What I'd Wear Wednesday: Regular
What I'd wear today if I could: regular clothes, as usual. Keep to the status quo.
I've been asked if my WIWW posts will now become all about maternity wear. Never fear, internets!
Here's my explanation, long form:
I don't need to wear maternity clothes yet because my regular clothes still fit me. (Now just watch, nothing will fit me tomorrow when I get dressed!) But even when my expanding tummy and disappearing waist make me reach for something bigger, I plan to try to wear as many regular clothes as I can for as long as I can. (Not to mention there's a ubiquitous maternity chain store where the salespeople are mean and the return policy is ridiculous. You know the one I'm talking about. Not gonna shop there anymore.)
With my first pregnancy, when I was expecting Fly, I admit I tended to look to the celebrity preggos for style cues. Namely, for whatever reason, Angelina Jolie. She wore extremely simple all-black outfits. And that's a lot of what I wore.
This time around, my pregnancy style icon is a mom I know in real life who went her entire pregnancy wearing no maternity clothes whatsoever. She wore larger-sized, flowy, empire-waisted kind of regular clothes -- lots of mini sundresses. And she. looked. fabulous. All the time.
I was going to ask to borrow some of her clothes but found out she is expecting again, five months after giving birth. She is due only weeks after I am. So there goes that idea.
Now, I figure I'm going to need some maternity bottoms. Because I am a realist. And another friend of mine who is now a grandma told me she made her own reversible wrap skirts when she was pregnant, and I like really that idea.
I also have a couple maternity tops from last time that I love so much I never put them away with my other maternity wear. I can't wait to trot those out.
But otherwise, I hope to wear regular clothes as much as possible.
Take this top from Victoria's Secret:
Or these cute tops from Forever 21:
(Don't you love the heart over the tummy?!)
I think these could be worn through a good bit of pregnancy, if not the whole term.
If I see some maternity clothes I think are really great, I'll post them. If I see some amazing regular-sized items that I think would work for maternity, I will post them. And if I wish I could wear something that's impossible for me to wear at the time, I still might post it. Because if anything, WIWW is a wish list.
So if you're pregnant, what are you wearing now? If you're not, what did you wear during your last pregnancy? And where do/did you get your clothes?
I've been asked if my WIWW posts will now become all about maternity wear. Never fear, internets!
Here's my explanation, long form:
I don't need to wear maternity clothes yet because my regular clothes still fit me. (Now just watch, nothing will fit me tomorrow when I get dressed!) But even when my expanding tummy and disappearing waist make me reach for something bigger, I plan to try to wear as many regular clothes as I can for as long as I can. (Not to mention there's a ubiquitous maternity chain store where the salespeople are mean and the return policy is ridiculous. You know the one I'm talking about. Not gonna shop there anymore.)
With my first pregnancy, when I was expecting Fly, I admit I tended to look to the celebrity preggos for style cues. Namely, for whatever reason, Angelina Jolie. She wore extremely simple all-black outfits. And that's a lot of what I wore.
This time around, my pregnancy style icon is a mom I know in real life who went her entire pregnancy wearing no maternity clothes whatsoever. She wore larger-sized, flowy, empire-waisted kind of regular clothes -- lots of mini sundresses. And she. looked. fabulous. All the time.
I was going to ask to borrow some of her clothes but found out she is expecting again, five months after giving birth. She is due only weeks after I am. So there goes that idea.
Now, I figure I'm going to need some maternity bottoms. Because I am a realist. And another friend of mine who is now a grandma told me she made her own reversible wrap skirts when she was pregnant, and I like really that idea.
I also have a couple maternity tops from last time that I love so much I never put them away with my other maternity wear. I can't wait to trot those out.
But otherwise, I hope to wear regular clothes as much as possible.
Take this top from Victoria's Secret:
Or these cute tops from Forever 21:
(Don't you love the heart over the tummy?!)
I think these could be worn through a good bit of pregnancy, if not the whole term.
If I see some maternity clothes I think are really great, I'll post them. If I see some amazing regular-sized items that I think would work for maternity, I will post them. And if I wish I could wear something that's impossible for me to wear at the time, I still might post it. Because if anything, WIWW is a wish list.
So if you're pregnant, what are you wearing now? If you're not, what did you wear during your last pregnancy? And where do/did you get your clothes?
Labels: pregnancy, What I'd Wear Wednesday
posted by Damselfly at 7:58 AM
16 Comments:
You lucky dog. I was buying bigger clothes before I even KNEW I was pregnant.
I tried to wear regular clothes as long as possible, but the need to switch to maternity happened a lot faster the second time. I liked the tops you selected.
Maternity clothes: RESALE shops. Seriously. Or Ebay, Clothing sales, Craigslist. You'd be surprised how much you can find. Plus, maternity clothes is only worn 6-9 months at a time, so it's usually in near-new condition.
You're right about the styles nowadays, though. There are plenty of regular clothing styles available that aren't maternity that will suit a growing belly.
