Best Places for Maternity Clothes

RBXChas

Since some of us kind of threadjacked another thread by talking about maternity clothes (ugh), I decided to start another thread on this topic.

Where are/were the places you had the best luck finding maternity clothes?

Last time I was pregnant, I swore by JCPenney and Old Navy. The nearest Old Navy with a maternity section is two hours away, so I relied on online shopping. Our JCPenney has a small maternity section, and with coupons and sales you can get some good deals, especially on nice pants and tops for work. For some reason I had a hard time finding work-appropriate pants anywhere else.

This time, at all of 5+ weeks, I already have a small Old Navy order in, and I picked up a dress off the clearance rack at Kohl's. Every two weeks or so they send me a $10 off coupon if I spend $10 or more, plus I always get 20% off coupons in my e-mail, so I think I may regularly pick up an item or two there. Their maternity section isn't huge, but what they do have appears to be cute, useful, and decently made, and their prices are usually decent if the sale is good and you have a coupon or two.

Target I found to be hit or miss, but that's typically how it goes for me for regular clothes there, too.

I'm very interested to hear if anyone else has any other suggestions!

RBXChas

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I forgot to mention EBates! I earned so much back just buying maternity clothes last time!

jamie31

The JC Penny in my area discontinued their maternity section. I have been relying on Kohls for my clothes. I have only been able to find one pair of jeans so far . I am a little leary about buying online and not knowing what something looks like in person. Plus i noticed Old Navy uses pans size and not the S-XL that most places seem to use. I wore a size 10-12 before in American Eagle jeans and have never owned Old Navy jeans so Im at a loss at to what size i should go for

TLCEsq

I've had really good luck with Gap Maternity clothes. I only order when they have sales but since I am a tall lady like Jamie (6'0"), I can wear the t-shirts and stuff even after pregnancy - they're just like long tunic tops for me. Gap shirts are true to your pre-pregnancy size. I wore a medium and their medium maternity fits great. I've had to size up on dresses though (medium to large) because I am hippy and have a bootie lol. Also, Target has some really cute stuff that is reasonably priced and comfortable. I didn't buy any jeans since I wear dresses with tights and boots pretty much all winter, and I have a lot of open sweaters to layer with. Assets maternity tights by Sara Blakely are super comfortable, I got those at Target as well and they will last throughout my entire pregnancy! Only problem is they only come in black. Only problem with Gap is you have to return maternity stuff through the mail, but with Target you can return to the store, which is super easy!

Edit: I tend to be one of those people who shops mostly online because I have good luck that way, and with Kohl's and Target since I can return to the store without paying return shipping it's worth it. The selection online is way bigger than anything they have in the store! Same with Gap as well, but I've really only bought tops and 2 dresses from there.

M_lifts

have you looked on ebay? when i was pregnant with my daughter, i bought quite a few nearly new clothes from ebay. great quality and didnt cost a lot either.

RBXChas

I've had really good luck with Gap Maternity clothes. I only order when they have sales but since I am a tall lady like Jamie (6'0"), I can wear the t-shirts and stuff even after pregnancy - they're just like long tunic tops for me. Gap shirts are true to your pre-pregnancy size. I wore a medium and their medium maternity fits great. I've had to size up on dresses though (medium to large) because I am hippy and have a bootie lol. Also, Target has some really cute stuff that is reasonably priced and comfortable. I didn't buy any jeans since I wear dresses with tights and boots pretty much all winter, and I have a lot of open sweaters to layer with. Assets maternity tights by Sara Blakely are super comfortable, I got those at Target as well and they will last throughout my entire pregnancy! Only problem is they only come in black. Only problem with Gap is you have to return maternity stuff through the mail, but with Target you can return to the store, which is super easy!

Edit: I tend to be one of those people who shops mostly online because I have good luck that way, and with Kohl's and Target since I can return to the store without paying return shipping it's worth it. The selection online is way bigger than anything they have in the store! Same with Gap as well, but I've really only bought tops and 2 dresses from there.

My only beef with the Gap is that they are a good bit more expensive than Old Navy, or at least when I was shopping online the other day, they were. I find that Old Navy runs a little big, too, so it's kind of vanity sizing. As Jamie mentioned, their pants run in regular pants sizes, which I don't like. I remember buying size 16 khakis and not being sure if they fit because I was not a size 16 when I got pregnant.

