Ah, the sweet spot. Yes, you’re still dressing a different body every week but now the bump is big enough to really look like your pregnant rather than overstuffed from a recent Mexican restaurant outing. Same disclaimer as last week, you do not have to be pregnant to benefit from these style tips!
One color on top and bottom below a jacket or cardigan creates an elongating and slenderizing “column.”
Signature Maternity Style Tip:
Stay current, not trendy. Buying current but not trendy styles (neon, fringe, etc) keeps your clothes from looking dated in the event that you need to wear them again for round two (or three!). Want to rock a trend anyway? Bring it in with your accessories, a necklace, clutch, or scarf!
Prints are a great way to disguise and flatter!
Signature Maternity Style Tip:
Consider cost-per-wearing. I know, the thought of spending a bunch of money on clothes you won’t have in your closet for very long is frustrating but the cost-per-wearing concept helps put it into perspective. Going from a closet full of clothes where you may have worn something only two or three times last season to a small capsule collection mean you’ll wear the pregnancy pieces over and over simply because you have less to choose from! A $100 dress worn five times means $20/wearing. Keeping it real: Depending on how much you gain and how long it takes for it to come off, it can be a lot more than just a few months!
Matching tights to your shoes elongates and slenderizes.
Signature Maternity Style Tip:
Build a capsule collection. Going from a full closet to a closet of <50 means you have to make great purchases. Start with one base neutral best for your style and skin tone (black, brown, grey, or navy), then build your wardrobe with basics and accent colors around the base color. Though I am a confessed color addict and had a lot of color throughout my pregnancy, nearly all of my maternity purchases had some blue or purple in them. It made it so much easier to mix and match!
Sample capsule color pairings:
- Mint, coral, plum, and turquoise to go with greys
- Red, fuschia, royal blue, and cream to pair with blacks
- Green, purple, turquoise, orange, and cream to pair with browns
- Pink, mint, purple/plum, and white with navys
Balance volume on top with a tight fit on bottom.
Signature Maternity Style Tip:
Start with your favorite brands. If a brand fit you well pre-pregnancy, there is a great chance it will fit you well during pregnancy. This Michael Kors poncho isn’t maternity but the brand typically fits me well so I looked for pieces that would work during the pregnancy. And though it’s worth confirming, if a brand didn’t fit you well before it probably won’t fit you well now. In addition to some great maternity brands like Seraphine and Olian, more and more brands are carrying maternity styles. Whether you are a fan of ASOS, J Crew, or many many others, you can find pieces that fit!
Keep your best colors near your face.
Signature Maternity Style Tip:
Buy in spurts rather than all at once. Especially because this was my first pregnancy (but it applies for all), I had no idea how I was going to grow so I opted for frequent small shopping sessions rather than a complete wardrobe purchases from the outset. This was a late addition and it ended up being one of my favorites. It fit all the way to the end and I still felt good in it even when I was HUGE!
Wrapping up the maternity style recap with a where to splurge and what to avoid post next!
Love these tips….and you looked so good throughout your entire pregnancy….and even now!
Darby, you are so sweet! Thank you! And ditto! ;-)