Help me choose maternity wear

Patience

I just found out that Isabella Oliver is having a 25% off sale and this seems like the perfect opportunity to get a fab piece. But I'm not sure which to choose. What do you think? (No, I can't afford them all.

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....70/I/TP045

In black or white?
http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....50/I/SK034

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....80/I/TP052

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....10/I/TP029

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....10/I/TP064

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....20/I/DR068

Also, I wouldn't buy this now because it's too hot, but for the fall, Angie, do you think I could wear this or is it for taller ladies?
http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....10/I/TP014

Thank you for patiently look through all of the links!

17 years ago

Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from lwc

Patience

Veteran

Actually, if you want to rank a list, that will help me make a list for the future.

17 years ago

Debora

Veteran

Patience, they are all so beautiful! You are going to have a tough time deciding!

Can you buy two pieces? If you can, I would suggest getting the pencil skirt and one fab top. You already have the beautiful blue dress. I'm thinking the black pencil skirt would be more practical because you could wear it into the fall.

Good luck deciding! They are all great options.

17 years ago

rute

Veteran

I think the Tie Knot Dress is a killer one.. so sexy!

I liked also the Duo Geisha Wrap Top in gray!

17 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I would go for the skirt- probably in white for the summer.

17 years ago

Ele

(website)

Active Member

Wow, her clothes are gorgeous!

I love the first wrap top you linked to. I prefer it in the black over the white, for some reason.

Love the white pencil skirt.

Tank is nice, but not as "special" as some of the others.

Hmm, I don't like the first white blouse (wrap style) because I find it a bit shapeless. The second one, however, is killer for me. Wow, so dramatic!

I agree with rute about the dress- it's so sexy. I love it, but as you already have that fab blue one, maybe you should pass? I don't know- it looks dressy to me, and it depends whether you think you'd have occasions to wear it in the coming months.

17 years ago

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Patience, here is my "rank" of the pieces.
1. First top
*it would be perfect for our summers, and you could wear it through the fall. It would go well with clams and skirts.
2. Pencil skirt in white
*um, because it's sexy and you look smashing in pencil skirts.
3. Longer white wrap top
*gives a tunic effect, and I like that.
4. Dress
I love the blue dress you just got, and have a feeling that you might want/need tops and skirts now?
5. Sleeveless top
6. Other white wrap top

I think you could wear that wrap. It gives a similar look as your cream BR sweater dress I think.

And let me just add that when/if I ever get pregnant, I want to shop here! I love the pieces.

17 years ago

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Wow, Ele, we're apparently on the exact same page.

17 years ago

Debora

Veteran

Patience, when is your due date and when do you think you'll actually start wearing the maternity clothes? Are you still getting by in your regular clothes for part of the summer? I think most of these choices can be worn year round which is great. Even the tank could be used as a layering piece in the fall.

I look forward to seeing your stylish maternity fashion over the next few months as you progress

17 years ago

LoP

Veteran

Hi Patience,

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I found it a very rewarding 9 months!

I would get the pencil skirt in black and one of the more fitting lighter colored tops to add to it if you can.

I like the last link as well for fall. I had almost the same top when I was pregnant. It was a great piece for growing into and keeping the bump warm. I'm quite tall, but I think it would be good on any shape because of it's pashmina-like wrap style.

For summer clothes, I recently blogged about Isabella Oliver maternity sale. I love her designs. Sound like we share an interest there. (I also loved that gorgeous blue dress on you as it is BTW.)

The link is at: http://www.legacyofpearl.com/2837709

Have fun with maternity everything! It goes by quite fast...

17 years ago

LoP

Veteran

I also have some posts on pregnancy and baby reference books, etc at my blog. Hope it helps!

Link: http://www.legacyofpearl.com/tag/Mama+Knows

17 years ago

Maya

Veteran

I don't know about everything else since it all looks pretty great and will really depend on convenience and practicality...but as for the long sweater...if the very bottom is hitting the model below the knee, I'm inclined to think it will hit you even lower. A lot depends on how much shorter it gets as you get bigger, but I just don't think it would be that practical if you're only going to be able to wear it towards the end.

17 years ago

Dani

Veteran

Patience,

Definitely the pencil skirt...but I'm torn on the color. White would be practical for summer but you wear white tops so well that I think the black one might be a good choice as well. Could you get them both as you will get a lot of wear out of them?

I also really like the second white shirt. It would look fabulous on you.

The dress is gorgeous, what do you think of the length?

