First Pregnancy: Building A Maternity Wardrobe

Dress // Sneakers // Sunglasses // Bag

Maternity wear is a whole new world for me. As excited as I am to dress the bump and look good every day, I also don’t want to break the bank or purchase too much since this situation/body is temporary {hopefully! haha}. I see all kinds of adorable maternity dresses and jumpsuits but have limited myself to only purchasing a couple. I am a firm believer in investing in pieces I can wear long term, during and after pregnancy, so I decided to stick to the brands I normally purchase and go up a size. Madewell is one of my absolute favorite ones, so they were my starting point when my body started changing and I needed a couple dresses that would accommodate my chest and belly. Their selection did not disappoint.

Now, there are certain items I have bought that are in fact maternity, and I’ll be going over those in future posts. But for today in particular I want to share what I look for on a non-maternity piece:

• Flowy silhouette
• Elastic back {to accommodate an expanding chest}
• Comfortable straps/sleeves
• Longer length {shorter hems might become TOO short once the bump starts growing}
• Washable Fabrics {dry cleaning? Ain’t nobody got time for that!}
• Quality

Overall I am interested in a shape I’ll be able to wear AFTER the baby is born. This Madewell linen dress is the perfect example. It accommodates my upper body comfortably, has plenty of space for belly growth and I’ll be able to wear this for years to come since it’s a classic summer style. I did notice on their website the dress had low reviews due to it not being lined but I have to say I did not think it was an issue at all. I’ve worn it twice so far with nude underwear and it’s been fine. The skirt is so well constructed with plenty of fabric to create a beautiful ruffle flow around the dress. Personally, I love it without lining. I think it would have been way too hot for summer with extra fabric.

Paired here with sneakers is the perfect weekend outfit to head to brunch and errands. I can also see myself wearing it with sandals and a straw hat when I gets hotter and even wedges and a nice statement earring for date night.

I’m very excited to start these series on how to build a lean maternity wardrobe that you can wear for pregnancy and beyond. Looking forward to sharing more tips with you.

Until next time!
Nicole

*Thank you Madewell for partnering up with me for this post.