Pretty Maternity Clothes

In Europe, we are lucky to have Fragile (www.fragile.be), a brand from Antwerp. Other recommendations: Mamalicious (www.mamalicious.com), Queen Mum (www.queenmum.nl), Esprit maternity clothes, …

I tried to buy as little as possible and managed to get a lot of my existing wardrobe to work (like wearing midi skirts up over the bump).
Two things I bought and wore CONSTANTLY were – a long, black boatneck 3/4 length sleeve dress from gap. I would dress it up with a leopard print belt. It was literally like wearing pyjamas and classy enough for work – the maternity wardrobe dream. The other was a bodycon t shirt dress from Isabella Oliver. Pre pregnancy I would never had considered something like that, it felt too revealing but when my bump popped I thought “screw this – I’m embracing it” and wore that dress like a boss. It was also super comfy (and it has ruching on the side so can be worn before, after and through all stages of pregnancy)

I’ve gone through menopause so I don’t need maternity dresses but I’m loving those shoes! Do you know where they are from?!? Thanks!

Love http://www.loyalhana.com everything in the line transitions from Maternity to Nursing with very discreet zippers in the seams.

With my first, I shopped for a lot of maternity wear that I ended up disliking but with my second baby, I tried to only purchase the basics– solid tees, leggings and jeans. I found that I could pair these with non-maternity cardigans or chunky sweaters that I already owned. Plus, I felt less guilty splurging on a new sweater if I knew that I could continue to wear it after my pregnancy. I loved Gap, Loft, Target (I think I lived in some really awesome Target maternity yoga pants for the last two months of my pregnancy) and J. Crew (I ordered some cute, maternity boyfriend jeans there which were on sale). Shopping for nice maternity clothes was always a challenge, especially since I live in Alaska, but I felt like I had narrowed down a good system when I was pregnant with my second baby. After she was born my postpartum uniform became leggings and an Old Navy flannel shirt- comfy with easy access for nursing. I could throw a long sweater over it and look semi-put together in seconds. :)

I’ve had two babies. The first time I tried on maternity pants, I thought, “why aren’t all pants just like this anyway?!?!”

My wardrobe is fairly masculine most of the time, and I was able to find a lot of Ts and flannel button downs at Gap and Old Navy. By the last month I couldn’t stand ill-fitting maternity pants though, and pretty much relied on sized-up stretchy dresses from Prana and Patagonia. And I invested in well-made nursing bras from Nordstrom; I’m a 34D normally and landed in the DDD range after giving birth and Target/Motherhood Maternity bras were sort of a joke at that size.
Also, would highly recommend looking at baby consignment stores in your area. My city has a handful and most had maternity sections with VERY gently used and inexpensive stuff which I felt good about, knowing I’d only be wearing it a month or two.

I had great success finding cute maternity clothes on Thred Up. I find the site to be overwhelming in general, but it was great for maternity. One thing I found frustrating about maternity clothes is that, like regular clothes, they are sold a season ahead. But you can’t really shop a season ahead– you need to buy for the size you are NOW. So frustrating! So like, when I was first starting to show in early June, I wanted some sundresses, but a lot of maternity stores were already selling sweaters! So I was able to pick up some pretty blouses and a perfect sleeveless black dress on Thred Up. Nothing fancy, but seasonally appropriate!

I ordered a sweater and a dress from gilt.com when I was pregnant this winter. The prices are all over the board for the different maternity brands, but they often had a 20% off coupon. I lived in my Gap Body long sleeved shirts paired with a scarf or vest.

Nothing cute like these clothes existed when I had my girls. I made many of my maternity dresses because I found dresses to be more comfortable, and everything I saw was full of bows and puffy sleeves and ruffles. Not sophisticated at all.

Lol those overalls!!! WHY?! #humptydumpty

Isabella Oliver is more expensive but amazing quality. Plus, at 5’10”, lots of my other maternity shirts were really too short–I always felt like my belly would spring free! Their shirts were super long and ruched, so I felt like I’d actually manage to stay clothed all day.

I would recommend getting one really nice pair of designer maternity jeans like Paige, 7 for all mankind, etc so that you feel attractive during pregnancy. I invested in one good pair and pretty much lived in them rather than getting jeans from old navy and gap. The cut is so much more flattering and we all need help when we are pregnant. Also, Ingrid and Isabella is a pricey but nice brand and some of the items that they sell can be purchased on ebay with tags on for way cheaper than retail. Making sure that you purchase shirts that work with pregnancy but can be transitional after birth that you think are cute are invaluable.

I LIVED in dresses! So comfy, so versatile, and very forgiving depending on the material. We had our daughter in October 2014. Dresses during fall and winter? Sure! Why not?! I just wore leggings and long boots with them. And that forgiving, stretchy material grew with me during pregnancy so I only had to buy a handful of dresses. I shopped a Target for my stuff but would definitely go for Old Navy if there was one in our city.

Maternity clothes for petite women are a challenge. I found great jeans from pea in the pod and gap, and some passable options from old navy. Asos has great options as well and I found some cute pieces at top shop. For dressier work clothes I found some great pieces at gilt. I sold all my maternity clothes in lots on eBay and imagine it’s a great way to buy barely used maternity clothes for cheap.

I’ve been looking for an overall forever and cannot find any. I want it slim but no elastic waist… there are none out there!
I’m going for regular dresses a size or two bigger. Maternity clothes (except from Asos) are still UGLY.

This comes at a great time for me. I’m 7 weeks pregnant, and thanks to bloating, I’ve got a pretty good sized belly already…finding clothes that fit well and in which I can feel confident and pulled-together is super-important to me. I’m especially interested in modern, simple lines–no ruching! Anyone who has had experience finding that kind of thing? Thanks for a great post!

Love how timely this post is. I’m six months pregnant with my first and just giving into maternity clothes. I got through most of the winter with leggings and oversized sweaters, but with the warm weather having arrived, I’m finally branching out. I went to target a few days ago and found some great shorts and t’s in the Liz Lange line. I’ve also just ordered a pretty dress and some tops from Pink Blush Maternity – really cute clothes that are very reasonably priced.

Yes to the flannel button down over an oversized tank top uniform. Also, the Pea in the Pod leggings are a godsend and I loveloveLOVED my maternity StitchFixes. I would also love nursing bra and nursing – friendly suggestions. This was a whole territory of dressing that I was completely unprepared for.

Seraphine was a life saver for work pieces and natural fiber sweaters! I couldn’t have survived with without my Sweet Mommy Maternity down coat! And StitchFix has some good stuff too!

I’m due in just 3 weeks, so my go-to uniform these days is ballet flats or sandals, Jessica Simpson under-belly maternity jeans, a tank top to show off the bump, and a light cardigan. When I wear maternity shirts people are like “Holy crap, you’re really about to pop!” I think the cardigan/sweater over tank top look breaks up the belly a little. I get a lot less OMG looks that way lol.