Monday, May 12, 2008

Maternity Dresses

Frumpy is one word to describe how some women feel when they are pregnant. As their waistline expands, they begin to want to hide their growing frame. The problem with that is that women can still look stylish even when they are expecting. With the wide variety of maternity dresses available today, frumpy should never again enter any soon-to-be mom’s vocabulary.

One challenge all pregnant women face is finding items that can carry them from the beginning of the second trimester all the way to delivery. Many of the maternity dresses that are sold at regular department stores look like tents. When a woman tries this on she’ll immediately realize that it will naturally fit her growing belly until her due date, but it does nothing for her shape. Finding a dress that has elastic just below the stomach is often a good choice.

Summer can be a brutal time for a pregnant woman, especially one who is nearing her delivery date. A woman at this stage of pregnancy finds it harder to move around and if you add that to the heat and humidity found in summer it can get very uncomfortable very quickly. Maternity dresses made from lightweight fabric are ideal for this time of year. A cotton sleeveless dress is ideal for any woman who is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her baby.

For a more formal occasion it can be a bit tricky trying to find the right ensemble. Many expectant moms have to attend a wedding or holiday party and struggle to find something appropriate to wear. Many of the formal maternity dresses cost a small fortune and if you know you’ll only be wearing it once, it can seem such a waste to spend that amount of money. There’s a great alternative and that’s to shop at a consignment store. Many cities have these stores that are focused on not only maternity clothes but gently used baby clothes as well. You can typically find a lovely formal dress in very good condition in these retail outlets.

Right after the baby is born you’re going to probably want to pack away all your maternity clothes and try to slip back into the things you wore before you were pregnant. This does take a bit of time and effort so in the meantime it’s nice to keep a couple of maternity dresses on hand to wear around the house. They are comfortable enough to rest in during the day when the baby does, and also won’t be constricting, which is very important particularly if you have a cesarean section. Once you’re back in shape pack them away with everything else you wore during your pregnancy. You’ll need them again as soon as you decide to add another addition to the family.

Maternity Bridesmaid Dresses

When a close friend or relative is getting married there’s a pretty good chance that you may be asked to be a bridesmaid. It’s always flattering to be chosen to take on such an important role on someone’s special day. For an expecting woman though, being asked to be one of the attendants at a wedding can present some unique challenges. One of those is finding maternity bridesmaid dresses that are both flattering and fit with the style of the wedding.

Traditionally the bride’s attendants all wore the same gown in the same color. This in itself was usually a sore spot in the wedding preparations as the dress would look great on some women and less than perfect on others. With today’s more modern and relaxed styles, it’s common for all the women to wear something different. This is good news for the expectant mom as she can choose from a variety of maternity bridesmaid dresses without having to be concerned with finding one in a particular color or style.

Finding a dress that is appropriate for wear while taking on this important supporting role in a wedding can be tricky. Many maternity shops have hundreds of different office and evening looks for the pregnant women. What they might not have is maternity bridesmaid dresses. Most women who are in a bridal party aren’t expecting so the market is obviously very small.

A store that may sell these dresses is a traditional bridal store. Women come in all shapes and sizes and the typical bridal store will carry not only a wide selection of brides’ dresses, but also many different styles for the attendants. Even if they don’t have any maternity bridesmaid dresses on display it is certainly worthwhile to inquire if they can order one in.

Custom made dresses are often the choice of many of those involved in a wedding. This is true of bridesmaid, flower girl and mother of the bride dresses. If the other attendants are indeed having their dresses crafted from the ground up, it’s easy for the seamstress to incorporate maternity bridesmaid dresses into their repertoire as well. In this case the entire bridal party can actually wear similar dresses, with the expectant mother’s adjusted to accommodate her extra bundle of joy.

Women who are expecting can expect to watch their bodies change at a pretty alarming rate. It’s fairly common for a woman to feel comfortable in a piece of maternity wear only to find it doesn’t fit a week later. That’s why it’s important to purchase a dress that will fit on the day of the wedding. If you are only two months pregnant when you look at and order maternity bridesmaid dresses that you’ll be wearing when you are eight months along, buy the size you anticipate being in. You don’t want to face not having a dress when it’s time to walk down the aisle.