Before I continue, I should tell you this trend isn't really new. I found pictures of Kim Kardashian wearing it before she was even pregnant. I saw photos of Charlize Theron wearing it at the MTV movie awards back in June. I'm sure if I searched hard enough I could find Beyonce wearing it in her Destiny's Child days and Lady Gaga wearing it inside the womb.

Apparently, it was a new trend for fall and now it is well into spring. 

But, as someone who hasn't shopped for anything besides maternity clothes, yoga pants and easy-access pumping shirts since Spring 2009, Fall 2012 sounds plenty new to me.

If you did not relinquish your fashion sense when you earned your "mom title" and still overhaul your closet with each passing season, you have my permission to skip this post and move on. Maybe take out your copy of Italian Vogue and pre-order your 2014 wardrobe from a Top Shop that exists in the future and come back and visit me tomorrow.

For the rest of you, I'm going to clue you in to the most exciting thing to happen to moms with a post baby belly since men's skinny jeans.

It's called PEPLUM. 

Peplum is, in its most basic terms, that little skirt your grandma wore attached to the waist of her bathing suit back in 1982.

If that sounds outdated and laden with insecurity issues, that's because you haven't tried it on attached to a cocktail dress. As part of a cocktail dress, that little overskirt accentuates your hips, elongates your legs, makes your waist look tiny and totally covers any evidence there was once a ten pound watermelon living inside your uterus.

But how do you know that peplum does these magical things when you haven't been shopping for over three years?

My friends, I finally called off my shopping embargo last Friday. I had the day off from work and a Bar Mitzvah that weekend and absolutely nothing to wear. Shopping for dresses was probably the last thing I wanted to do (oh, how times have changed!), but my husband, of all people, told me I needed to bite the bullet because we also have a wedding coming up and every cocktail-esque item in my closet went out of style ten years ago.

I entered Bloomingdales thinking I just wanted to get this over with, but to my surprise, left with a huge smile on my face, a renewed faith in fashion and five dresses (four of them peplum) because I wanted to try them on for Mike before deciding which ones to keep. (Also, I don't trust store mirrors and must try things on at home before I commit to anything).

Mike liked all of them. Mazzy liked the pink one (which wasn't exactly peplum but still flaired and pleated at the waist) so that's what I wore to the Bar Mitzvah.

Jury is still out on whether I wear the black Halston (bottom left), the lace Cynthia Steffe (top right) or the green Karen Millen (bottom right) to the wedding. I'll be returning whichever ones I don't wear but as of right now, I've got them all hanging in my closet. (Yes, I like to ogle them creepily while everyone else is sleeping.)

If I was a fashion blogger, I suppose I would take over-accessorized photos of myself, laughing casually at no one on the street, while wearing each dress option so you could all judge properly. But unfortunately, I am sitting here at 12AM in my pajamas, with a bad case of ice cream bloat, and you're just going to have to use your imagination.

To share my fashion discovery, I put all the Peplum dresses, including other options with varying price tags, on a "Peplum Cocktail Dresses" list on Sweet Relish. Sweet Relish a social shopping site which links directly to purchase and even tells you when the items go on sale. You can also find "Mazzy's Spring Wardrobe" and "Inside My Make-Up Bag" there. 

I don't care if the fashion world has moved on to less flattering silhouettes already.

For me, peplum is here to stay.

Or, at least until my first grandchild makes fun of my bathing suit.

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If you'd like to follow my shopping lists on Sweet Relish or create your own, click here. This is a sponsored post for Sweet Relish but all of the thoughts and opinions are my own.