The geisha top would be fun for the summer.

I was glad to get out of my maternity wear but these are such great pieces, you'll wish you could wear them longer! Can't wait to see what you decide!

17 years ago

bella

(website)

Veteran

I like the wrap because it is gorgeous but I don't know if it would be practical.

17 years ago

marianne

Active Member

Such beautiful pieces - I wish I were that stylish when I was pregnant.
I would get the pencil skirt in white and the first wrap blouse in ink. When are you due, Patience? Would you be able to wear the white skirt up to the due date? If not, I would go with black skirt and white blouse. The last wrap is lovely, but it seems like this style would work for non-pregnant women, so I am not sure if it makes sense to get a maternity version (am I making sense?).

17 years ago

Laura

(website)

Veteran

A vote for the pencil skirt here, in either color. The sleeveless ruched top would also look great on you because you have good arms. Well, you got a lot of advice here ... hope it helps!

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17 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

We have patience for Patience!

(I do think the long wrap cardi is best on tall gals).

1. Pencil skirt – black. Very versatile

2. Rushed tank – big fat yes!!! You can layer over with some of your regular jackets/cardis and most of your pregnancy is in HOT weather.

3. Tie front blouse. Easy.

4. Grey kimono sleeved wrap top – divine, but not as versatile. I do love it though.

What is the verdict?

17 years ago

Christie

Active Member

Since you love pencil skirts, I'd say get the pencil skirt in black and a white tie-front blouse. Those items seem the most "special." I know they are basics, but by special I mean that you can't find things like that at Target, for example.

17 years ago

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

1) Geisha wrap top

2) Dress

3) Wrap singlet top

4) Pencil skirt

Can you get all 4? They are FABULOUS!

17 years ago

Vani

Veteran

1) The pencil skirt if not anything else, because you ROCK them!
2) Ruched tank
3) Geisha wrap top, I wish there was one available for non-preggie women, it is divine
4) Tie front blouse, for days when you want to blur the tum into the background

Aesthetically though, you would look terrific in any of these pieces

17 years ago

Patience

Veteran

Thank you, ladies, you have helped me so much to decide. So I'm going to ramble on about what I decided but I'll also make notes about the IO product at the end. The short of it is that I'm going to get the black pencil skirt. My list was pretty much what Sarah and Ele had suggested. Unfortunately, they are out of my size in the Geisha top in the pewter/pearl. Plus I have some concerns about the practicality of the top. #2 choice was the white pencil but then I realized that
a. I already have white jeans and clams
b. I have no black maternity bottoms
c. I do wear more light/white tops as Dani pointed out
d. I'm hoping the white skirt will go on deep discount in the outlet the next month or two and then I can get both
I also like the tie blouse better than the wrap one and only need one so that will be on my list. And I don't really need another dress since I got the cobalt one as many of you pointed out. Maybe if it goes on big sale too.... And maybe I'll add this sweater to my wish list instead of the cream one:

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/.....60/I/TP025

In case you're interested about IO... When I saw the catalog and website, to me all of the pieces look shiny or a little bit shiny. They are actually matte. When I first got my dress I was a little disappointed because the fabric seemed like really stretchy t-shirt material, although viscose instead of cotton. This made the piece less dressy but probably more wearable on a daily basis. And when I put on the dress, I discovered that in addition to being incredibly comfy, the drape is superb. (I believe Angie mentions viscose knitwear and ruching as great ways to camouflage muffin top.) The other thing I wanted to note is that on the scoop neck items, the shoulder straps are set wide. I have a strong shoulder line and the straps sit on top of my shoulder bones on the outer (not quite the edge) part of my shoulder. I usually wear my straps set in more out of concern that they will fall off my shoulder, but I'm happy to report no problems so far. Lastly, I would say the sizing is accurate but I haven't tried their bottoms yet.

So yes, I'm really excited about the skirt. Thanks for all of your help.

17 years ago

lwc

Active Member

Patience:

Here are my top 3 choices:

1. Black pencil skirt

2. White tie front blouse

3. Tie knot dress

I think that these pieces will take you far. I also like the purple top that the model is wearing with the black pencil skirt, btw.

With the IO pieces, you should be able to wear the knits through your 4th trimester. Also, when you are finished with the clothes, you can sell them on ebay or in a consignment store.

If you want more IO pieces, you can visit the outlets, as you stated, check ebay for yourself, or check consignment stores in upscale areas. Just a suggestion...

17 years ago

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