A Girl’s Guide to Non-Matronly Maternity Style
Guest blogger: Nina O’Reilly-Draddy, a pregnant fashionista four times over
Lavish by Heidi Klum
The Basics
Don’t overbuy. Start with a few good basics like black pants, black skirt, white button down shirt and a wrap dress. Once you have the basics you can start to fill in the blanks with a few fun items. I have often rotated the same 6 outfits, but mixed different tops. Once you are post-baby bump, you don’t want to end up with an entire wardrobe you won’t wear anymore. Invest money only in a few great pieces and then round out your options with more inexpensive items to keep you from getting bored with your closet.
Shops: Michael Stars, Mimi Maternity, Pea in a Pod, Gap and Old Navy.
Maternity Staples by Pea in the Pod
Maternity Basics by Old Navy
The Filler Fashion
Don’t limit yourself to maternity wear, you will quickly get bored with the selection or tired of the heavy price tags. There is a lot offered in regular retailers that will work with a growing belly. Look for long shirts, empire waists, baby doll cuts, leggings, yoga pants, cardigans and bohemian tops and dresses. Keep your eye open for pieces with a loose-fit or made with stretchy fabric. Remember to leave a little room for growth if you are early in your pregnancy.
Shops: The sale rack at Anthropologie for tops, H&M for cardigans and New York & Company for a good selection of knitwear.
Tops by Anthropologie
Knitwear by New York & Company
The Must Haves
Sevens Maternity Jeans
Be sure to buy them one size larger than you are now, if you aren’t really showing. I made the mistake of buying a pair when I was still skinny thinking that my butt and thighs were going to remain smaller - but as my husband pointed out “you can’t build a house without a foundation”, so give yourself a little extra leg room.
Maternity Jeans by Seven for All Mankind
Lululemon Yoga Pants
They will be your best friend throughout your pregnancy, especially towards to end when nothing but the comfort of yoga pants feels good stretched across your belly. When I got to my third pregnancy, I wore the same pants so much that my mother insisted on burning them.
Active Wear by Lululemon
Stay Yourself
Throughout your pregnancy remember to stay rooted in your personal style. You may not be able to wear the exact same things you once did, but you can keep consistent with your fashion choices. Most accessories are size-less so they can help anchor each look with your signature style throughout all nine months. You will go through many changes and it will be comforting to look in the mirror, see your idiosyncratic style shine through and be able to feel like yourself.
Angelina Jolie, Gwen Stefani, Heidi Klum & Nicole Richie
Tags: dressing a baby bump, maternity wear, Nina O'Reilly-Draddy, non-matronly, pregnant fashionista
February 19th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Lovely post.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
gosh maternity wear has gotten better, I remember whant my mom used to wear when pregnant with my brothers in the 90s!
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Congratulations (AGAIN!) to the guest blogger !!! great blog. many great points made.
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:31 am
Very impressive work-blogger & guest blogger….
February 27th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Hi Kristen,
great guest post. I am not planning on getting pregnant soon, but this helps me to imagine how to get through that phase without suffering a fashion-shock!
Love,
Lilly *-*
March 6th, 2010 at 4:06 am
Wow! What an awesome post! I have a 6 month old boy and I really wish I would have read this 15 months ago haha. I think the only thing that really bugged me about being pregnant at 18 is that I felt like as a young artsy “out there” kinda person I lost my unique flair. (Dont get me wrong, i still had cute pieces but these tips would have come in handy!) Thanks for an awesome post!
-ana