Let's talk maternity clothes. It can be hard, but not impossible, to find clothing that works with my pregnant belly and still feels similar to things that I would choose to wear if I weren't pregnant. Moreover, it can be challenging to find something that accommodates the growing bump, especially since something that fits and flatters at one stage may not work well (or at all) two weeks later. This has been especially true as I've gotten farther into the third trimester.
To further complicate things, it's tough to spend money on things that you'll only wear for a limited period of time and there are very, very few retailers that carry maternity clothing in store. You essentially have to go to a maternity specialty store or order online (sometimes in multiple sizes or styles) and expect to return things. To navigate this, I've invested in a few versatile basics that I hope to be able to wear for any subsequent pregnancy, and then I pair them with jackets, blazers, and eye-catching accessories from my "regular" (aka non-pregnancy) wardrobe.
To round out my workwear (my office is business casual), I got a subscription to Le Tote. I signed up for their Maternity Tote and I get four items of clothing at a time. This has been really helpful to provide varied and get access to items that I don't need to purchase and therefore don't want to spend the money on. It's also been helpful to accommodate the growing bump. My favorite Le Tote top from late in my second trimester doesn't work quite as well now, but I felt so great wearing it at the time. And as luck, and a bit of experimentation, would have it, I've found new third trimester favorites to fill the void.
The six pieces in this capsule wardrobe are the items of clothing I wear all the time and feel that I've gotten the most value out of for the money. They're better basics, so beyond t-shirts, and tank tops, and maternity leggings, although I'm certainly wearing plenty of those too. You'll notice that there's a lot of black - more than I typically wear - but I haven't really found a way around that. I lighten up with open layers. Going clockwise and starting from the top left:
Hatch Collection Bateau Top - I heavily debated this purchase because of the price but this top is easily my favorite item of maternity clothing. I wear it all the time (at least once a week, often twice) and I always feel great in it. It's perfect for a spring and summer pregnancy, and I would wear it into fall too. It comes in two other colors and, like Hatch's entire line, is intended for wear after pregnancy too (check out the cool slider feature to compare and contrast). I plan to wear mine home from the hospital.
Storq T-Shirt Dress - I have a very similar dress (seen here) that I purchased from a different brand as part of a maternity essentials kit. To be honest, I didn't love the rest of the kit (quality, fit and usefulness has been only so so), which is why I'm recommending this option from Storq instead. You'll notice that Storq pops up repeatedly on this very short list, which is why I feel comfortable recommending their version of this dress. Great for date nights, beach walks, around town in the city, running errands - this is the ultimate dress it up / dress it down item of maternity clothing. Wearing my black t-shirt dress with my leather biker jacket makes me feel like a cool mom-to-be.
Hatch Cecilia Blouse - Hatch makes beautiful, feminine clothing that is a refreshing change from a sea of empire waists (not knocking them - I wear them a fair bit these days) and terrible prints. Their clothing is pricey, but this blouse is a workhorse in my closet, going to work and out to dinner on at least a weekly basis. It also comes in another color, but mauve pinks don't do me any favors (I'm too fair with pink undertones) so I stuck to black.
Paige Verdugo Skinny Jeans - A word of advice: when you're pregnant, treat yourself to one nice pair of jeans. If you can wear them day to day, splurge on more than one pair. I recommend a dark wash skinny jean, because they're so flattering and balance out the more billowy, voluminous tops that are often part of pregnancy (see above). Being able to put on a pair of jeans that I feel great in makes me feel like pregnancy style isn't an oxymoron. A note on fit / shopping: before I bought maternity jeans, I didn't think that side panel jeans (as opposed to over-the-belly styles) wouldn't work with my athletic build. I was wrong. Also, I'm well into my third trimester and have no problem wearing these (some reviews said that they wouldn't work all through pregnancy). I will say that buying maternity denim, like buying regular denim, requires some trial and error. This is one item where I had to order multiple sizes and styles to figure out what works best.
Storq Pencil Skirt - I'm honestly not sure what I would do without this skirt. That's not an exaggeration - I can't imagine getting dressed for work without this in my closet. It's flattering, it's so comfortable, and it has held up well with me wearing it all. the. time. (I wonder if my coworkers have noticed that I'm frequently wearing the same skirt? Guessing no, but not actually worried about it.) This image of the skirt basically sums up my maternity style goals.
Ingrid & Isabel Ruched Tank Dress - If you look for maternity clothes, you'll see this dress all over and with good reason. It comes in tons of colors (I'm partial to navy, but you do you) and isn't terribly expensive. You can see it on me here, and I've worn this dress to work with a blazer or cardigan over it plus to a baby shower in our honor.
Honorable Mention (Not Pictured): Storq Slim Pant - These pants are great and so stylish. I've worn them traveling (pregnancy-friendly plane outfit!) plus in daily life, and I'll probably wear them home from the hospital. The only reason they didn't make the list is that after getting tons of wear during my second trimester, they started to feel uncomfortably tight at the waistband during this point in my third trimester. In fairness, I was on the cusp between a small and a medium but went with the small because I wanted a slimmer fit, so this is likely my own doing.
