Maternity Fashion Show

[Piglet]

We are going to TTC #3 in the next little while and I can't seem to get excited about any of the maternity clothes I am seeing right now. I know that is such a minor issue, but Gap Maternity looks SO casual and blah... I have to dress for work! Just for fun, please post pictures or links to maternity clothes you like and if you own something that you adore, let me know - sometimes the pictures don't do the clothing justice (or sometimes they look way better on the picture than IRL).

Thanks all!

[brittone2]

I don't have any pics/links of cute stuff for you, but I can commiserate. I went maternity clothes shopping over the weekend for #2 and uggggh...everything is just YUCK. Bad quality, bad fit, etc.

I'm petite, so a lot of the summery tank tops are so low cut they look like they could plunge to my belly button, or the straps are so long that if I could cut three inches off of the them the top would fit cute ;) It is hard to find petite maternity stuff...Old Navy sells some shorter length pants, but very few places overall do, or the selection is really limited. I could have them hemmed (or try to do it myself) but that adds up quickly!

I have a lot of stuff from DS for fall/winter, thankfully, but need to supplement w/ some summer clothes and I'm not loving what I'm seeing at all. WIth DH in grad school, the budget doesn't allow for crazy spending on just a handful of cute shirts, but the lower priced stuff I've been seeing is terrible in terms of quality and fit. I guess the winter/fall stuff was easier for me to find as the fit of sweaters, etc. seems a little more flexible.

So...I'm anxious to see what goodies everyone posts. Maybe it will inspire me. I'm not feeling particularly motivated to go back and shop again after disliking a huge portion of what I encountered on my first shopping expedition or two.

FWIW, I did find some cute stuff at Ross but didn't have time to try it on so I need to go back. It was better made and less expensive (and cuter) than a lot of the things I tried on at Motherhood.

What sort of attire do you need for work? Business casual or more dressy?

[psophia17]

As soon as I have some that aren't boring as all heck, I'll post...shoot, I guess that means I need to find the camera, huh?

[dawell0]

Don't have any pictures, but I had to rely on a church sale in my neighborhood (they listed it as a maternity/baby clothing sale). There, I was able to find several dresses, old style that were very nice each for under $5 in good shape. I recommend resale shops or sales just because I don't like the current tight styles for my work either. I was also able to find less fitted shirts and the high-waisted pants that I like. I know, I'm hopelessly out of style. The only problem is that when I wear the bigger stuff then the guy at a store told me, "Boy, are you due soon?" and I'm really not that big yet. I just look bigger in these big clothes.

[EagerlyAwaitingBaby]

I don't have pics but...my favorites are:

For quality:
Gap (I'm wearing some stuff from my first pregnancy, also love that pants are in real sizes not S/M/L)

For Looks:
Pea in the Pod (prices $$$)
Mimi (pricey for mediocre quality (not much can last till your next babe - but at least it looks nice!)
Gap (long and lean jeans, casual t-shirts - but shirts run small)

For Price:
Old Navy (quality is poor but hey it's cheap! Great for t-shirts, bathing suits and knock around the house kind of clothes)
Motherhood (Quality is poor, fabrics are often not naturally ocurring, and a lot of the stuff is not stylish. But there is some cute stuff here and there and lots of good sales.)

Also, beware of the return polciies at Motherhood, Mimi, and Pea in the Pod (10 days on regular items, final sale for sale items)!!!

[jec2]

japaneseweekend.com has some great looks. our local maternity boutique is duematernity.com and they have some really fun items.

[firstbaby]

I second japanese weekend. Their clothes are fun and well made, though not cheap. I would definitely check out ebay for some NWT or EUC to score some good deals. I really miss my cute JW maternity pieces since the baby was born - that stuff was more fun than my non-maternity wardrobe! They were also the pieces I constantly got compliments on while pg.

