Middle school fashion is tough enough: it seems like you have to satisfy everyone else’s criteria (school, parents, the other kids); your body is changing every day, so you’re never sure how things will feel or look; and you just want something comfortable & stylish that reflects YOU. Then you discover that your scoliosis has gotten worse, and now you need to wear a Boston brace 20 hours a day to straighten your back. Overnight everything is all wrong: your clothes are all too tight or reveal too much – there’s no overlooking that brace.Nevertheless, you are brave; you will face this thing head on: you will… GO SHOPPING! Where… you find the jeans are mostly low-cut – without a hipbone to hug, they slide right off the slippery brace. The pants that fit your brace’s large waist sag around its small hips – and at the very bottom, where your own extra-small bottom sits, it looks like you have no bottom at all! Up top is not much better; the brace doesn’t add much girth, but it does stick out, especially when you lean over. Let’s face it, you have weird proportions, new angles, and ready-made is definitely NOT ready for YOU!This is the dilemma my daughter has been facing this year. Lucky for her, right now is actually a good time, fashion-wise, to wear a brace — tops are longer & billowy; scarves, cardigans & vests are in style. If we could just resolve that problem of her pants sliding off, she could rock a look like nobody’s business. Her luck continues: her mom can sew!

I decided that my first attempt to design clothes to wear over a back brace should be low stress. Pajamas that never need to go public seemed like the perfect relaxed-fit, no-stress project. My daughter picked out a cotton embroidered eyelet lace fabric to make up as a peasant-style top and simple elastic-waist pants out of a 100% cotton print.

The fullness of the top, with its elastic gathers at the neckline, does a great job of accommodating & concealing the back brace. I placed coordinating appliques, made from the pants fabric, on the front hip and back neck. They add interest – and help to differentiate the front from the back. A decorative stitch at the hem completes the look. The simple elastic waistband construction of the pants is accommodating whether she wears the back brace or not. The addition of a drawstring to the waist allows for a custom fit.

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