Raising Spudley: Goodbye "Skinny" Clothes

The past few weeks I have been doing a complete closet overhaul. More for my sanity than anything else. Trying on four pairs of pants before finding something that is work appropriate and still remotely attractive can really start a day off on the wrong foot.

The bottom of my closet now has two storage boxes labeled "skinny clothes summer" and "skinny clothes winter." Anything that makes me uncomfortable, is too short, or too tight (even with a belly band) goes straight into the bins to be brought out next spring (fingers crossed:))

After a very frumpy-feeling day of wearing maternity chinos, a maternity tee and a cardigan, I decided to spend some time figuring out how to dress while pregnant. The pregnancy books aren't much help in this area. Even the What to Expect When You're Expecting app says to "raid your husband's closet." ...but what about when I want to go to work... or out in public? Maternity clothes are expensive, so I've started trying to incorporate my regular clothes with my maternity clothes and figure out multiple ways to wear things. At least for now, here are a few things I've learned.

1. Belts above the bump are amazing. They make you look like you're growing a baby and not a gut. My sister-in-law gave me a patent leather tortoise print skinny belt for Christmas. I have a pair of patent leather tortoise flats and pairing the two together has helped me make a lot of outfits. I also stopped by the J. Crew outlet on a recent road trip and picked up patent navy and patent blush pink skinny belts at an extra 40% off.

2. All maxi dresses are not created equal. I've tried to create a lot of outfits with a few maternity maxi dresses I've bought. I've ordered a lot from Gap and Old Navy and subsequently sent a lot back. There seem to be two types of maxi dresses. The first are fitted at the bust, then flow out at the waist. The second are more fitted all the way down and have room for your bump. Right now I really like the latter. I've tried them with belts over the bump, as well as with a thin sweater over the dress. This one from Old Navy is one of my favorites - any not too $$.

3. Experiment with regular clothes. When my pants quit fitting, I moved on to maternity pants. The problem is that maternity pants (and especially maternity tops) are still too big. It's really hard to find options that fit right. I have a wonderful pair of go-to black pants (the Pixie from J. Crew) that I still have a some room in (they stretch a lot!) I've been pairing them with looser, longer button downs and belting them. Adding a blazer to the skinny pants also helps.

Blush, lipstick and a fresh haircut also help!

A quick list of my favorite places for maternity clothes (because who wants to spend a fortune on clothes that are so short-lived?) Gap (wait for a 40% off sale), Old Navy, Loft (wait for a 40% off sale), ASOS. I have also ordered a few things on sale from A Pea in the Pod and hear H&M has great maternity (even though everything I've seen in our store seems to be sweats...)

Now for a few iPhone stomach shots... none of the photos are great, but you get the idea. :)