Everyday a baby is born which means, every day another woman is struggling to dress her growing torso. Although Reese Witherspoon and Jessica Alba make pregnant dressing look easy, catering to a protruding belly can put a huge damper on your style if you don’t know where to shop or what to choose. From bras to boredom, I reached out to five en vogue, fresh off the press mommies to add to my knowledge.
The biggest concern my mommy clients and friends face is wasting money. Who wants to invest money in clothes you wear a measly five months? On the flip-side, who wants to feel ugly for even a day? Between the weight gain, water retention, gas, and hormones, you feel bad enough. By skimping on maternity clothes, you may not be able to paste the scraps of your self-esteem back together after wearing a black tent for half a year.
Stores
Time to invest. A Pea In The Pod has an awesome collection of designers from Ella Moss to J Brand jeans. There are also some fashionable maternity designers like Rosie Pope and Tiffany Rose. If you have a lively bank account, this should be enough for you. For those who only want to splurge a little, shop designer maternity for special occasion dresses, a few fashion forward pieces, and designer jeans. If you are a jeans kind of girl, the consensus is you will love jeans even more when you are pregnant. Drop the $180 or so on maternity jeans. If you are not that into jeans, leggings and dresses will be your campanions.
If you’re on the prowl for designer steals, A Pea In The Pod has great sales online – not so much in stores, and Gilt, a flash sale site, has some wonderful designer sales. If you don’t want to bother with sales, LOFT maternity is decently priced and has shockingly stylish clothes. So often maternity wear looks old, frumpy and Amish. It is so refreshing to see decently priced, on trend garments. I tip my hat to the LOFT as well as the Gap. Another great resource for inexpensive maternity wear is Target, and H&M. These two stores are great for basics and trendier pieces.
Lastly, every single youthful, slender and style conscience woman of my new-mommy census declared Forever 21 their savior. Forever 21’s fashions are tailored to young girls, making it a wonderful supplier of cheap girly silhouettes like roomy tops and empire waists.
Sizing
Most of your maternity shopping may end up being online. Don’t forget to look at their size chart to get the right fit for you. In Loft’s case, they have an informative chart that lines up your pre-pregnancy size with your baby bump body, making it easier to see your appropriate size. Simply click on the size chart icon before purchasing. In general, you will be the same size in maternity clothes as you were without child unless you gain more weight than expected – meaning: a size 4 maternity top will fit your shoulders the same as a size 4 top in regular clothes, it just makes room for your belly.
Bras
You don’t really need to seek out a maternity bra as a pregnant woman. You can simply buy a regular bra in your new breast size. Try to avoid an underwire as that can get uncomfortable with your ever shifting bust and bulging belly. A sports bra is also an option, even when you are not working out. Seek out sports bras in styles beyond the racerback to ensure its presence is hidden under tank tops and wider neck blouses. As for nursing bras, you’ll need them. Get them and start wearing them early if you don’t want to get new bras or wear sports bras.
2 Responses
Some women glow during pregnancy – the rest of us don’t. Setting yourself up with the right basics early on will save you angst as your belly grows and grows.
A close friend of mine is looking for comfortable maternity dresses. I can share the things I’ve learned from your post. It’s really helpful.