November 17th, 2009
Today’s post is written by trendy and fabulous forum member Patience who lives in Austin, TX. Patience is an engineer and nothing cramps her style! With two small children in tow, a busy job and a changing body to adorn each day, Patience continues to look AND feel beautiful throughout her pregnancy. If you can look as stylish as she does with a few weeks left to go, then you are a true inspiration. This is how Patience maintains her high style quotient while pregnant.
These are real life pictures of me at 8 months pregnant. I’m huge! Everyone I meet is expecting me to pop at any second and yet I know that I need to clothe my belly for another month.
My maternity fashion strategy is quite simple — keep following Angie’s blog to keep abreast of current trends and tips and pay special attention to her tried and true advice. I also know that I can rely on the wonderful ladies in the YLF forum for support and feedback on my maternity wardrobe efforts. And despite suffering from morning sickness, I began with the attitude and confidence that I could have a stylish pregnancy.
I reviewed my list of essential tips collected from Angie as I’ve followed her blog over the past few years:
- Cover the basics: Good posture, a well fitting bra, and a snappy hairstyle are the first things to pay attention to in your appearance. They must be given special consideration when you are pregnant because your belly will force you to adjust your posture, your bust will grow (usually starting around the middle of the pregnancy), and you may have less energy to devote to a complicated hair style. Other elements of polish like grooming and perfect pant lengths are low cost ways to keep your style quotient high even if your maternity capsule is small.
- Focus on comfort: Time and time again Angie has assured us that being stylish includes being comfortable. Particularly in pregnancy you will want to search out the cushy shoes, non restrictive clothing and lightweight accessories.
- Have fun with accessories: Handbags, jewelry, hats and watches will get ample use after the baby comes so treat yourself to those items to take your look up a notch.
- Include dresses: Dresses are one comfortable item to put on. Having a few in your closet is the answer for those days when you don’t want to think about what to wear.
- Consider investing in a favorite piece: Rather than purchasing a wardrobe of tent-y maternity items and feeling huge when you put them on, why not purchase a few investment pieces that make you feel like a million dollars? Wear them all the time and you will whittle the cost-per-wear down to nothing over the months that you’re pregnant. Both you and your baby will benefit from the feelings of well being.
- Know your individual style and fashion persona: If you consider fashion fun, dressing your pregnant body should be fun too. This is where your individual style and fashion persona come in, whether you pursue the trends and styles that were “you” pre-pregnancy or decide to explore more subtle aspects of your style that seem to surface with your changing body.
- Pay attention to lounge wear: If you have the misfortune to feel ill throughout your first trimester or even your entire pregnancy, you deserve some cute lounge wear. Even if you feel fine, there will be days when sitting on the couch is a wonderful use of your time. I want to make a special point that maternity lounge wear requires comfy slippers.
When creating my maternity wardrobe capsule I knew that applying Angie’s wealth of non-maternity wardrobe knowledge to a rapidly expanding belly would require a few adjustments. Here are the key elements to dressing a pregnant woman:
- Curves: Chances are all of your curves including the belly will naturally augment as your pregnancy progresses. Enjoy and flaunt your flourishing bust, hips and belly with v-necks, scoop necks and hip hugging styles. It is my belief that the larger belly counterbalances a more alluring look.
- Silhouette: Consider non-maternity voluminous silhouettes for when you’re not showing or want to hide a small belly. Loose clothing like sack dresses, banded bottom tops and voluminous tunics early on also serve the purpose of being extra comfortable when you are not feeling your best. Once your baby bump appears, flatter it with a sleek silhouette. In particular, highlight the narrowest part of your torso between your bust and belly and the curve on the underside of the belly or your hips. The larger your belly gets, the smaller these two areas will appear, so show them off! Remember that non-maternity straight or voluminous tops may become sleek as they drape around a larger belly.
- Stretch: Stretchy fabrications allow for lots of comfort, room to grow and the sleek silhouette you are after. Add side ruching to a stretchy maternity top or dress and you’ve got a super stylish maternity basic. Pregnancy may also be the one condition where growing denim is an advantage.
- Size: Keep in mind that your size may shrink during your first trimester and grow one or more sizes throughout the pregnancy. It is a bit of a balancing act to purchase for the body you have at present without discounting the body you will have in a few weeks or months. One thing I have found is that no matter what your height, very few tops will be long enough by the end of your pregnancy so always be on the lookout for long tops. Non-maternity jackets often work worn open but be careful that they fit through the shoulders and are large enough to be pulled closed over the bust.
Give yourself a break. Really take to heart the adage that fashion is an adjustment of the eye. Your body is changing a lot over a short period of time and it’s normal to feel less confident about it some days. Try these tips and adjust them as you see fit, giving yourself some time for your eye to adjust to your changing body.
44 Replies
Posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Wonderful advice! If I ever get pregnant this is the first place i’ll look to plan out my wardrobe! 
Thank you Patience for writing such a clear and comprehensive write-up!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Wow Patience, you look gorgeous! I know that it is a cliche, but you are really glowing! What a great text too. If I ever become pregnant I will also look up this post.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Pregnant, or not, Patience, you are adorable! I love every single outfit, the casual and the dressy. You are a natural in front of the camera! If I end up going through another pregnancy, your images will be my stylish guide. Fantastic post!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Patience,you amaze me– you look beautiful and stylish,two aspects that often do not cross paths when pregnant! Thank you for this wonderful post.my husband is too scared we’ll have another set of twins in future but if I change his mind I’ll be looking back on this post for ideas:-)
keep looking fab as you sprint to the finish line!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Kudos for remaining stylish in the fashion-less pit that maternity clothing can be I hated all the ruffly tents with ties in the back that passed as stylish clothing each time I was pregnant… and I also got a lot of flack from my mother for not wearing them Great advice. You look great! Good luck with the rest of you pregnancy and congrats!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Patience you look absolutely amazing and have done through the whole of your pregnancy. Where were you during my two pregnancies? Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!!!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:18 am
You look so beautiful and chic! You’re the best dressed 8-month pregnant lady I’ve ever seen. The best is your smile and pride in the bump! Looking forward to hearing the baby news on a month.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am
What a great post, Patience. You are glowing! Take care of yourself and baby in the coming weeks.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:26 am
You look absolutely beautiful with your baby bump! And what an inspiration!! Thank you for sharing your maternity style secrets. You did a fantastic job
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Patience, you are too cute for words! I’m inspired by your outfits as a non-pregnant person! Thanks for the fashion show.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:53 am
WOW! Patience, you gorgeous. Stylish, pulled together, sexy, sassy, trendy, comfortable, all of it. Very inspiring!
I love your attitude about looking stylish while pregnant. That was my mantra as well when I was pregnant 8 years ago – I could never understand women who wanted to “hide” their pregnant body and talked about being “fat” (?!?) – quite the contrary, it is a wonderful time to experiment with different shapes for a differently shaped body. And there is even more stylish maternity wear available now!
Thanks for the wonderful pictures, you exude joy!
Oh, and I have to ask: where is that FABULOUS zebra tote bag from? So fun.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more stylish mom! You look fantastic, Patience. I am curious: which pieces are maternity and which are not, but adapted into your last trimester?
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Patience, you look absolutely amazing! Wow! I can’t believe you only have a month left to go… time goes so quickly.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 10:06 am
You look fantastic! Well done!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Patience, you look fab!!! You are probably one the the most stylish moms-to-be in your city. Love every outfit; thanks for sharing your tips/ideas with us. You’re in the home stretch now, take care!
I had a blast dressing for my first (and only–I have IF issues) pregnancy. I loved showing off my bump, as it had taken over 6 years and lots of fertility treatments to finally get and stay pregnant. Of course with a twin pregnancy, I looked ready to burst at 5 months… torwards the end, none of my tops were long enough to cover my huge belly!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Patience, you look fantastic!! You have got to be the most super-stylish mom-to-be I have ever seen And what a great writeup with such invaluable tips! You are so inspiring. Here’s hoping the coming month and the months after go smoothly.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 10:18 am
gorgeous! Love to see a stylish mom-to-be! There is no reason to put style appart when expecting!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful… Bravo!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Hurray, Patience! You are not only making it through the nine months, you’re doing it with superb style! Thank you for the fantastic primer on maternity dressing. I am sure lots of YLFers will benefit from it.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Thank you, ladies! for all of your wonderful compliments and good wishes. I’m hoping to stomp out the perception that women can’t be pregnant and stylish. We’ll just add it to the list of attitudes Angie works so hard to change (like sub casual dressing in public).
Shiny, the maternity pieces are both cream tops, the print top (recommended by Angie on one of her Saturday sale posts), the blue dress, the white button down (which is too short and worn with a band, the blue jeans, and the black pencil skirt. I got the the leggings in a maternity shop but I’m not sure there’s anything special that makes them maternity. The blue tunic I scored from Express this spring. The red dress is also not technically maternity but I bought it at a maternity shop and it’s very stretchy. Everything else is non-maternity.
Antje, the bag is Michael Kors– a bit of a splurge even on sale.
