Chase's H&M shirt, $15 (similar for women); long cami, $5; maternity pants via online Asian boutique, $15 (similar [regular]); We Love Colors socks; Franco Sarto wedge booties, $32 (similar)
I figured I could be creative and just use what I had like I usually did on the blog. What I didn't realize is that getting dressed every morning would be SO DANG HARD:
- I'm about to lose the buttons on all of my button-up shirts because of these huge boobs.
- I don't have a lot of longer t-shirts so I run the risk of flashing my under-belly unless I knot it or tuck it in a skirt.
Shade Clothing has a maternity section and has free shipping and returns and they constantly have sales and yeah, I think that's it. But, seriously, you guys.. I love Shade Clothing. They have great basics for low prices and free shipping!! I got the baby tee below for $10 and two v-neck tees for $8 each in gray and white, which I LOVE. Definitely wearing them after the baby comes. The baby tee is questionable. I desperately needed an undertee for my see-through shirts.
Other than those purchases, I think I've been doing pretty well. I have gone to thrift stores more times than usual to see if I can find elastic and/or stretchy skirts and pants to replace all the jeans I put away in storage...and I have! I'll show you guys in upcoming outfit posts.
Also, if you need non-maternity-clothes outfit ideas, you should check out lace, etc. This girl worked her whole pregnancy with no maternity clothes!! Talk about ingenious.
Anyone else gone a whole pregnancy without buying maternity-anything??
I never had a problem getting maternity clothes. I found some great pants at Old Navy to keep me appropriate at work, and I mostly wore my pre-pregnancy dresses/skirts with leggings or tights to help with the whole huge-stomach-situation.
ReplyDeleteI really only bought four or five pieces to keep my wardrobe going, and didn't invest much. I'd rather spend money on some maternity pieces than feel uncomfortable for months!
Def. check out consignment stores...the ones geared toward kiddos usually have maternity things as well. I'd also check around with friends. My group does a lot of lending and borrowing cause none of us want to spend big on them. Target has some awesome things and def. get a belly band so you can keep wearing non maternity pants.
ReplyDeleteI bought a maternity dress at Target once.. When I wasn't pregnant.. Nor did I look pregnant. I was just a great sweater dress! And on sale! And looked good on!
ReplyDeleteI think you are doing a pretty good job. With my first baby I bought too many maternity clothes that I never wore and sent them off to DI. My second pregnancy I did much better. No maternity tops just looser one size up tops. I did buy a pair of gap maternity jeans and one or two gap maternity skirts. This time I did not give them to DI I gave to a friend who started a "maternity closet" between her and other friends.
ReplyDeleteI think that is everyone's goal! But I agree that you can be creative or only buy things that can also transition.
ReplyDeletexo Jennifer
http://seekingstyleblog.wordpress.com
I went my entire pregnancy with Felix without buying a stitch of maternity clothes. JEGGINGS and extra large stretchy tees were my savior. I posted my non-maternity outfits here:
ReplyDeletehttp://fashion.melissaesplin.com/tag/maternity/
Forever 21 has some great really long layering tanks for around 4 bucks on their website. I'm eight months right now and they've kept me in my pre-prego tops the whole time. They're pretty fitted too so kind of work like a belly band to keep those unbuttoned pants up. Also the plain tees in the target maternity section are nice, don't look maternity (read: shapeless) at all. I still wear a couple from when I had my first baby. I am also crazy about not wearing maternity clothes, they can be so unflattering!
ReplyDeleteNot only did I buy maternity clothes, I had two sets--1st to second tri and third trimester. That is what happens when you marry a 6'3" giant and have huge babies swimming in tons of amniotic fluid (by the fifth and final I was so tired of being asked if it was twins, I just said triplets!).
ReplyDeleteYou little tummy gals are blessed!
With my second baby I did not wear any maternity pants. Hurray for leggings. Maternity pants don't seem to fit me well, but I couldn't go a whole pregnancy without maternity tops, especially toward the end. I think how you muddle through depends on how you carry the baby. I loved those shade shirts too, and I found another shirt I loved at H&M. Good luck. Being pregnant means you get to monkey with your wardrobe for 9 plus months , and that gets old fast.
ReplyDeleteI heart maternity clothes. Those full-panel pants make me happy!
ReplyDeleteit really depends on your shape too- how you gain weight and what pregnancy you're on. i bought a few pieces of maternity clothes w/ my first pregnancy and wore them non-pregnant, just belted! it totally worked. this is my 2nd pregnancy and i have no aversion to cute maternity clothes- it's SO worth EVERY DIME to be comfortable and feel cute!
ReplyDeleteYay! I def agree with JoLee. Even though I carry high and round my skin is super sensitive and anything below my belly or tight around it drives me insane! I was pretty small before I got pregnant around my belly and I'm still amazed at how stretched out my skin is. I'm in grad school and sitting through hours of lecture in tight pants just wasn't going to cut it. Just buy some key pieces, no sense in torturing yourself and then getting to late 3rd trimester and nothing works anymore and you have to budge and get some that you could have been wearing for a while! :) I lived in dresses in the summer (2nd tri) and bough some skinnies for Fall (3rd tri). Also remember that many women have a "4th trimester", the postpartum period where you still look 6 months pregnant and only your maternity clothes fit you and then u lose the weight slowly and get back to your clothes. And then some are lucky (can we say Naomi and Sydney) who immediately go back to their pre baby body within weeks. Be kind to yourself, fashionable comfort is key to make the whole thing more manageable!
