which brings me to the purpose of this post.
this is how i walk around a lot… in the comfort of my own home, peeps. “ah! she’s coming!” accompanied by the kids running and hiding and gracie covering her eyes, but honestly, pulling a tank down over an ever-expanding belly gets old. sorry dudes. my arms are getting tired. so, it rides up. and i keep it there. mind you, this tank you see is a maternity tank. yeah right. no really, it is. it’s just a crappy one. but calling it maternity lets them charge way more than a normal tank. so, i’ll let you in on some of my secrets. i had a formspring question weeks ago about maternity fashion (side note: i didn’t know i had a bunch of formspring questions over the past few weeks… sorry! i answered them all last night.). but i really wasn’t huge yet so i didn’t have much to share. well, i feel kind of huge these days, so i’ll share what i can. complete with it’s own logo… see??
1. target’s long & lean tanks. i pretty much buy another every time i go. gray, black, white, striped, floral. for $8 you can do that. yes, $8! and they are LONG (and i have a long torso). so, the actual “maternity tank” for $13 (the target liz lange version) has become my belly-exposing pajama shirt and the non-maternity one for $8 is my going-out-appropriate shirt. go figure. i’m wearing one here and here. and being mah big self in the summer months has made these a staple.
2. maxi dresses. i have bought a few from places like h&m and forever 21. non-maternity and they’ve worked just fine. they’re stretchy, they’re cheap (so you don’t mind if you stretch them to the point when you can’t wear them non-prego) and they’re comfortable. i think the one pictured above is actually the one i wore to my shower here but in a different print. this one is h&m (and i think was $17-ish) and so is this one.
3. ingrid & isabel rouched tank. the epitome of pregnancy comfort. SO long, so stretchy, so comfortable. i have worn mine quite a lot and would be happy living in it (bonus — it’s so stretchy it will definitely be fine pre-baby, post-baby, anytime. i bought one last year long before i was pregnant and loved it then too.). i’m wearing it here. speaking of ingrid & isabel, i say skip the bellaband. i never found it that comfortable and really didn’t wear it much (although, some people swear by it, so go figure.).
4. threads for thoughts v-neck shirts. i’ve had these for a couple years and it turns out they’re nice and long and work for pregnancy too. hopefully i don’t stretch these babies out permanently cause they’re some of my most comfortable and long shirts (can you tell, i have an obsession with length in shirts… curse of the long-torsoed tall girl). you can find them at whole foods and i’ve also gotten them at tjmaxx (for like $10) and nordstroms off the rack. i didn’t spend $32 on mine. i’m wearing one here and here.
5. belts, belts, and more belts. nothing can pull off a blah, tent-like outfit on a pregnant girl more than a stretchy belt can. many a time i have not been into the outfit i had on until, poof, i put a belt right under my boobs and it worked. plus, when you’re feeling rather large and in charge, cinching the smallest part of your waist with a belt can do wonders. or at least i think so. which is why i did it here and here and lots more times. most of my belts have come from old navy, h&m, or forever 21. like this dress for instance? it’s ok. put a belt around it and it is so much better than ok. hear hear!
6. old navy foldover skirt. they’re jersey so they’re comfy and stretchy and fold over. waistbands suck when pregnant, so stretchy ones like these are the bomb. i have a few and in the winter months, you can wear them with thick tights and flat boots, uggs, whatever, and summertime, nothing. bam!
7. other randoms. before it got hot, leggings were awesome. they stretch (how many times can someone say stretch in one post? i’m going for a record.) and i wore them with flat boots all winter long. i’m in them here and you can trust that i’m thinking in my head, “oh. i’m so comfortable. because of the stretch.” you don’t have to buy maternity leggings that get marked up 100% because they’re called maternity leggings. whatever leggings you have will most likely work unless junk in the trunk gets out of hand but even then… they… say it with me… STRETCH! jeans. i didn’t buy a pair of maternity jeans cause i knew i’d be my biggest in the hot months so i didn’t feel like spending the mula. and i got a lot of hand-me-downs from my sister who just had a baby in september. these are forever21 and are technically not maternity but they don’t have a button at the top… they have a stretchy waist band! score! what was that? stretchy! you can find them if you look hard at f21. these, on the other hand, are maternity… old navy. they’re ok. i actually prefer the non-maternity f21 ones. michael stars makes GREAT clothes all around. i love his stuff. his maternity stuff is so long and has rouching along the sides so it allows for your belly but looks cute in the meantime. and it’s one size fits all. here’s me in a top of his. maxi skirts… this is one of my favorite purchases of all time, literally. i’ve worn it a gazillion times. it’s from UO but i got it years ago (but keep your eyes peeled… you’ll always be able to find a long maxi skirt somewhere). it’s a skirt or dress and i have literally not gone on a big trip anywhere without this in my suitcase. pants… i say work with what you have (especially if you’re biggest in the summer like me). these and these are not maternity but are stretchy and/or drawstring at the top, and these are just a bigger size than my normal jeans (trying to be boyfriend jeans but maybe just looking frump-tastic) so they’ve worked throughout this pregnancy. they’re h&m and old navy & jcrew in that order. so, basically, i have gotten some hand-me-downs and otherwise worked with what i had. i seriously didn’t spend much money at all on maternity stuff and i don’t think you have to to feel good. work with what you have… the name of the game. and while i know my tips don’t help everyone because everyone gains weight differently in their pregnancies or is pregnant at different months (i.e. if i were pregnant in the colder months, i probably would’ve invested in an awesome pair of maternity jeans), they’ve worked for me. maybe they will work for you??
ok, this post took forever. hopefully some of you will find it worthwhile! i’m outtie.
