Maternity fashion advice: Part 3

Okay, so I'm not even done with my pregnancy but I'm doling out the advice like it's nobody's business. Oh well! I've done this for almost 9 months, so I have some sort of expertise, right? Here is my advice on maternity fashion, in general... I promise, Part 3 is the final chapter. :)

See Part 1 and Part 2.

Invest in a pair of maternity jeans in the style/cut you wear the most. For me that's a medium/dark skinny leg. Also, I've loved the kind with a full panel (yep, up to the boobs) that is made of a lightweight panty-hose fabric. I made the mistake of buying a not so comfy panel pair from Old Navy and even though they've looked cute the whole pregnancy and worked pretty well, the band was just not comfortable.

Don't assume just because you're preggo you need a giant size. I actually found that most maternity clothes run big. Pre-pregnancy I was an 8 or 10 in pants/jeans/skirts and a medium or 6 in shirts and jackets. I found that at both Old Navy, Motherhood and Kohl's I bought 8s and smalls for the most part.

If you're pregnant in the dead of winter like me, you definitely need a coat - but you can probably avoid buying an actual maternity coat if you play it smart. Borrow one or find one secondhand is your best option, but my coat is actually from the Juniors department at JcPenney. My mom saw a coat with the right silhouette online for $40 or so and ordered it in a size up and it's great! Thanks mom!

Speaking of non-maternity items, keep your eye out for clothes that will work for you in the non-maternity clothing sections. This goes for your own closet (look for empire waist styles and cardigans you can wear open, etc), but also at the stores as well. I LOVE bargain shopping and pre-pregnancy you'd probably rarely see me in an outfit totaling more than $50-75. I love searching racks for $10 gems and I thought for pregnancy I was going to be forced to buy $40 tops. I actually had a lot of luck at Kohl's clearance racks but TJ Maxx could work too. I found 3 or 4 tops (Vera Wang for Kohls and Daisy Fuentes, if you're wondering) that are cut very generously that I can still wear now. They were each $7-10. Just keep an eye out for styles that look longer and fuller in the mid-section and they just might work!

Buy something new and fun even if there is only a month or so left in your pregnancy. Towards the end you literally are sick of looking at the two pairs of pants and 5 shirts that still fit and feel good. Buy something in a bright color that makes you smile. It's worth $20 to have a little pick me up and confidence boost in the last few weeks. A mom friend from work suggested this to me and it's great advice!

Don't get in a color rut. For some reason I bought a lot of GRAY this year. I love gray, but I also love color. I don't know how it happened but I was just drawn to that color and now I'm getting very bored with a coat, fleece jacket, boots, winter accessories and multiple other items all in the same charcoal gray hue. Make sure you mix it up or you will go nuts!

Accessorize!! Accessories are important for fashion in general but even more so during pregnancy. A cute necklace or earrings can detract from a puffy face. A bright scarf camouflages a giant belly and adds flair to a boring (read: gray) outfit. And bonus! you can buy accessories now and wear them after pregnancy! A necklace always fits!

I hope these fashion posts can help some other pregnant ladies out there who are lost in the sea of panels and leggings and tunics and can't find their way out. Even though you are pregnant, don't give up on looking cute! It can be done, it's just a little bit trickier.

Oh and I have to give props to my maternity fashion guide: Dusty's Maternity Fashion Overview over at All Things G&D. I love her style and this post in particular helped me tremendously! Her daughter Kate was born January 2010, so I often looked at what she wore last fall at the same point in her pregnancy. She had great advice and I've referred back to this post often.

Happy pregnancy and happy shopping to all my pregnant fashionistas!

Maternity fashion advice: Part 2

In my last fashion-related post, I shared my favorite clothing items for each stage of my pregnancy. I've also had some favorite things that have worked for me for the entire 9 months.

My favorite, can't live without items that have worked all pregnancy:

Skinny pants/jeans


I'm a big skinny jeans person and have been for a few years - they are so versatile and work from summer to winter. My fave pair is my black skinny pants from Motherhood - I just wish I would've had them for my whole pregnancy. Basically they are like heavier weight leggings with pockets that can be work appropriate. They work with ballet flats or heels, could be cuffed and worn with flip flops in warmer weather, and can be tucked into any type of boot from comfy Uggs to equestrian type ones. If you are pregnant, I say get them!

Foldover yoga pants


I got a pair of black yoga pants for $13 at Kohls and I'm kicking myself for not buying 2 or 3 pairs. They are super comfy and I know I'll be wearing them a lot post-baby. They are great for lounging, working out or running around shopping. If anyone knows of another good pair of yoga pants with a fold-over waist, let me know!

Maternity tanks with built-in bras


I wore camisoles with built-in bras practically everyday before I was pregnant, so it's no surprise that I needed some good maternity tanks. My favorite are from Kohl's because they are soft and long, but the ones from Motherhood have been good too. I bought gray, black and two in white.

