A Cake's Bra Drawer That Reads Like a Dessert Menu

Mention Cake's bra to a new parent and you tend to hear it described the way people describe a restaurant they would send a friend to. The brand is Cake Maternity, founded in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Its founder, Tracey, tells the story herself: when she was pregnant with her first child, the nursing bras on offer were matronly, beige and unflattering, and it felt like giving up her identity to become a mother. Her answer was a label that puts style and fit on the same level as function. The brand says each bra is designed from real nursing experience, with soft fabrics, flattering cuts and easy single-handed clips. I find the dessert naming funny and also useful, because it turns a confusing category into a menu you can shop by mood. This edit is my walk through that menu. The first grid is the everyday group: Popping Candy for a fuller bust, Croissant with contour cups and a flexi-wire, Tutti Frutti with lace, and a knitted Cotton Candy with no seams. I would choose by the day you have ahead and not by the flavor name.

The second grid is the situational one, and it is where the naming pays off. Tiramisu is the brand's Ultimate bra, contoured with a fabric sling that the brand says supports, separates and adapts. Biscotti is the leakproof bra built for the hospital bag, with cups that open completely for skin-to-skin time. Lotus is a nursing and hands-free pumping bra for people who have to keep moving, and Milk Bamboo is the silky, wire-free sleep bra. My tip is to think about the hours you actually wear a bra, not the hours you photograph it. If most of yours are at a desk, start with Lotus. If they are in bed, start with Milk Bamboo. Ask your midwife or doctor about timing and fit if you are unsure when to buy.

Grid three is two bras and two extras. Chantilly Lace is a bralette for occasions where you want lace and easy access, and Rock Candy is a wire-free bra with no seams that the brand designed to lift and shape. Night & Day are reusable nursing pads, which are easy to wash and durable, and the StriVectin moisturizer is the odd one out on purpose. StriVectin began in 2002 as a stretch-mark cream and was repositioned as a wrinkle cream in 2003, and the label on this jar still carries both names. What I would skip is buying every dessert at once. Bodies change through pregnancy and afterward, so a single well-fitting bra teaches you more about your size than a drawer of guesses. Wash the pads with the care label in mind, and keep a second pair rotating.

I like a brand with a point of view, and Cake has one: nobody should have to give up their sense of style to be practical. That is why I would build this drawer slowly, starting with one bra for daytime and one for sleep. Try them on at home, in the light you will actually be dressing in. Then add a lace piece for the days you want one, and let the rest of the menu wait until you know your favorites.