London Ladies - maternity clothes

[lastboxoftampons]

Please tell me what the best item you bought was and where you got it!

I'm at the point where my wardrobe is seriously limited - trousers are too tight and tops not long enough to hide the fact that the bottoms don't really fit! But I don't look pregnant at all, so feel really weird about anything that looks like mat wear! Incidentally, I have two empire waist tops that are NOT actually maternity and I even feel weird about wearing them, because I don't want to look like I'm trying to look pregnant - but they're so comfy!

Help! Please!

I really recommend Isabella Oliver, very pricey but great items that look trendy. (Good work selection too for the office) I bought a wrap dress, a jumper, a pencil skirt and a top. Then I bought a big bundle of second hand maternity clothes from Ebay which have seen me right through.
I supplemented these with some maternity leggings and big baggy jumpers which have been bliss - haven't worn leggings since the 80's
As you get really big towards the end, all your trousers will fall down anyway due to having no waist, so style seems to go out of the window a bit (or is it just me )

H&M and TopShop. Cheap as chips and some of it really really nice.

the only great item i've found is a pair of smart black lycra type trousers from Next maternity that go up over the bump. can you believe, these are the only one's i've found that dont dig into my lower bellly. All other maternity trousers do the latter so i have had to ditch them. i now LIVE in my black maternity trousers from Next. I have 2 very expensive pairs of jeans from mamas and papas that stop just under the belly button and really dig if i bend down - so £80 down the drain - M&P wont refund them!
good luck.

Jojomamanbebe stretchy black trousers, over bump, not glam but the only things that stay up later on! Hennes have some really long tops, good for hiding fetching maternity hip support! Black stretchy dress from Crave, v comfy but also smart.

Liznay, it's not just you!
Emma, I've got some M&P jeans like that which are useless now (OK in early pg) but were great postnatal.

Hi lastbox I was lucky enough to write about maternity clothes, so I got sent loads to try out. However my favourite thing was a tunic top and coat from Isabella Oliver for work (I bought these when there was a 20% sale on the site) wore these constantly, the tunic with leggings and can see myself wearing it after I've had baby.
Found the poncho from Serpahine with IO leggings from eBay great while lounging around at home.
As for jeans, I did manage to wear Top Shop skinny leg ones till 7 months but ended up ditching them to wear over the bump versions. Now have borrowed size 16 Gap and Serphine over the bump jeans (I am size 8/10 normally) because they are so comfy and like Liznay says, everything falls off towards the end.
Top Shop were great for skirts/dresses, but for the cheapest and best casual wear I found New Look jeans the best.
Hope that helps

Love Seraphine stuff (can get it online and they have a few shops around). Topshop is great (and cheap!) and H&M maternity stuff is nice for basics so you can keep updating your wardrobe if you so wish. I adore my Seraphine under bump jeans and wear them with longish tops from Topshop or H&M. Formes good for work stuff if you need suits but works out quite expensive - Jojomamanbebe good for work basics too.

Thanks so much for the lovely responses! I'm actually American and I'm really wanting to try to hold off until I'm next stateside to buy stuff, so I think I might check out H&M, Topshop and New Look in the meantime, just to get some basics to see me through this weird bit (I'm only 12+4 )

Aha! Just the thread I need. I am 16 weeks and a bit, and my belly is growing by the day. I now can't fit into any of my skirts or trousers, and don't have tops long enough to cover any cunning undone zips.

I'm also not 'out' at work, so don't want to go into maternity clothes just yet, so am wearing dresses, though it feels like my belly is really obvious.

I'm now on the look for 'transitional' dresses, to see me through to proper maternity clothes.

Has anyone got any of those bump boxes? They seem a great idea, but vary massively in price.

I think that's the beauty of being at the "weird, fat looking but not pregnant looking" stage right after Christmas. No-one has batted an eyelid at my undeniable 15 week tummy - I think they must think it's all mince pies - nor is anyone remarking on my non-drinking, as they just think I am "having January off" like so many other people!

My best buy has been long stretchy t-shirts from Primark that I can wear under non-maternity cardigans, tops etc. which now ride up. If I were going to be shopping in the states I'd get the Gap maternity t-shirts which are very similar and come in a much wider range of colours (I saw them online but they don't ship to the UK).

My friend also bought me a bump band for Christmas and this does the same job under clothes where you might not want to wear an extra layer.

Both can cover up the fact that your trousers are not completely done up at the top too!

Gap in Oxford St do maternity now, if only a small collection