Where to find mildly trendy maternity clothes that don't cost a fortune?

[egoldber]

I ordered something on super sale from babystyle.com because I had a coupon and a free shipping offer. But if I ordered everything from there I'd go broke!

Also, I know LE has nice stuff, but I'd like to try something a little less, hmmm, classic?

And the big kicker is, I don't shop at Old Navy and Gap.

Thanks!

[houseof3boys]

What about Target? Our Target Greatland has some pretty cute stuff. I find I need to go up a size though since it shrinks and seem to run a touch small (Liz Lange brand primarily).

I didn't remember you boycotting Gap, btw! :P

[divabell]

Are you near a Motherhood outlet? Our outlet mall's Motherhood shop also has Mimi Maternity and Pea in a Pod stuff. You have to dig through a ton of Motherhood stuff, but I found a couple trendier Mimi tops for $10 each there. The Pea in a Pod clothes were still pretty pricey, but you never know. I recall seeing things I would have bought had they been in my size.

[egoldber]

Just my little personal thing. :)

I looked at Target the other day (not a Greatland though), but I was in a hurry and nothing floated my boat. Maybe I'll look again.

[houseof3boys]

Try a Super Target if it's not too far from you since they seem to have a much larger selection and that way you don't waste time!

Since we are about to get into the cold winter season, are you wanting sweaters or long sleeve type stuff that you'll wear a jacket with?

I know you said no LE, but I do like the side panel boot cut jeans I got from them a few weeks ago.

[C99]

I really liked the Mimi Maternity stuff when I was pregnant with Nate. They have good sales and it's a little dressier and better quality than the stuff you'd find at Motherhood. I also liked some of the Liz Lange stuff at Target, but I like it less this go-round.

Just curious: why don't you shop at Old Navy/The Gap?

[egoldber]

Stuff I read here made me decide to avoid the Gap/ON/BN chain:

www.responsibleshopper.org

[egoldber]

Thanks all. I probably should have ALSO mentioned, LOL, that I am petite. I'm 5'1" and my pre-pregnancy size is a 6 or 8.

My main problem is finding pants that are not too long.

[calebsmama03]

Normally I'd have said ON, but then I read your post ;)
I was FAR less than thrilled with what was available when I was pg with C, but now things appear to be a little less mu-mu-ish. There have even been some cuter things at Motherhood, but not sure if they have petites or not? I've pretty much just been scouring the sales at places like babystyle and JW, but unfortunately it's usually only the larger sizes left. Good luck finding something!

Another thought is if you don't mind used, what about thrift shops or e-bay? More time consuming but I"ve seen cute stuff for cheap that way.
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Oh my!! #2 5/05

[divabell]

Beth, for pants, I bought some at Mimi that were cropped and wore them as regular pants. But I don't know if they sell cropped pants this time of year. It's tough to find nice petite maternity pants. I splurged on some from a maternity boutique, and I wore those a lot. Along with jeans from (sigh) Old Navy.

[lmarcam]

The Nordstroms web site often has great deals on maternity clothes in their sale section -- I got three great pairs of japanese weekend pants including a pair of jeans for less than $20 a piece, and a JW shirt for the same price. Its hit or miss, right now they have some Earl jeans, Liz Lange and Olian stuff, the prices are not quite as good.

I also recc. the Maternity Works outlet if you have one near you. Although its mostly Motherhood stuff, I was able to find some great deals on Pea in the Pod and Mimi stuff ($3 for a Mimi blouse, less than $20 each for two pairs of Pea in the Pod pants).

E-bay is also an option if you have the patience. I bought several NWT Sweet Pea tops for less than $30 (I saw the same exact tops in the store for $78).

Good luck.

[lizajane]

hmmmm... online.... i can only think of ebay for certain brands.

we have this great boutique here that has good sale prices. i think the normal prices are outrageous, but i did spend the $$ to get one great japanese weekend black dress, one great tummi black skirt and a pair of rebel jeans. i also just spent bucks on one michael stars tee shirt. so i guess i could only recommend searching those brands on ebay. i usually wear an old navy tee shirt with my jeans or my friends' gap jeans. i am pretty darn boring.

i am also a 6, so i find it a little bit hard to find maternity clothes that aren't too big. (but i am 5'8", so the pants fit ok.) but when i go out (ha ha, that has been one time) i wore japanese weekend pants that i got on clearance with my one splurge michael stars shirt and i did actually feel stylish for once in my life!

[ktshea]

If you're near an H&M store they may carry maternity clothes. Their things are pretty trendy and not terribly spendy. Their website is www.hm.com and you can do a store locator search from there. Not all stores carry the maternity line, so you'd also want to search by "concept" and look for the H&M Mama line. Good luck!
Katie

[Canna]

They don't sound like the trendiest place, but you may want to try Kohls and JCPenney. They both have some nice quality clothes and their prices are very good (both have sales all the time). For fall I bought two beautiful moleskin/faux suede tops at Kohls to wear with pants for work: $15 each. Kohls also has nice quality T-shirts and jeans.