Long Cardigans


I've worn the heck out of my longer hip-length cardigans this fall and winter. They keep me warm, camouflage any peekaboo maternity panels, and just look cute!

Scarves



Scarves are the best thing ever. I wear a lightweight pashmina type scarf almost everyday. They add color and (kind of) cover up a giant belly if you are self-conscious of it.

Cheap fleece jacket


I bought a gray/black fleece zip up jacket early in pregnancy for $15 at TJ Maxx. It's a North Face-esque fleece, but without the price. I bought an XL hoping I could wear it my whole pregnancy. It was big at first but now at almost 36 weeks it's still doing the job. It's a great go-to when I need to run out the door and not freeze.

Larger "boyfriend" T-shirts


Before I was pregnant, slouchy boyfriend v-neck tees were really in style. Because I bought them in a size up to make sure they were nice and slouchy, they still fit now!

Stay tuned for Part 3 coming shortly where I'll share some more words of advice about maternity style and what has helped me and what I will try to do differently next time.

Maternity fashion advice: Part 1

My "fashion" has gone considerably downhill the bigger and more pregnant I've gotten. Most of my maternity clothes still fit but I just don't feel like putting in the energy to come up with cute outfits everyday. It's so much easier to resort to the same type of outfit most days and not think about it. Also, I'm in my office mostly and not teaching or doing many official things right now, so I don't really have to dress up much anymore.

But, in the earlier months I had to look nice and professional and still be relatively comfortable to teach classes and give tours and presentations. I wanted to share what worked for me. Keep in mind my pregnancy has fallen mostly in the fall and winter, so this may not apply to ladies giving birth in the summer months.

PHASE 1: 12 weeks-22 weeks

The "I'm just bloated to there's an actual bump there!" phase:

I didn't start wearing any maternity clothes until 14 weeks, and even then it was just on the bloated days! During this stage I was still relatively close to my old size and could still wear a lot of non-maternity stuff. I really started to pop about mid-way through my pregnancy and definitely needed maternity clothes at that point. My go-to items:

Bella Band

I bought mine at Target. I didn't get much use out of it since I moved on to maternity pants pretty early, but it was good for getting more life out of pre-pregnancy pants. The band was pretty good at holding up un-buttoned pants or too-big maternity pants as well. The only problem was it tends to roll if you are moving around a lot. I bought mine in tan, which worked well under lighter colored tops.

Ribbed maternity tanks from Motherhood

My biggest problem at this stage was tops not being long enough to cover my bump or maternity panel or Bella Band. I really liked the ribbed tanks from Motherhood and Old Navy. They have been great for layering under light cardigans or just wearing around the house.

Non-maternity dresses

At this stage I was still getting a lot of wear out of non-maternity dresses. But, as my bump grew they started to get a little too short. Some people could wear leggings or tights but as I got bigger I never found a good pair of maternity tights that were comfy. I thought I'd be wearing dresses and tights throughout my pregnancy but have found myself choosing pants more often.

Black/gray herringbone Trousers from Liz Lange for Target

(no longer available)

Speaking of pants, I had a favorite go-to pair of dress pants for this stage of pregnancy. They had a nice comfy panel and looked professional and I'm pretty sure I wore them twice a week! I was able to wear them with a lot of my pre-preg tops and cardigans.

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PHASE 2: 23 weeks - 33 weeks

The "nothing fits AT ALL and I need more clothes now" phase

Long sleeve t-shirts from Motherhood/Old Navy and Target


I've gotten a lot of wear out of the 5 or 6 long sleeve tees I bought for this pregnancy. I got black, white, purple, fuchsia, brown, and gray. I've probably worn the black and pink the most and the white the least.

Maternity dresses from Motherhood

My mom bought me the cutest denim shirtdress and I got a lot of wear out of it in this stage. The weather was warm enough to not need tights and I could still wear belts so I swapped out the fabric one for some of my fun skinny belts.

Flats!


At this stage I could not wear heels of any kind anymore. I was having a lot of swelling during this stage (it's gotten much better now that I'm not on my feet as much). But I found that my comfy ballet flats and flat boots are a must.

Creative layering

Layering is pretty typical for most people in the fall, but for this pregnancy I think I got even more creative. I'd layer too-short pre-preg tops over maternity tanks to get more life out of them and wore a lot of cardigans and jackets unbuttoned as well.

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PHASE 3: 34 weeks - 40 weeks

The "I'm sick of all my clothes and just want to wear pajamas" phase

In this last stage of pregnancy I've relied a lot on one go-to type outfit: Skinny jeans or black skinny pants, a long sleeve tshirt with a lightweight cardigan or chunky sweater over top plus knee-high boots and cute accessories (scarves, necklaces, hats). It's just so cold and nasty I have to wear boots, and anything else just takes too much thought.

