buying maternity clothes in central london

[moocowme]

SIL is visiting this week from Tokyo on business and will be staying in the city. she is 20 weeks and wants to buy some smart maternity wear. are they any places to do this close by? I think she will be giving oxford street a visit as well.

I think formes is best for smart workwear - near Bond Street

Smart officewear - try Formes (is one in Covent Garden). Also Seraphine do nice stuff (shops out of central london though - is one in Hampstead).

GAP on Regent Street do maternity wear - as does Topshop and H&M (for more casual stuff)

which H&M? their seems to be a few in the area.

I got a few items from Dorothy Perkins on Oxford street. They had decent pants for business wear.

There's a Seraphine near High St. Ken tube - lovely clothes. Formes is great, too. Both very expensive, but then maternity wear is.

H & M on Regent St does maternity - the one at Oxford Circus doesn't. Also on Regent St, Mamas and Papas has some nice work stuff. Dorothy Perkins near the Bond St tube has a reasonable sized maternity section, as does the Gap flagship store which is about half way between Oxford Circus and Selfridges. I think the Next which is further down to Oxford Circus from Dotty P may also have some maternity in store (one of the few that does). Isabella Olliver has some nice work things, but I think there's only a store in Chiswick - your SIL could have a look online and get delivered to you (or get you to order if need a UK credit card) so it's there when she arrives to try on, then keep or return things as she likes (have recently been in London from NZ and did exactly the same with my SIL - maternity stuff over here is pretty limited! Also learnt the hard way re who has maternity wear on Oxford St from pounding the pavements at 24 weeks on one of the few hot days we had while we were there ).

I am a big fan of Isabella Oliver - the clothes are gorgeous, and I receive loads of compliments when I wear them .... the new black tunic they have is really fab, as is the navy batwing sweater. Workwear is great too.
Popped into Formes (Brook Street) last week and was seriously disappointed ... the clothes were nasty.

Topshop on Oxford St usually have something worth considering in their maternity section (thankfully with a seperate, calm entrance and free little bottles of water in the change rooms).. and they're pretty cheap too..
Oxford St GAP is okay - the clothes are a little dull but they whisk pregnant women to the front of the queue for the change rooms!

bloooming marvellous as well, theres one in fulham so not very central but apparently theres a new one in westfield centre the new shopping centre in shepberds bush... or jojomamanbebe between notting hill and bayswater

I traipsed to Crave Maternity on Kings Rd and it was a wasted journey
TINY and not a single thing in their very small range that I'd wear

Went to H&M and bought loads of lovely things from their normal range in bigger sizes

SIL will not have to time to go out of central London but she should be able to find some things at those stores suggested.

thanks everyone

Red Herring at Debenhams Oxford St is great! They seem to make their normal range to fit pregnant woman.