A Pregnant Grazia Editor’s Love Letter To The Free People Hot Shot Onesie

Ever since the Covid pandemic struck, many of us have been in a strange co-dependent relationship with leisure wear and comfort. We suddenly went from wearing jeans, smarter work wear, and dressing up for big nights out, to living in joggers and soft, buttery leggings while we WFH. We figured out how to dress from the waist up for meetings, tearing off restrictive shirts once the Zoom was finished in favour of yet another Alo Yoga hoodie. My leisurewear drawer became so packed to the rafters I had to start using a huge plastic box instead.

I went from a series of softly-dressed lockdowns straight into my first pregnancy which needed to be similarly comfort-based. Leggings, big jumpers and stretchy tops saw me through that time; we were all still working from home due to a round of winter covid, so I’d been OOO for almost two years by the time my son was born.

Then came a very tricky part: dressing for a postpartum body in a world which was revelling in leaving athleisure behind. Everyone was embracing the joy of getting dressed again, indulging in trends and - horrors! - shoes which weren’t trainers. Whilst I wasn’t, and probably will never be, ready for heels again, I was also growing sick of my Sweaty Betty uniform. I wanted to look and feel like myself again - I wanted to get dressed.

I was, however, living in a body which no longer looked the same. I’d gone up a dress size (or two, or three, depending on where I was shopping. Sidenote: M&S trouser sizing is not for the faint hearted), and my breasts and waist were forever changed.

One dress from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe became a comfort staple in those months. A stretchy-necked, smocked denim dress from Free People which came to my knees was the only thing I felt like the old me in and I could breastfeed in it - something that was ruling my life. I’d sob as I tore off tops and trousers which no longer fitted me before coming back to this one trusty dress (which I’d been sold on after seeing Blake Lively wearing the same one).

And so began my motherhood shaped love affair with Free People. How do I love Free People? Let me count the ways. Often generous sizing and designs for those of us feeling a bit ground down by our body image issues, they have dresses, trousers and tops which make geriatric millennials feel more at home than, say, Zara might, and their products are amazing quality. Their clothes have become my mum-wardrobe staples; their crown jewel is the Hot Shot Onesie.

Now eight months into my second pregnancy, I have worn the Hot Shot Onesie I bought when I was newly postpartum after my first baby more than anything else in my wardrobe. It grows with you! You can breastfeed in it! It goes with EVERYTHING! It comes in 10 colours! You can roll up the legs in summer, or add a woolly jumper in winter! It’s 95 percent cotton and five percent spandex so it stretches just the perfect amount! You could even SLEEP in it if you needed to! It is, quite simply, a magical item of clothing I would urge any woman to buy, particularly if you are pregnant or postpartum. It is the holy grail of mum clothing. There’s even a collaboration with coveted maternity label Hatch (FP Movement x Hatch Hot Shot Maternity Onesie), which is made specifically for wear during pregnancy, with extra features like handy adjustable straps and a rolled leg cuff, although the original onesie is just as effective for maternity purposes in my honest opinion.

At £70 it certainly feels affordable if I consider the cost per wear (at this point it would be running to about 20p per wear) and it washes very well meaning I’m hoping it will last a lifetime. The fact you can wear it during pregnancy and forever-more means that buying often expensive specific maternity clothing is rendered unnecessary.

Even beyond the Hot Shot Onesie, Free People has found a fan club amongst mums. Its quilted carryall went viral this year, thanks to its handsfree, crossbody design, smart use of pockets and - most importantly - the fact you can fit absolutely everything you’d need for a day out with young children in it. Free People’s workwear jackets, smart knits and stretchy long-sleeved tops make getting dressed easy. Every time I wear something that’s Free People, I get a compliment - in fact their own tagline is, ‘Thanks, it’s Free People’.

In short, Free People have been responsible for giving me confidence in getting dressed, and how I look, at a time in my life when I needed it most. I am a fan for life.

Here's how to style it: