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Original poster

Lack of maternity fashion on the high street?

26 replies

lindsay90 · 19/06/2017 16:08

Hey all,
Just turned 7 months pregnant today :)
Back in May I was invited to a wedding and left it a little late to get an outfit together. I live in the Scottish Highlands, so the closest town to me is Inverness. Spent a frustrating day trying to find something suitable, but the only place that stocked any maternity wear was New Look (and their range was tiny).
Tried shopping in Glasgow the day before the wedding and didn't get any more luck, so in the end I had to borrow a dress from a friend.
This is my first pregnancy and I was really surprised at the lack of maternity sections in high street stores. There were a few places that stocked casual wear, but hardly anywhere with anything suitable for a wedding.
Seems like most retailers have now moved their maternity ranges online, which as this is a time when I definitely want to be trying clothes on before buying is rather annoying...
We did a bit of research into this and it seems to be a problem throughout the UK. My husband is currently writing an article on our findings.
So I was wondering if anyone had any feedback on:
a) similar problems finding stockists of maternity fashion on the high street
b) any recommended retailers (in the UK preferably) who stock decent ranges in store
Thanks!

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PinkHippo1 · 19/06/2017 16:13

I feel your pain! I was shocked at how many retailers only stock online. So far I have bought a couple of nice dresses for work from Mothercare. They have a decent range in store but most of it is quite casual. I have also bought some maternity jeans from Debenhams. I'm in Glasgow and the Debenhams in the city centre has a small but decent range of stuff. JoJo maman Bebe have some lovely things which are a bit more pricey but are definitely less casual. I haven't bought anything from there yet ( there is a shop in Glasgow's West End) but I may get something nice a bit later on. I know what you mean about buying online though. This is definitely a time when you want to try things on in store. Its very frustrating!!

PinkHippo1 · 19/06/2017 16:15

Oh, and whoever said you can just get away with buying normal clothes a size up for the first few months is lyingSmile. I am quite slim but with a definite bump already (19 weeks) and normal clothes in a bigger size just look ridiculous

Sparklyuggs · 19/06/2017 16:23

I was very lucky in London to have Seraphine's boutique, John Lewis Oxford Street and H&M Oxford Street to try on maternity clothes but it's a nightmare otherwise. ASOS is good but you have to wait for delivery.

jmscp2015 · 19/06/2017 16:25

It's annoying isn't it! Angry

I know it's online but BooHoo do some lovely maternity bits and quick delivery / easy returns.

notomatoes · 19/06/2017 16:30

It's annoying but hardly surprising. There just isn't that much demand and they can make more money by filling the space with non maternity clothes.

All the maternity clothes I have bought only have had free delivery and free returns as well.

silkpyjamasallday · 19/06/2017 16:37

I didn't buy any maternity clothes for the entirety of my pregnancy, in fact I only bought two new items of clothing (not counting breastfeeding bras) - a black stretchy midi length tube skirt from missguided and a low rise pair of shorts from topshop. I had a lot of loose long tops anyway which managed to almost cover the bump even at the end when I was bloody huge! The skirt I pulled up over the bump so I didn't have a strip of belly showing even of my top didn't cover my whole bump. Low rise bottoms meant they didn't constrict my belly as I carried quite high and have a long torso.

I'm only 22 and found maternity clothing so frumpy and middle aged there was nothing that I wanted to spend my money on either in shops or online. It's all so same-y and boring and as I would never wear it again I didn't want to waste any money on it. I liked the website nineinthemirror as it had things that would work during each stage of pregnancy but weren't specifically maternity clothes, but it is all quite high end stuff and pretty expensive and as we were on a tight budget at the time I couldn't justify it as we had to move house across the country and DP had to change jobs.

Original poster
lindsay90 · 19/06/2017 21:05

Hi! Thank you for the replies. So glad i'm not the only one struggling! I totally agree that just moving to the next size up doesn't work but did find (now the sun is out) that stretchy maxi dresses are ideal and feel really comfortable too! Looks like online is the key answer but for the wedding, i had left it too late and living in the highlands, there is no next day delivery!

OP posts:
OkyDoke · 19/06/2017 21:08

Pretty much online only! Locally a small selection in h&m and mothercare. I find asos good, also george asda for basics and boohoo! Its not a great state of affairs though.

guigirl14 · 19/06/2017 21:57

I've stuck reluctantly to Jojomamanbebe, Topshop (sometimes getting lucky) and H&M Oxford street. But recognise that's London and I've heard it can be a mission outside London. Very can be good but as you say it all seems to be online, when all you want to do is to just see it before judging whether to try on! I haven't found those places frumpy though. ASOS is really good if you can wait for delivery.

