A Shopper's Nightmare

I leave for London a week from tomorrow and it dawned on me over the weekend that I'm not going to have anything to wear while I'm gone. That's something that I say all the time, "Wahhh, I don't have anything to weeeaaarrrr!" but usually there's at least something in my closet I can throw on — a pair of jeans and a shirt; a dress and some boots, whatever. But right now, I really mean it. In about 10 days, I'm going to be too big for my regular clothes and not quite big enough for maternity clothes and I really will have nothing to wear. I'll be gone for two weeks, too (10 days in London and four days in Paris) and that's a long time to be nekkid.

So, yesterday I went on a shopping spree. Or, I mean, I tried to go on a shopping spree. I saw online that Anthropologie has a bunch of loose blousey tops for sale this season — perfect for disguising a pudgey belly that looks more burger-filled than baby-filled — so I headed there first. They did have a lot of super over-priced blousey tops and even if I were willing to splurge on one or two of them, they were all so ugly, I couldn't even entertain the thought for the fun of it. You guys, seriously. Check it out. They should call it the Mrs. Roper collection. As for their dresses, I can see someone made use of the tablecloth I donated to charity last year after my cats shredded half of it...

After I left Anthropologie empy-handed, I headed to JCrew, where I took one quick peek at the price tag for this, and quickly turned on my heels and headed out. Next up: Esprit, which I loved as a teenager and which drew me back in yesterday with their promise of a store-wide 50% off sale. I tried on three pink shirts, thinking, I don't know, pink would make me feel more maternal or something, which is a really dumb thing to have in mind when you're shopping. I mean, they don't call 'em "mom jeans" cause they're flattering. Needless to say, the pink shirts were a miss.

Next I went to Zara, a store that seems to be in the middle of a major identity crisis. Is it a safari supply store or a one-stop-shop for all your raver needs? Also, I guess the Mrs. Roper look is just a thing this year. Anyway, I did manage to find one really cute top that I thought would be perfect as a transtional piece before I'm ready for full-on maternity wear. But then I got it to the dressing room and realized it wasn't a top at all; it was a romper! A romper!! I don't care if you're pregnant or not, the last thing a 140 pound woman — or any woman bigger than a size 2 and older than 20 8 — needs to be wearing is a short floral romper.

For my next stop, I decided to head to a store that actually has a real maternity section: Forever 21. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if they truly had a maternity section or if that was just an urban myth. And, having now visited Forever 21 for the sole purpose of finding maternity tops, I'm still not sure whether they really have a maternity section or just clever marketing. I did find a few "pregnant mannequins" but there was no sign that indicated a maternity section and the tags on the clothes had regular sizing, not maternity sizing. So, color me confused. Anyhow, I'll save you the suspense and tell you I didn't buy anything at Forever 21, though I did walk out feeling a whole lot better about the 50% possibility that I'm carrying a little boy, so that's something.

You'd think if nowhere else, a lady with a bloated belly would have some luck in a shoe store, but my visit to DSW was just as depressing as all the others. And it wasn't even the shoes' fault. It was the people. All the thousands of people crammed in that little, over-heated space with the music blaring and the flourscent lights burning holes in us, and the boxes all over the floor and the lines that wound around the aisles. I couldn't even bring myself to try anything on. It was all I could do to get myself out of there before I either barfed all over myself or started throwing high-heeled pumps at random people across the store in a fit of madness.

In the end, I bought eight new pairs of underwear at Filenes Basement. The cashier had some sort of problem with her register and I ended up paying four dollars for each pair instead of $5.99. I figured it was the shopping karma gods trying to make things up to me just a little bit. Next time, I'll take one really great, flattering, well-fitting dress for under 50 bucks, please.

Comments

[Jen]

Have you tried H&M? I don't think they have maternity section, but you can find lose clothes at great prices there. Also, I think Gap was having a sale these days.

[citywendy]

I'm going to go to H&M later this week — there wasn't one in the area where I was yesterday. And I did manage to find a couple things online at Gap.com a few weeks ago — 40% off too! I'll probably start wearing the maternity pants I got there in the next couple of weeks, if only because they'll be so much more comfortable than my regular jeans (which, I guess is sort of the point...).

[Jorderoo]

Hello Wendy,

I'm a long time lurker, followed your blog from Chicago. I am also pregnant for the first time, my due date is October 17th. Anyways I've had the same problems with clothes, right now nothing fits and the maternity stuff is too big. H&M is great, I found a lot of cute clothes there even tho the selection is pretty limited. Also Old Navy has maternity, they have mostly casual stuff at the stores but more selection online. Some of my bigger regular pants (fat pants) can be worn with a bella band, they can also help to hold up the maternity pants that are too big.

[citywendy]

Congrats! Our due dates are just a week apart.