Honestly I prefer online shopping as well because of the greater selection, so long as I can return in-store. I'm a little disappointed that the stuff I just ordered from Old Navy is not returnable that way, so I hope it all works out.

RBXChas

have you looked on ebay? when i was pregnant with my daughter, i bought quite a few nearly new clothes from ebay. great quality and didnt cost a lot either.

I've actually purchased regular clothes from eBay as I've lost weight and knew I wanted, say, the same jeans I was currently wearing, just a size down. However I found that I spent a fair amount on shipping, so I would pay, for example, $18 after shipping for a used pair of jeans (that always seem to smell like stale cigarette smoke even though the seller says they are non-smoking). Then the next day I would go to the store and find the same jeans, brand new, for $20 or $22 with a coupon. Depending on the item it might be worth it to buy new.

I am also trolling craigslist, since I sold my old maternity clothes (all L-XL) as one lot that way. I didn't want someone picking and choosing, and it worked out well. I priced accordingly so that any buyer who didn't love every item wouldn't be upset. As a buyer for the right price I would do that, but I'm finding that a lot of people are selling casual maternity clothes, and I have a real need for office-appropriate maternity clothes. I tend to get home from work and put on pajamas anyway, so I really only need casual clothes for the weekends.

Jenny_Rose77

For the first two trimesters, I got by with a lot of stretchy summer dresses from Target. They were actually not maternity, I just bought one size up from my regular. I got tons of compliments on them, and they were inexpensive (woo-hoo!). I also wore a lot of cheapy Motherhood Maternity shorts and tank tops. I felt kind of frumpy in them, but they were comfy, and did the trick.

As the weather has cooled off though, I found myself so out of luck when it came to pants. I'm 5'9" and refuse to wear pants that aren't cut right. So, after trying on a ton of less expensive pants that sagged in the butt or were too short, etc., I broke down and bought designer pants (AG and It) from Pea in the Pod. They were between 150-200 each. I couldn't believe I spent so damn much money on pants. I still can't believe it. I confessed to my husband, but he only said, "Well, they look good." So there's that.

rachypompa

I don't know if you can get EGG brand maternity clothes where you are, but I have to say they are fab. I believe they are an Australian company. I haven't bought anything new as they are quite pricey for me, but have been buying off New Zealand's equivalent of ebay, and I LOVE everything I own that is EGG brand! Really good quality, stylish, comfortable and actually make you feel quite fabulous about being pregnant!

http://www.eggmaternity.com

I just bought this for NZ$70, I love it! it's such a beautiful dress!

http://www.eggmaternity.com/afawcs0152567/CATID=221/ID=394/SID=169959411/Pleat-Dress.html

lilchino4af

The JC Penny in my area discontinued their maternity section. I have been relying on Kohls for my clothes. I have only been able to find one pair of jeans so far . I am a little leary about buying online and not knowing what something looks like in person. Plus i noticed Old Navy uses pans size and not the S-XL that most places seem to use. I wore a size 10-12 before in American Eagle jeans and have never owned Old Navy jeans so Im at a loss at to what size i should go for

Our JC Penny too I love Kohl's and got some great steals this weekend on the clearance rack and the other items were part of the store-wide sale ranging from 30-60% off. Also went to Motherhood Maternity in the mall and they had an awesome selection! Prices weren't on sale, but jeans alone were cheaper than my pre-pregnancy pair :noway:

mainesm

I've been told to go to TJMAXX, or other discount chains like that. I haven't gone yet, but plan to soon.

You can order Target online and get Free Shipping, anything you don't like you can return to a store I try to look for that whenever I buy online. I HATE paying for shipping especially if I have to pay to get it and return it.

jamie31

Has anyone ordered the Walmart maternity clothes??? They seem to be cheap, just wondering if they are true to size???

RBXChas

I've been told to go to TJMAXX, or other discount chains like that. I haven't gone yet, but plan to soon.

You can order Target online and get Free Shipping, anything you don't like you can return to a store I try to look for that whenever I buy online. I HATE paying for shipping especially if I have to pay to get it and return it.

