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Down In My Heart Joy!: Maternity Fashion: How To Keep Your Style While Wearing a Bump SECOND TRIMESTER
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This is part two of my pregnancy fashion series.
Here's the link to part one, which explains my budget, shopping style, and helpful tips about dressing your bump.
Fifteen Weeks Pregnant.
Earrings - Target, $8 or so
Tank under blouse - Old Navy, same $2 sale, size XS
Outer blouse - thrifted, $7, it is a very stretchy fabric that fit nicely to show off my bump, Size S
Skirt - thrifted, $9, has a super stretchy waistband, size S
Shoes - Crocs Malindi, $20
This
outer blouse and skirt were the first things I've shown here that were
not part of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. When I bought them, I noted they
were both super stretchy, so they would last me a while. I could
probably still wear both of them, but haven't since they're too summery.
This
is the week I bought new bras and was shocked to discover I was already
a 36B, three cup sizes bigger. At six and a half months, they still
fit fine. Victoria's Secret Body by Victoria no underwire (because
underwire is bad for breasts that are trying to make milk), $40 each
(one black, one beige). SO worth it.
WORK VERSION: Changed shoes to nude colored heels, added turquoise cardigan (it also looked good with a black cardigan, since both colors are in the shirt pattern).
HELPFUL TIP: You can mix and match different hues of the same basic color (I'm wearing at least four different shades of majenta / fuschia / plum here), as long as the hues have similar undertones. For example, a warm pale purple with a warm deep plum. A cool (blueish) purple will clash with a warm deep plum. All of the hues in this outfit are pretty warm.
Sixteen weeks pregnant.
Necklace - Old Navy faux pearls, clearance, $4
Blouse - Old Navy, $14, XS
Belt - Urban Outfitters (you've seen it before)
Slacks - maternity Small (finally!), Craigslist $25 (Mimi Maternity originally $80 according to the seller)
Shoes - Crocs Malindi $20
Black Bella Band - Ebay $20 (under blouse, holding up pants)
HELPFUL TIP: If you live in a climate like ours where it's hot outside and
cold inside in the summer, or it can change 20 to 30 degrees in one day, layering is a must-have. I often layer tanks underneath cardigans or blazers, so I can be warm in my 68 degree office, and cool in the 100 degree afternoon while I stand on the corner waiting for the bus to take me home. I've found that embellished tanks, specifically ones that have detail at the chest like this one, look much more interesting and dressy. When I saw this blouse, I bought it in white and plum because I knew they would look great layered (and they do).
WORK VERSION: Added pre-pregnancy grey blazer, wore it unbuttoned, changed shoes to black heels. I also wore almost this exact outfit pre-pregnancy with a knee-length pencil skirt, black with white pinstripes, and wore the belt at my waist line, still with the same grey blazer.
The necklace is very long, so I'm wearing it doubled, safety pinned in the back to hold the doubled loops in place. One of the reasons this shirt looks good at this stage is the elastic around the base of it pulls under my belly to show of the (tiny) bump.
I have worn this skirt a thousand ways, since it goes with so many things in my closet. The pattern is navy with white, greenish, and yellowish dots. I've worn it with green, yellow, teal, white, brown, and more.
WORK VERSION: Light teal sweater, navy blazer, chocolate brown belt, chocolate brown heels, chunky brown necklace. A totally different outfit really, just the skirt was the same.
Twenty weeks pregnant (to see the crazy difference just twenty weeks can make, here's a post where I'm wearing this same blouse, non-maternity. I have basically no chest to speak of, and the shirt is practically baggy!).
Earrings - feather, gift
Blouse - Lands End, $12, XS
Belt - thrifted, brown leather, $4
Pants - maternity Small, Craigslist $25 (Mimi Maternity originally $80 according to the seller
Shoes - Crocs Malindi $12 (Yes I own them in almost every color.)
Brown Bella Band - Ebay $20 (under blouse, holding up pants)
Love this belt because it is the same no-holes concept that can be buckled at any point along its length. From a woman on Craigslist, I purchased three pairs of dress slacks for work - black, chocolate brown, and light grey, for $25 each. Since I'm allergic to polyester, and these were cotton, it was well worth it to meet her on the other side of town to buy these. She had them listed for $35 each each, but I told her I could buy dress slacks on Ebay for $10-$15 (which I could, it would just take me a LONG time to find nice ones that weren't polyester), and talked her down to $25 each. I wear them every day to work unless I'm wearing a skirt.
Also, since I'm talking about Crocs, a few tips on Croc shopping.
CROCS (I have a whole Crocs post here).
- They're not all ugly. I used to swear there would never be a Croc in my house. Then they invented cute comfy ones. They are unbelievably comfy. And many are super cute.
- I visit Crocs.com regularly to see what the new styles are.