At JC Penney I bought some nice turtlenecks, bootcut cords, and some really cute black pants with slightly-funky silver stitching on them, going in vertical stripes (not pinstripes...) They had some pretty youthful/trendy layered-look T-shirts in appealling funky colors (like a chocoloate short-sleeved shirt with a lime green long-sleeved shirt under it) - they were super-soft too, but I was trying not to spend too much on "play" clothes.

You may also want to try plus-size sections, especially plus-size petites if they have them since length is an issue. Or you may have to hem your pants - not too expensive and could be worth it!

Good luck!

[tinkerbell1217]

Japanese Weekend has really cool stuff, and when they have a sale its great! Check them out! I bought a few things from them while PG and the fit is excellent, comfy, and stylish!

[calebsmama03]

What is it about Michael Stars t shirts that is so great? I've never seen one IRL and am curious what all the hububb is about?? (BTW - I've also never seen one on a model online, just a pic of the shirt, so it truly looks like a regular old t shirt but with a $50 price tag!)
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Oh my!! #2 5/05

[spring daisy]

Believe it or not, Sears had some pretty good stuff. One of my favotite maternity shirts was one that I bought there along with a few pairs of pants. I think we accidentally went there when stuff was on sale 'cuz the pants were about $12 each. And the shirts were about the same - except I think I paid $24 for one of them. I'm about 5'3" and the pants I bought (in size small) I actually felt were too short. Worth checking out.

I also bought a lot of stuff at Mimi Maternity. They have some ridiculously priced stuff. But the sale stuff in the back was super cheap.

Good luck!

[alkagift]

Beth,
When I was pg I bought LE for t's and sweaters but most of the things I bought were consignment--all brands, usually Mimi and Pea in a Pod, as well as what I remember as being some french label I can't remember! I went to a shop in an upscale part of town and found some really cute things. I also bought some things at Gap, which you avoid, and found that the pants did not grow with me well at all so I can't even recommend them. Target was also a winner for button-down style dress shirts and the like.

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[netne]

I found some cute, trendy stuff at JC Penney and Motherhood Maternity.

[Dcclerk]

Not Liza, and I got mine at a consignment store for $6 :), but I can tell you why I like them. They fit really well. Something about the fit in the shoulders and the arms make them so they are fitted yet still appropriate for maternity. I, personally, do not like the looser tees. I tend to buy my tees from JCrew, not Lands End, if that makes sense. These fit that style. They also seem to keep their shape better than other maternity wear I have. I think there is more lycra, or something, but my Gap and Old Navy tees look much more worn and misshapen after a while. Finally, they are really light-weight and soft. Everything seems to drive my belly crazy this pregnancy but the MS stuff is super soft. (I don't know that the shine stuff is as soft, though.)

HTH!

[lizajane]

exactly what kerry said. it is just like the difference between boxy "no name" tee shirts and fitted j crew/banana republic/etc tee shirts in non-maternity. the michael stars hug well for that trendy "just because i am pregnant doesn't mean i have to wear a burlap sack" look. they aren't too long (a little worried that i won't be able to wear mine much longer actually, because i have a VERY long torso!) and they seem to grow with you. so you can wear them earlier than the other maternity tees. they kinda look like normal shirts in the beginning, and then when you suddenly pop out, they still fit! the gal at the store said her customers also really like them for post partum because they don't look baggy and blah, but they still have plenty of room for your shrinking tummy.

to be frank, i am a thin person (size 6) and maternity clothes are gigantic on me. target size small is STILL too big at 8 months. i have stuff from 2 years ago, and i know the new styles are smaller (gap, old navy, etc). but 2 years ago, i couldn't find anything flattering and i really wish i knew about stuff like michael stars, just to have one or two things that i could feel proud to wear. my new old navy tees are working pretty well. but i am still in size small at 8 months- so it took a while for them to fit and look decent.

i swear i am not trying to sound like a snob! i only have one michael stars shirt! all the rest are old navy, gap (2 from last time) and borrowed clothes. but EVERY time i "go out" i wear the michael stars shirt. if i remember, i will get dh to take a pic of me in it later. and another brand, too, so you can see the difference.

[calebsmama03]

Thanks Kerry and Liza! That's exactly what I'm looking for, as that is my style! Liza, I'm the same way. My regular jeans JUST started to not fit (much earlier this time than last :( ) and my maternity stuff (smalls from babystyle and mimi) don't fit at all yet. I still had room to grow in a small mimi jeans when I had C! Don't even get me going on shirts! I'm wearing a XS from babystyle today just to cover my rubber-banded jeans ;) and it looks OK, but the smalls I have look totally frumpy (and BS stuff tended to fit more trendy I thought...). I'll have to look for some MS and see if I can find any that I can afford :) My skin is still going nuts and now that I've "popped" a little I need a self esteem booster!!
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Oh my!! #2 5/05