A Non-Maternity Maternity Outfit

Let’s talk about maternity clothes.

I mean, they’re kind of awful, really, aren’t they?

This was another one of the many, many things to take me by surprise about pregnancy. I’m basically just permanently surprised these days, really: let’s just hope my mum wasn’t right about the wind changing and my face staying this way, huh?

So, as I was saying, the sheer ugliness of maternity clothes really took me surprise. I obviously knew that actual pregnant women complained about them all the time, but as a very non-pregnant person, I’d often see them come up in the “New In” section of my favourite websites, and I’d just be all, “Hey! Why’d the preggos get all the cute clothes? NOT FAIR!” Obviously this sounds totally laughable to me NOW, but at the time it basically looked like a sea of Breton stripes and classic basics, and, if I’m totally honest, I thought pregnancy could be a pretty awesome excuse to finally try out one of those capsule wardrobes I’m always banging on about, but never actually managing to stick to. Oh the folly of youth! Or, of, well, last year, really.

Anyway, I thought maternity clothes were going to be pretty easy, really… and then I actually had to buy some, and all of sudden, all of those cute maternity clothes I’d looked at and thought, “I’d totally buy that if I was pregnant. Also, I wonder if they make it in regular sizes?” disappeared off the face of the internet, as if they had never existed. DID they ever exist? Did I imagine them? We may never know. As it is, though, I don’t know if it’s just because it’s getting towards the end of the season now, or what, but I’ve figured out that I can buy pretty much ANYTHING, as long as it’s:

a) Black

and

b) Super-frumpy.

Oh, and as long as it’s a size larger than I’d normally buy, too, because it turns out that most maternity lines don’t actually come in my size. THE HELL?

(I can also have my pick of short, floral print sack dresses, though. So that’s something, at least.)

It’s not all bad, obviously: I have managed to pick up a few things I don’t hate (and I think some of my dislike of the things I’ve tried on and rejected is just down to me still not really recognising my body at the moment, or knowing how to dress it. I’m having to completely redefine what I see as “flattering”, basically, and it’s a bit of an adjustment, but I’ll get there in the end. I hope.), and I’m hoping the autumn/winter stock will be a little more inspiring, but, for now, I’m doing something I told myself I’d never, ever do, which is to just keep on wearing non-maternity clothes, for as long as I can get away with them.

That’s probably not going to be too much longer, though: I’m now down to just a handful of clothes that still fit (on the bottom half, anyway: I can still get into most of my tops and knits, which is a relief…), with this dress being one of them. This isn’t maternity, but it’s super-stretchy, and really, really comfortable (I’m finding dresses a lot more comfortable than skirts or trousers right now, because I hate the feeling of anything around my stomach…): I also have this version, and have my eye on it in blue, too. I bought both of these before I was pregnant, and have been wearing them on repeat, so I just hope I can get a few more weeks out of them before I have to resort to the floral sacks!

And, on that note, I’m off to hit up the ASOS Maternity section again…

WEARING:

Boden classic shirt in polka dot

Enza Costa ribbed tank dress*

Studio TMLS shoes*

Michael Kors Mercer Mini tote*