Nights it is...

Dancer Girl really wanted to try and go without the brace at night when her hours were reduced.  We tried for a number of weeks to make it work but we both quickly realized that we were juggling her busy schedule and brace-free activities so much she was in it most nights anyway to get her hours in.

So she wears it only at night now.  It seems to be working alright most nights. And, she even got a weekend free of the brace at a youth retreat up in New Hampshire recently.

Now that she is in it mostly at night her need for clothes that fit over the brace has been reduced.  The ones she has still fit fine though so if she needs to she can wear it during the day and still have it be nicely concealed. (The line at her waist on the photo is from a belt, not from the brace. The sweater was found at TJ Max).

Maybe our next post though will be what she chooses to wear over it at night... haven't done the pajama post yet!

Under the brace, for boys...

Someone asked a question on one of our posts about what to do about clothes for boys in a brace since most of the information found online is for girls. Great question...

She was specifically asking about what to wear under the brace. I suggested looking for "seamless tops for boys" and stumbled across a few ideas that I thought I would post for others who may be struggling with this as well.


Look for ...seamless or minimal side seams

             ....tight fitting style so it doesn't bunch under the brace

            ....not too thick because it will be warmer in the brace already

            ....tanks are probably best but short & long sleeves may also work in colder weather depending on what is going over the brace


Here is what we found so far - we will keep looking! (most of these are t-shirts rather than tank tops)


Boys sizes

Smart knit kids (t-shirt)

Fun and Function tees


Teen/Men's sizes

Jockey Seam-free crew

Sierra Trading post t-shirt


Expensive, but...

Winter Kids base layer, long-sleeved top (boys/teens)

Spanks control tank (men)

Macy's One Flack Jack seamless tank (men)

Macy's body shaper seamless t-shirt (men)


NOTE: I realize this last group is pricey but it made me think that you might be able to find something similar but cheaper in the performance wear section of a sports store, especially on the sale rack, or a similar section in discount stores like TJ Max or Marshall's...

Please feel free to comment with your own ideas if you have come across better options!

Cute tops over the brace

Fall is here and so different clothes are in order.  Most of what Dancer Girl wore last year still fits although she has outgrown some of it so needed a couple of replacements. The trick with this time of year is that the temperatures can change a lot from morning to afternoon to evening so lightweight long sleeves, or 3/4 length, and layers are alway good.

This first top we found at T J Max and is a fun, casual hoodie style that is not too heavy.  The pattern really hides the brace lines in the front and back but the style still retains some figure to it's form.  It hangs down past the hips and the shirt underneath and the patterns on the back pockets help hide any brace lines on the pants.

The second one is also lightweight and we found this at Nordstrom's Rack.  It is a looser fit and a little shorter but not quite a crop top. Dancer Girl can get a casual sort of style with a tank over the brace without revealing any of the brace. Because of the loose fit it hangs in the back in such as way as to hide the brace lines.

She is wearing a Sugar Lips seamless tank under her brace with both tops.  She is also wearing Everyday camisole from Kohl's over the brace to protect her clothing from the velcro straps and give the layered look.  That exact style is no longer available but this is similar, Women's Apt. 9 Essential Seamless Camisole, and is seamless so might work under the brace for some.

She actually fits the top of the brace in between the camisole and the shelf bra which ends up hiding the part of the brace that fits under her arm as well as providing a bit of protection for her underarm - very clever, I thought. These come in all sorts of colors and are often on sale so stock up when you have the chance!

Also, check out the latest fashion posts on "c-ing curves differently"

- she's got some great ideas for clothes to wear over a brace!

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 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.

Scoliosis clothing: Part 1 (Pants)

What to wear, what to wear... this question takes on new meaning when you have a back brace.

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.