How to recover from surgery, Material Girl style 💘
Everything you need to feel comfortable and cute while your body heals
Hi shoppers!
Oh how I’ve missed you all these last few weeks. Late last month I underwent my fourth surgery for endometriosis and I’m currently in the throes of recovery but wanted to pop in and share some of the shopping finds that have been getting me through. Excision surgery involves major abdominal work and being comfortable in my clothing is always a challenge when I’m recovering from this surgery, plus there’s nothing worse than feeling like shit and then putting on some ratty outfit just because it’s soft and baggy.
I’ve been managing endo, physical therapy, and surgery recoveries for years now and I’ve worked hard to perfect the comfy and cute balance required to look and feel your best. Some of these are splurges, and some will be little cheapies I’ve picked up along the way. These absolutely will not be specific to endo surgery either; anyone who’s undergoing any kind of surgery that involves abdominal work hopefully can find some helpful tips here. And I’m taking the paywall off this baby because as always, the rule here at Material Girl is we don’t gatekeep anything that involves chronic pain, surgery, etc.
I’m also going to keep updating this one as I get through recovery with new finds!
Amazon peasant dress: I found this through one of my fav lil instagram accounts, Vivi e Margot; it’s this very chic British woman who lives in France and I always love her clothes and general aesthetic. I bought an XL because the reviews warned that it ran a little small in the chest area and it fits just right. It’s loose and lightweight and does not touch a single part of my body which is ideal.
Abercrombie boxers: Dresses are my automatic go-to when I’m recovering but I like to have a few short and pants options because honestly sometimes you just feel like you want that little extra coverage. I’m usually a L in Abercrombie bottoms but I bought these in an XL and they are definitely too big but so comfy for that reason. They’re lightweight, soft, and great quality.
Doen Sleep Top: I think I’ve raved about this beaut on here before but I literally wore it to the hospital the day of surgery; every nurse complimented it and it was easy for them to help me get on and off. It was even comfortable in recovery when I was ready to rest in my own clothes (see me in all my post-op recovery room glory in it below.) It’s beautiful, so well made, and loose in all the right ways without feeling unflattering or dowdy. I honestly ordered a second one when I came home because I wear and wash mine so much that I wanted to have a new one on deck to wear out when I’m ready.
Skims… everything: Again, we’ve been over this but you can say a lot of bad things about Kim K, but the bitch can make comfy clothes. Her sleep shorts are among the only bottoms I can tolerate post-op, obviously the viral lounge dress is a must have because it literally feels like butter that angels churned and it makes you look like Sophia Loren. My theory is honestly that the Kardashian’s have so much surgery (truly cannot keep track of who has BBL’s now and who’s had them removed) that they understand the import of clothing that makes you feel comfy and dare I say even sexy while recovering from surgery.
Norma Kamali Cropped Trousers: Another item I have multiples of; the waist band on these is virtually non existent so once my incisions were healed enough to wear pants these were the first ones I wore. The feel like nothing but with a white blouse and a comfy sandal they actually look super chic.
La Perla Modal Tank: Literally the softest thing you’ll ever put on your body. I think they’re discontinued but you can still scoop them up on places like Farfetch and 24S.
Hanro cotton slip: This Hanro cotton slip has been my go to to sleep in post-op. I usually sleep in a La Perla silk slip, but first of all if anything rubbed off my incisions onto one of them I would lit ra ly cry. But also I wanted something a little softer and stretchier to sleep in so when I move around there’s no resistance. These are lightweight, super easy to wash and wear, and beautiful quality (like everything from Hanro, honestly.)
Aerie joggers and shorts: I will shout it from the mountain tops: if you have chronic pain of any kind, buy like, four pairs of these. Buy your regular size, and a size up. Buy the full length pants, buy the shorts. Buy them in multiple colors. Buy them.
Aerie Slip Dress: Speaking of Aerie, this slip dress is a reissue of one they made a few years ago; I was a stan then, and I’m a stan now. It’s so soft and pretty and so so affordable. It’s opaque and drapes well enough that you don’t have to wear anything under it for maximum comfort.
Abercrombie sweater: When you’re recovering you want the softest things possible and this sweater is literally the softest thing I own, and for that price you can’t go wrong.
Jewelry & makeup: This is a real choose your own adventure piece of advice, but I’d recommend investing in some easy wear jewelry and easy application makeup prior to surgery. Makeup and jewelry are both things you can put on your body without it impacting your comfort level; i.e. my favorite necklace and some blush is never going to aggravate the soreness in my pelvis, so if you’re someone like me, who feels better when you’re a little put together, I’d consider how to make these things easy for yourself ahead of time so you can keep doing them. I wear makeup and jewelry literally everyday; the only day I’ve skipped these last few weeks has been the actual day of surgery and that’s because it wasn’t allowed. Even if I slap a little flawless filter, blush, and mascara on my face I feel better. My mom also helped me lay all my makeup out on my desk so I could do everything sitting down. For jewelry, I bought some simple small gold hoops from Mejuri that I could put in and sleep in so I didn’t have to spend time standing at my vanity everyday putting them in (I have seven piercings total so it takes longer than it sounds.) Here are some of my favorite go to’s for this category:
Mejuri hoops; I have these, these, and these (put them in, sleep in them, and forget about it)
CT Flawless Filter (perfect, quick easy base)
Dior cushion foundation (sunscreen and coverage in one)
Rare Beauty eyebrow pencil (easy application; two in one gel and pencil)
Chanel eyeshadow quad in 308 Clair Obscur (the only eye shadow palette you will ever need)
Chanel Le Volume Mascara (two coats looks like false eyelashes)
Westman Atelier Highlighter compacts (put them on your cheeks, put them on your eyes - one of my all time favorite products; easy application and lux wear)
CT blush & highlighter wands (blush and highlight in one)
Chanel illuminating pressed powder (gives you a glow and sets your makeup in one step)
Chanel body serum (no need to rub in or wait for it to dry)
Dyson Airwrap (For a while post-op blow drying my hair was a non option but when I was ready to do a little, this was lightweight and quick enough to make that possible.)
As always, if you see something you love and it’s out of your price range, size range, shade range etc. ping me back and I’ll find you a dupe! xo Material Girl