[MartiesMom2B]

I've been shopping for things, and I think everything looks so flimsy and cheaply made. I've been sponging off my friends and getting their old maternity clothes. I like those styles more than what's out there today.

-Sonia
Mommy to Martie
& Li'l Bunny to come Feb. 2007

[chrissyhowie]

Sonia!! CONGRATULATIONS :)!!!

[MartiesMom2B]

Thanks Chrissie.

-Sonia
Mommy to Martie
& Li'l Bunny to come Feb. 2007

[brittone2]

ITA. That's my problem with shopping at Motherhood and Mimi...the quality is IMO not great at all and the prices still aren't totally cheap. I can spend $30-50 on a non maternity piece of clothing in a regular store and it will often be at least *decently* made, whereas I swear there are loose threads, icky fabrics, etc. on a lot of maternity items in that price range. But I'm too cheap to shop at Pea in the Pod so I can't speak to the quality there :)

I get really disgusted by the wealth of crappily made maternity items that cost an arm and a leg.

Congrats again BTW :)

[MartiesMom2B]

A whole bunch of clothes that I like, I got from my SIL in NJ. It makes me suspect that the offering of maternity clothes in our area stink.

-Sonia
Mommy to Martie
& Li'l Bunny to come Feb. 2007

[ilfaith]

My biggest gripe about maternity wear is that everything is either resonably priced but cheaply made (Motherhood), boring basics (I am so sick of my Old Navy tank tops and Liz Lange for Target shorts), or too pricy to spend that kind of money for just a few months of wear (Pea in the Pod and boutique brands like Olian).

I remember during my first pregnancy I had a dream that Banana Republic and Ann Taylor came out with maternity clothing. I was so disappointed to wake up and find it wasn't real.

[brittone2]

I tend to agree LOL ;)

There's some boutique maternity place in Durham that sells some Japanese Weekend and various other brands but I have yet to check it out. I saw it online but I don't remember specifically where it is. I have a friend's wedding in 3 weeks and I need a dress....I'm totally dreading the whole experience of shopping for one ;)

I'm 5'2" so on top of trying to find stuff that isn't hideous in maternity clothes, I end up having to deal with the fact that tank top straps are all too long, the whole torso of things is too long so that means the neckline plunges to about my belly button, dresses are too long, etc. etc. I do not want to have to spend $ for alterations on top of everything else, but not too many places make petite sized maternity clothes.

How great that you have someone to share maternity clothes with you :) That is always an enormous help!!

[brittone2]

LOL! I would love some AT or BR maternity clothes. AT is one of the only places on earth that I have an easy time shopping for myself when I'm not pg!! :)

[HGraceMom]

did you ever find the shop? I'd love a name / location - we'll be in Durham mid-Aug.
thanks!

[mama4jc]

Just wanted to chime in and say that I usually buy clothes (just had my second baby early June) at the Gap (you can return their online purchases for free!) and at H&M (only certain stores carry it but it's cute stuff as a reasonable price - check their website for H&M Mama). I did break down and buy a couple of pretty, frivolous things at Mimi Maternity for the third trimester b/c I needed something to help me feel better about all the swelling and all. HTH

[pixiepower]

I have found these worked for me:

MHood for basics like tanks ad tees, some jeans were okay too, in fact I am still wearing a couple pair that look great eve non PG! Lots of tops I had bought that had ri b bon trims did not last! And, I paid at least $30 each top! That ticked me off quite a bit!!

Mimi was my slurge! I bought a few really trendy tees ad jeans there, the panel ripped on one pair though. Luckily, I only paid $50, on sale from $120.

JW, I have a couple of tops and one pair of jeans from there. Great quality!!! I bought on sale.

ba bystyle, quality not so good, sizing not true, I am a 14 normally and their XL jeans were too small!!

Angels maternity jeans were GREAT!!!!! Comfy, reasonaly priced at burligton coat factory.

next time around, I am going to try shopping at Due Maternity. They have great styles, designers, and decent sales.

Lots of luck!!