Are there any truly nice mat clothes for work?

[HJBeans]

Anyone have any tips?

Just tried to celebrate getting a new job by treating myself to a proper shopping spree for some nice work maternity clothes. Since there's nowhere near here to try on mat clothes (big pet peeve) I ordered a bunch online planning to select the few bits I liked best and send the rest back. I used a wide net, money no object, in search of a few basic, good quality things. It all arrived yesterday and it's all going back. The less expensive stuff is all cut badly - skirts too short, shirts too tight, etc. - and the more expensive stuff is cut nicely but made of really crap fabric. I wouldn't usually spend £80 on a dress in normal times, but I certainly won't pay that for really cheap fabric I'll wear for four months. So I'm out of ideas for where to find anything other than jeans and t-shirts for pregnancy.

Seraphine?

I have seen H&M recommended on here a lot too.

Isabella Oliver, if you're not too worried about money. John Lewis. I found decent black work trousers at Jojomamanbebe and Mamas&Papas, and Vertbaudet do good trousers, too. For tops, I like Jojomamanbebe, but am still looking for others. Not being able to try on things is such a pain!

I thought seraphine would be a god send but one dress I bought in August is already falling apart (it's not tightly fitting and I'm following the washing instructions) have worn it about five times. I have a black pencil skirt from jojo which does the job. The material is a little cheap but I like the fit. I'm trying to avoid washing it as far as possible. I also like Jojo tops. Bought a very simple cotton dress from H&M which I wear for work but it's a little tent-like and creases easily. I think I'll stick to my jojo pencil skirt and stock up on nice tops. If anyone finds the holy grail of decent mat wear please update! Cost wise, Seraphine is def my upper limit!

Cos is fantastic. I am 8 months with second baby and I swear by them. DS1 was over 10lb so I was massive and still got to 9 months with Cos stuff. It's not maternity wear but they do great draped dresses and trapeze tops and jumpers that work well (long enough to go over bump). Their casual stuff is also great.

Can you sew? I made/adjusted a few basics from really good fabric. A couple of wrap dresses in really nice ponte jersey (with added pleated section in the front) and a pencil skirt pattern I had pre pregnancy, I just dipped the front waist and added in a big doubled jersey panel, using a cheap h and m skirt as a guide. It's not a cheap option because you do need much more fabric than you think to get things done, but it worked for me. Or you could take the dress in cheap fabric to a seamstress with some decent fabric and have them do it for you.

Otherwise, it is really hit and miss. I have two dresses from seraphine - one has fallen apart in about three ashes and one looks new. It's so frustrating when you can't see things to look at the before buying! I don't think I'd use seraphine again tbh.

I've got a couple of nice things from esprit, and also h and m, to my surprise. They're very hit and miss but the jeans I got are fantastic!

I'm also still wearing a lot of my normal clothes at 38 weeks. Jeans are out but I've found about half of my tops with a bit of stretch are still ok, even though my bump is huge.

There is definitely a gap in the market for decent professional maternity wear!

I found a black stretchy pencil skirt in Red Herring and they had some pretty patterned tops too.

I'd suggest trying things you would normally wear (and sending back if they don't suit) I'm lucky enough to work around the corner from a Seraphine shop so was able to try loads on. I realised that the kinds of things I might have worn pre-preggo (tunic style dresses, loose flowing tops) just look awful and I have had to embrace the bodycon look for pregnancy. So have bought this dress in a couple of colours, which is great for work and super comfy. m.seraphine.com/maternity-shift-dress-burgundy.html

Have also worn black skinny jeans from Seraphine and H&M paired with wrap top from Jojo and normal jacket which is smart enough for my work.

I love Isabelle Oliver but I would say that if you are on the shorter side then be careful with long dresses or trousers. But I would probably take them up as I think the clothes are fantastic. I'm 5'7" btw.

I've not found anything amazing but my work wardrobe consisted of a couple of Debenhams skirts, dresses from Asos, dresses from JoJo (the outlet bit of their website is cheaper) and I've found purpless online good for basics, as is Asda surprisingly well made for the price

Babes with Babies have some nice stuff and although usually pretty expensive they have 70% off everything as they're closing down. I've had to wait 2-3 weeks for delivery as they're super busy with few staff left but I've got some huge bargains! £95 dress for £19.50 another one for £9. Excellent quality too but very limited sizes left now. May be worth a look though.