I should check out Marshall's, since there's a new one next to our brand-new Kohl's :happy: Same company as TJMaxx.

RBXChas

Has anyone ordered the Walmart maternity clothes??? They seem to be cheap, just wondering if they are true to size???

I did buy some from Wal-Mart (online - our stores don't have maternity sections) with my last pregnancy. They were ok enough quality, considering how rarely you will wear this stuff, and the price was decent. I would say that they run big. So if you would normally wear a size M, go for a S. I believe they let you return in-store, but you should check that before you buy.

rubybeach

Has anyone tried Nordys or Nordstrom Rack?

RBXChas

Has anyone tried Nordys or Nordstrom Rack?

Sorry, this thread got buried! I have not tried Nordstrom/Nordstrom Rack. My guess is that they have nice, high-end stuff, but even on sale it's probably too much for me to justify spending. Unfortunately we don't have any Nordstrom's here. I grew up near one and loved eating in their little cafe Such a nice store! Their customer service is apparently top-notch, too.

HOWEVER, I went on Amazon today, and they have a maternity clothes "department." I looked up dresses (because, pregnant or not, I'm most comfortable in dresses) and sorted it starting with the least expensive. The first couple of rows are modeled by a woman who looks like a 10-year-old girl in the dresses (the poses don't help), and she clearly does not have anything close to a belly.

I'm not knocking her figure (good for her if she is that little!), but if you are going to be selling maternity clothes, you might want to use a model who doesn't look like she's swimming in your clothes. If you must use that model, maybe strap a pillow to her midsection or something - anything to make her resemble someone who is pretending to be pregnant.

/rant

blink1021

I absolutely hate how maternity clothes are cut. When I had my son they were fine but now they are all fitted to the belly I didn't want to show off my stomach when I wasn't pregnant so I do not want form fitting now so I go to Kmart or Kohls hit the racks and buy a few sizes larger than what I normally wear I feel more comfortable and do not mind a little baggy in the butt makes me feel better although I am particular about length I am 5'9 and do not want to look like I am waiting for a flood. Right now the most I have spent on pants was $12-$16 and the most on shirts have been $5-$9. So I will not feel so bad when I give them away. I just hope they last till she gets here w/o the belly starting to pop out of them.

Wickedmeowmer

My new lifesaver right now is extra long mens under shirts (the tank top kind) Maternity clothes still look too tent like on me, and some of my normal shirts make me look just fat and ill-fitted. LOL. I dress them up for work with cute skirts and cardigans and it looks surprisingly pretty nice...

Plus it was $10 for 4 of them (and they come in some pretty good colors, I'm wearing a nice fall colored burgundy right now) can't really beat that....

RBXChas

My new lifesaver right now is extra long mens under shirts (the tank top kind) Maternity clothes still look too tent like on me, and some of my normal shirts make me look just fat and ill-fitted. LOL. I dress them up for work with cute skirts and cardigans and it looks surprisingly pretty nice...

Plus it was $10 for 4 of them (and they come in some pretty good colors, I'm wearing a nice fall colored burgundy right now) can't really beat that....

I would *never* have thought of that! Nor would I have thought they'd come in colors besides black and white. Where do you buy them?

Also, how many weeks are you? Just curious about that w/regard to maternity clothes looking too big. I hate that too-small-for-maternity-clothes-but-too-big-for-regular-clothes period. I'm starting to get there :frown:

TaraFTMVA

I recommend TJMaxx or Ross, I bought a few things from Ross with my last pregnancy, I am actually wearing one today! They were a great price and kept their form nicely. I also went to Motherhood maternity last pregnancy and they had great deals on the clearance rack. Everything I bought was business like and they even have 2 piece sets as well. Also this weekend I went to the goodwill and nabbed 3 pairs of pants for $18, all motherhood maternity brand, may want to check them out too . Plus depending on the week you go ours have different sizes are 50% off depending on tag color for the week. I am hoping to nab some more when my week comes

nursenikki829

If anyone lives near an H&M, they have great super- trendy maternity clothes for great prices! I love that store! Otherwise, I get a lot from Old Navy and Gap.