Guest Model: Party Dress for Mom-to-Be

This is my gorgeous sister Liz who, as you can see, is HELLA PREGNANT. But that didn't stop her one bit from parting all night with us like a champ (okay, well except for the alcohol bit...). I thought this dress was so clever and she looked so beautiful, she needed to be featured as a guest model.

The genius of the print on this (comfy cotton!) dress is that it totally fools the eye. Scroll back up to the first picture of her from straight on. Because the print is so graphic and asymmetrical, it's hard to tell if she's even pregnant, until she turns to the side and reveals the magic she's baking there! Pair that with high, but comfortable wedges and a sparkly clutch, and she's good to go.

Here are some other party-worthy maternity dresses with illusion prints. Click the smaller pictures below for more info.

Lavender Party Dress with Crystal Gladiator Sandals

I need to take all my pictures at sunset on the beach! Again, after much debate over numerous options, this is what I settled on for the official Bachelorette Party. I tried this Akira cupcake of a dress on mostly as a joke, but as soon as I put it on, I knew it was coming home with me. It was too big, so I had it taken in at the sides, but my tailor left alllll the poof at the bottom. 

I had planned on toughening up the sugary sweetness of the dress with my old Dior Gladiator knock-offs, but I ended up finding these amazing flats in Pennsylvania. At one point in the evening, while I was decked in a veiled tiara and bachelorette sash, one of the girls asked me if I felt like a bride. I replied, "I feel like Toddlers in Tiaras, but I'm not mad about it!" My other options were a bit more sophisticated, but the deciding factor was that if I didn't wear this silly dress that night, I don't know where on Earth else I could pull it off.

Special shoutouts to Jill for lending me her "Vegas" clutch, and my sister Liz for letting me borrow my favorite J. Crew necklace of hers at the last minute (YES, even my zillions of options needed supplementing)!

similar Dress // similar Necklace // similar Clutch // Shoes (on sale!)