Thanks, all. Can't sew, sadly, but will chase up other options. My haul was from JL and included some Seraphine and Isabella Oliver. Particularly disappointed in the latter as I was sure as a last resort then surely hugely expensive stuff would be high quality. The two bits I've got are made of really cheap-feeling fabric, though, and I just can't stomach the spend on them. Especially as they'd get loads of wear as I'd not buy much else if I splurged on them. Hmm.

Is definitely a gap in the market for a) shops you can try mat clothes on in and b) shops that use decent fabrics. Have you thought of going into business, skiptonlass?

I got some lovely things from Zalando.co.uk's maternity section - there's loads of stuff from European brands which you wouldn't usually see in the UK. I got a great dress from Esprit and another from a brand called Queen Mum. There was a range of prices but probably close to Isabella Oliver or Seraphine. I do have some nice things from IO and Seraphine though - a lot turns up on eBay in very good condition. If money really is no object you could look at Blossom Mother and Child but they were too expensive for me (designer prices).

Maternity wear is hit and miss I have found. I am 39 weeks pregnant and I bought some long sleeve striped tops from Primark just a size bigger and they still stretch over my bump! I also bought long dresses from boohoo website in a size bigger and Nehru stretch lovely over your bump but still cling and show off your pregnancy figure. These were all cheap like £8 dress just plain colours. They probably won't last but I won't feel so bad about throwing them out. My biggest investments have been maternity jeans from top shop and new look. A bit more money but they have been my staple items. I also got some nice dresses from asos in the sale. Stretch clothes are the key

its a thought! I've been really surprised at the lack of decent quality basics in the bloody store so you can try things on. It can't be rocket science can it? A decent, well cut, quality set of pieces. I know people say they won't wear it for long enough but I don't think that's true - if you have two or three kids you'll reuse and if the cut is timeless then things last.

If I'm lucky enough to have another baby I might think about putting some patterns online. I'd have no clue where to start with actual clothing, but I have to say I've always fancied working for myself ;)

Having had a failed internet shop I drove a reasonable distance to find a JoJoMamanBebe - the only shop anywhere near us ( well Mothercare but nothing there for work!) where could try anything on. I did indeed but clothes I would never normally try on but now have 2 dresses, a cardigan, pj's and a wrap top. Ended up with fairly ghastly black trousers from another shop but cannot find any better ( and JJMB had none in store to try) - I have given up. Have some jeans from Next and some older maternity clothes, but after 2 previous pregnancies they are fairly worn out as quality is not great.

I never ever buy maternity clothes..designed to give focus to the bump I find them unflattering and aging I instead opt for size 18-22 clothes aimed at young plus size women..Yours/Market Stuff/Primark/TU/Marks and Spencer/Peacocks it's definitely made me feel better and when I go for jobs I look like the fat one not the pregnant one which helps:)

Lovely maternity things eluded me and took a while to figure out. I'm now in hospital for my whole third trimester and won't be having another baby. Bummer! But anyway this is what I know now that I didn't after lots of experimenting and some online disasters of yurt like creations.

Isabella Oliver is horribly expensive for what it is. But I did get one v nice dress that saw me through graduation/wedding/funeral. I'd never buy it full price they have massive sales on frequently.

Seraphine quality dubious, actual shop v disappointing. Odd fit for me.

Asos has some good finds and easy to send back. I have two mamalicious tops I've worn a fair bit. One came from eBay and it is one of my favourites. I'm shocked at how few shops have in store stuff. I guess we are a narrow market.

Cos has been a saviour. At around 20 weeks I decided only to buy stuff I could wear again or that was so cheap it didn't matter. I bought some lovely cos tops and went into h and m for some of their bargain stretchy stuff. I got two black dresses, two tube skirts and also a lot of longline vests. I wouldn't normally wear tight things around my tummy but have enjoyed being able to do this.

Nine in the mirror. Super expensive but good for ideas. I got two bargain Zoe Karseen t shirts that have served me well.

And now in hospital I just got a blooming marvellous tracksuit and nice t shirt from mothercare who currently have a sale on. It's comfy. It makes me look massive.

I also sifted through my wardrobe for things that still worked. I had a ted baker jumper cape that will be my coat as I don't need anything more now. The current trend for more cropped stuff has been unfortunate as its longer line things that have worked for me.