ReplyDeleteYes! I did. Although I did buy a bella band (one of those band thingies to let you wear your jeans unbuttoned. I also wore a lot of leggings with dresses that became tunics. Once it finally cools down in LA, you can also belt all of your cardigans.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part for me was after I had the baby. Your stomach still sticks out for awhile, and rocking a bump isn't cute anymore. That's when I wished I had bought a pair of maternity pants and maybe a shirt or two :)
If I could be guaranteed big boobs during AND after pregnancy, I would get pregnant right now! JK.
ReplyDeleteThat's besides the point, good luck!
your hair is looking gorgeous!! your outfits lately are also great, of course. :)
ReplyDeletematernity jeans were probably my only really necessary purchase, though i also loved a black, sort-of bodycon skirt that could be worn over bump with a shirt tucked in or folded down (asos had one recently).
the silhouette that i wore most days was a tight-ish or good drape-y shirt under a cardigan/thin jacket/unbuttoned men's shirt that reached mid thigh. and slim pants. really flattering proportions on a nice big belly. :)
good for you! I wish I could go sans maternity ... but I love the demi-panel pants from Gap and Old Navy .. insanely comfortable. Even regular leggings start to hurt my stomach after awhile. Old Navy has some really great colored skinny jeans for pretty cheap right now and they fit really, really well and are reallllllllly comfy.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah .. Preethi is amazing.
wow. we love to be on the same wave length as you. we seriously just posted about a similar look to yours here. crazy!
ReplyDeleteI actually like maternity clothes--I think that there are many fun, cute options out there now. I've had great luck shopping online at Old Navy and Gap, and I think it was money well-spent. They are special clothes, more special than almost anything else I've ever worn, because they surrounded my growing babies. I was comfortable and looked pretty good too. Nothing wrong with that! :)
ReplyDeleteNot Pregnant but always looking for when the time comes,I see cute things at Old Navy online and even Target. Fashion Du Jor at http://fashiondujourdaily.wordpress.com/ worked her entire pregnancy without any maternity gear...she is one fashionable gal and a mommy of 3!
ReplyDeleteWith Bronson the only maternity clothes had were thrifted and i tried to make do without very many of those even. and i felt ugly the entire time! this time i have a bunch of maternity clothes from freepiles or that were handed down to me. it has made ALL the difference to have maternity shirts (ruching on the side is so stinking flattering) and full paneled pants (can not sing praises to them enough) are my BFF. also i actually bought some maternity garment bottoms this time. oh.my.gosh. they are miraculous. the first and 2nd trimester everything normal fit (except yeah, not button downs. my boobs are ginorm,) but now that i'm pushing 32 weeks, hallelujah for maternity clothes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out! :) Funny thing is, I never actually intended to boycott maternity clothes. I purchased one pair of maternity pants with my first pregnancy and tried to wear them once or twice and hated them. So I gave them away this time and never missed them. I just found I was far more comfortable and felt better in my regular skirts and dresses. But I agree with a lot of the others that it depends so much on how you carry, what season it is, etc. Either way, you look adorable and I can't wait to see how you manage your wardrobe!
ReplyDeleteI went through my entire pregnancy without buying anything. My mother in law bought me two shirts towards the end, but that was it. When I look back in pictures, I really regretted it. I looked super uncomfortable. I am hoping to definitely buy some maternity clothing for the next round. I think it will help me feel better about myself and more comfortable. I have seen some super cute H&M maternity stuff and I think Old Navy has cute stuff... Even Target isn't sooo bad. Either way, good luck! Make sure you buy a band because it will save your life!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever checked out zulily.com? They're one of those daily sale sites, but they have a fair amount of maternity sales. I'm not and have never been pregnant so I have never checked out their maternity stuff, but they tend to have pretty good sales on a lot of their "regular" clothes! I'd recommend signing up for their emails and seeing what you can find. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I would have done without maternity clothes. There was no such thing as a Bella band, and low rise jeans weren't out yet! I only gained about 25 pounds with each pregnancy (somehow) but my husband was only 2 inches taller and about 5 pounds heavier than me before I got pregnant, so wearing his pants wasn't an option. I borrowed a lot and wore the same things over and over again my first pregnancy, then only bought one dress, I think, my second. My last couple weeks of both pregnancies I literally wore the same two or three outfits over and over again. I was so glad to put them away once my kids were out!
ReplyDeletei recently sent my cousin a mom to be present which included some target maternity tanks for layering. i so think i need to get them for myself even though i am not preggo. i am sick of my tanks shrinking in length.
ReplyDeleteyay, commenting is easy again on your blog! before i had trouble. who knows
Hey Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI ended up buying maternity clothes from www.asos.com
they were the best value and cutest -very cheap compared with stores here in Australia.
They've really come into their own in the last trimester
:0)
Hey Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI ended up buying maternity clothes from www.asos.com
they were the best value and cutest -very cheap compared with stores here in Australia.
They've really come into their own in the last trimester
:0)
Congratulations Elaine! I too tried to get away without buying maternity clothes but finally caved on 4 occasions. I'm now almost at the end ( 38 weeks yesterday!!) and the two best buys were maternity dresses from ASOS for $20 and $25 each :) some comfy and though I thought they were a bit frumpy and long when I first purchased them, when my bump grew bigger they were just perfect!
ReplyDelete