Best places for maternity wear?

[katroshka]

So I had a rather disappointing shopping trip today. I had already gotten a few things from Old Navy, but their in-store selection wasn't great and I am always nervous about buying pants online. So today I went to H&M and got some good yoga pants and 4 shirts, but that was all the stuff that I liked. Then I went to JC Penney and it was awful, hardly anything and everything they had I hated, especially the tent-like tops. I then went to Motherhood Maternity and didn't find anything I liked there, either. Macy's got rid of their maternity section, so that was the end of that shopping trip. Oh, yeah, I also tried Amvets and Goodwill, they had almost nothing and most of what they had seemed to be from 1983.

When I was pregnant with my older daughters I had two long dresses that you wore tops under, which was awesome because I could wear non-maternity tops, and short or long sleeve. I would love to get a couple of those again.

So what are good places for hipper styles of maternity clothes in San Diego? Also not ridiculously expensive... I wouldn't want to pay more than $25 for a top, and maybe $40 for pants.

[macandcheese]

I just saw this awesome series of maternity photos featuring American Apparel clothes. Most of the stuff the woman is wearing isn't actually maternity at all—just regular clothes worn in creative ways. I don't know if this is at all your style, but I think a lot of it is adorable! Maybe you could adapt some non-maternity clothes for a similar effect?

[lach]

Target sometimes has good stuff.

Old Navy seems to alternate good collections with bad collections. I'd suggest checking back in a few weeks. Some of my very favorite maternity clothes have come from there... and then I go back 2 weeks later gung ho about getting some more clothes and it's unbelievable that anyone would wear anything they have.

[taramoon13]

i got most of my stuff from the target clearance rack. i also agree with pp about old navy, i have some gorgeous stuff i got there during pregnancy #1 and went there a couple weeks ago and found everything hideous. keep checking back. i also got a few great used things from ebay. my local kids consignment shop also carries maternity, maybe there's one near you that does too.

[katroshka]

Good advice, I will keep checking Old Navy. I just ordered some things from American Apparel, I've been wearing their yoga pants almost every day so far and have sadly just realized that they aren't comfy anymore... Plus I wanted to order some bigger bras there anyway, I love that they have bras that don't have cups or wires, yet aren't flattening like sports bras. There don't seem to be any consignment places close to me, but it may be worth a bit of a drive.
Thanks, ladies!

[trekkingirl]

kat I could have written your post word for word. I used to live in San Diego but it was over 12 years ago so my knowledge of the area is pretty outdated. I had great luck at the Old Navy in downtown San Francisco on monday. All their other locations around here have barely any selection but that store had a huge maternity section. So maybe try an Old Navy in a more popular area. Does Mission Valley Mall have one maybe? I would maybe ask at your local Old Navy if they know wich location has the biggest maternity section? Oh and they had all their clearance buy one get one free. I got a huge bag of clothes for $50. Good luck. Oh someone told me about a used maternity clothes store. I can't remember the name but they have a website. Maybe google used maternity?

[lillymonster]

I have a bunch of clothes from my last pregnancy from Old Navy that are great - this time I just bought a bunch of stuff online and it was practically see through! I am returning almost everything

Kohls is hit or miss (what maternity place isn't - I mean I honestly wonder who designs maternity clothes because they are just awful sometimes) At least with kohls the return policy is better

Ebay? We have some kids/maternity consignment places. In my area, they have these huge consignment maternity/kids clothes swap at local fairgrounds that run once in the fall and once in the spring. I have seen some great high-end maternity clothes there.

[sewingsparklz]

I would definitely suggest Ebay. You can get new or used clothes there, some of the new ones even have tags still! But the selection is crazy good. You can search for any brand - an older, more modest brand, or any of the new ones. Every style, every size is represented. I super love actually being in a store and trying stuff on, but if you can compare your old clothes sizes to what's on Ebay, you should do pretty well.

Again, I totally stalk Ebay because the selection is hard to beat!

[Honey693]

I love Target for maternity clothes. Kohl's is hit or miss, depending on the sale and what they have in stock.

[Yuba_River]

Sometimes Ross stores have maternity sections, and I have found some great deals there. I agree about Target, too.

[the janet]

I'm 6.5 months and the maternity-specific clothes I've gotten are from The Gap, Target, H&M...and a pair of jeans from A Pea in the Pod (which were on sale but need to be hemmed so I may as well have paid full price). Maybe it's just the one Old Navy store I've been hitting up but all they seem to have are bland offerings.

Everything else is just a regular stretchy top/dress/skirt a size larger. I have a BeBand for the pants that still fit and my regular leggings/yoga pants.

I purposely try not to buy maternity-specific clothes that are tailored for a pregnant belly since I know I might not be wearing them for much longer. Although I have to say that maternity pants are pretty damn comfy with those stretchy waistbands...I could see myself wearing those postpartum and beyond.

