Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Pregnant Lady Wardrobe Tips
There comes a point in a pregnancy when you stop looking like you have a beer belly and start looking actually pregnant. And, that is the time (for me at least) when it’s time to shop for maternity clothes. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve probably spent WAY too much on maternity clothing, but I think feeling cute is important. Especially when your body is changing SO much every day.
I am by no means a fashion expert, but these are just some things that worked for me.
Must Haves:
- 2 or 3 pairs of jeans (I loooove Gap jeans, however their maternity jeans just weren’t long enough for me. HMMPH. I have two pair of Seven maternity jeans and one pair Boden.)
- 3 or 4 plain t-shirts (Liz Lange’s plain tees are great.)
- Leggings (I do not hav e a brand I love. I’d love to know if you have a brand you love as I’m in the market for a couple pairs of leggings for the last few weeks.)
- Maxi dresses (especially for summer)
- Jersey skirt (or two)
Brands that have worked for me:
Rosie Pope Maternity - Rosie’s stuff is a little spendy, but totally worth it. Definitely watch the sample sale sites for her stuff. I have several items from Gilt and also I snapped up a half-price gift certificate on ideeli a while back. This dress has been my “go-to” dress for night’s out. It’s super comfy and works for early pregnancy through late pregnancy, so long as your weather allows.
Michael Stars – I was addicted to Michael Stars years ago (shine tees and tanks!) and I really love this brand again. The blouses are super durable and comfortable and work for early pregnancy on to the end.
Boden – Perhaps one of my best maternity purchases was a pair of Boden white jeans. They work well for early pregnancy as there’s an adjustable band inside the panel. Also, the panel is super thick, which I like a lot. Don’t ever pay full price for anything at Boden. Sign up for their emails and wait for a coupon code.
Early in my pregnancy I bought a ton of clothes from Nordstrom.com for super, super cheap. And, I loved that. But, they recently stopped carrying maternity. Hence all the sale they were having. Boo, they had really great stuff. You’ve broken my heart, Nordstrom.
Avoid at all costs:
NOM Maternity - You’ll notice that NOM is apparently a favorite of celebrities. That must be because celebrities have much larger clothing budgets than I do and are therefore not bothered by clothes that fall apart after one wearing/washing. The stuff is cute, but out of 4 pieces I own, only one is still wearable. Gilt carries this brand quite often, but buy at your own risk.
Egg - Another single-wear maternity brand. I have two Egg blouses and one is so misshapen after washing that it’s unwearable and the other just doesn’t fit right. This brand is also sold often by Gilt.
Old Navy – I know I’m in the minority here, but I just think the quality and fit of Old Navy’s clothing is crap. There are only two things I’ve ordered that I’ve not sent back (a t-shirt and a jean skirt). Also, if you’re a tall girl, the pants will not work for you. Sorry. I wanted to love you Old Navy, but I cannot.
Gap – I’ve had very good luck with most Gap pants. As I mentioned before, the jeans were just too short for me, but I have two pair of demi panel pants and one pair of demi panel skinny cargo pants that I’ve been living in. At this point in my pregnancy (33 week), I have to wear a Bella Band with the demi panel stuff to help hold things up and in.
General things to lookout for:
Now that I’m in the final weeks of my pregnancy, I cannot stand anything with elastic around the boob area. That skin is so sensitive there and anything in addition to my bra there makes me want to die.
For some reason, cotton maternity clothes tend to pill more than regular clothes. I have no idea how you can determine if something will pill before you buy it, but just beware of this. Annoying.
I think maternity swimwear is a big fat waste of money. It costs more than normal swimwear and is HIDEOUS. We went to Costa Rica in July and I was able to find a few J.Crew pieces in a larger size that worked perfectly. This top was great. Also, a jersey skirt and a tanktop is the perfect swim coverup.
What worked for you? Any great brands I’ve missed?
Comments on this post
I loved my LOFT maternity pants- both jeans and dress pants were an absolute life-saver. I also wore a lot of regular tanks from Target under my clothes because they are nice and long and gave me some extra coverage on the belly so I could wear some of my tops for longer.
You always look fabulous!
20. September - 8:47 amMy options were SO limited when I was pregnant. You look fantastic, and I love that you’re sharing your knowledge for the other pregnant ladies out there. :)
20. September - 9:46 amAngella´s last [type] ..The World Wide Web
I got a lot of my maternity wardrobe from Target. Its online selection is obviously a lot larger than in-store, and I was able to pick up some nice dresses there.
20. September - 3:47 pmNanette´s last [type] ..Time warp
Great post. Fun topic.
With my last pregnant I was all about the jersey roll-over skirts. I had one from Old Navy and one from Gap. The quality was pretty equal. I LOVED THEM and there at the end was wearing them probably more then I should have. They were easy to dress up for work, yet could be worn with a simple tee on the weekends.
Something that I did with my second pregnancy was NOT buy maternity clothes. I shopped around for items that could be pushed under my belly (like the jersey skirts) or stretched (tee’s at Target). I also wore a lot of tunic type dresses. They were super cute with leggings when it was cold and super cute sans leggings at the end of my pregnancy when it was TOO HOT TO WEAR ALMOST ANYTHING!
I found that I didn’t even have to buy a size larger. I just bought my regular non pregnant size (small or even extra small) and just pushed them under my belly. So yeah, feel free to forgo items marked “maternity” and see what you can work with.
21. September - 7:17 amIsabel´s last [type] ..In which we’re still a happy family
So…this might be weird, but if you want, I have a pair of maternity leggings I never wore. My mother-in-law bought them for me, I tried them on once, but they just weren’t my thing.
If you’d like, I will wash them and can bring them when I see you (!) next weekend and if you don’t like them, just toss them; no sweat off my back.
You let me know.
22. September - 1:59 pmGood list of recommends/avoids; I lived in my old favorite Michael Stars too. I was, however, short enough to do well with Gap jeans (which are definitely less than perfect but got the job done for less than my usual Citizens). I also tried to avoid maternity stuff whenever possible & just buy a size up in regular.
Another brand I did well with was Olian; they were on the pricier side of maternity, but it fit well and was nicer for the price than the Pea in a Pod stuff. I found them in my local maternity store but have seen them around online.
25. September - 5:28 pmLegallyblondemel´s last [type] ..A Post About, Um, Posting: A Saturday Morning Soapbox