what i wore: maternity edition

Now that we're about 2 weeks from my due date, I think it's safe to say that I won't be buying any more maternity clothes. That's not something I'll be mourning. Most clothes/brands I saw were overpriced, poor quality and didn't fit all that well. There were, however, a few notable exceptions, which I would recommend to any other pregnant lady. Check out my list below:

Pea in the Pod/Motherhood Maternity plain, short sleeve t-shirt. I'm pretty sure I'll wear this even after I'm not pregnant. I'm not a big fan of the maternity shirts with the ruching on the sides, so I like that this one is just a little bit longer, rather than stretchy. You can layer it under sweaters, jackets, whatever. It's especially handy when there are still tops you want to wear that don't quite cover your belly; I stick this on underneath.

SOLOW foldover yoga pants. I don't think I can put into words how much I love these pants. Up until probably week 33 or so, I was still wearing my Lulu leggings, but soon after that, my belly got too big for those to fit comfortably. Enter: fold-down leggings. They don't restrict your belly at all and they're so goddamn comfortable. Plus, they're not actually maternity, so you can wear them as regular leggings post-baby.

J. Crew Maternity Minnie pants. On sale right now! I love the regular version of the Minnie, so I was very happy to see that these came in a big belly-friendly version. I wore these to work at least 2-3 times a week. And, even though I'm 5'1'', I find that the regular size fits way better than the petite. I also like that these pants have a side panel that stretches, rather than the stretchy "secret belly" fabric that goes up to almost below your boobs. I'd much rather have low-rise maternity pants than not: I find them to be way more comfortable and then whatever shirt you're wearing doesn't stick to the extra fabric.

Joe's Jeans cuffed shorts. While these DO have the "secret belly" fabric, because they're shorts, you can roll it down, if you want. I loved these in the summer because they were actually SHORT shorts, as opposed to some of these other, weirdly-long maternity versions I came across. I started wearing these well before I needed to just because they were so comfortable.

There's a lot in my wardrobe that I was able to transition from pre-pregnant times. I think layering is the key word here: I wear a lot of tanks and tees underneath chambray or plaid shirts or steal Mike's sweaters and stick a vest on top. I also picked up this coat, which is not maternity, but the generous cut means it still buttons over my belly, even at almost 38 weeks. Plus, it's pink!

I also attended a few black-tie events without needing to buy a new dress, since I had a few long dresses that were sort of stretchy, tank cuts. This was great because a) who wants to buy a black-tie maternity dress? and b) I was comfortable all night.