There is a really fabulous maternity store about an hour from where I live. It was the only place where I could find good service and pants that fit. Other than that I wore mostly regular clothes through the whole thing. Regular clothes are a)often cheaper b)cuter and c)wearable post-maternity. I was actually careful to buy mostly nursing friendly tops and dresses too.
I must say I'm impressed that you still fit into your regular clothes. After the first month I had to opt for larger sizes.
I get in to my maternity pants asap because having stuff toughing my stomach right where normal pants waste bands fall makes me really sick to my stomach. I have a few maternity shirts that I have picked up various places but I tend to avoid that store you were mentioning because they seem to think that all pregnant women have small boobs and that they want to show them off. I prefer to dress modestly in clothing that is accommodating to my girls.
I wore a lot of long shirts under a blazer I got at the (insert name of wretched maternity shop with bad return policies here). At the very end, in order to have truly comfy pajama bottoms, I got a pair of men's XXL sweatpants, shortened the leg length, and pulled them over my big round belly. Pathetically unstylish, but at 8 mths, I didn't care.
I wore a lot of long tank tops under regular sweaters. Comfy, stylish and loving-my-pregnancy-sexy!
I was out buying maternity clothes before the pregnancy test was even dry. I was so excited. Now, I wish that I had waited a little longer. The good news: I have a huge maternity wardrobe including some absolutely adorable sundresses. For those that want to stick to the regular clothes, luckily, the empire waist is in, so there are lots of options.
I love my maternity clothes. Loved and still do, actually. They are cuter than my regular wardrobe. I love the items you have picked out. You have seriously good taste, though that was never in question. I do have a question, however, won't it make you feel like you are pregnant even after you are not, if you are wearing non-mat clothes?
I am planning on sewing some clothes for this pregnancy (I got rid of EVERYTHING sigh). I am a serious jean girl so I think I might buy one pair that is maternity although I just saw an instructibles on how to sew a pair.
I am also going to sew a couple belly bands to extend my shirts and keep my pants up.
I look forward to your wednesday posts!
I have 3 kids and always opted for actual maternity clothes because I just felt more comfortable in them. I hated the way they looked (most the time) but I got tired of either a-always hiking my pants up or b-always feeling cut in half by pants or shirts that were just too tight. And whenever I tried to just buy bigger sized shirts the shoulders of the shirts would come clear down to my elbows because I'm so tiny up top but get a HUGE belly when pregnant.
I always found lots of great stuff at Ross Dress for Less. I also found a couple of great pieces (like an amazing black dress) at Sears, of all places. But I also wore a lot of slightly frumpy stuff from Shopko and Kmart because I'm too stinking cheap to pay big bucks for clothes I only wear for 6 months.
When I was pregnant with Julia, I was still working in a professional environment, so used every trick in the book to wear my regular clothes as long as I could. I never had to buy maternity pants - I was able to stay in my suit pants by doing the rubber band through the button hole thing and wearing a maternity shirt that covered the little gap. I wore my regular blazers, but didn't close them.
With Lucy, I was no longer working. My regular clothes were much more...elastic? I bought one pair of maternity jeans and a few shirts, but for the most part, I was in what I usually wear. Of course, fashion isn't exactly my strong suit.
I bought an empire waist shirt from Forever 21 last summer that would totally work through at least the first 6 months of pregnancy. A good plan for someone who lives where it's warm. ;)
The last trimester of my last pregnancy fell firmly in Canadian winter. I had to buy sweaters and the like. I bought a lot of stuff at a second hand store that tends to only accept gently worn items. For a few nicer items to wear to holiday parties and the odd client meeting, I spent more at a maternity store.
I love your plan. For my last pregnancy, where I was ENORMOUS, I had no choice but to wear maternity clothes. Even when I was pregnant with Isabella, though, my boobs grew so huge so quickly that my "normal" shirts just looked horrible, so I switched over to maternity tops pretty quickly.
There are a few Target maternity sweaters I still wear (BTW no longer prego). But you have great taste and a good sense ... I am sure you'll factor all that into your NEW wardrobe :)
Again ... sooooo happy for you!!!
LOVED this post.
I, too, enjoy wearing "regular" clothes throughout pregnancy. I wear a lot of athletic pants, longer length tops, and sweaters from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. And the BellaBand helped me to wear my "regular" pants for the first and second trimesters.
Now that I'm in my third trimester, I'm living in my Chip & Pepper maternity jeans, my hoodie from Childish maternity, my figure tee from Maggie Maternity, and a variety of Liz Lange tees. Oh, and I'm still lovin' yoga/athletic-style pants for around-the-house lounging.
If you're referring to Motherhood Maternity, then I completely agree. Their customer service is terrible. Their return policy is non-existent. And I recommend a boycott.
One last comment: I'll look forward to your WIWW column, regardless what you feature. I always enjoy seeing what styles you have discovered.
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