Long-waisted over here. There was one stretch in high school where everything cute was cut short for some reason. That shopping season is burned into the back of my brain. I love that everything is long now.
Well in my opinion you look gorg like that. I used to wear mostly pants or dresses.
Ha, I feel ya girl.I wrote a post about maternity+fashion too… I swore by H&M tanks and Forever 21 maxi dresses and rebelled against expensive maternity clothes. That tank picture is hilarious!
As a fellow pregnant lady I also dig the Target tanks. love them and the price!
…and the Old Navy rollover jersey skirt?! I pretty much live in them this summer, I am sure my coworkers are wondering if I have any other clothes at this point!
Great post!
That is awesome! I think someone should count the words 'stretch' and 'long' and see what the official count is hahaha.
Cute bell' you've got!
I have two of those old navy fold over skirts. 🙂 They are good for after the babe comes too when the extra belly is still there.
Don't you just love, I mean really, really giant hearts and smushy songs love, the end of pregnancy? The part where nothing fits and random humans look at you like your about to give birth in the middle of the cheese section at Trader Joes? And the comfort? Man, if you could bottle that feeling and sell it…
I don't know how you still manage to look uber cute, belly all exposed. And I'm pretty sure from all the pregnancy's posted lately, I'm the only girl in the history of the internet to get stretch marks. Not cool dna, not cool.
love this post!! this deff helped me out!! =]
That is just so weird that non maternity tanks are a better fit than maternity ones. Those tricky marketers!
While I'm a modest 5 foot 5 I also have a long torso so I really just want to go stock up on those shirts you suggested just for the heck of it. I've considered buying maternity jeans just because they look so much more comfortable. If that’s considered wrong I don't ever want to be right. Also the first picture reminds me of that episode of friends where Rachel is really pregnant and Ross tells her to cover up and she shoots him the look of death. Haha, just me? So good.
yeah preggo or not….i LOVE stretch too! haha! 🙂
I adore your style but it also helps that you are absolutely gorgeous. I hope I look half as good as you when I am pregnant!
20 years from now (when i finally get preggers) i'm gonna pull this post out. because i think it's really smart.
and i hope it's not really 20 years, but sooner.
@elizabeth, i suffer the same afflicition and i can recall this short-shirted time. blast it.
@the michelle show, too many!
@melly b, love love love it. as i turned over in bed from 5 am – 8 am trying to get comfy but having rib pain i was exclaiming, "I LOVE THIS!"
@wilybrunette, i think it'll be sooner. keep it bookmarked.
Great tips! I've been loving maxi dresses so far with my little bump. I keep buying a new one every time I'm at a store:-) xoxo
Thank you for this post! I'm about 10 weeks along and I'm clueless as to what I should be wearing when I start to get big. THANKKS!
Guuurl, I have an identical picture of myself looking like that when I was pregnant with Davey (with Charlie? I didn't look past 6 months when I delivered her. Go figure.) In fact, I walked around the house with my tank top rolled up like that for the last two months of my pregnancy. I was past the point of carrying and even answered the door looking like that. Good wardrobe suggestions! I'll have to look into them 🙂
I will definitely be pulling this info out whenever I'm preggo. I always have to have a long tank top on no matter what I'm wearing. The feeling of a shirt riding up my back drives me CrAzY!!!
At 5'9" the only tanks that fit well and are still long enough at this point in my pregnancy (39 wks!) are Gap Maternity tanks. I looooove them and will be wearing them long after the belly bulge is gone.
Just found you from Ana's blog! I so totally love having the bump out at home…sometimes clothes suffocate it or make it a bit itchy…maybe its the heat?
You are looking hot either way so who cares!
Tracey x
I love the Thread for Thought tees….the best, softest ever. Good to know they are preg-friendly for when that day comes for me. 🙂 You are adorable!
A year too late! I looked like a frumpy dumpy house when pregnant! I'm definitely saving this for if I ever get the nerve to hop back on that train…
A couple things:
1. I totally hear you about the bella band. Bought one and then never really used it. Big ol' waste.
2. The Liz Lange stuff…why is half of it polyester?! Hello! I'm pregnant. And hot (as in, sweating). The last thing I need is a polyester dress in June.
Someone needs to tell Liz.
Muah!
stretch is my best friend:) Use the word all you want! Love all the clothes:)
I'm going to have to come back and use this as a reference for whenever I'm pregnant! Great tips to know!
I can SO relate to the "shrinking" tank top situation! That's exactly what I look like when I walk around my house… except it's just me and my husband for right now, so there's no one covering their eyes. =) Funny enough I just bought a Target tank a few days ago for the very same reason… they are GREAT when it comes to full belly coverage, and it totally helps that they're super comfortable & cute too!
I love your tips. I also have gotten lots of hand-me-downs for maternity wear which is so great because it's hard to justify spending money on temporary clothes. I bought only a handful of things, including a couple of the pure body maternity tanks from Gap and I love them – they look similar to the ingrid and isabel tank and have rouching on the side and I have been able to wear them my whole pregnancy – even now at 37 weeks they fit over my belly and I can layer them under other maternity shirts that at this point want to ride up.
I need long tanks all the time because I am 5' 8 1/2, but here's the problem: I have the BIGGEST child-bearing hips you've ever seen, even without being pregnant. I mean my waist is teeny weeny, but then BAM out comes my hips! So that's why extra long, tight tanks don't look good on me. 🙁
thank you for this! so helpful, even though I'll be biggest in the winter months. being another long torso girl, i'm definitely going to try those target tanks, and the ingrid isabel ones. you are ALL belly, it's adorable 🙂 good luck in these last few weeks!