Louisa (2005) in her striped Bonpoint sweater which Ava now cherishes (2007)

THE CYCLE OF STYLE

- Liane Weintraub, Editor-in-Chief

We didn’t plan the timing of our pregnancies, but if we had, we couldn’t have done it any better. Sure, it would have been fun to have been pregnant at the same time. We would have been able to share our trials and tribulations, moan and complain together. But that wouldn’t have been nearly as environmentally sensitive. That doesn’t make any sense, you might say. It does, when you consider our special application of the mantra, “reduce, reuse, recycle.” It’s all about clothes, of course!

Shannan got pregnant first. I remember the exact moment when she told me. She blurted it out, actually, because we were talking on our cell phones and I wouldn’t stop chattering on and on about who knows what. I was driving along the freeway– past the Robertson Boulevard exit, to be precise– and it was the last piece of news I expected to hear. For one thing, I didn’t even know they’d been trying (but that’s a whole other story!). For another, I’d been married for so much longer, I somehow expected to become a mom before she did. Anyway, Shannan had a beautiful and effortless pregnancy, and she looked great throughout it. I marveled every time I saw her in some super-stylish maternity outfit. Was it possible that clothes for pregnant women had actually taken a turn for the... Cute?! After Shannan had Louisa, her daughter turned up beautifully dressed at all times. Clearly, my friend was keeping up her style standards on behalf of her daughter. I’d always seen and admired exquisite children’s clothes, and it was such a pleasure to see Louisa always dressed like a little doll. As her own personal taste (favorite color: purple!) has emerged, she’s had more and more say about her wardrobe, but during those first couple of years, being a mom is about having total sartorial power over your children.

And when I got pregnant (at last!), I felt like the luckiest girl around. Not only was I finally going to have my own baby, but I got to wear all of Shannan’s fabulous pregnancy outfits. (Not that I’m claiming to have abstained from shopping completely, mind you, but I got many fewer new things than I would have if I hadn’t been the beneficiary of her good taste) And, wouldn’t you know it? I had a girl! Lucky Ava inherited Louisa’s beautiful hand-me-downs… And so the cycle began.

Fast-forward– well, not that much forward– and I got pregnant again 10 months later. This time, I had a boy, Cole, and it was my turn to buy baby clothes and then hand them off to Shannan when she had her boy, Sonny, a year later. It gives us both a real kick every time we say, “I have a few bags of great stuff for you!” I mean, since we all know that kids grow out of their clothes at an alarming rate, it takes some of the sting out of the sticker shock when we know another child will get a crack at an outfit. Now that neither of us is pregnant anymore, there’s the endless issue of communal clothing. We are both pretty tall (Shannan’s 5’10” and I’m 6’0") so we can share a lot of stuff. We also wear the same shoes size, which is embarrassing (because we are both size 11!), but convenient. Most importantly, we both have excellent taste! Annoyingly, Shannan’s losing those pregnancy pounds pretty darn fast, so she has reclaimed that amazing pair of skinny-leg J-brand jeans I’d been wearing while she was gestating. Then, there’s that stunning Badgley Mischka lace gown that has made the rounds more than most of the socialites we know! It’s been to the opening of the ballet in New York (on me), a society party in San Francisco (on Shannan), a rocking 40th birthday bash (on me), and as we speak, it’s on show at a wedding in the Midwest (on her). So, whenever we’re feeling "buyer's remorse" or have overspent on a certain new item, there’s always the reassurance that, after all, our love of clothes, bags and shoes will be shared by our best friend, or her daughter… Or her son.