7 Useful Maternity-Fashion Tips From the World’s Most Stylish Women

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You’re pregnant! Congrats—now you’re trying to figure out how to deal with your closetfor the next nine months. Of course, maternity style is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. There are plenty of ways to approach it (whether that means sourcing an entirely new wardrobe or cobbling together getups from what you already own), but more than anything, there’s an opportunity to break all sorts of supposed fashion “rules” (though you obviously can—and should—be eschewing old school fashion edicts whenever, with or without a baby on the way). Who better to provide some candid and actually helpful advice for dressing for your pregnancy than the incredibly stylish fashion editors and bloggers who have done so already?

For some of these women, the realities of maternity style were far from the fantasies of dressing while expecting: “I always envisioned that when I was pregnant, I’d wear cute tight dresses, heels, bikinis that embraced the bump—the way celebrities dress when they are pregnant,” recalls Victoria Sanchez Lincoln, fashion consultant, stylist, and former fashion director at Real Simple. “But when I was pregnant, I had a huge belly, swollen feet, and ankles—just overall everything was enlarged, and not in a good way…that’s when I realized I needed to dress my new body shape.” For others, the item that ends up being on constant loop during those nine months was a total wild card: “My Alaïa leggings I bought at a vintage shop were my essential during pregnancy,” says Karla Martinez de Salas, editor-in-chief of Vogue Mexico and Vogue Latin America.

We asked 11 of our favorites about their essential purchases (and the utterly unnecessary ones), the layering tricks and unexpected hero pieces they relied on while expecting, and the personal style revelations they had that have impacted how they get dressed today. Ahead, read their takeaways on the deeply personal, sometimes arduous, occasionally pleasurable challenge that is maternity fashion.

Consider Shopping Very Sparingly—and at Leisure…

“Buy nothing for as long as possible, and wear what you have until the last possible moment,” suggests Stella Bugbee, president and editor-in-chief of New York Magazine‘s The Cut. “Then buy things slowly. Your body changes so much each month, so buy one or two pairs of pants that fit for a bit, then go up a size as needed. Also, stretchy undies are a must.”

For those clothes you’ll likely be wearing for less than a year—and might never want to see again post-baby—search for deals via affordable brands or marked-down designer threads. “I only needed to buy a few maternity basics that I combined with my regular clothing: I bought maternity leggings, tops, bras, and easy dresses,” says Sanchez Lincoln. “I always searched for sales at maternity destinations or online flash sales, and shopped the Old Navy and Target maternity lines.”

If you’re making a big-ticket fashion purchase while pregnant, consider choosing something you can (and will want to) wear for the long haul. “I bought just a few key pieces and wore them over and over,” says Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, founder of Romy and The Bunnies. “You don’t want to spend too much on things that you won’t even be able to look at when the baby is here. If you want to make yourself happy, invest in a nice bag that you can keep for years but dress up your bump with [now].”

One thing not to skimp on, according to blogger and stylist Freddie Harrel? Underpinnings. “Buy bras—good ones!—and jeans and trousers with elastic bands, which are lifesavers.”

…and If You Buy Anything, Make Sure It Can Grow With You

Shop for pieces “you can grow into during your term,” says Restoin-Roitfeld. (She recommends T by Alexander Wang for its stretch dresses and skirts.)

Glamour‘s style director Shilpa Prabhakar Nadella really appreciated that her second pregnancy—”when I already had a toddler at home to chase after.” She bought a pair of pants from The Row she guesses she wore over 100 times, thanks to a super-flexible elastic waist. “Early in the pregnancy, I wore them at the waist as expected, but when my bump started to grow, I let them sit under the belly,” she says. “Since they were black, they were easy to dress up with a nicer blouse or pair with a oversize knit for a quick run to the grocery story or a casual dinner.” The best part? She still wears them now.