I wanted to give a special thanks to Ana who helped me pull together outfits and took all of the pictures. I definitely could not have done this without her and it was fun doing it. Thank you, Ana!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Patience, you look absolutely beautiful! You should be a maternity model! I obviously cannot relate to this information, but I’m sure it will be a tremendous inspiration to lots of women.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
You look so pretty,Patience.This post is so well written.Now that I am halfway through the pregnancy,this post has got me thinking about shopping for the last trimester.You are truly an inspiration.I am trying to follow your tips and have got rave reviews on my maternity wear.My friends find it hard to believe that maternity clothing could be so beautiful.The best thing is that I feel confident with my ever-changing body.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I went through my pregnancy on minimum maternity wear, because I couldn’t justify spending money on something I’d wear just two-three months (hello season change). Here are some photos:
http://eternalvoyageur.xanga.c.....pregnancy/
Also, there are a lot of misconceptions on bras for the pregnant (and nursing) lady. Most go for shapeless stretchy stuff without underwires, that offers no support. And of course most wear the wrong size. Here are some truths about maternity bras:
http://eternalvoyageur.xanga.c.....ra-matrix/
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
GOOD FOR YOU! You look amazing. I just love the attitude of being happy to dress the changing body!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Patience, you look sensational! Awesome pictures, such a treat. Thank you for putting together this post, I am sure it’ll inspire many women. I can’t believe it’s already 8 months, time does fly. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Super-cute post, Patience! You look amazing at 8 months pregnant. I feel like this is a great time, style-wise, to be pregnant- with all the long tops and leggings and knitted clothes, I would think it’s easier than usual to find stylish and comfortable “maternity” wear, even in mainstream clothing stores. My stepsister was pregnant up until this past week and she was living in her long tops and leggings- especially since she was on bed rest for quite a while at the end of her pregnancy.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I love your post! I am 4 months pregnant and trying to find my pregnancy style. I am still working on finding tights that don’t hurt and jeans that I love. So far I have two pair. I am looking for one more straight leg pair and then I should be set in the pants department. I will definately heed your advice throughout my pregnancy, thank you for the post again!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I am in complete awe here Patience. I can truly say you are one of the most stylish moms-to-be I have ever seen!! (I need about fifteen extra exclamation marks here!-)
And boy, have you picked some stunning statement pieces for yourself, everything is just so beautiful, and all items fit your personal style to a T. And even more importantly, we can see in each and every picture how totally at ease and fab you feel in them too. I’m sitting here with a huge grin on my face, such happy pictures and you are positively radiant!
Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and thank you for this wonderful post!!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I like how you incorporated lot of bright colors and prints/accessories in your outfits and still looked like a fit and active mom! I noticed that my friends who are or have been pregnant tended to wear dark solid colors only in an effort to look slimmer. Maybe dark colors are slimming, but that can get drab and monotonous if that’s all the person wears for months.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Patience, are your knee high boots Chinese Laundry? They look so good on you. They are great to balance the growing midriff. I love your attitude of turning up the sassiness to balance being pregnant. At least that is how I interpreted it. It makes so much sense to do that.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Oops! I forgot to thank you and Ana for doing this job. You both did a super good job!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Times have really changed when it comes to maternity wear, and definitely for the better. You have established the definitive guide. And you look absolutely gorgeous.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Patience, your maternity style quotient is sizzling! You look INCREDIBLE. And on top of it all, you have two extra little voices to attend to because you’re pregnant with #3. I don’t think many people have realized that part of the story. And you work! I am so, so, so impressed, you don’t know the half of it. Thanks for doing a superb job with this post and big hug to Ana for helping out with the fashion shoot. The poses are just divine. So fun, lively and nice to look at.
All the outfits are KILLER, but the outfit with the cobalt frock, boyfriend jacket, pearls and spectator pumps made my heart miss a beat. It’s KILLER to the power of KILLER. Thanks for sharing your fabulous style with us, Patience. Nice to see you in the yellow printed maternity top too
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Patience,
I o not think I could say anything that others have not shared but you are sensational!!
I agree with Maya, you should be a model!!!The colors that you have chosen are so perfect for you. It seems like the baby is having a blast already!!!
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Wow, Patience! Honestly, even if you *weren’t* pregnant right now, this is just an impressive and beautiful collection of outfits that really highlight your style – bold colors, trendy elements, figure-conscious shapes. You look absolutely amazing, and your positive approach to dressing stylishly throughout your pregnancy obviously paid off well.
Angie, I love seeing so many guest post featuring images of the YLF forum members who attracted me to actively participate in the forum in the first place. It’s an awesome feature.
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
WOW! Well done! You look very beautiful and effortlessly stylish.
Posted on November 18th, 2009 at 7:11 am
OMG Patience I haven’t even finished this post but had to jump down here and go gaga over how awesome you look. Simply beautiful!!!!!
Posted on November 18th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Wow! You look amazing, and I am amazed by all that you accomplish every day, all while looking fabulous. You rock those boots, Patience!!
Posted on November 18th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Patience, I am in awe! You’ve shown that not even looking “ready to pop” is an excuse to let oneself go. This post with photos should be handed out in every maternity shop or GYN office to give women the confidence they need that they can get through a pregnancy looking great. Bravo!!!
Posted on November 18th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Patience, you look AMAZING. I love the way you’ve kept your signature style throughout your pregnancy, and used that lovely glow to your advantage. Gorgeous!
Posted on November 19th, 2009 at 6:02 am
Hanging out with you and taking these photos was so fun! It was my pleasure.
Loads of great advice and you look fabulous–what an inspiration! I’m tucking this away for future reference.
Posted on November 19th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Oh she looks so snug and warm. Makes me wish I get to be somewhere that has winter when I get pregnant.:)
-meream
Posted on November 19th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
[...] perfect for a lass with a growing belly. Great drape, fun colour and good coverage. You could have the sleeves shortened to elbow length if [...]
Posted on February 4th, 2010 at 7:26 am
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