Empire waist and wrap tops/dresses are good--look for things that have just a little extra fabric around the belly. Maxi dresses also good. I bought maternity pants early on, the kind with the elastic waist rather than the belly panel--they fit fine even before I was huge, and were way more comfortable than my regular pants. I didn't start with maternity tops until later, but the pants were worth it.

I bought tops one size large than my pre-pregancy size and they have gotten me through 24 weeks. Also, I figure they will come in handy after the baby is born for a few months. peasant style tops work well. I love the idea of buying Gap tees in Tall, as recommend by a PP. Many of my low rise jeans fit up until about 22 weeks. But, I am kicking myself for not just giving in and wearing comfy maternity pants. No zippers or buttons is a little liberating!

I got a belly band and while it works (even though I sized up), it's VERY hot fabric. For the few times I broke down and used it, my belly was warm in the hot whether of late!
am I alone in this!?

I was lucky - I had a bunch of clothes that I'd gotten just a little too small for but that I'd saved, and I just basically went through all my clothes and pulled out the ones that were a little bigger and stuck to those for the early months.

I bet you've got clothes that you stopped wearing like that - maybe a shirt that used to be too long but now is a godsend, or a dress that was a little too baggy, but now is the only thing that's comfortable. Focus on that stuff for now. Or borrow.

Around 14 weeks I bought a pair of real maternity pants that would grow with me and then didn't look back.

In this warm weather right now, I am loving soft stretchy tank tops and maxi skirts. I got this one from Target the other day and it feels like a dream:

http://www.target.com/p/xhilaration-juniors-high-low-illusion-maxi-skirt-assorted-colors/-/A-14405463#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink

It actually looks pretty stupid on the Target page, but in real life it isn't so noticeably high/low and it's very flowy. The waist is elastic and AHHH it just feels so nice to wear something that gives.

I plan on wearing maxi skirts and dresses for essentially the entire summer. You can belt them above your belly to give the illusion of a waist.

BELLY BAND. It's a little awkward to wear but it's a lifesaver for that in-between stage. You can wear your current pants unbuttoned and put the band over them or use it to hold up slightly-too-loose maternity pants. I like Target's version of the Bella band, but you can find something similar at probably any maternity store. I recommend buying white or black so that if it peeks out under the hem of your shirt it just looks like the bottom of a tank top.

At 14.5 weeks the hair-tie trick should probably work well too. Slide a hair elastic through the buttonhole of your plans and loop both ends around the button. Again, not gorgeous, but it's a good stopgap solution for another month or so until you start to fill out maternity clothes.

Lands end usually has nice wrap dresses and more forgiving cuts if you aren't ready for full maternity stuff. A wrap dress will see you through a lot.

Gap t shirts, that is.

On a similar thread not too long ago, someone suggested buying gap thirst in your normal size but tall (assuming you don't ordinarily wear tall sizes). This struck me as absolutely ingenious for those relatively early weeks.

I'd go with non-maternity clothes for the next couple of months. Dresses will be great to hide your belly & offer a lot of comfort. Look for empire waist cuts for dresses & tops. Get simple maternity tanks & tees. Great for summer but when it gets cooler you can layer cardigans on top of them. I'm 8 months pregnant and I can still wear non maternity clothes that are just a couple sizes larger than my regular. E.g. Anything w/ a low stretchy waist will get your far. E.g. folder over skirts, yoga pants, etc. Ditto on old navy dresses. I'm 8 months pregnant and can still wear a non-maternity maxi dress.

Ann Taylor.

What stores or brands are known to have lots of full, flowy tops???

Ann Taylor loft dresses for the summer...and get a pair of cute black slim fit capris with an elastic waist for comfort mainly...and cute foist tops. PS ATL has 40% off today, I'm sure you saw! Also old navy and gap ave a lt of cute dresses for early 2nd trimester fit.

for summer you can get away with so many maxi skirts and maxi dresses for casual day to day wear.

I'm 14.5 weeks pregnant, and my clothes are starting not to fit. I'd love to start shopping but I'm hesitant to buy maternity clothes yet, because every picture shows a VERY pregnant lady cradling her belly (a la http://www.loft.com/loft/catalog/productDetails.jsp?prodId=309354)

Ladies who have done this before: Any ideas where I should shop for the next couple of months? Not too big, not to small? Or will these clothes actually hang normally on me, even though they look like they're cut for someone with much more of a belly?

Thanks for your help!