- When a new style of Crocs comes out that I like, I take a trip to the mall to try them on. Since Crocs only come in whole sizes, there's not as much of a chance they will sort of fit. They will or won't. HOWEVER, if they are 100% croslite (not a combination of leather, suede, TPU, etc.), they WILL shrink in the direct sun (like by three sizes in a few hours), and the WILL mold to your feet. So if they're a quarter of an inch too small, and they're a 100% croslite style like these, buy them anyway. After several uses, they won't be small anymore, they will fit perfectly. You can also throw them in the dryer for two minutes (not longer!), then wear them while they're hot, and they will mold to your feet.
- I never buy them new from the retail store, because Crocs always have online coupons. Sign up for their mailing list, and wait until a sale or coupon comes for the style you want, then buy them right away before they sell out!
WORK VERSION: Changed shoes to brown heels, added a lighter yellow blazer over the blouse. The blazer is 3/4 length sleeves, so the sleeves of this blouse extended further, which looked cute since the blouse sleeves were fitted and the blazer sleeves were wide.
Twenty one weeks pregnant.
Necklace - vintage, Ebay, silver metal chain with black plastic pendant, $6
Blouse - maternity XS, Liz Lange for Target, gift from mom ($20 or $25 probably)
Skirt - thrifted, super stretchy waist, not maternity, $8, XS
Shoes - Ross a long time ago, probably $15 or $20
WORK VERSION: Black heels, black blazer
This is another version of an embellished tank that looked great alone or layered. Also, I'm wearing this blouse backwards. The lace was supposed to be in the back, and the front is a drapey shape. The drapey shape looked frumpy and baggy on me still, since it was made for a bigger bump than I had at this point. And I thought the lace was so pretty, I wanted it visible in the front. I have worn this tank a LOT as a layering item with my work wardrobe.
Twenty Two weeks pregnant.
Necklace - thrifted, $8 (chunky plastic beads on leather)
Blouse - gift, Liz Lange for Target, maternity XS, probably $25
Sash - came with the blouse, navy and stretchy
Cardigan - Old Navy XS, $18
Jeans - Gap maternity, gift, $60
Boots - Ross, pleather, $25
Navy Bella Band - Ebay $20 (under blouse, holding up pants)
Most of my non-maternity jeans are thrifted, and my other maternity
jeans besides this one were either thrifted or hand-me-downs. While I could not bring myself to spend $60 on a single pair of jeans, these skinny maternity jeans are amazing, and I was blessed to have a Gap Maternity giftcard with well in excess of $100 to spend. These jeans are comfy and adorable AND maternity.
The blouse has a bunch of ruching down the sides and base, so it looked cute at twenty weeks, and will probably still fit at forty weeks (it definitely still fits at thirty). Not many maternity shirts will do that and still be flattering. Ruching and a drapey style can pull it off.
WORK VERSION: Navy blazer, brown slacks, brown heels (no boots)
HELPFUL TIP ON GOOD SHOES:
Good leather shoes are expensive and worth it. Most of my heels for work are leather, and I've spent $50 to $90 on each pair. If you're going to be wearing heels all day, I can't imagine wearing anything but leather, since it is worlds more comfortable. People ask how I can wear heels all day, and the answer is good leather that I paid quite a bit for (in my eyes anyway). I have black leather boots that I paid $80 for, and I've never regretted it. They were exactly the style and look I wanted in boots, and leather is worth it. I haven't had the same luck finding leather brown or grey boots, so I've settled for cheap pleather until the right ones turn up.
Everyone has different qualifications for boots. Mine were: no zippers (I don't like the feel of boots so tightly fitted, and I think the visible zipper is ugly, just my opinion), don't make my size 9 feet (size 10 in boots) look huge, mid-calf height, heels but not stilettos and not more than 2" tall.
For the brown boots, I wanted the gathered, slumpy, ruched look, which these are. If they would have been leather, I would have gladly paid three times as much for them.
Twenty Three weeks pregnant.
Necklace - vintage turquoise plastic and silver metal, gift
Dress - Old Navy, clearance regular size XS (not maternity!), $15
Tank - Old Navy, $8, navy color
Navy Bella Band - Ebay $20 (under dress, smoothing out belly)
Shoes - Walmart, $10
I have worn these silver flats more than any other flats I own. They don't have any support in them, but they look great with pretty much anything. I also have silver mary jane heels that are their dressier partner. When I bought silver shoes, I thought they were a splurge. Then I realized they go with half my wardrobe. I'm thinking bronze is next.
I was thrilled to discover this dress on clearance, because it's my normal size and is not maternity, which means I will be able to wear it even when I'm no longer pregnant, YET it is a great style and shape for a bump.
WORK VERSION: Wore this a couple different ways. Once with silver heels and a navy blazer, another time with chocolate heels, a brown cardigan or blazer, a brown sparkly tank, and shiny brown and turquoise necklace.
Gonna have to split the second trimester up into two parts, since it's really too many outfits for one post. To be continued!!!