I did find some cute stuff online from Old Navy, but it's all a bit too big to wear right now. I have two pairs of maternity pants I'll probably start wearing soon, but for the next month or so — maybe two months? — before my belly right "pops," I need a few forgiving tops and dresses. Hopefully, H&M will have just what I need!

[Jorderoo]

Yeah, for some reason the maternity stuff from Old Navy runs big. I did get a couple of pants there that have hidden adjustable bands in the waist, which are nice. I want to start wearing skirts and dresses too but it's been so cold here! We even had snow last weekend.

Good luck at H&M, be sure to check and make sure the one you go to has a maternity department. Not all of them have one, at least not in Chicago.

[Marianne]

Oof, this is the hardest stage of pregnancy, sartorially. I highly recommend finding some sturdy ponte leggings. Thick enough to feel like pants. Add some cute flats and something drapy/jersey/tunic-y, a great necklace or scarf, and a cute jacket or cardigan (I wore mine to the end of pregnancy, just unbuttoned), and you'll feel somewhat put together but still comfortable. And you can switch out tops, or wear a dress over the leggings, throw on boots. Spring in London is chilly so you can layer. Ann Taylor Loft has some good marked down maternity tops right now, as well. In fact, they have the good ponte leggings, too. Good luck, oh and congratulations!

[Amy L. Hayden]

Ah, as someone whose children are 8 and almost-14 who just had a tubal ligation... thank you for reminding me of what I'll never have to go through again!

That being said, try Gap -- not only is the body collection super comfy, they do have maternity clothes that won't make you want to vomit. And I can't say enough good things about Target's maternity clothes -- they are priced reasonably and are good for this stage of pregnancy as well as the post-partum phase, when you'll be wearing many of the same clothes you're wearing now, unless you're planning on pulling a Gwyneth and going back to your pre-baby size and shape within minutes thanks to kale juice and a personal trainer who visits you in the birthing suite. ;)

Have fun in Europe! (Be prepared to be nauseated on your flight...the only time I ever had air sickness was when I was pregnant!)

[citywendy]

Marianne, those are good suggestions, and thank you for introducing the phrase "ponte leggings" to me.

I checked out your blog, btw, and suspect I will making frequent stops to see how you are managing the post-baby-body cute wardrobe conundrum.

[Angie]

I speak from a 35 week pregnant position... it only gets worse. I've constantly felt awkward in all of my clothes. And as of recently, my feet and ankles have started swelling to the point I can't even go shoe shopping. It's HORRIBLE! At least before I could always find cute shoes.

The only recommendation I have aside from what others have already posted... shop the maternity sales online now for the fall. All long-sleeved fashions are typically on sale now, you can buy some now and hold onto them for when you're closer to your due date.

And just jump into the maternity pants even if they're a little big. You'll LOVE them. I promise. Enjoy Europe! Buy some cute clothes while you're there!

[Amanda]

Try Uniqlo (there's one in Paris if you run out of time in NYC)

[Melissa]

I'm in the same spot. 15 weeks and I can only wear 2 of my pre-pregnancy "fat" jeans with a bella band. You can order with diapers.com and they have like 2 day shipping or something. The fabric is a lot thicker than the ones from Target (BeBand). I bought black, white, brown and they've been extremely useful. I also hit up motherhood maternity and there were some skinny jeans by Heidi Klum that don't have a panel and you wear under the belly and they're super cute. Good luck!!!

[Melissa]

Oh and I guess I have a promo code with my diapers account - you can get 15% off the whole purchase for the first time. MELI58047

[citywendy]

Thanks, Melissa! My friend, who is 7 months pregnant, recommended those Heidi Klum skinny jeans and I found them on Destination Maternity for 10 bucks off (and they're cheap to begin with), so I snapped up a pair. They're one of only two maternity pants I own so far, and I'm sure I'll probably break them in on vacation.
And thanks for the code!

[Elizabeth]

Gap, Old Navy, H&M and Target all have affordable stuff, but another route to try is the thrift stores. You can load up on tons of stuff in lots of different sizes and no big monetary loss if you grow out of it fast or hate it. Invest in the black maternity leggings and some jeans, but then just buy a ton of tops at the thrifts and vintage stores.

[Nicole (the other one)]

Have you ever been to Academichic.com? It's a fashion blog, but like 50% of them are knocked up right now...and for the most part they are using their regular wardrobes to keep from being nekkid. Might give you some ideas...

[Bev]

I remember those days! I agree with the Target recommendation, especially for casual stuff. I also had great luck at Motherhood Maternity from the early bump right on through the Shamu phase!

Have a great trip!

[stephanie]

If you can get to a Targer, their maternity stuff rocks. It's cheap and good. Also, their plus size clothes work too. Old Navy online materinity is cheap too.

When will you know what you are having? Besides a baby of course.

[Marianne]

I am late to respond, but thanks for checking out the blog, Wendy! Even though my daughter is nearly two, my body is forever changed, so I have had to learn to dress for that.