Technically these photos are supposed to be in sunny California this week, but when you mix the flu and a pregnant lady, the best laid plans become the best cancelled plans. But the sunshine is coming through for me this week almost as a consolation prize for not being on the beach. If this means I can get away with sandals and white jeans, then I’ll take it, thank you very much.
A friend of mine recently asked how to deal with first / second trimester clothes once you start to outgrow your normal clothes. Besides a few good pair of maternity jeans (post coming soon on my faves), I’ve been trying my best to find tops long and loose enough to wear now* and later. I’ve searched the ends of the Earth (okay not that far but you get the point) for cute maternity clothes and I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but — they are not good. I won’t say ALL are not good, but I will say most are exactly what I don’t ever want to wear. And the worst part is a lot of them are expensive for what could possibly be a one time wear, for just a few months. The other part is right now I don’t really need full blown maternity wear (except for the jeans. God bless the world’s supply of elastic on a single pair of jeans.) So the search begins for straight sizing clothes that I can wear for now* and then later, postpartum.
*I truly mean right now because Lord knows the bump does what the bump wants. Sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. I could wake up tomorrow and be a completely different size! Bump be crazy….and I like it. It’s like a choose your own adventure with your closet every single day.
All of that to say, I’ve found that trial and error with online shopping is my best bet. Since I’m already tall with a long torso finding long enough tops will prove to be a problem soon enough, but right now I’m looking for tops that hit around or below the hips on models, since we are typically the same height. And many times I’ll size up one for a bit more room / length. So far, I’ve found that there are actually a ton of tops that are long enough to play this online roulette game with. I ended up with this striped top from The Great because I have it in black from last fall and LOVE it. It washes and doesn’t shrink which is actually quite hard to find in a cotton top. I picked up this blue number for spring and it’s just as lovely. I know I can wear this top now and later. I also picked up this similar striped top from Free People — same concept except way more slouchy. Slouchy = success. Best part is, both of these tops work pregnant or not!
I know not everyone is pregnant right now, but if you are interested in me sharing a few of my favorite recent maternity purchases, I’m more than happy to put a post together! Also, are we sure everyone isn’t pregnant right now? It feels like every time I turn around, someone else is pregnant. Just take a test to be sure, okay?
32 Responses
Ugh, I hear you on maternity clothes sucking. If you haven’t tried it yet, Seraphine was a great source for comfortable basics for me. I lived in their leggings towards the end.
Absolutely love it!
Mireia from TGL
https://thegoldlipstick.com/
I am very interested in your maternity recs!! I’m only 6 weeks along but have already done a little browsing and have been sorely disappointed at the maternity clothing out there. I think I’ll try my best to fake it for as long as possible with oversized tops and stretchy dresses, but I’ll probably mostly be buying a lot of shoes this summer :). Really looking forward to hearing about your picks for maternity jeans, since I will definitely need a few of those!
24 weeks pregnant and as a fellow tall, long torso lady, I’ve been struggling to find dresses that are long enough. It’s so frustrating. Also, they only come in dull, sad colors. I’d love to see any maternity dresses you’ve found that work.
This outfit is the cutest!! Can’t go wrong with a good stripe 😉 xo Devon Seventeen Dresses
Great look 😉
http://www.evdaily.blogspot.com
Casually beautiful! 🙂
❤LA BIJOUX BELLA❤ | BY MIA | A Creative Lifestyle Blog
You look gorgeous!
Have you tried TopShop maternity? They were great when I was pregnant!
Yes to everything in this post! I am strugggingly to find a good pair of maternity jeans. My go to pair from my previous pregnancies are all stretched out and start to fall down by the middle of the day. It’s a classy look, let me tell you. I would love a post on your maternity/non-maternity-but-good-for-now-and-later picks.
Glad you’re feeling better! Being sick while pregnant is rough!!
Ah, maternity clothes. Even when they’re good, they’re kind of sucky. I was pregnant for the first (and last) time with twins last year and I was determined not to buy much in the way of a maternity wardrobe. My few tips:
Maternity jeans are the best. I actually owned a pair before I got pregnant (I called them my buffet jeans) and I still wear them now even though I’m in approximately my 6th trimester. I loved the Liz Lange ones from Target as much as any of the pricier ones.
For tops, my solution was layers. I had a nice wardrobe of long tanks and tees (again, Liz Lange has great ones) and then I found I could wear almost all of my blazers, cardigans, and button down blouses and just keep them open over my base layer. It allowed me to create a nice narrow silhouette and still get to wear things I loved. Also relied a lot on wrap dresses and cotton maxi dresses, often sized up to accommodate the bump.
At a certain point, I just wore leggings all the time. Even to fancy events. Cute shoes and red lipstick are enough of an effort when you’re almost ready to burst.