Study Your Existing Wardrobe for Unexpectedly Bump-Friendly Pieces

“You will be surprised how many pieces you can wear well into your pregnancy,” says Nasiba Adilova, cofounder of The Tot. “Wear skirts higher up on your waist, or belt a dress to give yourself a waist again. Get creative!” Michelle Lee, editor-in-chief of Allure, tells us that she found herself reaching for body-hugging dresses more and more when she was pregnant: The dress plus “an eighties-like blazer, with sleeves pushed up to showcase wrists, which were my only [unaffected by pregnancy] body part after a while, and a low, chunky heel—that’s an instant pregnant-lady work outfit.”

What’s more, a trend or style you might not typically gravitate toward might just become the MVP of your closet during those nine months: “I loved wearing stripes when I got really large, which was odd, but I kind of loved how much it accentuated my giant belly,” recalls Stella Bugbee of her surprising pregnancy-wardrobe workhorse. “I had a stretchy navy-and-white striped dress that became a long shirt when my stomach got to be super big.”

For Chriselle Lim, blogger and cofounder of CINCstudios, her pregnancy fashion go-tos were “the Bellaband, which is designed to hold up your unbuttoned pants, so they allow you to wear your regular jeans and pants during pregnancy, and my husband’s oversize button-ups. As my belly grew and my tops started to ride up, I found myself living in [his] shirts—they were comfortable, effortless, and uber chic.” So don’t hesitate to go through your partner’s wardrobe too.

Steal This Stealth Styling Hack for Hiding Your Bump

This Hollywood costume designer trick for dressing expectant stars when a pregnancy isn’t woven into a plotline can definitely be utilized IRL. “I hid my second pregnancy for a long time at work, well into my sixth month, by wearing blazers, open,” says Bugbee. “It’s how they hide pregnant bellies on sitcoms when the star is pregnant in real life. No one can see you in profile.”

When It Comes to Footwear, Comfort Reigns Supreme

Your look doesn’t have to change dramatically (or at all!) while you’re expecting—though switching up your shoes for comfier, safer, less vertiginous pairs is a worthwhile move. “I learned that it’s best to not overthink or change your personal style due to pregnancy. I kept my style pretty sleek and simply swapped out my heels for a pair of sneakers or flat booties!” says Lim. Figure out a go-to pair to slip on, and you might just end up snagging multiple sizes of the same style. Maria Dueñas Jacobs, director of brand development at Stitch Fix and former Elle accessories director, agrees: “I was all about flats with both of my pregnancies. With my first pregnancy, it was summertime and my feet were really swollen; I wore sneakers almost the entire time, especially Supergas. I had to size up on [those] at the end of my pregnancy, but they aren’t that expensive. In the winter, I wore a lot of combat boots.”

In addition to sporty footwear, consider embracing full-on athleisure everything. “Anyone who’s pregnant now is so lucky because, hello, leggings! They’re stretchy, comfy, and so versatile,” raves Lee. “If I were pregnant now, you’d see me in athleisure and Stan Smiths every day.”

Shop According to the Silhouettes You Know Work

Keeping it consistent with a certain cut can help simplify your maternity style approach. “I was working through all three of my pregnancies, so I lived in A-line dresses,” says Sarah Meikle, fashion director at Condé Nast Traveler. “I ended up wearing a lot of Zara and Marc by Marc Jacobs dresses throughout, paired with swing coats and pointy-toe flats. I had an A-line black satin coat that I wore during all nine months for one of my pregnancies; it was a bit pricey, but it got me through my entire pregnancy, and it was easy to wear from work to dinner or meeting to an event. I just couldn’t wear pants at all, because they were too uncomfortable.”

Make a “Capsule Collection” Within Your Own Closet to Stay Sane

At seven or eight months in, consider creating a mini “pregnancy closet” out of everything in your wardrobe. “At a certain point, it just doesn’t feel good to have to go through your closet and find what still fits or what doesn’t look good; it’s frustrating!” says Dueñas Jacobs. “Figure out what works for you, and just ride it out. It was so much easier for me get dressed by only looking at 30 pieces. It’s a little like living out of a suitcase.” Sanchez Lincoln recommends developing a uniform; hers “consisted of maternity leggings—find some that are really comfortable and have a full panel—and nice, solid maternity T-shirts or blouses that I could dress up or down,” as well as accessories and jackets.