MATERNITY STYLING

When I found out I was pregnant last summer, one of the first thoughts I had was, when do I start shopping for maternity clothes?! I had heard women bemoan the lack of cute maternity clothes out there for years, as well as the general frustration with dressing a body that suddenly feels foreign to you, so I was excited to see for myself.

While many people feel that there’s no point in investing in a lot of maternity clothes – because it’s temporary period of life – I think that if looking put together makes you feel your best, it’s worth every penny spent. Between raging hormones, morning sickness, and all the other joys of pregnancy, investing a little in my new appearance, instead of “making do” by squeezing into my normal clothes for as long as possible, made me feel a little more like myself.

Now on the other side of pregnancy and loving life with a three-month-old baby boy, I can say that the biggest rule of maternity dressing is, be prepared for trial and error. Between different seasons and your changing body, dressing a growing bump is like trying to hit a moving target. Planning ahead is nearly impossible because for most women, you can’t predict what your size you’ll wear in a week, much less a month, especially if you’re attempting to wear non-maternity clothes. So, take advantage of stores with free shipping and returns, try to keep a sense of humor and have fun dressing that sweet bump! Or even better, let me do all the leg work for you - simply purchase a maternity styling session for yourself or a special mama-to-be!

Below I’ve categorized my maternity style thoughts into few categories. Keep in mind that every pregnant body is different and these are my takeaways on what worked for me. I hope you find them helpful!

Maternity vs Non-Maternity Clothes

My maternity wardrobe was probably split 50/50 maternity vs. non-maternity clothes. I had a LOT of failed attempts and returns when experimenting with non-maternity clothes – hopefully you can learn from my mistakes!

In my opinion, the non-negotiable maternity clothes every woman needs are:

• A good pair of maternity jeans (especially if pregnant during cooler months)

• Black maternity leggings - size up in these Blanqi leggings! I like that the material is thicker and looks nice enough to wear as pants with a tunic/longer top in the winter

• A white maternity blouse - a versatile white blouse can be worn a thousand different ways, important if you’re trying to limit the number of pieces you buy that are maternity specific!

Qualities to Look for in Non-Maternity Clothes

• Smocking – luckily this super popular style works well during pregnancy and post-partum!

• Empire Waistline – still gives you some definition but allows for your bump to sit comfortably under the fitted part of the shirt or dress

• Flowy – who doesn’t love a mumu? Flowy styles are comfy and easy to throw on while rocking a bump, but may not be the most flattering from the side

• Length – longer tops will fit over your bump without leaving some belly or the band of your maternity jeans exposed at the bottom

• Elastic Waistband - in case this one wasn’t obvious, an elastic waistband can extend the timeline of your non-maternity clothes significantly, sitting under your bump in the case of pants and over if it’s a dress or shirt

• Size – when in doubt, order a size up!

Qualities to Avoid

• Non-stretch materials like linen or silk

• Anything with a zipper, especially a side zipper, is likely off the table once you’re noticeably showing

• Buttons on the front – you’ll be shocked at how quickly that bump causes button ups to stretch out and gaping buttonholes aren’t a cute look

• Anything with a defined natural waistline

• Wrap styles - you would think this style would work well since you can adjust the fit, but the proportions just don’t work with a bump. Trust me, I tried!

Maternity Brands

Check out my “Best of” winners and honorable mentions below!

I’ve created separate LIKEtoKNOW.it posts with a curation of my favorite items from each store on my LIKEtoKNOW.it profile (Merelise_Wilson).

• All Around Best AND Best for Cocktail/Occasion Wear: ASOS

  • WHY: ASOS is the only retailer I felt like truly had fun with maternity fashion, which is why it was by far my favorite during my pregnancy. From basic tees to adorable dresses, with their huge selection of maternity clothes and reasonable prices, you could probably purchase your entire maternity wardrobe from ASOS. As a bonus, they have by far the best selection of maternity cocktail dresses if you find yourself needing to dress up while you’re pregnant.

• Best for Athletic Clothes AND Basics: GAP

  • WHY: Depending on your bump size, you may not need anything besides maternity leggings until around month 7, but if you plan to workout throughout your entire pregnancy, you’ll likely need a pair of maternity athletic shorts (if pregnant during the summer) and a few tops to comfortably get you through the final months. Additionally, my all time favorite basic maternity white top is from GAP. I know, GAP is good for basics? Groundbreaking :)

• Best Splurge: Seraphine

  • WHY: A favorite of Kate Middleton, this UK based maternity brand is adorable, with a good range of maternity clothes from sleepwear to cocktail. They have an especially good selection of work-wear options as well as the most nursing-friendly styles I’ve seen from any maternity brand. It’s a little on the pricier side for clothes that you’ll only wear for a few months, but their quality is excellent, their styles are classic and they often have sales!

• Best Steal: H&M

  • WHY: H&M is always great for a steal and their maternity clothes are no different. However, I found their selection surprisingly limited and their sizing small. Some of the items I purchased at the beginning of my pregnancy I couldn’t fit over my bump at the end, and I had a pretty average size bump/weight gain. Not a huge deal since since they were inexpensive - good example of you get what you pay for!

• Best Jeans: Ingrid & Isabel

  • WHY: My favorite maternity jeans were a LOFT hand-me-down from a friend and unfortunately, aren’t available anymore. What I loved most about them, besides the fit, was that the belly band was a neutral color instead of blue, so it didn’t show under light colored shirts. This is a surprisingly hard feature to find in maternity jeans! As a whole, I preferred the type of jean that had a full belly band vs stretchy sides - I found myself pulling up and adjusting those with stretchy sides way more, especially as my bump got bigger. My second favorite pair were by Ingrid & Isabel and they had a hybrid waist - a full belly band in the front that dipped low in the back for comfort.

• Honorable Mentions:

  • Hatch - while I encourage purchasing a maternity specific wardrobe if it makes you happy, I do think that Hatch’s prices are a little high and their claim of working for maternity & beyond was not really accurate, at least for me. That said, I purchased several Hatch items on sale, as well as on The Real Real, and was very happy with the quality and style! Especially my maternity overalls, which were probably my most worn items besides leggings.

  • PinkBlush - good price range but they have a HUGE selection so you have to do some digging to find the gems

  • Isabel Maternity - Target’s maternity brand. The style was hit or miss for me - either really cute or very average