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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Back...with a happy fashion challenge

Tricia

Veteran

Hi everyone...I haven't posted in ages, as work and life got really busy! I'm having a nice summer though, and looking forward to a beach vacation with the family in early September. I haven't posted much because I felt like I found a groove for the summer and am sticking with it. I discovered that I'm a dress/skirt girl at heart and I've barely touched my pants, except for jeans, all summer long - even my black pants! Yay YLF!

Anyway, I do have an upcoming fashion challenge and am looking forward to sorting it out with all of your help. Two weeks ago I found out I'm pregnant! If all goes well, this will be our 3rd living child. My daughters just turned 2 and 4.

This is my 4th pregnancy and I've started to show a little earlier each time...now, at only 6 weeks, I can feel a few pairs of pants and skirts starting to get tight! I don't think I'll need maternity clothes yet, but thinking ahead, I pulled out what I had last night and there's not much. My daughters were both born in July, and this baby (knock on wood) is due late March, so most of what I have is summer stuff. Also, after my two year old was born, I gave away a bunch of my things thinking we were done, so I'll need a few pieces to get me through this one last time.

To start out, do you have any general guidelines for being stylish while pregnant? One thing I've found is that I don't like skirts when I'm pregnant - in thinking about it now, I think it's because when you have a belly, shirts need to be very long, therefore they're too long to look right with skirts. I do have a few skirts and will try to make them work - any tips for mitigating the long-shirt thing?

I don't want to spend a fortune because this is for real my last baby, but I suspect I might be in maternity clothes kind of early this time, so I don't want to feel frumptastic for months on end.

Good to see you all again! I hope everyone's doing well!

Dressing

28 replies

Latest reply was from Isabel

shana

Veteran

Tricia, congratulations on your pregnancy! Just a quick post for now but have you checked out some of Patience's posts on maternity dressing - she has some really awesome ones!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Congratulations, Tricia! So glad that you found your style groove.

Start here and speak to Patience. I'm sure she can dig up some of her fabulous threads which include nursing too:

http://youlookfab.com/2009/11/.....-pregnant/

shana

Veteran

OK - found some of Patience's posts for you:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ster-style

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ester-tips

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ster-style

I don't think you have to worry too much about your shirts being too long for skirts if they are fitted (I loved those shirred fitted maternity tops!) or have an empire seam that defines your smallest part. The proportions can get tricky but it can definitely be a fab look!

Boof

Congratulations! Yay! No style advice, but that's exciting news!

bella

(website)

Veteran

I have no style advice but I wanted to congratulate you! Wishing you a smooth and healthy pregnancy and hope that you will keep us posted.

Alecia

Veteran

Congratulations! This is exciting. I just had a baby in June so have a little recent experience (and I posted some of my outfits if you want to check them out). I'm with you on the skirt thing. I found that I never wore the couple skirts I had when pregnant. I got a few non-maternity, empire dresses in jersey that worked for me for most of the pregnancy (1st and 2nd trimesters). They were very forgiving. Ultimately, I really preferred dresses over separates.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Congratulations! I've been wondering where you have been and knew as soon as I read the title of your post that you must be preggers. So so happy for you Tricia! I hope all goes well and that you feel fab!

MNsara

Veteran

Congrats, Tricia! You would NOT want maternity fashion advice from my era I would even like a do-over!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Oooh Congratulations Tricia!! Wishing you a very happy and healthy pregnancy.

Definitely no advice from me though - both my pregnancies were pre-YLF and I looked anything BUT a glowing, radiant mum to be LOL

AJ

Veteran

Oh many congrats, Tricia!!

I just wanted to send my well wishes for a safe and happy pregnancy. I have no style advice. I was only thinking of comfort during my pregnancies. I had no idea you could dress fab while pregnant. Ugh! I shudder just thinking about what I wore back then!

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

Congratulations! I missed seeing your posts, but remember you posting your 'summer uniform' one and thinking you looked so fab and sorted, so I can see why you've had fun with your dresses and skirts!

Exciting news - no advice but sure you'll get sorted!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Congratulations Tricia, that is really exciting news! I found knit dresses really useful in the first trimester, are you comfortable showing your little bump?

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations Tricia! I love babies, how exciting for you and your family!

I found when I was pregnant with #3 baby (4th pregnancy) that I also showed really early. If you are anything like me, I was getting quite paranoid that I would be ha-uge by the end, because by 12 weeks I had quite a substantial tummy already <gulp>! Thank goodness, for me, by about the fifth month the rate of growth slowed down and I wasn't any larger by the end of the pregnancy than I was with the others. I was impressed that #3 was the biggest of all my children (9lb at just on 39 weeks - pretty big given I'm not quite 5'4").

Because I was running around after two small children already, I found pants the easiest to wear. With a 1 and 3 year old, my day was spent on the floor, running around after them, bending, lifting etc, etc and skirts and dresses were not quite as practical in this instance. I also decided on pants because Master 3 (at the time) liked to try and 'lift' up my skirts as a really 'funny' game. I found was just easier to wear pants than to try and protect the tummy, my dignity and wrestle with him all the same, exhausted and sleep deprived time!

