I gave away all of my maternity clothing. ALL of it. I had thought we were finished having babies. Not so. I had lots of good stuff too. My maternity wardrobe had been purchased nearly 8 years ago on a D.I.N.K. budget which means I probably had more than I needed and spent more than I should have.
I’m starting from scratch this time around and working on a much tighter budget. In general, I find that maternity clothing is overpriced. Maybe it’s the extra belly fabric? Maybe it’s the fact that pregnant women don’t really have time on their side when shopping for clothing? I mean, it’s not like we can wait a few months until stuff goes on sale. Typically, we’re at the store looking for something because our pre-pregnancy wardrobe is starting to cut off circulation to essential body parts. Whatever the reason, buying for the sole purpose of dressing a growing bump can get pricey. If you let it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This week I’m sharing how I’ve created a practical, versatile and comfy maternity wardrobe without breaking the bank…and without sacrificing style.
Of note: I had hoped to take higher quality photos outdoors but the midwest December weather isn’t cooperating this week. Oh. And my iron is in storage…we’re living with only the necessities you know. Not that I would have ironed anything anyway.
I’ve found a few great ‘maternity’ pieces in the regular ol’ women’s section. One of them being casual dresses with a high or empire waistline. Since the baby bump tends to lift the front of non-maternity dresses a tad, I like to pair them with cotton tights for more coverage. Here I’ll show you three different women’s dresses that I’ve been able to fit into my maternity wardrobe.
This olive dress with charcoal tights is super comfy.
I layered a striped non-maternity tank underneath and accessorized with a colorful necklace and leather boots.
I wore this outfit to Thanksgiving dinner just a few weeks ago. I’m pleased to say it passed the eat-as-much-food-as-you-can-with-a-baby-bump test. Hopefully, that means I’ll get a few more months out of it.
THE OUTFIT:
- olive dress – $14 {on clearance at Target}
- charcoal cotton tights – $6 {Macy’s last winter}
- gray and white striped tank – $4 {on clearance at Target}
- wood bead necklace – $3 {on clearance at Kohl’s years ago}
- leather boots – $50 {on sale at Macy’s a few years back}
This next high-waisted dress was a recent non-maternity purchase too.
The dress is showing much darker in the image than in real life. In reality, it’s a medium navy color.
The studded belt detail is attached and the dress ties in the back.
I chose patterned tights along with the same boots from the first outfit. I accidentally came across this dress on Black Friday when Handy Hubby and I stopped at a local shopping mall on our way out to Pennsylvania for his 15-year high school reunion. It was a steal!
THE OUTFIT:
- navy belted dress: $9 {Rue 21}
- patterned tights: FREE {a past Christmas gift from my mom}
- leather boots: $50 {on sale at Macy’s a few years back}
Finally, I have another dress that was a purchase over the summer when I had no plans of wearing it with a baby bump in tow. In fact, I wore it to a friend’s wedding reception just a couple of weeks before I found out I was expecting. It was never meant to be a maternity dress but I’ve found its elastic chest band, high waist and layers of ruffles to be very forgiving.
It’s a strapless dress, so on colder days I add a plum button-up sweater. The sweater also hides the shoulder straps of a much needed supportive bra. My boobs are a little ridiculous {HH would say awesome} right now. One of the true ‘perks’ of pregnancy!
I didn’t get a shot of my shoes but I wore lavender flats. My center of gravity is off-kilter nowadays and I have a history of losing my balance during pregnancy, so I steer clear of heels.
THE OUTFIT:
- strapless dress: $25 {Old Navy}
- sweater: $15 {Target a while back}
- leather flats: $20 {Target}
The best part about all of these outfits is that I can see myself wearing each piece post-pregnancy. Like all things home decor, I’m a sucker for clothing that does double duty. And while I showed the price of each item, the only pieces I’ve purchased since becoming pregnant are the olive dress {$14}, the stripe tank {$4} and the navy belted dress {$9}. That’s $27 spent on three maternity outfits. Not too shabby. {Btw, have you entered to win the Shabby Apple giveaway yet?}
Have I mentioned that taking pictures of myself to put on the internet is weird? And strange? And it makes me nervous sweaty? And I can’t figure out what to do with my hands? If I didn’t know any better, I would say that the last image looks like my water just broke and I’m holding myself staring into the puddle. I guess I’ll keep trying though…I still have more everyday maternity ideas to share.
FYI – I was not compensated in any way to mention any item shown above. I just love sharing good stuff!
images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
DIY, inspiration