Grazia Editor-At-Large Angela Buttolph is wearing our Marie Sequin Maternity Dress which features a gorgeous sequin bronze finish, making it a perfect go-to piece for after hours that can be worn throughout your pregnancy.
Grazia Editor-At-Large Angela Buttolph is wearing the tuxedo suit jacket style made popular this season by Saint Laurent. Our Ruby Tailored Maternity Jacket features contrast satin tie and tux detailing, making it a perfect go-to piece for work or smart occasions.
Grazia Editor-at-Large, Angela Buttolph shows us her perfect go-to maternity stripe dress for busy London days.
Designs Featured: Betty Loose Stripe Maternity Dress , Maternity Obi Belt
Funnily enough, life doesn’t stop when you get pregnant. You still have all the same appointments, responsibilities and occasions to dress for, but now with a growing bump and a seemingly shrinking wardrobe.
Probably the biggest daily style challenge for any pregnant woman is going to be what to wear to work. Especially if you work in a corporate environment with a strict dress code. You want to look smart, but you don’t want to flash too much flesh, and you also don’t want to abandon your style credentials.
Which is why the Midi Ruched Maternity Skirt is such a godsend. This skirt is the perfect wear-to-work solution. The figure flattering shape works on any size or body shape, and the ruching means the hem-line can be adjusted up or down depending on what suits you. The sharp, black silhouette also helps streamline your bump – which is great for those days when, first and foremost, you want your colleagues to see you as professional, not pregnant.
I love this skirt teamed with the Ruched Maternity Wrap T in chic French Navy. A bit less classic (and cleavage flashing) than wrap-over styles, I think its minimalist shape is uber-flattering (especially on those upper-arms) and quietly sophisticated – always a good look for work.
This nifty outfit also takes care of that other diary fixture – the post-work night out. Just add in a pair or sparkly drop earrings and this is a look that could take you from desk to high end dining experience. Because pregnancy shouldn’t be all work and no play….
I’m moving into the final couple of weeks before my due date, and life is showing no signs of slowing down; with work still crazy, and the nursery still a work in progress, as well as desperately trying to fit in some last few nights out with the girls and plenty of visitors for Sunday lunch.
So I really wanted to make sure I get some quality time out with my lovely supportive husband in the middle of it all – hence date night. Well, at the very least, drinks, a meal and a film…
And I’m actually going to dress up for once, in the Loretta Maternity Dress – in khaki.
Can khaki be sexy? Actually I reckon khaki is very sexy. There’s a certain kind of skin-conscious healthiness to khaki, that let’s you, rather than the dress, stand out.
I interviewed style icon Olivia Palermo once and she told me one of her best ever buys was a Miu Miu khaki handbag, because the colour works for Spring or Summer and it’s neutral enough to go with anything. She’s right of course, and this is why the Loretta would be a great, versatile investment buy for the coming months.
Of course, the cut of this dress is pretty foxy too. The asymmetric neckline is a genius touch for a pregnant woman who wants to highlight her curves while still feeling properly covered up. And the pencil-tight fit helps elongate your legs – just add some catwalk-y ankle boots (so much more supportive than regular heels – even if you’re only standing up to get in and out of a cab).
Now that Spring is finally here, I’m feeling like my go-to black leggings and dark skinny jeans are looking a little heavy for sunnier days. The solution? Some lighter cargo pants.
I’ve been in love with this style since J Brand’s Houlihans became the trouser to wear a couple of summers ago, and they’ve stayed a wardrobe staple ever since – perfect with a crisp white shirt and heels.
Of course, there’s no hope for the waistband of my Houlihans with my current Easter Egg silhouette. So I was thrilled to find the Sateen Cargo Maternity Pant in Stone. The slim cut legs with a little bit of stretch are great for elongating my newly-expanded thighs (oh joy), and the soft jersey waistband is also very welcome (my bump is getting seriously heavy and sore now, so I’ll take all the comfort I can get).
My current obsession is with boho-ethnic prints – like this outsized paisley jacket from Zara. This is a key look for Summer 2013 (as you can see from all those patterns in the Grazia fashion cupboard) and the lighter cargo trouser works perfectly with it. Let’s face it, a sharp, on-trend jacket, plus a rolled up trouser with heels is a great look for work (even if you don’t work on a fashion magazine).
I’ll also be wearing these at the weekends with a camouflage T-shirt and gold flat sandals. The other colours are gorgeous too – the coral would look great with a pale pastel or tie-dye T shirt and scarf, and some plimsolls (very Coachella music festival). The khaki would also work with anything – particularly vest tops and Aviator shades.
Ah, so nice to have to start thinking about what to wear for warmer days….
If you’d have told me six months ago that I was going to spend loads of my pregnancy wearing track pants, I would have been a little alarmed.
On paper, this smacks of exactly the kind of lazy maternitywear to bring any self-respecting fashionista out in a rash – wearing your husband’s clothes, slobbing around in baggy layers etc (because I NEVER do that, definitely not, oh no).
But actually, (the right kind of) track pants – these Joan Maternity Joggers are a genius choice for maternitywear. The sportswear as streetwear trend is strong again on the catwalks this season and who wouldn’t want to try and inject a bit of catwalk cool into their maternity wardrobe?
Of course, they’re comfy, let’s not pretend that’s not a factor. But more than that; the loose-on-the-leg shape, with a cuffed ankle and slim hips is amazingly flattering beneath a big baby bump. And aside from providing an alternative to the more obvious jeans or leggings, it’s great to get a major injection of colour (hot red!) into your wardrobe, without looking like you’re trying too hard. Although, see also, the grey marl colourway, for a more toned down/classic sportswear look…
The good news: track pants are surprisingly versatile. Of course, you can wear them with Converse, a beanie, a vest top, a hoodie (think: Cara Delevingne) for the perfect weekend look to take you from brunch to shopping to cinema.
