Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, all! I do shop at zulily and did buy a few isabella oliver brands, just took a chance and they actually fit pretty well on me. I should do a spin off thread where we all give body shapes and sizes and weights and our various sizes in different brands - would be a public service! I like others just love when a site has reviews and users have done this, noting if something runs big or not. It makes me so much more likely to take a chance on something, especially if I'm on the hook for paying for return shipping. Thanks, all! This has been an extremely helpful thread.

11:04 again: dude, if you start this thread, I will totally post. Would be an incredible public service.

Will also share that I just got this top from Boden on sale (and I had a gift card), and it's incredibly cute: http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Clearance/Womens-Maternity-collection/BP014/Womens-Pretty-Petal-Top.html I got the gray, and it's just lovely. Can't wait until I have enough of a belly to really wear it!

Okay, I'm going to do it. But I need to check on sizes to see what I've got. If someone wants to beat me to it, I really think that would be a super useful thread. I actually search the internet for "size reviews" on each thing I buy. And of course, you have to factor in some of these brands (gap and ON are NOTORIOUS for it) are such that two size 4's in the exact same pair of pants will fit you differently!

The basic t shirts (especially the long sleeve t's) from Motherhood.com are great. The material is fairly thick for t shirt material. They fit well even now at 40 weeks and have held up well to washing, although I don't put them in the dryer and hang them up to dry. I would recommend getting a whole bunch and then using them as layering pieces. I bought most of them on clearance so didn't pay more than 10-15 bucks for each, but I was able to wear them layered under a few sweaters that I already own for most of my pregnancy. Now that the weather is warmer, I just wear them alone. With a nice scarf, I can even get away with wearing them to work with a nice pair of black slacks.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, all! I do shop at zulily and did buy a few isabella oliver brands, just took a chance and they actually fit pretty well on me. I should do a spin off thread where we all give body shapes and sizes and weights and our various sizes in different brands - would be a public service! I like others just love when a site has reviews and users have done this, noting if something runs big or not. It makes me so much more likely to take a chance on something, especially if I'm on the hook for paying for return shipping. Thanks, all! This has been an extremely helpful thread.

11:04 again: dude, if you start this thread, I will totally post. Would be an incredible public service.

Will also share that I just got this top from Boden on sale (and I had a gift card), and it's incredibly cute: http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Clearance/Womens-Maternity-collection/BP014/Womens-Pretty-Petal-Top.html I got the gray, and it's just lovely. Can't wait until I have enough of a belly to really wear it!

Thanks, all! I do shop at zulily and did buy a few isabella oliver brands, just took a chance and they actually fit pretty well on me. I should do a spin off thread where we all give body shapes and sizes and weights and our various sizes in different brands - would be a public service! I like others just love when a site has reviews and users have done this, noting if something runs big or not. It makes me so much more likely to take a chance on something, especially if I'm on the hook for paying for return shipping. Thanks, all! This has been an extremely helpful thread.

I have some decent pieces from Gap/Target/ON, but I am not a casual t-shirt and jeans person normally, so I find most of the styles there are not me. I've had good luck with Gilt. It tends to be a bit more expensive than ON or Target, but the quality is typically so much better. If you become sure of your sizing in a particular brand, like Isabella Oliver, you can get even better prices on Zulily - but it's nonreturnable, so you have to be sure. I also got a great dress for our shower at Pickles and Ice Cream. They have a good selection but the shipping rates really gouge you. I only bought there because it was the only place that seemed to carry the brand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Motherhood.com is not awful for basic, cheap pieces. In person, Target sometimes has solid options, but their online selection is bad.

Personally I've always been happy with Gap, though, and ON as a backup.

I found LOFT and Boden way too expensive for things I'll wear for so little time.

I've actually had the opposite experience - better luck online with Target than in store! LOFT pants are nice, but their tops are built strangely (it's like they take their regular tops, and just add some extra space to the belly area, which isn't how I personally have grown!).

I actually bought most of my work clothes at Destination Maternity in Fairfax. They have a good selection, and when I visited, they were having a huge sale (it was January) so even the Pea in the Pod stuff was fairly affordable. Casual clothes are from Gap and ON, but I agree their quality is not that great, the sizes run very large, and their clothes stretch out so much that by the end of the day, the fitted t-shirt I started out wearing looks like a potato sack.

this is my issue with gap maternity clothes (and old navy clothes in general). i leave the house looking decent, and by midday my shirt has become a stretched-out shapeless blob!

Anonymous wrote:Motherhood.com is not awful for basic, cheap pieces. In person, Target sometimes has solid options, but their online selection is bad.

Personally I've always been happy with Gap, though, and ON as a backup.

I found LOFT and Boden way too expensive for things I'll wear for so little time.

I've actually had the opposite experience - better luck online with Target than in store! LOFT pants are nice, but their tops are built strangely (it's like they take their regular tops, and just add some extra space to the belly area, which isn't how I personally have grown!).

I actually bought most of my work clothes at Destination Maternity in Fairfax. They have a good selection, and when I visited, they were having a huge sale (it was January) so even the Pea in the Pod stuff was fairly affordable. Casual clothes are from Gap and ON, but I agree their quality is not that great, the sizes run very large, and their clothes stretch out so much that by the end of the day, the fitted t-shirt I started out wearing looks like a potato sack.

Not in town but the Arlington/Falls Church Babies R Us has a maternity section...Thyme maybe is the name. The quality and prices looked decent. They are basic for the most part but I saw some cute dresses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get everything online, and make sure I can return for free shipping.

Check out Belly Dance Maternity (all one word .com). Lots of lovely things, plus some decent sales.

