“I always took sequins and metallic over brown any day, ” says Amy Tara Koch, a mindset that led the Chicago fashion journalist to produce her new book, “Bump It Up,” to be released March 23. Koch presents an easy-to-follow and entertaining guide on how to combat that urge to dress down during those months of dramatic weight gain and mood swings that define pregnancy. “It is so easy to look like a ‘schlub’ because you feel like one,” says Koch. “You’re exhausted. All you want to do is eat Honey Nut Cheerios and burritos.” Being pregnant, however, doesn’t put your whole life on hold, and most women still have to go out in the world. Koch uses testimony from major fashion designers and editors (most of whom have had the pleasure of pregnancy themselves) to help guide the mom-to-be from falling into the trap of sweatpants and sneakers everyday. Relying on layering and multiple trips to your grandmother’s closet for those rare vintage finds, Koch shows how easy and inexpensive it can be to turn your mood around. “You put on tights,” says Koch, “and you’re put together. You’re going to give that energy off into that world.” Along with fashion tips, suggested activities for different stages in the pregnancy include the Babymoon (the last hurrah before delivery) or picking out a push present. The book contains illustrations by Annika Wester, along with pregnancy fashion designs by such names as Donna Karan, Nicole Miller and Isaac Mizrahi. “I wanted it to make sense to women from Manhattan to Des Moines,” says Koch. (Peter Cavanaugh)
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