But track pants are also super cool dressed up with heels. I wore mine with a Chanel-style cropped jacket, punk T-shirt and Balmain ankle boots to a friend’s recent art show opening – a very now, laid-back but edgy style (especially good as I’d spent the day running around town in Converse then just changed into heels for a couple of hours in the evening).
They also look great with flat sandals (if you’re looking to upgrade last summer’s gladiators, the new cut-out ankle boots are your maternity-friendly fashion footwear of choice – very Rihanna). For heading into work at Grazia, I just add a colour-crazy digital tee for a casual, but fashion-forward look that’s bump and maternity-exhaustion friendly. Can’t say fairer than that…
Sunshine! SUNSHINE!!!
Yes, this week it finally happened: we had a day of sunshine. For those of us feeling like we were living in some kind of Narnia limbo – always Winter and never Spring – it couldn’t have been more welcome.
And what does that mean? Yep – everybody down to the park.
Park life is an essential part of British summertime. But dressing for this every-other weekend hang-out is not as simple as it seems. Case in point: last weekend, when, after several months of Arctic weather, nobody has the kind of bare legs worth flashing in a short dress.
But over the years I’ve mastered the perfect park-life look. It starts with a maxi dress. This covers up pasty flesh, while still allowing you to ruche up the skirt to attempt to catch a bit of a tan. Plus, now that my bump is becoming ever more unwieldy, it’s nice to be able to maintain a bit of dignity when trying to sit down on the grass.
This Tank Column Maternity Dress is super-flattering, as it elongates your body to counterbalance that bump, (and the straps are wide enough to accommodate those super-sexy maternity bras I know you’re just loving wearing).
Other park essentials – a hat (to keep the sun off your face, and equally likely, the rain off your hair, once the weather turns). A fringey hippy bag/scarf/jewellery, and a beaten up leather jacket to sit on, or cover up your shoulders. Oh, and some gladiators – the maxi is one of the few dresses that looks more elegant with flats – pregnant women, enjoy!
Obviously I don’t need to point out how chic and cool this LBD (long black dress) would look in other settings – for a more formal event, or a sexy dinner, or even to the theatre (think: Angelina Jolie, the poster girl for minimalist maxi dressing). Plus, for an even more casual look, wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt over the top, and maybe some Converse and Super-glasses, would give you a whole new range of options….
Tank Column Maternity Dress in Caviar Black £99
Between the baby’s nocturnal gymnastics and my never-ending trips to the bathroom, I’m barely getting any sleep at all during pregnancy, (“it’s good practice for when the baby arrives!” – oh, shush).
So what can you wear when you’ve been up all night and you’re not feeling/looking 100%?
My new trick: I’m learning to counteract the on-going pregnancy pallor by embracing bright colours –the kind that are more zingy than you feel, (and that are oh-so on-trend for Spring 2013).
Which is how I find myself on a day out in East London; shopping, brunching and visiting art galleries in an ultra-bright Raspberry Marl Wrap Top, with mates telling me I’m ‘blooming’ when I’m pretty much dozing with my eyes open.
I love how this colour makes such a confident statement, while still looking laidback cool, and the way the wrap style hugs and flatters my new curves, (body con!) And bonus: it’s pyjama-soft… zzzzz…
I’m wearing the top with my weekend go-to: black leggings. Well, Essential Maternity Treggings, to be precise. Thicker than regular leggings, these are amazing for slimming your legs (and keeping you warm on cooler days), and I like the jodhpur-style seam-detailing on the thighs.
Add in some wildly energetic printed accessories, like a leopard print bag and trainers (I know; overkill), a classic beige trench over a basic-but-brilliant Joan Grey Hoodie (because it’s England, and it will rain). And nobody will guess that you are, in fact, sleep-walking through the day…
Tailoring is not exactly the first thing that springs to mind when you think of maternity wear. But it’s precisely because tailoring is such an unexpected choice for a pregnant woman that makes it so damn chic. If you can pull this look off, you’ve basically won, in the style stakes.
And it’s all about the tuxedo for spring, (thanks to Dior and Saint Laurent), the sleek smoking jacket with its satin lapels and slim mannish trousers are once again the go-to choice for stylish women; whether worn for evening with just a collarbone flashing vest top, or for work with a crisp white shirt.
Let’s face it; a tailored fitted jacket is always the most flattering choice, regardless of your body shape. And the Ruby Maternity jacket is a magic jacket, with skinny sleeves, and a little bit of stretch to hug your silhouette. It also has a tie-belt at the back for extra, easy waist-cinching throughout your pregnancy. It’s smart enough for work, but chic enough for evening, (I even shoulder-robed it for Valentines over the pink rose Ruched Maternity Tank Dress). For Fashion Week I added red Prada kitten heels and a Dolce & Gabbana beaded obi belt.
Plus, the Tailored Maternity Pants are the most perfectly cut maternity trousers I’ve found; narrow on the hips, with a super-flattering, mannishly-tailored straight leg. When not tux-ing, I’ve been wearing mine to Grazia with a black polo neck and retro Adidas trainers, for a very-nineties smart casual look for work. And I think it tells you something about a pair of trousers when you can confidently wear them just with flats even while pregnant.
Trust me, tailoring for pregnancy is a genius choice.
Ruby Tailored Maternity Jacket £195
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