Mamaclious vs. Isabella Oliver Kelsy Maternity Dress

[telestrations]

I'm pregnant and my mum has very kindly given me a £500 John Lewis voucher for maternity wear.

I need to be both fairly put together and comfortable for work (client facing high end creative industries), and at first I was looking at a bundle of Mamaclious stuff. There's lot so stuff I like individually but was struggling to put together a cohesive wardrobe.

https://www.johnlewis.com/browse/women/maternity-clothes/view-all-maternity/mamalicious//N-8fsZ1z0vs1z

Then I spotted this Isabella Oliver Kelsey dress. It's a style I know really suits me, in three colours that suit me, is suitable for nursing and reviews say "this is the one item I work throughout".

https://www.johnlewis.com/isabella-oliver-kelsy-maternity-dress/caviar-black/p6083567

But I feel a bit mad spending so much on just three dresses and expecting that to mostly do me. At home I'll likely be in PJs the whole time. So these will just be for out and work.

What do others think? How much maternity clothes did you actually need or use? Which would you pick?

I guess the sensible thing is get one dress and lots of other bits, but just alternating between three dresses sounds delightfully simple to me.

I'll be shipping to overseas so returning will incur expenses and take longer.

I had 2 dresses and wore them all the time. Also wore leggings and tops I already had. You should get the ones you really like because you.ll be in them for a long time.

I got loads of wear out of my Kelsey dress. The downside is that you do have to iron it and I found it marked really easily. I didn’t really wear it post partum.

You will get so bored wearing three dresses. I had a few more than that plus trousers and tops and the repetition was awful.

(I loved Isabella Oliver and Seraphine for dresses but bought secondhand so I could have more.)

Thanks so much for you're replies. In the end I ordered these two and if I like them as much as I hope I'll order 2-3 more once they've got some more stock in

Im FTM, now 35w.

I bought:
Maternity leggings (have worn to within an inch of their lives, bump support really helps, will get another pair to see me through first few months PP.
2 x maternity/nursing vests - just put one on for first time today.
1 x plain black maternity vest/tube dress from vinted
1 x maternity dress from vinted to wear to a wedding.
1 x sparkly maternity dress from vinted for a couple of Christmas parties.

Otherwise I've worn my normal clothes including a couple of floatier/shapeless dresses for work ( I don't have to go in every day and we are business casual).

I do now need to get some bras because mine don't fit, and I would have bought jeans if I'd found a pair that fitted well enough.

Definitely worth looking for Isabella Oliver on EBay, it’s great quality and washes well.

H&M have some great maternity wear online.

mine are teens now, but I had a couple of jersey dresses, two pairs of lovely wide leg trousers, some leggings and a pair of jeans, then lots of long length jersey tops in various styles that could be worn with a knit, or an oversized shirt or blazer. Didn’t bother with a maternity coat, was too boiling by the time my pre-pregnancy coats were too tight.

Try vinted?

Maybe treat yourself to those dresses for work/events but I got a capsule maternity wardrobe from vinted for around £60 for a few neutral tops and a couple of more trendy day dresses. I got high st maternity leggings, tights and jeggings although some people don't need them I did second time around I showed earlier. I also love a maternity/nursing vest as it is so versatile and you can chuck non-mat/BF shirts/knitwear etc over the top.

I wore loads of mamalicious.

Get the dresses you like and then top up your wardrobe from vinted if you get bored? But as above, I wore all my normal clothes except for one pair of maternity jeans. Vests etc stretch, and any emperor line dresses work fine.

I agree with the previous posters about maternity leggings I lived in mine when I wasn’t working and after I had my baby, they were the best thing after a c section. I had a couple of pairs of maternity jeans from next that i wore with jumpers at the weekend. The jeans were really good as you could adjust the waist size so I could wear them post partum too.
For work I wore a lot of smock/trapeze style dresses as I found these more comfortable and I felt more put together in these. Some weren’t maternity I just bought loose style dresses similar to the one below.

https://www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-twill-collared-button-midi-smock-dress-in-mono-blur-print/prd/205371732#colourWayId-205371733

I wouldn’t buy too much to start with. You don’t know what shape/size you will be. There’s no way I could get away with any of my normal clothes except wearing shirts/cardigans/blazers open.

I was 5 days a week in the office, professional services client facing and for work had two pairs of trousers, two skirts, a couple of blouses and probably half a dozen dresses. Mainly because I got so bored wearing the same stuff.

For casual I also had jeans, lots of gym
wear, t shirts, tanks, a couple of jumpers.l because I really feel the cold.

If you are intending to breastfeed, don't bother to buy special tops or dresses that let you unbutton the chest. The most convenient and discreet way to breastfeed, especially in public, is to wear a loose top that you lift. But get a nursing bra that you can unbutton.

Personally, I’d keep the voucher for when you go back to work.

you can pick up lovely maternity items from those brands and asos etc on vinted for next to nothing.

i bought lovely work and occasion dresses all for £5 -£10 some of them were still for sale on the original websites for £40-90.
they were all worn once or not at all…

I agree with @GreatGateauxsby . There would be lots of maternity dresses going second hand. It must be like baby clothes.

Spend on smart work wear.

Try envie des fraises or seraphine