Also, noppies and espirit have some nice things. I didn't get any though.

I've found topshop Leigh soft under bump jeans lovely but now at 30 weeks they fall down. I never cracked the perfect maternity jean.

Now I have time to peruse what I'll need after the baby comes. Sounds like I'll be wearing the same stuff for a while.

I ordered some stuff from ASOS after reading good reviews and had to send them back, we're all either really bad fit or cheap material. I was really disappointed.

Next stuff seems to fit me ok, and they do short leg trousers. Cheap and cheerful, but a very limited selection. Have got a few things off jojo, but are quite expensive.

Bought some second hand seraphine in jeans off eBay for £7.90, they've hardly been worn! I'll have to take them up (I'm only 5'3") but that's the story of my life!

I've got 4 dc's and really have never bought many maternity clothes, have bought few things from mothercare (we have an outlet one so super cheap) but I always find maternity trousers are annoying keep coming down! Always ended up wearing jersey dresses & leggings, I have a uniform for work so never had to buy smart workwear but I would advise maybe just get what you would normally wear but stretchy things! I think skirts and a bump would never work would just look odd? Just get some smart trousers the next size up and some longer tops?

Also agree with pp about being inventive with things you've already got I wore big cardigans etc instead of buying a coat that I would only wear for a few months.

During my first pregnancy I was working and got my basics from Jojo, a black skirt, grey trousers and some white and black cotton blouses from home and m. It was summer and I managed to wear a few things in a few sizes bigger than normal, but I also delivered at 31 weeks so never reached a big beach ball type shape. This time I'm a sahm mum so my basics are more casual. I have thought, like a pp, about adapting some clothes to make them maternity wear. I've got some clothes that I Bought when I was a bit bigger and don't mind if I cut up. I wondered if I dropped the waist and added a cheap bump.band in its place that would work. I'm not as handy with sewing so the bump band idea is a bit of a cheat. I have.a lovely dressy non maternity skirt that would be nice over Christmas and new,year. I've got a Jojo maternity skirt in a similar design so might use that as a template. As long as I wear a top that covers the join it should work?

I'm really struggling to find anything affordable that is ok quality and comparable to my usual style - I'm not super trendy nor do I like to dress super casually or frumpy, but I also don't need to wear a suit. I have some COS dresses, but there has to be something out there that doesn't cost so much for such crap quality!

mammalicious does the best clothes as far as I can tell. They are good quality and fit really well.mamalicious.com/?forcecountry=GB&redirected=1

I've found all of the asos maternity clothing to be awful! Really bad fit - just massive everywhere. Mostly however I have steered clear of maternity wear and just gone for stretchy normal dresses (with a cardy over the top if I was getting paranoid about muffin top on show.

Thanks so much for the tips everyone. As my job will allow jeans most days, I've given up the search for business-y bottoms in the short term and succeeded in smartening up the top half. Some good basic black pieces at Jojo just now including a really lovely ribbed turtleneck jumper.

Also unexpected joy at White Stuff with the fasten-at-the-neck type jumpers which I enjoy when not pregnant and which really suit the bump. Could have chosen any one of a number of them, so will be going back as budget allows. Are a bit more pricy but good quality, cosy, and by definition will outlast the pregnancy. Hurrah!

I'm glad there are people out there who are actually keeping these maternity clothing brands in business! I have spent an awful lot of time browsing online and found NOTHING I like.

I was really disappointed by the Isabella Oliver dresses I ordered - I signed up for their mailing list and they had a 33% off day. I was in there like a shot! Alas, the Ivybridge dress showed off all my underwear lines as the jersey was so thin and it was close fitting. Who wants to clamber into shapewear when they're pregnant? The Danbury dress was better, as it didn't fit so closely, but the combination of the crew neck and empire line somehow made me look like I had boobs around my waist! So both those went back. I might have got on better if I'd ordered the more expesnive dresses in thicker ponte jersey, but even with a third off they seemed too expensive for a few months' wear.

Thanks for the recommendations for Nine in the Mirror and Zalando - I hadn't come across them before, so I'm off to more online browsing now.

I do have some fantastically 70s maternity sewing patterns that I got on eBay: if I can actually get myself together in time (I sew sloooooowly) I might have a matching smock and flares. :)