Maternity Wardrobe Essentials
So given I didn't get to share my maternity wardrobe finds with you when I was pregnant I thought that I would start off with a maternity post, and share some of my tips for what you might need and the most frugal way to do it. I am also not buying too many clothes at the moment as I still have a little baby weight to lose before I am back to my normal size, so I don't really have any new purchases to share, although I do have a wish list as long as my arm, but I'll come on to that later!
One of the very few pics of me in maternity wear!
Now I like most of us love buying clothes, but maternity wear is a tricky one as you really are only going to wear it for a few months, so you don't really want to be spending loads. There are however a few things that you will definitely need and there are also ways to keep your spending down or spend more wisely on items that you can use post baby, or sell on.
So here are my three top tips for keeping that credit card bill down (trust me you will need the money post baby, not just because babies are so expensive, but because you will be so over your maternity wardrobe, that you will want to burn it all and will be desperate to make new non-maternity purchases):
1. Review your current wardrobe
What do you have in your current wardrobe that might work as maternity wear? Drawstring trousers, loose tops, shirts, cardigans, baggy jumpers the list goes on. I actually wore quite a lot more of non-maternity wear this time around, maybe because I had a preference for looser fitting clothing after my first child (unless you partake in regular exercise, or are extremely lucky I am not sure you ever get back that flat stomach!).
2. Borrow from friends and family
Most of us will know someone who is or has been pregnant and so one of my top tips is to share your maternity wardrobe. This works particularly well if you have an extremely stylish friend who is the same size as you (big shout out the the gorgeous Mrs Squibb who let me share her maternity wardrobe and some other items of clothing, one of which may still be hanging in my wardrobe - oops!).
3. Identify the gaps
Once you've worked out what you have, think about what else you might need and plan plan plan, but don't go crazy you may only need a couple of pieces to work your current wardrobe. Make sure you evaluate what your wardrobe needs are going to be over the coming months and buy accordingly. Are you someone who lives in jeans, bretons and jumpers (i.e. me!) or do you require a smarter work wardrobe? Do you have any special events to attend (weddings, christenings, parties etc). Have a think about what your needs are and buy accordingly. I made this mistake the first time around where I bought lots of maternity wear that I liked or thought I might need and then really didn't get that much wear out of it in the end. When identifying the gaps make sure you don't just look at maternity wear, but also consider more roomy styles (I have a fab navy Cos dress that is not maternity wear, but has been worn on many an occasion both when pregnant and not).
So over the next few weeks I shall be sharing with you some of my recommendations for a capsule maternity wardrobe starting with Jeans.
Maternity Jeans
Now with jeans you do really have to look at maternity wear, you may manage in your regular jeans for a few weeks or months if you are lucky, especially if you size up, go loose or go for treggings, but eventually that bump will get so big it isn't fitting in any normal jean no matter whether you have bump bands or elastic bands to extend them. Maternity jeans can be either below or over the bump depending on the season or your comfort preference. I actually prefer the below the bump ones as I find them more comfortable, but in the winter months I have opted for the over the bump ones to give me an extra layer of warmth. I have found the Topshop maternity jeans good in the early stages but not so good when you get bigger, whereas the H&M ones seem to last the whole distance and are pretty cheap (especially when they go on sale which they often do). They also come in a range of colours which is handy. With most maternity clothes I would say buy your usual (pre-pregnancy) size but with these I would suggest sizing up (I am usually a size 10 but found I needed a 12 in these).
No comments:
Post a Comment