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So you’re plus size, and you’re pregnant. You want to feel good about your body, and also have room for that expanding belly.
There are lots of plus-size maternity options out there, of course… but lots of them lean more toward the floral femmey side of things. You want to maintain yourself of self, even as you’re growing another person inside you. (Sometimes that still just seems FREAKING WEIRD, right? Seriously.)
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite plus-size maternity options that hint toward the bad-ass and still stylish… take a gander. We promise that the ONLY flowers we’ve got also have skulls involved. 🙂
Click any of the pictures below to learn more about the clothes!
Silk wrap skirts, for when you can’t be bothered by maternity jeans
So there I was, lamenting the sad state of maternity pants in the world when one of the good mamas from the Twitter universe chimed... Read more
It’s a shame when you’re in your early & mid-stages of pregnancy that maternity wear is always pictured on very pregnant women. BUT, a pregnancy range pictured on women who appear to be either not pregnant or barely out of their first trimesters? Sorry, the clothes might be cute, but that strikes me as strange & unhelpful.
Hey Vicky,
First, thanks for your comment and feedback!
As I said in the post (“I realized I could continue to dress the way I always have–just in different sizes!”), the clothes in here aren’t ACTUALLY maternity clothing. I was trying to find things that aren’t maternity but could be turned into maternity clothing, and then worn again once you have the baby. Maternity clothing in general is pretty gross, and we have had requests to find alternatives for women who are plus size. But, like I said–what I was going for (and perhaps did not execute very well) is a post that had plus size clothing that could be converted into maternity clothing, not clothing already designed for pregnant women.
Did that make sense? Or did I make it worse?
I understood your post and really liked the clothes. I like the idea of clothes not being maternity. Besides, I dont want a whole new wardrobe just because im pregnant.
Hands up – I’m commenting late at night, and while I hate to plead pregnancy brain, maybe this is one of those times I’m just not firing on all cylinders. Even re-reading the post the non-maternity but pregnancy friendly angle is a bit too subtle for me – so thank you for the clarification. Like I said though – tired pregnant brain is currently in control. The clothes are still cute & it is a great post!
Cute clothes! 🙂 I guess what I don’t understand is if you’re plus sized to begin with, so that’s what fits your frame normally (in which case, they might have the same problem as described below).
The problem with just using bigger regular clothes in maternity (at least with me) is that the bigger clothes are bigger all the way around… a shirt, for example, not only has a bigger belly, but bigger arm holes and bigger torso (and i’m particularly short in the torso). I think the open cardigans and sweaters are cool and could possibly work, but dresses and tops won’t work for me.
It’s a good option if you’re on the verge of plus size, though, i would say.
Im a short girl, and a 14-16 and I found plenty of cute stuff at ROSS Dress for Less, and at Motherhood. Motherhood had petite cut maternity jeans that fit me from 2nd trimester until 2 months post partum. Also, they had tattoo-ish printed tees, and lots of cotton tanks and tops you could pair with your cute little non-maternity accessories and stuff. Out here on the west coast, maternity fashion has come a long way. There are still floral tents out there, but there are also tons of cute up to date things to wear. And trust me, when you get into the third trimester, those empire waisted tops and dresses might not be as long as you had hoped.
oh yeah old navy has awesome maternity clothes (especially in basics). i recently got a compliment on my jeans and asked how i wear regular jeans with my belly — i don’t… they’re Old Navy maternity jeans. i also like target’s clothes which i found pretty useful for not only for pregnancy but also for post-partum.
I was pregnant in the summer, and Old Navy had a sale on their basic tank tops. I bought some in my regular size, and some a size up (but they were stretchy anyways) and basically lived in those. I still wear most of them too. I also discovered some of the more flowy shirts I already had fit throughout pretty much the entire pregnancy. So that was cool. I did wear out one of my sweaters in the front though. 🙂
Sandra, I absolutely agree with you! I’m a plus size and if I just try to go bigger, then the neckline exposes my boobs, or it just doesn’t come any bigger.
I like Torrid, bot honestly, the majority of their clothes are aimed at teens and early twenties. I’m 31! most of what they have in stores just isn’t going to work for someone in a professional workplace.
Also, those dresses would so not work on a pregnant woman. The bright dress would get way short in front since it’s not cust for a baby bump, and the belted one… well, I don’t know about anyone else, but the last thing I want is a wide belt, under my boobs, pressing on my belly.
i found my new favorite maternity place is JCPenny.com. They have lots of great stuff in lots of sizes. I just got a pair of boot cut jeans, and 4 tops that all look & feel great.
I STILL wish I could find the fun tops with floating babies, fun sayings, etc in ACTUAL plus sizes. I’d love to have a few for casual weekends.
