A wise friend once told me “Don’t spend too much money on maternity clothes because you are going to want to burn them immediately after you give birth.”
Her theory, while a tad dramatic, was that because you end up wearing the same maternity clothes day in day out that you won’t be able stand the sight of them post-baby.
While that’s true for some things – the ‘maternity’ skinny jeans I bought – when it came time to have a wardrobe clean-out, I’d grown more attached to my bump clothes than I realised.
So what’s the solution? Invest in two or three mid-ranged priced items for special occasions like weddings and going out and make a few wardrobe swaps to get you through the next nine months.
1. Swap dangly necklaces for long scarves.
Whether you haven’t told your employer you’re expecting yet or you just don’t feel like the attention today, a long scarf is a great distraction tool. Swap it for any dangly necklaces you have that will cut your expanding chest in two anyway. FYI: This is how Miranda Kerr dodged speculation about baby Flynn for months.
2. Swap loose tees for longline singlets.
In pregnancy you will encounter the less talked about ‘spare tyre trimester’ where you don’t look pregnant yet just that you’ve been hitting the biscuit tin a bit too hard lately. When you’re finally out of this pickle, swap your loose tees (and long scarves: see above) for tight longline singlets to not only accentuate your glorious bump but as an extra layer on cooler days.
3. Swap maxi skirts for long dresses.
I remember buying a (non-elasticated) maxi skirt in the early stages of pregnancy and being devastated when it inevitably rode up to my armpits and looked terrible. Don’t make the same mistake I did, and embrace maxi dresses – a great option for both warm and cooler weather.
4. Swap heels to wedges.
