If you follow me on Instagram, some of you might know, I LOATHE maternity clothes. I feel like I am just another prego chick wearing the same, bland, blah, maternity garb that every other prego in the region is wearing. There isn’t a lot of choice out there and most prego’s think they have no other option than to buy into those generic {and expensive} brands that don’t necessarily foster individual style and comfort. Don’t get me wrong…we need some of those generic basics. What wardrobe doesn’t thrive on the good old basics…you know, the basic tee…jeans. We actually can survive, stylistically, without maternity clothes. And I am not bashing maternity retail stores at all. And believe you me, I dropped a pretty penny on my first pregnancy in your stores because I felt I had to and in fact I did need to. So thank you. But this time around, after I saw that “YES” indicator on my glorious pee stick, I couldn’t bear to don the generic cheap elastic-banded materials for another pregnancy, which quite frankly might be my last pregnancy.
Some women say they change during pregnancy {physically, emotionally, socially}…some for the better and some…well…I won’t say worse but there be change ya’ll! So I put my foot down. Let’s be real here. Us Momma’s sacrifice {willingly} a whole hell of a lot to bring our babies into the world and if I couldn’t indulge in a glass of wine or goat cheese I sure as heck wasn’t going to sacrifice my style and ignore my wardrobe for another year. So I’m spreading the good ol’ fashion gospel.
Ladies! Momma’s out there! You don’t have to say goodbye to your closet! Here are some of my Maternity Fashion ABC’s that helped me through the ebb and flow of my ever changing pregnant body without killing my style. Although I love a good acrostic challenge, I couldn’t find a clothing items for EVERY letter of the alphabet but I tried. Haters gonna hate.
A – Accessories – you would be surprised on how much an accessory can bring a blah outfit to life! Scarves, Hats, Jewelry…
A-Line – Anything that will give your belly, hips, and booty a little bit more breathing room.
B – Basics – the basic tee is essential to ANY wardrobe, NOT just prego-wear. Get your black, white, and gray.
C – Cardigans – be plentiful in this! You can do no wrong. Go cray. New or old, they will translate into post prego wear seamlessly.
D – Dresses – Style and Material are key. Look for lycra {or anything stretchy} or A-line symmetry or flowy styled dresses.
F – Flannel (Button Down)- Worn open, layered, whatever…I love channeling my Eddie Veddar vibes. Feel good, look good.
G – Girdle – Spanx, control top anything, or even a full piece bathing suit comes in handy to keep everything in its sausage casing.
H – Haram Pants – loose, flowy, comfy….prego word porn.
J – Jeans – Here’s the thing, you gotta splurge and get yourself prego jeans. You can extend your wear on your regular jeans by using jean extenders or an elastic band to wrap around the top button. Unfortuantely, my ba-donk needed a bit more real estate this time around. But who am I kidding. Prego jeans are the BOMB.COM!
Jackets – Expensive much?! I couldn’t do it. I refused. Last time around I borrowed a maternity jacket from a friend, but had to give it back. I miss that friend and the jacket, but I survived. I didn’t always get to do my jacket/coat up…the struggle was real. But I found respite in pique coats or trench coats that I could close with a belt or tie. Perfect.
K – Knits – Knits stretch and are very forgiving.
L – Leggings – Praise the fashion God’s. I have a couple of maternity pairs, but I honestly love my high waisted Aritzia leggings.
Layers– Although you might think layers will make you feel larger or more cumbersome, layering helps to create a more diverse look and allows you to have more variety in your wardrobe.
O – Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder – Stick with what you are comfortable with. You do NOT need to buy into the gimmicks of “maternity” undergarments. Save your cash for your post-pardum nursing bras.
P – Poncho – Be still my heart. One size fits all.
S – Stretchy! Use anything that you know will give with your growing body and forgive to bounce back to its original shape.
T – Tunics – Essential to accompany our leggings. Cover the crotch and the crack. Rule of leggings. Again, translates into post prego wear too!
U – Underwear – low rise, low-rise, low-rise. My faves reign from Calvin Klein and Victoria Secret.
V- Vests – Faux fur, down-filled, sheep-skin, blends…perfect to add on to ANY outfit. Vests also can help elongate your body when you are feeling rather oompaloompa-ish.
W – Whatever Fits – Bottom line…be comfortable. In your skin and in your clothes.
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| You can even get your fashion-on in a formal way. Choose high-waisted, A-Line cuts that flatter and forgive. This Calvin Klein number had layered ruffles at my mid-line to hide my bump. |
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| Go with the flow. Four months prego. This cotton-blend dress from Forever 21 got its share of wear. |
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| Accessories and Lycra! This dress from H&M was a fave. Super comfy. Hat from Aritizia. |
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| Stretchy 3/4 Dress from….Aritizia was the cutest number for going out for a date night with hubby or a girls night with the gals and fellow bloggers at Social Common Live. Made me feel sexy, even with a belly. Necklace from Stella and Dot. Tights from H&M. |
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| Full piece bather from Joe Fresh kept everything in its sausage casing. I even used it as a “Spanx” while filming with my favourite Mom’s at Social Common Live. After all, they say the camera adds ten pounds… |
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| Layer and Love with my favourite flannel from Plain Threads. The open, airy feel of the unbuttoned kept me comfy and confident as I really began to ‘POP’. Layered with a ribbed Abercrombie and Fitch tank. |
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| I adored these elastic banded crocheted shorts from Target. I wish I bought them in the 3 other colors they came in before the store was stolen from me. RIP Target Canada…I miss thee. Michael Kors Bag. Jessica Simpson strapped hirachi sandles. |
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| Basics and Harams. Elastic and low-waisted band Harams from Artizia made my world. Basic black tee from Thyme Maternity. Shoes from Nine West. |
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| Stretchy Knits and Slits! Outfit is all entirely from Artizia {shocker!} The knitted top was long to cover my bump and then some and also gave additional give with slits on each side. The pencil skirt is actually 3/4 length but when I pulled it up over my bump, it transitioned into a lovely knee-length skirt! |
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| Poncho Love. This was a staple. A pregnant woman’s dream. It was a pretty penny {Aritizia} but it’s not maternity, so this will transition into my post-prego wardrobe easy peasy. |
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| Leggings, Layers, Knits and Slits! I was pushing this knit to the limit. This LuLu Lemon knit sweater complete with slits along each side got great use, even at month 8 of pregnancy! Leggings {High-Waisted} from Aritizia and layering tank from RW&Co. |
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| Undies! Elastic band. Low-Rise. Nuff-said. Calvin Klein from Urban Outfitters. Matching Sports Bra is worth the purchase as well. |
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| Trench-Pique Coat {Open} is Calvin Klein Jeans {Maternity} by Jessica Simpson Boots by Sam Edelman. |
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| Calvin Klein Coat {Closed} |
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| Flowy, Layers create variety. Hat by Artizia. Scarf and stripped top by H&M. Jacket by Buffalo. Layering tank from Target. Jeans {Maternity} from Thyme. |
Those are just some of the things that worked for me and pretty much can be used throughout all seasons of pregnancy, with a couple of exceptions. I like to have fun with fashion but also have it make sense…and if it doesn’t make sense, blame it on pregnancy brain. I got away with it once or twice!
I hope this helps some Momma’s out there who are struggling with some prego-fashion woes. Like clockwork, my newborn is crying for me. Mom-life gets busy, don’t stress over your wardrobe, just own it. Now to fit back into my pre-prego jeans! Who is ready to join on THAT journey!
Thanks for checking in!
