Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Reader Corner: How to shop for petite-friendly maternity wear

I recently got an email from a reader. I thought it would be fun to share my experiences:

I've been following your blog but have never posted anything = ) I am about 3 months pregnant now. I've put on about 8 lbs since but still can fit into XS stuff. I am wondering if you could share any tips on shopping for petite-friendly maternity clothes. I am from Singapore but shop compulsively on US sites.

First of all, congrats on being pregnant! Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times of a woman's life. With my first pregnancy, I was lucky that I didn’t have to buy a whole lot of maternity clothes. At that time, I worked in a very casual work environment. I bought a couple pairs of maternity jeans and a few oversized T-shirts. I wore those items throughout my pregnancy. Here are some do's and don'ts while shopping for materinity wear:





Do:
- Wait until your second trimester: I would recommend  you wait until your second trimester to start buying maternity clothes. The second trimester is the time that most pregnant women start growing. There is no need to stock up on maternity clothes during your first trimester as your body won’t change much during that time.
- Make the most of your budget: Invest in good maternity foundation garments such as jeans, tees and dresses that can be worn repeatedly throughout the pregnancy. Also, don’t forget to look for items that can be worn post pregnancy (i.e.: bottoms with elastic/adjustable waist).
- Shop for your pre-pregnancy size: The sizing of maternity wear is fairly straight forward. It is usually the same size as pre-pregnancy clothing. Comfort is key when it comes to shopping for maternity clothes.




Don't:
- Unless your budget allows, don’t invest in a costly wardrobe. Instead, buy pieces of clothing that can be mixed and matched. Maternity clothes can be expensive. Chances are you won’t be wearing them shortly after the baby is born.
- Look for fabrics that let your skin breathe and give you comfort.
- Do not change your overall style!

Maternity clothes don’t mean boring. There are a few petite-friendly online stores that carry affordable maternity clothes. Below are a few places that I’d recommend:

#1: LOFT: If you’re looking for a mix of dressy and casual maternity clothes, LOFT is a good place to look for them. Unfortunately, they do not ship internationally. I am sure you can look for LOFT's pieces on eBay as well.
#2: ASOS: If you’re looking for dressier pieces, ASOS  is worth checking out. Their sizes are very petite-friendly. One good thing is that ASOS ships internationally. They also offer free shipping and free return. Gotta love that!
#3: GAP: If you’re looking for every day wear pieces, I highly recommend Gap. GAP also ships internationally to 80 countries.





Last but not least, do invest in a few good bras and a good pair of tennis shoes and/or flats. They are equally important as your maternity clothes. I hope you’ll find this post helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy! Having a child is definitely a beautiful thing!

P.S: The winner of the Stella & Dot's giveaway is CanadianPetite (random # 37). Congrats! Please contact me to claim your prize.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I obviously don't need the advice in this post yet, but it's still an interesting read. I've always told myself that I WON'T wear heels when I'm pregnant. It's frustrating when I see pregnant women in them - what if you fall?!?! :( Peasant tops, tunics, and flowy dresses are perfect for the pregnant woman. These pieces can be worn during AND after the baby :D

C said...

For some reason I've been thinking about this a lot recently. No I'm not pregnant, nor will be any time soon, lol. It's just that a lot of my friends/coworkers are so when we get together, that's all they talk about. I can't help but pick up tidbits! Maternity clothes never seem to be a topic of conversation though -- I'm not sure why b/c I found this to be a fascinating read. Between this and SPG's recent pregnancy, I think I'll be set when it's my turn :)

Yelena Starikova said...

Great tips!! Im not pregnant but would like to be mommy very soon!

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michelle_ said...

thanks for the tips !


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HUMANITYISBEAUTIFUL said...

i am not pregnant, but thanks for these wonderful tips! thanks for the lovely comment! i am following you! follow back? :)))

Unknown said...

I'm not sure when we plan on having kids but I def will go back to this post later on when I do get preggy..LOL

Rachella - flourishingfit.com said...

I just took a look at your previous posts, and you're so beautiful!!!

Kileen said...

this is definitely gonna be a useful post when i decide to have kids!

Petite Mom said...

Love this post! When I was pregnant, I never had to buy any maternity specific items except for the Bella Band (so I could continue wearing my pre-pregnancy pants), maternity jeans, and basic Ts and tanks which I picked up from Target. I lived in non-maternity empire-waist dresses - I miss those days!

corner wardrobe said...

Great tips! thanks for sharing this!