I am not really much of a fashionista.  I like to look sufficiently pulled together to not be an embarrassment to my husband, but I am not a clothes hound.  So a whole post about clothes might be somewhat surprising.  But getting dressed has been a huge point of contention lately, as I have outgrown my regular clothes and don’t fit into any of my maternity clothes.  And nobody seems to sell truly extra-small maternity clothes for under $100.  (I bought XS maternity pants from both Old Navy and Target a couple weeks ago, and they’re both huge.  Makes no sense to me, since the XS non-maternity stuff from Target is sized correctly.)  But I went out shopping the other night, and found some stuff that will work.  Since I had such a hard time finding things, I thought I would share some of what I bought, in case it helps any other tiny expectant mamas.

I think I spent about $200-250 on clothes that night, and I came home with:

-2 pairs of pants
-2 pairs of capris or capri-like things
-2 skirts
-2 dresses
-1 sundress (that will not work without something over it, but should with)
-3-4 camis (because most of the dresses/tops/etc. will require them)
-1 sleeveless top
-1 extra black v-neck maternity t-shirt
-1 very nice summer-to-fall top
-1 cardigan

The maternity tee is, as far as I can recall, the only officially “maternity” item I bought!  That’s why I thought I might share some of the specifics of what I bought, and why they should work.  Hopefully it will help someone else think “outside the box.”  (By the way, the Miley Cyrus line at Wal-Mart also had some other really cute tops that would have worked nicely, but they didn’t fit an immediate need for me, so I didn’t want to buy them full-price.  If you have a shortage of maternity tops, you might want to check them out.)  These are not all my preferred cotton, but they all work well.

One of my favorite finds was this pair of black dress pants.  It was $15 at Wal-Mart.  The stretchy jersey makes the pants very comfortable, and the waistband is absolutely perfect for use as maternity pants.  (It looks just like some of the maternity styles.)  One caveat:  these are really snug through the hips and thighs, so you might want to go up a size from normal.  I can fit in the extra-smalls, but they’re a bit snug in that area to be decent without a really long shirt, and other reviewers have said the same.

The next best item is this skirt.  It has a very wide, gathered, very stretchy waistband, because it is designed so you can wear it as a skirt or you can pull it up higher and wear it as a tube dress.   I am pretty sure this will accommodate my growing waistline all the way through the ninth month of pregnancy.  This particular item was $20 at TJ Maxx.  Unfortunately, that means it is probably a discontinued item.  This general concept, however, is not especially unique, and similar skirts should be available elsewhere.

I did not find any workable shorts.  The only styles that looked like they would accommodate my growing belly were super-short.  I did, however, find a couple pairs of almost-shorts.  I got some stretchy No Boundaries capris at Wal-Mart.  (I had to buy a large to avoid skin-tightness, but they’re comfy and work great.)  I also bought a pair of these knickers from Target.

This tank, also from Target, will probably not last me a full nine months, but that’s okay.  The pintucks at the neckline allow the belly area to be a bit bigger than the upper portion, so it should accommodate a belly for a while – long enough to get through the hottest part of the year.  Another gorgeous shirt from Target should easily last through the summer and autumn.  (It seems to be unavailable on their website, but it’s sort of a tunic, gathered to a yoke, with ties in the back.  It’s trimmed with heavy cotton embroidered lace.)

When the weather turns cool, this cardigan will work even with a round belly.

I can’t seem to find online either of the dresses I got from Target.  The first not only has an empire waist, it’s a bit rounded, so it should fit beautifully over a round belly.  Unfortunately, the neckline is rather plunging, so it will require a camisole underneath.  (I found several at Wal-Mart, for $6 or less, from Miley Cyrus, Norma Kamali, and OP.)  This particular dress has kimono sleeves but is not the maxi dress currently on their site.  The second is sort of a shirtdress (but no buttons) made of jersey.  It will probably not last through to nine months, but will work for a while, for those who don’t mind something that hugs the belly a bit.

I also got a skirt with a very wide elastic waist.  (Not elasticized, just wide elastic.)  And the final item I bought will require the most work.  I found a pair of Phat boot-cut jeans, clearanced at Wal-Mart for $10.  I will cut the waistband area off and replace it with a wide elastic band.  (I haven’t wanted to do that up to this point because I didn’t want to spend $30+ on a pair of jeans to cut up.  But for $10, I’ll risk the possibility of messing it up.)

A few tips I learned from my purchases are to keep an eye out for:

• very wide elastic waists.  (Not elasticized, with non-stretchy fabric attached, but just plain elastic.)
• very wide waistbands made of very stretchy fabric.
• low-slung waistbands, especially those that are very stretchy or have drawstrings.  (With these low-slung waists, you have to check to make sure they will not fall down once you start walking around.)
• empire waists
• other top/dress styles that are somehow gathered through the bust area so that they are fuller below the bust
• dress styles that are stretchy enough to allow some leeway through the belly area (best for transition clothing, rather than full-nine-months clothing)
• bottoms that fit well everywhere except the belly and are inexpensive enough to risk cutting into them to add a belly panel or a wide elastic belly band
• jacket/sweater styles that are designed to not fasten in the front, or with a single button just below the bust (or thereabouts)