Food-Baby Friendly Tops

Jacquelyn of Musings by Jacquelyn had a great post about body image (Sept. 18 "Body Matters") and how it's important to accept who you are and to be healthy and happy in your own skin rather than fitting into society's image of the perfect body type.

Amen to that.

I, too, spent years trying to reshape what I thought were fat thighs and obsessing about my nearly concave chest. That pic right there at the top — that was the body that needed fixing. If I could go back in time, I would kick myself — and wear a midriff-bearing crop top, every freakin' day.

How did I not appreciate that flat stomach?

Those abs I will never, not after three kids and not without the help of a very skilled plastic surgeon, have again. And I've come to terms with that. I is what I is. That doesn't mean, though, that I won't disguise my current, most-hated body part. Creative dressing can work wonders, so I've been snapping up tops that conceal my pooch.

Call it "tummoflage."

Ruching and draping are my new best friends. Tops can be body skimming without being Saran-wrapish. To wit:

• Alice + Olivia draped vest. Scored this off eBay, but Neiman Marcus has the gray version on kinda, sorta, but not really sale (still $105). Tobi has a more wallet-friendly ($32) Comme Toi Grecian Grace top that does the same thing.

What's so great about the A+O vest is its versatility — button the long placket and drape it around your neck and you have the result you see in the second pic. Or, you can wrap around the back and still get a very tum-slimming look.

• Elizabeth and James Eddy top. OK, this is just the best. With all that ruching, who can tell you're packing a 5-month-old food baby? And, with a sexy, draped back like that, no one's really paying attention to the front anyway. Even better.