Elkalv · 19/06/2017 22:40

Well I am 34 weeks now, I was really not that impressed with maternity range to go to the office, I found some nice jeans and tats about it. I still buy normal cloth for the office just different style and size up, like mostly dresses loosely fitted around waist. I don't try to dress my bump though, I was trying to hide it as long as possible . Now my bump hides me I guess lol

Mandraki · 20/06/2017 07:34

Struggling so much! Got a wedding in 4 weeks and still have nothing to wear. It's like as soon as you're pregnant you're meant to stop wearing pretty and attractive clothes and dress in a sack for 9 months. Like PP said, a lot of Mat clothes are frumpy and mumsy, I'm 27 I don't want to look mumsy. I have no advice really I just wanted to say I feel your pain!

NikaKaKa · 20/06/2017 14:35

Definitely feel your pain! I've been kind of thankful for the sun as I now wear floaty off the shoulder tops from River Island in one size up. Like others online has helped for me.

Boohoo is quite cheap and handy for me as I don't want to spend a fortune on clothes that I won't be wearing for longer than 9 months. Asos are also good for wedding clothes.

Original poster
lindsay90 · 20/06/2017 17:40

Luckily no more weddings for me until April and May (fingers crossed i'll be able to wear by pre-bump clothes then) But all the help has been fab, have a rather large shopping basket on asos to please the husband now too :)

OP posts:
babysurprise14 · 20/06/2017 18:53

I have really struggled too, for me New Look, Asos and George at Asda have been the best but all online. It is so frustrating that shops don't stock maternity especially as there is such a need!!

I'm at a wedding next weekend and the dress I bought is from Asda at £18 a bargain! It fits lovely and doesn't feel like a maternity dress if you get what I mean!

Lack of maternity fashion on the high street?
Moo31 · 20/06/2017 19:05

I am with you on this one - I am 19 weeks and struggling to get stuff on the high street.

Ordered stuff online from New Look as my 2 nearest stores didn't stock ANYTHING in store. I got excited as a new larger store opened even closer to me last week and as a larger store I assumed they would stock maternity but ... no. The girl said she could order in what I wanted - I snapped "but I don't know what I want as I don't know what you have!". Oops.

Local Asda, H&M and Primark don't stock it either. Very annoying.

So far I have ordered online from New Look and H&M and will also do an order from Asda. I have also ordered some stuff from ebay.

I also have an issue in that I am 5foot and hardly any of the stuff is "petite" so I my mum is taking a few dresses up for me for work!

dippypanda · 20/06/2017 19:12

It's extremely annoying. My go to places have been red herring at Debenhams and then Asda for collection in store next day. Other than that I've looked at charity shops. I'm 38 and find a lot of stuff frumpy too.

StarCrossdSkys · 20/06/2017 19:13

Try finding something to wear for a wedding when you've got the bloody baby! That's way worse. A pregnancy bump is easier to dress than a flabby stomach distended due to torn muscles, combined with leaky boobs. And then you've got be able to breastfeed in it as well.

Babyblues14 · 20/06/2017 20:11

I went to a next clearance store today and they had quite a lot but not in one place so had to have a good look through to find them. But every other store I have been to doesn't have any. Have taken to shopping in charity shops and going for bigger sizes so I dont end up spending loads on things I will never wear again

Confuseddot · 20/06/2017 20:13

High Street is awful for it but asos is fab

ememem84 · 20/06/2017 20:19

Asos has been good for me. And eBay.

Where I am my innstore options are new Look (but tiny section), mothercare (ditto) or jojo maman.

A lot of high street stores don't deliver to where I am either. Sad face

Celticlassie · 20/06/2017 21:07

I couldn't find much in the shops either - even nude maternity tights were impossible to find on the high st. I got almost all my maternity stuff from ASOS as it was much less frumpy than elsewhere, but obviously that doesn't get round the problem of having to try stuff on and a lot of what I got from ASOS was far too big, even at the end of my pregnancy.

BonApp · 20/06/2017 21:12

I thought nonots a ploy to get you used to clothes shopping online - after all, once you've had a baby clothes shopping IRL is not the same Grin

randomsabreuse · 20/06/2017 21:19

Nothing decent I found, including a mooch on Oxford street.

My solution was jersey skater dresses which fit fine with and without bump - I am still wearing them and my LO is nearly 2.

Confuseddot · 20/06/2017 22:21

New look had a sale on maternity right now BTW. Someone just tagged me haha

feelingblue123 · 20/06/2017 23:51

23 weeks here, and started needing new clothes today so had a look on the high street and only new look had a tiny range of maternity stuff that was really boring looking. So went to the charity shops and got 6 amazing boho type maxi dresses in a size bigger and a top for less than £20....chuffed.