If I were a better person, here is how I would have dressed on mat leave

This last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the new cutest little dude to hit the block. 2 week old...ermm...Don (I'll call him), is the ridiculously cute offspring of my ridiculously stylish good friend...ermm....Betty (I just watched Mad Men last night so these are the names I'm going with - whatever).

One would never guess seeing Betty that she just had a baby 2 weeks ago. When she arrived at the door, she was looking absurdly chic with her black tank dress, chunky turquoise necklace and practical but au currant black patented sandals.

As much as I was trying to focus on Don in all of his new-baby-looks-like-an-old-man-cuteness, I became immediately distracted by how great she looked... so after niceties and requisite telling of going-into-labour stories aside (which I weirdly love to hear, btw), I awkwardly blurted out..."How do you look so great?"

It's a weird question really and if she didn't know me as well as she did, she'd probably not know how to answer such a strange question, completely lacking in focus.

But knowing me as she does, she knows that really what I'm asking is "Where did you get your dress, your necklace...in short, what the heck?!?"

Betty explained to me that she bought 3 nursing dresses from a store on Jane Street in Toronto called EvyMama. To be clear, EvyMama is not cheap. Most of the dresses range around the $100 mark. This doesn't exactly fit within the no-decent-salary,

EI-budget does it? This is why, other than for 1 special occasion I personally stayed away from EvyMama while on Mat Leave.

I *so aspire to be one of those women who really only have 4 or 5 really super good quality items (probably black) in my wardrobe but I am a self acknowledged shopoholic so I focused on vintage, H&M, and yes, Joe Fresh while on mat leave.

But if you are the self restrained type who thrives on classic, EvyMama is a great store. I've selected a few options that I think are fantastic and versatile. And again all of these dresses have discrete little pockets for nursing. So great. And don't just use them for special occasions. These are comfortable and versatile.

The first dress above, called the Vanna Nursing dress, is $98.

I also like this dress which will be great for fall with tights and boots. Also $98.

And before you question whether these dresses are little too form-fitting for a new mom, forgettabout it. Own it.

And finally in the "didn't you know" category, nursing necklaces. No one does accessories better than Betty does and so she said she was panicking a little when she realized that maybe, her uber cool

and ornate necklaces were not so much compatible with new motherhood. But check out the Pi'Lo Nursing & Teething (yes teething - baby can chew on it when he/she gets to that stage) for $35.

I just got an email blast from EvyMama this morning saying they're having a one-day online sale. Check it out.

http://www.evymama.ca