Thank you. Really love some of the styles on that site and those brands are the ones that catch my eye on other sites. Can you give me any advice on sizing? I get that i can return but man, I'd rather just get it right the first time. Do you mind sharing your prepreg weight and height and what sizes fit you on the site or with specific brands? Like a PP, I balk at paying that much for a wardrobe I'll wear for 4 months tops, but at the same time, cannot get down with the cheap crap at Target and similar places. I mean, I got a few tee shirts at target, but the pants and dresses, etc, are just not my taste at all.

Last pregnancy I liked what they had at the Gap / ON much better than I like this time around. I've gotten some great shorts and one or two dresses and some cute maxi skirts but the shirts are all pretty bad this time.

BTW, old navy has a pair of linen maternity pants (comes in putty, white, and navy) that are amazing. Super comfy, well-made, and actually pretty stylish. 40 bucks I think. I bought them in putty and went back for the white. Fair warning, I'm 5'7 and 132 lbs prepregnancy about about a size 6 (sometimes 8) and the size medium was ENORMOUS on me. Had to exchange for the small. But I should have known that with old navy's vanity sizing.

You're welcome. I lust over the clothes on that site, seriously. I've not bought a ton from them, mostly dresses and a few tops. I found they run pretty true to size, at least for the brands I've purchased (NOM and Cotton Glam--so soft and pretty--love their stuff). I'm 5'8, 158 prepregnancy and usually a size 8. I'm pretty muscular, and actually tend to run large on top thanks to my shoulders, and more medium on the bottom. I never had a huge bump during my first pregnancy, and am trending that way so far with the second (17 weeks along, in maternity pants but not really showing). We'll see. I wonder if maybe other sites that sell those lines would have sizing info? I think Nordstrom carries a lot of their stuff, and even Amazon.

I really wish they'd have sizing information, too, it's one of the main drawbacks of the site. I think because I've purchased dresses and shirts I've been less concerned than if I were buying pants. But I also told myself that if I bought something that didn't fit and I couldn't return it, I'd sell it on eBay or something.

Thanks for the tip about the ON linen pants! I do find their maternity wear tends to run really large, too. I have a few pair of ankle pants that I bought from Gap (in black and bright pink) that I absolutely love, and are really cute. When I first checked, they didn't have my size, but I went back a few days later and I did, so if you like them, it's worth checking.

Good luck!

Motherhood and Pea in the Pod are the only two stores that I shop at in person (and sometimes Ross and Burlington if I have the patience). I found some good basic shirts and pants at Motherhood that I wear almost every day.

You really never know about the sizing. Whenever I buy online (Gap, ON, Loft, ASOS, Target) I get multiple sizes for each piece, knowing I will have to return. Gap, ON, and Target are great because you can read the reviews to get an idea about the sizing.

This is my first pregnancy, but I pretty much focused on getting a few staples that I love and fit well, and then adding accessories. I just don't want to spend a lot of money on clothing that I will only wear for a few months - I'd rather get accessories that I can wear after the baby comes too.

Anonymous wrote:I get everything online, and make sure I can return for free shipping.

Check out Belly Dance Maternity (all one word .com). Lots of lovely things, plus some decent sales.

Thank you. Really love some of the styles on that site and those brands are the ones that catch my eye on other sites. Can you give me any advice on sizing? I get that i can return but man, I'd rather just get it right the first time. Do you mind sharing your prepreg weight and height and what sizes fit you on the site or with specific brands? Like a PP, I balk at paying that much for a wardrobe I'll wear for 4 months tops, but at the same time, cannot get down with the cheap crap at Target and similar places. I mean, I got a few tee shirts at target, but the pants and dresses, etc, are just not my taste at all.

Last pregnancy I liked what they had at the Gap / ON much better than I like this time around. I've gotten some great shorts and one or two dresses and some cute maxi skirts but the shirts are all pretty bad this time.

BTW, old navy has a pair of linen maternity pants (comes in putty, white, and navy) that are amazing. Super comfy, well-made, and actually pretty stylish. 40 bucks I think. I bought them in putty and went back for the white. Fair warning, I'm 5'7 and 132 lbs prepregnancy about about a size 6 (sometimes 8) and the size medium was ENORMOUS on me. Had to exchange for the small. But I should have known that with old navy's vanity sizing.

Motherhood.com is not awful for basic, cheap pieces. In person, Target sometimes has solid options, but their online selection is bad.

Personally I've always been happy with Gap, though, and ON as a backup.

I found LOFT and Boden way too expensive for things I'll wear for so little time.

For me, I've done a lot of online maternity clothes shopping at TummyStyle.com.

I got some good deals with their 20% off sale.

I get everything online, and make sure I can return for free shipping.

Check out Belly Dance Maternity (all one word .com). Lots of lovely things, plus some decent sales.

I'm in DC area and just can't bear more maternity stuff from Gap and Old Navy. It seems like the stuff I see online is either dowdy or expensive. I bought the one cute thing I liked at Boden and it was great but I wasn't into anything else they had. Ann Taylor Loft had some duds and some winners and I have no idea how true to size they run. These days it seems like vanity sizing has made it so that the size on the garment bears no relation either to expected size or even the stated size on the package. And maternity sizing throws this off even more. For example, I'm a size 6/8 but in gap's maternity clothes I have to buy 2/4.

I'll be 20 weeks, still in normal clothes with a bella band, but it's time to make the switch to some decent maternity clothes. I want comfortable, natural fibers, and decent style. No freaking bows or ribbons, thanks, I'm pregnant not six!

Gah. How do you guys do it? Last time I was pregnant in the summer and just wore the same 10 gap dresses all summer long. This year, all of gap / old navy's dresses look shlumpy to me. Would like some of the Loft stuff - maybe - but feel like I want to see it on.

Where do you try on here in town? And where do you buy online? How faithful are sizes?