subject: Dressing For Success During Your Pregnancy [print this page] Its no longer the exception for a woman to have a career and children, in fact, its often the norm. These women enter maternity with the expectation that they should be able to wear maternity clothing that is not only as stylish as, but is also of the same quality and standard, as the clothing they wore prior to their pregnancies. Fortunately, maternity clothes today are attractive, sexy, comfortable and stylish. Just because you are pregnant doesnt mean that you cannot continue to wear beautiful clothing or dress professionally.
As a working woman, the style and look of your clothes is just as important during your pregnancy as before and after because how you dress each morning reflects how you feel about yourself and how you feel about your job. Now that there are stylish maternity clothes that are made out of quality fabrics in figure flattering and innovative designs, there is no reason for women to compromise on the quality and style of their maternity wear Here are a few key tips on dressing for your maternity and your career.
Maternity Wardrobe Essentials
Fashion is heading in the direction of fewer better clothes. Similarly, dressing for maternity can be done on a budget when you focus on purchasing a few good quality simple but classic pieces that you can mix and match to vary your look. You can achieve a capsule maternity wardrobe by thinking about what pieces you will wear most and invest in those first. Look for basic colours such as black, cream/ivory/ecru, navy, grey, brown and nude colours which can easily be matched with other colours in your wardrobe offering a wider variety of outfits.
The basic maternity essentials that you will need are:
a classic white or ivory maternity shirt;
a good pair of black maternity trousers;
one or two tailored maternity skirts;
one or two colourful maternity tops and;
the quintessential little black maternity dress
With this selection of separates you can mix and match your pieces for more versatility. If its well made, fits beautifully and its the right colour, its easy to wear the same clothes over and over again. If youre planning on having more than one child, remember, quality is definitely important. All too often women on their second child pull out their maternity clothes from the first and they look shabby and a bit worse for the wear. Its better to invest once in a good maternity wardrobe rather than twice in a lesser quality one.
Maternity Work Wear
As a general guideline, when it comes to dressing for the office, career oriented mums to be, should stick to their normal office wear making a few modifications for their maternity. In certain professions such as lawyers, bankers and accountants, a more formal appearance is required and a maternity suit in a safe colour, such as black, navy, dark brown or gray is a must have. These are colours that say take me seriously and are associated with professionalism.
The Little Black Dress Always elegant, classic and smart, a black dress made for maternity is perfect for the office, a smart dinner, evening with friends or elegant events out during your pregnancy. A good maternity dress is ideal for showing off your figure while also feeling comfortable. Look for maternity dresses that are either tailored, which is ideal, or invest in a good maternity wrap dress.
Wrap Dresses - A good wrap dress during maternity can be an essential because these dresses accentuate your curves creating a feminine silhouette while also accommodating your bump in its various stages of growth. If you intend to wear your maternity wrap dress frequently make sure that it is made out of a durable fabric that is always and wash and wear ready. Many dresses made out of viscose jersey only look good the first few times you wear them.
Maternity Shirts When deciding on maternity shirts, longer tops work especially well, gracefully hiding your growing tummy without drawing attention to it.
Wrap Shirts Wrap shirts also work well during pregnancy since they are designed for a close fit on top while allowing for more room around your bottom half. Always a flattering design that you can adjust to fit your growing size and comfortable to wear.
Maternity Tunics - Maternity tunics are easy to wear. Look for a well made silk tunic, a gorgeous addition to your wardrobe and ideal if you want to add a touch a colour and a bit of luxury to your look.
A Few Tips on How to Always Look Polished and Professional
Buy clothes that suit your lifestyle. If you need durable wash and wear clothing or cant afford a big dry cleaning bill, keep this in mind when buying your maternity clothes.
Spend a little more money for good quality clothes that will last through each of your pregnancies. Remember, these are the clothes you will be wearing for most of the day, and in many cases for at least five days per week.
Not wearing tights under a skirt or dress to the office is a fashion faux-pas. Investing in some maternity tights is well worth it, not to mention they are designed to be comfortable and provide support.
Avoid buying non-maternity clothes a few sizes larger because they often dont fit properly and clothes that dont fit only detract from your new figure where you should take the opportunity to accentuate your new curves.