The wardrobe issue I'm having is SHOES. Flip flops have worked fine since it's been warm out...but I've had to buy a few pairs of shoes since I can't wear flip flops everywhere. And now that it's approaching boots season, I can't fit into any of the ones I own. I just don't want to invest in new pairs only to find that they're too big next winter.

[MamaPhD]

I have Gap maternity stuff and they are great. Just basic stuff mostly, like plain long sleeve t shirt or jeans. I have 3-4 pairs of maternity pants but I usually wear non-maternity tops a lot during pregnancy, too, from Banana republic or ann taylor. Just have to find the right design, not necessarily the right store!

[guest123456]

Do you have a Motherhood Maternity store there? They've got some pretty good clothes and aren't too expensive. I LOVE their jeans and maternity tops, I think I'll wear them even after I lose all the weight ; )

[finnegansmom]

I've had pretty good luck at Kohls. We don't have a lot of places that sell maternity stuff around me (old navy, JCP, that's it) but I've found some pants that fit well at Kohls plus we have their credit card and get that monthly coupon - this month we got 30% off so I'll be shopping this weekend. LOL.

The macy's about 45 minutes away has a motherhood maternity inside of it now, but the selection was small and nothing was on sale.

I agree about ON - some weeks are great, some are hideous. Be sure to check out their facebook page, you can print out one coupon a week but it's usually $5 or $10 off of $50 or $15 off of $75....not bad if you're going anyways.

[fancyoats]

Originally Posted by the janet

The wardrobe issue I'm having is SHOES. Flip flops have worked fine since it's been warm out...but I've had to buy a few pairs of shoes since I can't wear flip flops everywhere. And now that it's approaching boots season, I can't fit into any of the ones I own. I just don't want to invest in new pairs only to find that they're too big next winter.

bolding mine. my feet have spread and grown a little with each pregnancy, but they don't shrink back down i think with feet, once they are bigger, they are bigger forever.

[Comtessa]

Originally Posted by MegaBerry

Do you have a Motherhood Maternity store there? They've got some pretty good clothes and aren't too expensive. I LOVE their jeans and maternity tops, I think I'll wear them even after I lose all the weight ; )

Motherhood isn't too expensive, that's true, and some of their basic stuff (jeans, etc.) is stylish enough, but IME their clothes are junk -- I bought a few things there near the end of my second trimester and by the time the baby was born, they were basically shot. They're just really cheaply made, with the cheapest fabrics you can imagine.

My bigger beef with Motherhood is, they will ask you for your address and due date (and will tell you that they cannot process your sale without it -- which is total nonsense, of course), and then proceed to sell it to every major giant baby-garbage factory on the planet. I was getting formula samples and plastic-diaper coupons for a year because of them. Plus, their return policy is truly awful.

In general, I've had much better luck with secondhand stuff from Old Navy and Gap -- some of it from garage sales, which is a great way to get good maternity clothes! And actually, Mossimo, which is a Target brand, often has longer-than-usual shirts in cuts that are really flattering for a pregnant belly. I frequently find these at the secondhand stores too.

Mostly, I just scour the regular clothing racks at our local Goodwill for knit shirts that are long enough to cover my belly; the length is really all you need unless you're buying something tailored. Then you just pick up a few neutral pants with stretchy waistbands and you're set. We have a local fair-trade clothing store that sells skirts and pants with these super-comfy wide waistbands -- they aren't maternity wear exactly, but they fit me all the way through my pregnancy.

[the janet]

Originally Posted by fancyoats

i think with feet, once they are bigger, they are bigger forever.

I've heard both scenarios: feet staying larger and feet going back to their previous size. The prospect of my feet staying a size larger both excites and frustrates me because then I'd have to buy new shoes! ...but then I'd have to buy new shoes.

[katroshka]

I've never been to Kohl's, I'll have to check them out. I went to a Motherhood Maternity and didn't see anything I wanted, just not my style. I've been wearing a bunch of shirts from the Juniors section of Target that are long and loose/ stretchy, that's been working out great. I love shirts that are long anyway, so a lot of the shirts I bought I definitely will be wearing after the baby is born. It's been pants that I've been having more trouble with, and I really want some cute overall-type long dresses that I can wear shirts under. I had these awesome ones from H&M that I got rid of like 7 years ago when I had no idea I'd be having any more kids. They weren't silly like overall dresses sound, I swear- they were very cool. I'm so kicking myself now for getting rid of them!

[pugmomma]

Ross (like a TJ Maxx) is really good (and cheap). I have found a lot of tops and a few bottons there. I love Target's maternity as well.

[Aliy]

some one elses house..... i like to buy used and look for people selling stuff... I got a pretty good selection of stuff from on lady inculding a nice coat for $40