I don’t know if you’ve checked out ASOS, but I did find like a couple of their maternity tops/sweaters (nice and long but fitted, so I didn’t look or feel like the Goodyear Blimp)
Ough, maternity clothes, either cheap and boring or interesting and expensive. I did the same as you, buying ‘normal’ clothes and managed to buy only some maternity jeans and leggings. Especially leggings combined with a dress worked great – if too short the legging got you covered. Only disappointment: I lost too many weight after the pregnancy and had to say goodbye to too many beautiful pieces
ASOS has great maternity tees, and then you can top them with an open shirt or cardigan. I was able to wear very little actual maternity clothing that way. And I remember hating maternity jeans until I would give in and buy a pair, then I would chastise myself for not moving into them sooner. Seriously, so much better on the bump!
I’m 33 weeks with my first and I’m also not a fan of maternity clothes!! I have found that I like many things on ASOS in maternity! Good prices and current!! I get asked all the time where I’m finding these good maternity pieces. Also, I’m definitely doing the layered looks too! Lots of vests and blazers over solid tops. You’ll be adorable no matter what!!
I love everything about this look! It’s so sunny and nautical! Looks great!
xo Bryn
http://www.waketonroad.com
Everyone is definitely pregnant right now…
Me included.
So on that note: please please please post more pregnancy/bump clothes! It’s so depressing looking at maternity stores.
I’m thinking I’ll be doing a lot of non maternity maxi dresses this summer, so ideas on those are welcome too!
I’d love some recs on inexpensive maternity clothes! I’m in the beginning of my second trimester and all my tops are feeling tight making me feel chubby! I also have two weddings in a couple months and dreading thinking about what to wear.
I’m not pregnant but I would love to hear your thoughts on brands/places on pregnancy clothes! Who knows, it may come in handy for me one day!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
I was pregnant last year, it was definitely hard to find good clothes! Asos has great trendy pieces, but it was a little difficult to find the right sizes at first. In the begining I wore alot of loose dresses and tees. I found that a few great pairs of jeans, and some good quality bump-hugging tees, Gap had good ones, (once you get to that stage) with some cute shoes and statement jewelry got me through most days! Motherhood Maternity had some cute blouses and dresses when they had a good sale, and the Loft had some cute blouses as well! You definitely have to search for cute maternity clothes! Good luck! You got this mama!
That’s such a cute and confortable outfit! ♡
Dripdrip✧・゜*
Maternity clothes are horrific, aren’t they? Weird fabrics, weird patterns. I’m halfway through and still in most of my normal clothes (wear a lot of dresses which helps). Seriously considering just buying unstructured dresses from Uniqlo in the next size up and trying to make it work.
ASOS do tall maternity stuff. Go to the tall section and have a look, there’s some tall maternity mixed in.
I’d love your recommendations for maternity clothes that work for tall ladies! I’m only 11.5 weeks along and have been too sick and exhausted to deal with trying to shop for things so far. Luckily most of my regular clothes still fit now, but I’m definitely going to need to invest in a few things soon!
Love this look, it’s just so fresh 🙂
Rachael xx..
theteacozykitchen.blogspot.co.uk
I really love Storq for maternity basics. I’m ten months postpartum and still wear my Storq tanks and leggings, they are seriously the softest thing you can put on your body.
I think it’s a smart strategy to get stuff now that will work postpartum- almost everything I bought in early pregnancy is still in my closet!
I’m really interested to know what you think about Hatch, if you end up trying it. I wanted some Hatch so bad when I was pregnant but could never justify the cost! Knowing what I know now in terms of how long I would wear my maternity stuff, I might have bitten the bullet.
Anyways! Congrats, so interested to hear all your thoughts on maternity style. 🙂
Also due in August. Still wearing my one size larger fatty jeans though. Have a feeling I’m about a month or less away from needing mom jeans. Hit me with those recs.
I’m also due in August and would love if you put together a couple maternity posts! I’m happy to be around the same time frame as you – it makes finding clothes easy! 🙂
Have you looked at Loft for maternity clothes? Some of their stuff is pretty cute!
I really loved my jcrew maternity jeans. They had pocket elastic, rather than full on over the stomach elastic. This is really preferably for being pregnant in Texas where it’s already hot enough without wearing an elastic band over your stomach. My other favorite piece in my maternity wardrobe was a black tank-style maxi maternity dress. Perfect for a summer pregnancy, and once fall came I started pairing it with a flannel or chambray shirt, which I would tie over the bump / under my boobs.
I also did a ton of non-maternity shirts and sweaters that were longer /baggier.
ASOS has fun maternity clothes but it’s a little pricier. I found maternity jeans and shorts at old navy but their maternity section in store was a mess. I’m not sure what you have near you but we have a few maternity stores which ended up being my go-to. I was pregnant in the summer so tank tops and shorts were my staple. At work I just wore black skinny dress pants and blouses. The Jessica Simpson maternity line is really pretty. You look gorgeous and I hope you’re feeling better. xo
Yes, please share! We’ve had one miscarriage but are trying again, and I’d love to see what’s working for you. 🙂
I would love more posts on maternity wear. Pants, size selection, and a few price options. I want to invest in one good pair of jeans but i need quite a few pants for work that i can put in rotation without looking like a repeater every week/or breaking the bank of buying numerous pairs. Not being able to wear jeans or leggings to work is going to prove to be a challenge. Love the post!
Please do a post on maternity pants!! PLEASE!