Because by this stage I was also 'over' maternity (no, I didn't feel like a goddess) and didn't want to spend a cent more than I had to, I lived in one pair of pants and one pair of a good quality maternity jean. (I splurged here on the jeans, because I LOVE wearing jeans. I refused to be seen wearing those daggy "mum" jean pants that were for sale in the early noughties!) I had about three or four tops and one jumper. Oh, and one good dress for "going out".

To keep your fab MOTG look, you could try getting a slimmer fit jean and still try tucking it into flat knee-length boots - with baby 3, I was able to get my boots on until about month 7 - 8 (at that point my feet / calves swelled up to much and bending down was a tad difficult). It's getting late and I'm tired now, so I'll stop rambling.

Best of luck with the pregnancy Tricia - Hope to see you post pictures soon! x

Louise

Veteran

Congrats Tricia and family. I don't have any useful advice (having never been pregnant) x

stringy

Veteran

Congratulations! No advice from me, the permanent auntie, but I'm sure you'll figure out what will work for you Yay!

Ele

(website)

Congratulations, Tricia! So happy for you and your family. I hope you have a safe, happy and stylish pregnancy

anne

Veteran

Congratulations Tricia! No immediate additional thoughts from me, except to echo Katiepeas experience that while I showed early with #3 I didn't look any bigger at the end. Wish I had YLF forum around while I was pregnant! (I did read the blog but it didn't have much maternity advice at that point)

Tricia

Veteran

Thank you all so much! We are going to have our hands so full, with two girls already and the fact that I work 32 hours a week, but we're excited too.

I don't have a bump yet - only 6 weeks! - but I'm at the stage where my jeans are a little too snug when buttoned, especially if I've just washed them. I have a couple of pairs of maternity jeans from last time, but I think I may try a pair of maternity skinnies or denim leggings (if such things exist) and wear a lot of tunics. I also invested in a bunch of maternity tanks last time in assorted colors - I found I could wear a lot of my non-maternity cardigans open over them.

Since I go to work 4 days a week, I think dresses will work out well for that. I have one black maternity dress that's really comfy and versatile, but new dresses are definitely on my list.

Traci

Veteran

Congratulations!

I remember that E from academichic wore many skirts while pregnant. Scroll through here for inspiration.
http://www.academichic.com/cat.....rs/page/2/
As someone else noted, it does seem like a form fitting top is a key component to making a skirt work with the bump, but there are also some flowy tops in there for you to consider.

However, having a winter pregnancy, skirts may just seem like an extra layer. Tunics and skinnies sounds like a wonderful plan to me! And I'll sit and envy you not having to worry about looking pregnant in your tunic and skinnies;)

Tricia

Veteran

Oh, I did have one question - if you guys remember, I am the Sweet Pea top queen this summer. They're long and stretchy, so I thought they might work for quite a while with a cardi or jacket over them. I was wondering, though, if they might get permanently stretched if I try to wear them over a bump. Anyone know?

Kristine

Veteran

Congratulations Tricia!

Tricia

Veteran

I love Academichic and she looks fantastic, but I'm cracking up at her 9-month bump - even in my first pregnancy I was way bigger (and in that one I started out teeny tiny). But these might be some good second-trimester looks for me.

Alecia, I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS! How are you doing?

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

TRICIA!! I have no wisdom whatsoever to add on the maternitywear front, but wanted to offer huge congratulations to you and your husband! How exciting!
Best of luck in the next few months!

Debora

Veteran

Tricia, what wonderful news!!! Congratulations to you and your husband and best wishes for a wonderful pregnancy. I don't have any fashion advice, but I know that you will be a radiant and fashionable expectant mom!

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations! What an exciting time for your family. Hope you'll post outfits along the way.

Katja

(website)

Congratulations and welcome back! No style advice from me (my youngest just turned 20), but I do remember discovering that the clothing with wide elastic bands under the bellly was much more comfortable than having elastic over the top.

April

Veteran

Tricia, many congratulations to you! (Wasn't there a thread a while back in which you were debating whether to have another baby?)

My pregnancy was 14 years ago, before any younger, hipper places like Gap had maternity wear. The choices were high-end, career-woman outfits, gigantic tees with maternity jeans and leggings, or tent dresses. The trend was still for volume, not for the body-hugging clothing that now highlights the pregnant body shape.

I was not paying much attention to fashion in those days, but I was probably more fashionable during pregnancy than at other times because I shopped almost exclusively at consignment shops that specialized in infants', children's, and maternity items. What I found is that many, many of the items in those shops are high quality and have only been worn a couple of times, as you can imagine. I found some fabulous jackets that were like new and paired them with one pair of maternity jeans, a maternity black skirt, and black maternity stretch pants. (You're not likely to find those workhorse pieces in a consignment shop, since everyone wears theirs into the ground.)

You probably already know to avoid something that I don't think works in the later months: trying to wear regular clothing in very large sizes, rather than maternity wear. By the end, any non-maternity shirt that can cover a third-trimester belly will be enormous in the shoulders and will ride up in the front, no matter how big it seems on the hanger.

Isabel

Veteran

I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS !!!