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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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I wrote about maternity fashion first trimester a very long time ago. My clothing is probably getting a bit out of style so it's about time to post the rest of my maternity fashion tips while I can still enjoy looking at the outfits again.
I think my tips remain about the same here as they were before:
1. Belts at the empire waistline make it obvious you are pregnant, and want people to know you are pregnant. There is less hesitation about the state of your belly when you are clearly showing it off with intention.
2. Avoid actual maternity clothes, blouses especially, as long as possible. Especially with the baggy blouse look that's in-style right now, just buy blouses that you like that fit over your bump. If they have a bit of stretch, even better. You might need to go up a size or two, but keep them as fitted as you can so you can look pregnant instead of lumpy. Stretchy skirts with a flexible waistband that are non-maternity also work great. Actual maternity clothes tend to be either ugly+affordable or expensive+cute. Most of maternity wardrobe, barring pants, was non-maternity until my third trimester.
3. Stick with fitted blouses when possible, again to show off the bump. If the blouse is flowy, belting it will add definition.
4. Thrift stores are my favorite places for unique finds that give depth. You buy a lot of brand new clothes the first time you are pregnant, so you can end up with a lot of all-the-same look. Thrifting helps round it out with clothes of other styles or seasons.
5. Being pregnant is hot. Make use of single-layers with a removeable over garment like a cardigan or blazer at work, so you can strip back down when driving to-and-fro.
6. Try to put yourself together every day, or as many days per week as possible, so you can feel good about your appearance. Sometimes all the difference in an outfit being blah, and thus feeling blah, can be a couple accessories - belt, scarf, necklace, earrings, bracelet, fun shoes.
7. There is a stage of pregnancy where cropped cardigans and blazers look good, and a stage where they look terrible. There is a stage where hip-length longer cardigans and blazers look good, and a stage where they look terrible. There is a stage where fitted-under-the-belly looks good, and a stage where it makes you look ginormous (at the end). Take a moment to glance in the mirror and decide if it's time to show off the belly or tone it down, and go with your intuition.
8. Use Belly Bands. I loved the original ones made by Ingrid and Isabel, but there are other brands that are cheaper. Theirs fit me perfect, were silky soft, and made my pregnancy fashion workeable. They truly can hold up your skirts or pants when they are too loose, smooth out belly lines when things are getting snug, and perhaps wax your car.
Nineteen weeks. Necklace thrifted, shirt Old Navy, skirt thrifted, shoes Walmart. I wore this outfit to work with a navy blazer and dark brown heels.
Still with a small enough bump to be fitted-under-the-belly. This is not a maternity blouse.
Twenty weeks: Earrings (feather) gift, Blouse Lands End, Belt thrifted, Pants maternity slacks, Shoes Crocs Malindi. Wore this outfit to work with brown heels.
Side note: These long sleeve basic tees from Lands End are fabulous. On a clearance deal I purchased four of them. They were soft out of the bag, and have only become softer. They are thin and lightweight without being sheer. They have never changed shape, stretched out, or faded in color. My only gripe with them is now they are five years old and the colors aren't "in" anymore so I should probably pick up a few more in newer colors. I seriously don't know if they will ever wear out. They are unbelievably amazing in a way I didn't think tee shirt blouses could be.
21 weeks: Necklace: thrifted, Blouse Liz Lange Target maternity (gift from my mom), Skirt thrifted, Shoes Ross. I wore this outfit to work with a black blazer and black heels. Also, this blouse is worn backward. The other side is completely plain with just a little pintuck to help add definition to the belly. The lacy detail is supposed to be across your shoulders. I flipped it around, which brought the pretty detail where I could enjoy it more, and left the back loose and drapey. I wore it backward every time I used it. Fitted-under-the-belly is a substitute for a belt here - giving definition one way or the other.