Here are the other things I'm wearing in my last month or so:

Pajama bottoms - Worn only at home - not out in public!

Neil's t-shirts and sweatshirts - Again, mostly at home, though I have worn his solid brown zip-up sweatshirt out

My comfiest pair of maternity jeans

I have a super comfy pair of Liz Lange for Target jeans - similar pair pictured and here. They have a wide leg and just feel good. I'd recommend every pregnant woman to have one pair like this to kick around in.

Fake Uggs

Comfort before fashion when you're nearly 9 months pregnant.

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This post was getting far too long, so I've broken it up into three parts. Stay tuned for maternity fashion post Part 2 where I will share my favorite items that worked all throughout pregnancy and Part 3, my advice for pregnant fashionistas!

Maternity photos

So our friend Joe is an awesome (soon-to-be-professional) photographer and was nice enough to come over to our house and set up a little mini studio to take some photos. We weren't planning on getting maternity photos taken, but since Joe is working on his portfolio and wanted to try some maternity shots, we happily obliged! It was so fun. He's going to come back and make some adjustments and take some more soon (I'll have my hair freshly cut and highlighted then, thank goodness!) But he did an awesome job and I think some of them turned out really great!









I love that we have some photos of Neil and I together and also have some good photos of her room - even though it's not completely decorated yet.

My Pants Don't Fit

Yesterday I found something worse than ironing.

Spending 10 minutes ironing a pair of pants only to realize they don't even fit.

I desperately need to get some more maternity pants. Right now, I only have 2 pairs of maternity jeans (only 1 pair that are work-worthy), and a few pairs of pants that I can still rig up with my Bella Band or with a rubber band. It's really depressing to see your wardrobe dwindle in front of your eyes. Just a couple days ago I packed a few more pants and tops into the "See you next year" bin. So sad!

I'm also realizing that most of my tops are not long enough. They cover my belly and everything, but not the maternity panel or whatever contraption I'm using to keep my pants from falling off. Ughh!

Usually my favorite thing about fall is shopping for new clothes. I can literally spend hours just planning out what I need to shop for, not to mention the actual shopping! I'm just not thrilled about buying a temporary maternity wardrobe. Everything is so expensive! I hate buying anything full price. Most of my pre-pregnancy clothes are great deals from TJ Maxx or cheapies from Target, Old Navy or even Walmart. It just hurts to pay $40 for a pair of pants! What can I say, I'm a bargain hunter. I guess I just need to bite the bullet so I have something to wear to work. Here are the main things I'm needing for Fall:

This Weekend's Outlet Mall Haul

My mom and I met at the outlet mall yesterday and got a few items for me and baby at Motherhood Maternity and Carter's outlet stores. I had a blast trying things on and looking for baby stuff with my mom. What a fun experience! Here's what we got:

A great skirt for work or conferences:


Denim shirtdress to dress up or down:


A comfy top that will work for now (wearing today) or fall:


I love everything! Thanks again, mom! It was fun trying on stuff, especially with the fake strap-on belly they had in the dressing room. All the items I go should work for the rest of the pregnancy, I hope.

I stopped by Target on the way to work today (after my 15-week checkup!!) and bought a Nude Bella Band to extend the life of my normal jeans and pants. Works great! I also bought a pair of maternity jeans that were on sale for $16. They are bootcut and a lighter wash. I think they will be good for more casual stuff for fall and winter.

Oh, let's not forget the baby! We got him/her some cute stuff at the Carter's outlet. This place is dangerous, let me tell you. Everything is adorable! Here is what mom and I bought:

Ducky fleece sleeper and zoo animals sleep bag (both 3 months):



Soft green blanket:


and baby socks!


I had a great time shopping and buying even though I had to stick to greens and yellows. I love those colors too, so it's alright! I got my ultrasound scheduled this morning - so September 17, I will know if I can buy blue or pink!

Oh, and some of THESE came in the mail this weekend:


And thanks to Neil, a few Parenting magazines from Half Price Books and Amazon, we got 180 diapers for $2.50!! I know a lot of these are in my future. Might as well stock up now.

I will post my 15 week update soon.

That day has finally come...

Today is the first day I wore maternity jeans!

I bought a couple pairs last night at Old Navy, and decided to try them out today. My regular jeans still button and fit okay, but I've noticed at the end of the day I have a lot of stomach pain! I think I'll be much more comfortable with the stretchy pants. Here are the two pairs I got at Old Navy.

Skinny jeans


Relaxed fit crops


So far, they are much more comfy, but I look much more pregnant in them! Oh well, I am pregnant so I might as well look it!

Amy Adams is the cutest preggo ever!

I love Amy Adams and I was so excited to hear she was pregnant. She is such a good actress and is obviously beautiful! I loved her in Enchanted and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Celebrity Baby Blog just added a post about her maternity style. I love the red dress but the coat is fantastic! Can't wait to see more of her fashion choices during her pregnancy!