Input requested: Maternity skirts and dresses
I know that I've asked for some input on similar subjects before, but it's been a while, so here's a question from reader, Benita:
I am pregnant with number 4! We are so excited. I didn't worry much about skirts and really trying to dress in a feminine way with my past three pregnancies. However, over the past 2 years I have grown to love wearing skirts especially in the spring, summer and fall. I am due in Oct., so I'll need summer clothes. Where on earth do I find modest, yet pretty maternity skirts? My searches on line so far have only really shown very short skirts and dresses paired with spaghetti strap tight tops. Not my style. Help! Do you have any good suggestions? I am hoping to wear some of my bigger skirts for a while, but at some point around 5 months, I know that won't be possible anymore. -BenitaWell, Benita, I can't say I have any great suggestions. Most of my maternity clothes have been given to me, loaned to me, or I've picked them up very inexpensively at used clothing store sales. A friend of mine has made her own simple maternity skirts with panels and that might be an option for you if you can sew. I got two skirts at Kohls last pregnancy and wore those a lot. They had thick elastic waistbands, as opposed to panels, so I am able to wear them when I am just barely showing all way up to full-term and then post-partum. You really can't even tell they are maternity skirts. I was so thankful to find them last time and have worn them a lot this time around as well. I haven't seen anything similar though, but I've also not done a lot of searching. Maybe some others have some suggestions?
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:55 AM
17 Comments:
Look on Ebay:) I find many of my regular dresses on there, a particular brand I like.
Annee
Oh, I know how you feel! While I don't mind spaghetti strap tops (if they aren't insanely low cut), I've been searching for skirts and dresses myself. I've looked at Walmart, KMart, Old Navy (they usually have a great selection of skirts), Motherhood (or Mimi Maternity), and Kohls. Target also has some great finds.
Good luck and let us know what you find!
I got some at http://www.modestapparelusa.com/ . If you look through the links on Crystal's modest clothing linkes, some of them have maternity options and they are all modest. I've also found that any elastic waist full skirt I can wear above my belly, even if it's not maternity. So far, at least!
I found a regular elastic waist knit black skirt(s) the last time that were wonderful. When you got bigger you could wear them below your belly as they were loose. I am a small person though which may make a difference.
i found both of them at second hand stores. i did buy a nice one that was made of a fancier kind of fabric for nice occasions at Walmart. i saw some there this last week. It only worked until I was about 5 months though, but was nice.
JC Penny has some nice skirts or did online last i looked also.
I found some very long skirts at a Motherhood outlet.
Like you I like to wear a lot of modest/long skirts. I found a great basic black skirt at Motherhood maternity and have worn it constantly through all three of my pregancies. I've also found long jean skirts at JCPenney's Maternity Catalog. I've also bought skirts a size larger than my normal size and been able to wear those throughout my entire pregnancies with longer shirts. While i don't know your size, it is very difficult to find modest plus size skirts in maternity.
You could try buying a pattern for a maternity panel and gettg some thrift store skirts to experiment with. That is what I did when I was pregnant. You can also make a simple panel on a stretchier type skirt by removing the elastic waistband,adding about 4-6" of stretchy t-shirt type material (you can buy it from the fabric store in a tube), and running elastic through the top. I found some lovely simple dresses to sew from the Butterick and McCalls. If you have a Hanckock farbic store near you they often have them on sale for .99-1.99 a pattern!
I'm always either pregnant or nursing, and I've discovered that pregnancy is the perfect time to wear dresses - something I can't typically do while nursing.
It's not too hard to find long dresses with either a soft, relaxed fit and no distinct waistline or a very high waistline. Either is very suitable for maternity wear.
Since I tend to live in a few favorite skirts while nursing, I look forward to wearing dresses during pregnancy.
One thing that I used while pregnant was the Bella Band. I was able to wear most of my regular skirts during my whole pregancy because of this! I highly recommend this item... even if you aren't pregnant (for modesty's sake!). Here's the link:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2888297/0~2376776~2374327~6005194~6005230?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6005230&P=1
http://www.modestclothes.com/
This is a directory of modest clothing sources. I absolutely love it.
Also, try Belly Huggers. They are a great help for keeping your belly from showing during pregnancy while you transition from regular to maternity clothes and while nursing. I sell them and still wear mine at 33 weeks.
Congrats on your baby!
I will second Tracy's comment on modest plus size maternity clothing. It is almost next to impossible to find anything decent! I will agree with some of the others that Penney's has a great maternity selection. I am LOVING everything I have ordered from there. Believe it or not, I have managed to find several things at the Goodwill. I just recently purchased a pattern and material from JoAnn's to make a maternity jumper, but even maternity patterns are few and far between.
Old Navy has great sales on maternity clothes, and they have some very cute skirts.
I was delighted to find the same skirt that I wore through two pregnancies and afterwards at Walmart again, and this time in brown! I bought one because it was on sale (I am a sale freak.) and the next time through Walmart, it was on clearance for $5! So I got another. They wash well, keep their shape, strech aaaaall the way to nine months without squeezing you, and fall nice and straight to the ankles. The fabric is acetate and spandex. Check it out!
I ordered on line from a company called Round Belly. They have some darling modest outfits and (an added bonus) they are all 100% organic cotton. I am a tall, plus size and they had both!!!
I wear broomstick skirts. They usually have an elastic or drawstring waist band and I wear it over or under my belly, depending on what stage of pregnancy I'm in. I also wear them nursing, and not pregnant too! I can usually find them in all types of patterns and they are often very thin and light - perfect for spring/summer pregnant temperature control. They tend to be very flowing, so if the front is a little higher than the back it's not noticeable.
I've also heard of ladies buying regular skirts and pants, and sewing in an elastic belly (you can buy maternity elastic inserts at fabric stores).
Mama Says
I'm plus size, and I found my best luck was going to second hand stores and buying elastic waist skirts about 1-2 sizes larger then pre-pregnancy size (depending on how you grow, you may not need to do that, but I carry large and forward). What's nice is that they've been quite adaptable postpartum.
I found an idea to convert a pair of blue jeans into a cute skirt, I'd imagine it'd work with maternity pants, too. (no, I don't wear jeans,:-)Here's how: Rip open the inside seams of the pants legs and press flat. Measure the openings and cut 2 v-shaped panels of coordinating or contrasting material, and sew the panels into the openings. You could probably do this with the outside seams as well. Even the hem, and voila! If you get the pants from a thrift store, and the material from the $1.00 table at Wal-Mart, you can be frugal about it, too! Hope this helps and Congrats!
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