style but adds the element of a pattern to further hide any brace lines.  The material isn't as light as the pink one above but is still not heavy so is a good option for Spring or Fall weather.









Dancer Girl loves this T-shirt.  The pattern in front hides any lines from the brace and it has a slightly slimmer fit to provide some shape but isn't too tight.  It didn't do a great job though of hiding the straps in the back as you can see in the photo.









BUT, if you add a cute denim jacket as a layer you have a nice outfit!  The jacket is from Kohl's and was purchased earlier, but H&M had a good selection as well. A different jacket or sweater with short sleeves would also look cute with this outfit if you don't want long sleeves.









This is an oversized style loose fitting shirt over a tank.  The stripes do a nice job of hiding the velcro strap lines in the back even though the material can cling a little.  The sleeve style looks like it would be quite open along the sides exposing the brace, but in fact the fabric goes right up close to the armpit like a regular shirt.






And finally, we found this cute, silky tank top for warmer weather.  It can be casual with jeans or dress it up with pants or a skirt. The length covers any brace lines on the pockets and the loose fit and small pattern hides the velcro straps.


Many of these tops also fit without the brace, just a little more loosely.  If you are OK with that then it makes wardrobe changes less frequent.

It was clear that there are lots of style options for wearing over her brace so this was a very encouraging day.