A review of the Lauretta top

While browsing through the Milan Maternity store, the first shirt that jumped out to me was the Lauretta top. How cute are those buttons on the sleeves?  I knew I had to have it.  So, naturally, it was the first top I ordered from the Milan Maternity site, and I'd love to share here just why I love it so much more now that I own it.

I've compiled a list of important features in maternity/nursingwear and organized my review with those guidelines in mind below:

- Style:  This section is an obvious win just by looking at the Lauretta top above.  Just because you are trying to fit a pregnant body doesn't mean you need to wear a tent.  And the Lauretta top oozes with trendy fall fashion to me.  I picture it with a pair of cute jeans, a pair of boots, a printed scarf, and a cup of hot chocolate on a crisp fall day.  Perfection.

- Comfort: I border on being size medium or large in different brands, so it is always a gamble on where I'll fall in a new brand.  I ordered this top in a medium, and was second guessing my choice when I saw how small it looked in the box.  However, once I put the top on, it was completely stretchy and oh-so-comfortable.  I wore this through a full day of work, chasing after my toddler, errands and grocery shopping, and even giving my dogs a bath, and it still felt comfortably stretchy without becoming loose or baggy, like so many other maternity shirts of different brands.  When I read in the item description for the top that you can wear this AFTER you have the baby, I was questioning just how nice the shirt would look at that point.  But I can tell you right now after wearing it, this is 100% a shirt I can and will wear after I deliver my child.  It has enough stretch to make it look like a normal, ruched shirt, even at the end of the day.

- Modesty:  (Yes, this is a feature I look for!)  Most maternity tops I have from my first pregnancy were not designed with increased chest size in mind.  I constantly felt like I was either showing too much or looking like a nun, with no in between.  The Lauretta top does a wonderful job of keeping everything in the right place and being modest while still looking young.  A+ in this category!

- Nursing:  Since I am still nursing my toddler, the nursing access feature was one I was able to try immediately, instead of having to wait until I give birth to baby #2.  I also own a few nursing tops from my first child, and let me tell you- this top is WAY easier and more convenient than anything I have!  The cowl neckline lifts up and the lower seam of the neckline folds down (you can see the seam in the picture above) in order to give you discreet nursing coverage.  My main problem with most nursing tops is that the panels/openings try to be so discreet that there is too much fabric, and it interferes with baby's nursing.  None of that problem here, as the stretchy fabric moved away where I wanted it to, and stayed put without me constantly having to mess with it while my son was nursing.  Excellent!

Overall, the Lauretta top is high on my list of maternity/nursing shirts, and probably the number one shirt in my closet that I am reaching for now that the weather is getting a bit cooler around here.  My only complaint?  Make it in more colors!!! :)