22 weeks: Necklace: thrifted, Blouse Liz Lange Target (gift from my mom), Cardigan Old Navy, Jeans Gap (gift from a friend), Boots Ross (pleather). This outfit was one that I felt confident in almost my entire pregnancy. I wore it to a couple meeting/conference things and it made me feel cute and pregnant. The blouse had this awesome ruching at the sides that made it flattering from this stage of pregnancy until almost the very end. The Gap maternity jeans were fabulous but I wished they had a tad more stretch. I did eventually outgrow them and couldn't fit my thighs and butt into them by the end of my pregnancy.
23 weeks: Necklace vintage gift (one of my very favorites that finally bit the dust, so sad), Tank: Old Navy, Dress Old Navy (not maternity), Shoes Walmart.
Two years later, these silver shoes are also about to bite the dust, which is going to break my heart.
This dress is a great example of non-maternity clothing being perfect for maternity. As a matter of fact, I won't wear this dress post-maternity, because the cut of it makes me wonder if someone might wonder if I'm pregnant. It was super stretchy and super soft, and I wore it many, many times during my pregnancy.
24 weeks: Earrings consignment, Scarf Old Navy, Sweater thrifted, Bracelet gift, Tank Old Navy Maternity, Jeans thrifted, Shoes Crocs Crocband Loafer.
This scarf is amazing. It is so soft. It is one of the most-used scarves in my wardrobe, simply because it draws together any outfit in the blue/green/yellow range. It has a plethora of colors in a gentle stripe pattern, and it goes with so many different things. I also own the same scarf in the pink/orange/red hue, and it pulls together any outfit in that range as well.
A simple pattern accent piece can draw together multiple pieces that would otherwise be just a top and pants.
Also, this sweater was getting a bit short on me, so the maternity tank underneath provide added length and another layer of color.
25 weeks: Necklace thrifted (also broken now, sad), Sweater consignment, Blouse Old Navy, ribbon sash came with some other outfit can't remember, Cords Ebay, Shoes Dillards (red leather and luscious, too bad can't see them well in this pic).
It was SO COLD the day we took these pics. I was DYING to be without a coat. This blouse was non-maternity, and a size extra large. It was really baggy on me, so I covered up the sagging under-armpits with the cardigan, and belted it. Unfortunately, it was also rayon, and shrank four inches in length with the first wash (cold water no dryer) so now it's extremely wide and short and useless. Bummer because I loved the colorful floral print.
I belted the outfit OVER the cardigan, again to add more definition, and I did the same with several other outifts at this stage of pregnancy.
Also, I love the way red looks on me. I have hardly any of it in my wardrobe, maybe two or three items. I need red to come back into fashion so I find it in stores again.
28 weeks: Earrings Claire's, Dress thrifted, Belt thrifted, Hose (sheer black) no clue brand, Shoes were patent black wedges from somewhere, maybe DSW, Bracelet gift (real gold).
Twenty eight weeks is also third trimester I believe, but I'm including it in this post because it's a change of pace/outfit.
I wore this outfit to my work's Christmas party and a few other Christmas parties. This was a perfect stage of pregnancy to be during the holiday - definitely pregnant but not feeling huge.
I tried on a bunch of different dresses at the thrift store, and finally settled on this one because it wasn't itchy. It was also pretty classy, and my work's Christmas party is on the formal side. It is not a maternity dress. The three-quarter sleeves gave it a youthful feeling even though it's pretty plain and formal looking otherwise.
The tricky thing about dresses when you are pregnant, is they look great from most angles except directly profile. At that angle, it isn't clear if you are pregnant in your belly or your butt or both. After about 30 weeks, I didn't wear dresses too much anymore because I couldn't handle how it made my butt and belly look they were off-setting each other in some kind of competition.
Now, maybe I'll finish the third trimester post sometime before my second child is born (that is an attempt at humor, not an announcement).
I also realize that I need a new collection of necklaces, since most of the ones featured in my maternity posts have since been broken by the lovely child formed in my womb at the time of these photos.