Hey everyone: if you have suggestions for better plus size maternity clothes, less kvetching — MORE LINKING! 🙂 Our goal here was the open a discussion, so if what Stephanie posted isn’t your style, let’s see your suggestions.
Also, I think we’re all familiar with Old Navy — I’d love to hear about offbeat maternity options, for folks who aren’t satisfied with the options at the ubiquitous big box stores. 🙂
Ok then, cute dress, from Motherhood http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=983230022&MasterCategory_Id=MC3
Mamasan Maternity http://www.etsy.com/shop/mamasanmaternity?ga_search_query=Mamasan&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
target stuff, including a green pintucked shrugged cardigan for 14 $ http://www.target.com/Maternity-Women/b/ref=nav_t_spc_1_6/182-5597278-4362760?ie=UTF8&node=1293426011
Ooh, that Motherhood dress is awesome!
And while not as cute as those little ballet flats, these are much more supportive of swollen feet and ankles ( I got plantar’s fasciitis from wearing flip flops while pregnant) http://www.keenfootwear.com/shoes/women/
I know, right? They didnt have it last year when I was pregnant. Dammnit. But I did buy a mamasan dress last year and I loved it and I still wear it.
so here’s my thing… I’m TINY! I have 30 days left of this pregnancy, and I just look like I ate a really big meal. My doctor says my uterus is just “petite”… mmhmm Or it could be that i’m still sick all the time and weigh less than before I was pregnant!
But enough grumbling…
I can’t find anything to wear that completely shows off my belly. I need people to know that I’m very pregnant (so they’ll give me here seat on the bus!) but most maternity clothes are all lose and flowy which is comfortable but just makes me look fat 🙁
Anyone have any suggestions for a very small pregnant gal?
So far, I just wear my maternity jeans and a normal print t-shirt like before. Where’s the fun in that?
Liset, try wearing babydoll style tops. They always make tummys look bigger. 🙂
I’m a Canuck, and here in Canada all I could find in the plus size preggo range was Motherhood and Old Navy. So I pretty much lived in Motherhood and Old Navy. Luckily, the clothes weren’t too bad – I still wear some of my sassy Motherhood cardi’s! Wish I could add to the conversation with other good ideas though –
I’m plus sized also, and had an easy time with Target clothes. I bought a ton of plain t-shirts and long sleeve tees that I’ll wear long after I’m pregnant, and a I got a few things from Old Navy although they don’t have much in plus sized pregnant in their stores. I’ve found I’ve bought a few stretchy cotton plus sized dresses that weren’t maternity that I’ll wear my whole pregnancy.
I also dreaded buying maternity clothes to fit my curves. I absolutely love torrid.com and I also just went to any plus size store to find some cute stuff. Additionelle, Penningtons, and I even found a few things in the plus size section of Walmart.
The only problem I found with purchasing clothes in these places is the price. 40-50 bucks for a top 60 bucks for a pair of jeans.
But if you have the money they are great places to shop. I wish I had found some more cost affective solutions.
Great post!
Hey Kristyna–I totally agree with you. When I was pregnant, I spent a TON of time at Ross looking for stuff! Maybe we’ll put together a cost-effective maternity style post soon!
Thats a great idea!!! I’m gonna look around, see what I come up with. 🙂
I’m not plus sized, but I’m tall (5’10”) and super long-waisted. quite early in my pregnancy (when I first started showing), I became frustrated by maternity clothes. I liked my maternity jeans, but no maternity shirts would cover the stretchy waist part. So after weeks annoyance, I said, “screw maternity shirts! I’m just wearing tunic shirts from now on!”
I went to Crossroads (fashionable second-hand store), went to the shirt section, scanned the bottoms of the shirts, and tried on all the long ones.
I went home with quite a few tunics, long shirts, and short dresses to wear with pants.
I felt much more fashionable than I would have in maternity clothes, and I can still wear everything now, after his birth.
i haven’t experience being pregnant yet but i have seen a lot of pregnant women dressing so well. i guess these days being pregnant is no longer a hindrance for being chic and fabulous! its just a matter of choosing the right clothes and having a happy thoughts and positive outlook during pregnancy. i really love those women who can still be as sexy, as beautiful as they are when they are not yet pregnant and when they are already pregnant. i admire them for having the guts to even wear shorts and other somehow ‘revealing’ clothes. they look so cute to me.
and with those clothes that you posted, the black shirt with pink design on the neck got my attention. how i wish when i get pregnant i can be as fashionable and as trendy as the other pregnant women that i saw.
to most women that i know, they just pass their maternity dress to other relatives who might need it or just save it for future use…that is if they are on budget.
adding 2cents post fact — as a plus size mom many forget that you don’t look preg for a LONG time. Many of us don’t get cute 2nd tri bellies. We just look bigger.
So i think these tips are great. I make do with larger clothing that works post partum and lots of teen dresses as tops with leggins.