How to Style Your Pregnancy Without Breaking the Bank

Let’s talk maternity fashion.

Oh goodness, I’m already cringing. It’s expensive, usually doesn’t fit well, and it’s worn for such a short amount of time. Seriously, one week a piece of clothing will fit me and the next week, it’s tight in all the wrong places

At surface glance this post might seem like it’s only directed to expecting mama’s.

But as I started writing, I realized that my styling choices in pregnancy really aren’t very different from how I styled my wardrobe before my growing baby bump.

(Except for the fact that jeans are pretty much not in my vocabulary anymore… give me all the leggings!)

First off, I was so incredibly blessed to have had friends and sisters that showered me with generosity in letting me borrow their maternity clothes. I’ve seriously bought only 2 or 3 clothing items this pregnancy. If you are expecting, and know of any other moms that are a similar build, don’t hesitate to ask if they have anything you can borrow for a couple months. If not, look at second hand mom stores, mom 2 mom sales, or thrift stores. It’s fun to get a few “new pieces” without breaking the bank so that you feel good when so much is changing with your body.

The big key to maternity fashion is layering.

Simple, right?! Here’s the fashion formula I live by:

1. Get a couple neutral tops (that you absolutely love)

2. Use your “non maternity” cardigans, blazers, and jackets to wear over top.

Pair it with leggings and some cute boots, and you’ve got endless combinations and possibilities!  I love that the layering gives you coverage in the back too.  At least for me, the growing bump is cute, the growing hips and backside, not as much. 😉

Like I said before, I have quite an abundance of maternity clothes to pick from. But even so, I naturally gravitate towards a couple key pieces in my closet, (and not all of them are maternity!).

 I have 3 neutral staple tops:

First is this grey long sleeve tee. It has seen much wear over the last several months. I love the look with the navy blazer, tassle earings, and bright pumps for a girls night out. The second outfit is a great Saturday morning Target run outfit… the only thing that’s missing is some Starbucks!

Second, a basic black maternity tee (it’s short sleeve making it nice for if you tend to get hot under extra layers). Below are two examples of how I style it. Add leggings to both and you’ve my go-to nanny wardrobe in picture one (YES to all the chunky knits and coffee), and the second is perfect for running errands.

And lastly, my old faithful striped ¾ length sleeve fitted dress. I love mixing patterns like in this first outfit, so this is a great casual date night look. I’ve worn the pink blazer outfit to church and to one of my baby showers!

I’ve basically lived in these three pieces this entire pregnancy, and just changed up the layering!

The grey and the striped tops are not even maternity, but they stretch so well that I’ve just continued to wear them.

After you’ve got the layering down, you can add accessories like jewelry and scarves to further switch things up! I even played around with some fun lip color that I don’t usually wear to add some uniqueness to this black t-shirt/cardigan combo I wear all the time.

For spring and summer, you can still apply this layering principle with cute kimono’s, or tie a lightweight jacket or chambray shirt around your waist. It’ll give you that coverage, without getting too hot (and it’ll accent your cute bump all the more!).

I’ll leave you with a quick tip on how to keep your closet organized with the constant change in which clothing items fit:

I keep a small laundry basket in the back of my closet with maternity clothes that are still too big for me. When I notice that certain items I’ve been wearing are getting too tight, I set them aside to put in storage and pull out pieces from the basket of clothing. It’s a simple rotation that helps with some of the frustration when trying to find something to wear. My poor husband can attest to some emotional moments before church or date night where I’ve chaotically thrown everything out of my closet in an attempt to find an outfit. Not ideal!

So what do you think? For those of you who aren’t pregnant, do you apply similar principles? Hope you have a blessed weekend, darlings!

#Fashion #Pregnancy