Being pregnant during the fall and winter time can cause some outerwear challenges, especially since I have found that I don't love feeling constricted by structured coats as often because they no longer button over my baby bump. However, my solution to this issue has been the sweater coat. Not only is the sweater coat warm, but it is less restrictive, which means I can wrap it around my belly without feeling like a stuffed sausage.
Would you ever wear a strong shoulder sweater? When Isabel Marant released a version of this sweater in early fall, I immediately fell in love. There's nothing I love more than a unique spin on a standard piece, like a cable knit sweater with sew in strong shoulders. Really, you are just wearing a regular sweater but one with a bit more pizazz and intrigue, which make wearing it that much more fun.
The short answer to this how-to? JUST WEAR IT! I have actually never owned anything Zebra print so this pattern is new to me and I am REALLY loving it. It could be that I have always loved black and white so this particular Anine Bing cardigan very much calls to me but really, I find this sweater coat to be incredibly chic.
Sweater dresses are my new BFFs. No really, even though I've always loved them, I have grown to appreciate them so much more since I've become pregnant. Not only are they insanely comfortable to wear but they are also very easy to layer under winter coats and other accessories and this beauty from Hatch is no exception. Before I got pregnant, I remember seeing ads for Hatch on Instagram and also heard many of my friends raving about them as well.
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. I know this is kind of a silly thing to admit, but one of the things I worried about when I found out that I was pregnant was that I wouldn’t be able to find jeans in the styles that I wanted. Turns out, I was right to worry because good maternity jeans are hard to find. Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a skinny jeans girl. I used to be all about the skinny jean until I found that they weren’t really that flattering on me. Over the past 3-4 years, I found that I was more drawn to straight leg styles I find them to be the most flattering on my figure. I am lower half heavy, meaning I have a big butt and athletic legs, which can make finding jeans difficult. I also have a long torso so one of my denim “must haves” is a very high waist. Little did I know that being a high waisted and straight leg denim lover was going to propose many issues for me during my pregnancy. Let me break down my issues for you: 1.) Skinny Jeans Dominate Maternity Denim: Ladies, it is REALLY hard to find maternity jeans that are not skinny style. In fact, I was really starting to worry that I was going to have to succumb to the skinny jean again. I’m not sure if this is due to the fact that skinny jeans are the most popular style among women so maternity style skinny jeans are easier to find, but it really is crazy to not see a ton of options. I had to really dig for straight leg style maternity jeans and even when I did find a pair, I wouldn’t love the wash or cut. 2.) You Have To Say Buy-Bye To High Waisted Jeans: This is kind of a duh. high waisted jeans don’t work with a growing baby bump so high waisted jeans are out. This was a huge bummer for me because all I wear are high waisted jeans both because of my long torso and also because I prefer how that style looks on me. I know that I should’ve known this just being a woman and understanding how pregnancy works, but it really shocked me how all maternity jeans are cut as a low rise jean with an attached stretching panel that goes up and over your belly and back. To me, it still feels like I’m wearing low rise jeans, which I don’t love. However, the panel makes them comfortable to wear but I still find myself hiking them up throughout the day. 3.) Maternity Jeans Are Boring AF: I really like unique denim and trying out different washes and creative styles because I LIVE IN DENIM. However, say goodbye to fun denim when you are looking for maternity jeans because they all just seem so boring. No fun styles, no creative washes. They basically all just look the same (everything is solid color wise), which is incredibly blah. However, just when I thought all hope was lost, I found three pairs of maternity denim that I can actually say I love. Honestly, I surprised myself when I found two of these pairs at Pea In The Pod Maternity because I had always heard that this store was often brushed off by a lot of expecting moms. I definitely pre-judged without looking at their inventory (stupid) and when I glanced at their denim selection, I was blown away by how many cool styles and brands they offered. I found maternity jeans made by Frame, Mother (my personal favorite), J Brand, 7 for All Mankind, and other brands, like Luxe that I hadn’t heard of before. I ended up splurging on a pair of maternity Frame denim (the washed black pair above) and I have been obsessed with them ever since I first tried them on. I really didn’t want to spend that much on a pair of maternity jeans but I figured if I was going to wear these the majority of my pregnancy, I would get my money’s worth. So far, that has held true. I wear them constantly. I was surprised that I loved the fit. Yes, they still feel a bit like I’m wearing a pair of low rise jeans but I would say they feel more mid-to-low rise than just low rise. I also tried a pair from their non-designer line, Luxe (the lighter distressed denim wash above) and I was VERY happy with this pair as well and they were only $50 on sale. As always, I like to share my experiences with you all in hopes that it helps others who may be struggling with similar challenges. I know a lot of women often feel discouraged style-wise when they are pregnant but just because you’re growing a human doesn’t mean you can’t find pieces that make you feel confident.
View PostI know this is kind of a silly thing to admit, but one of the things I worried about when I found out that I was pregnant was that I wouldn't be able to find jeans in the styles that I wanted. Turns out, I was right to worry because good maternity jeans are hard to find. Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a skinny jeans girl. I used to be all about the skinny jean until I found that they weren't really that flattering on me.
