Pregnant chic: fashion advice for mothers-to-be

In the middle of nine months of anticipation, fluctuating hormones and an expanding waistline, woman's sense of style can get lost. No matter how out-of-sorts a pregnant professional feels, she must carry her baby and maintain a work-appropriate image at the same time.

Mothers-to-be seek outfits that reflect their personal style, but don't want to pay astronomical prices for clothing they're only going to wear for a few months. "Maternity clothes are quite expensive," says Cheryl Goldstein, an advertising/marketing coordinator in Washington, D.C., who is expecting her second child early next year. Goldstein's work environment dictates a traditional business wardrobe, and she anticipates spending at least $1,500 on new clothes and maternity pantyhose.

In many cases, the price of maternity clothes is enough to send even the wealthiest women into sticker shock. Instead of frequenting high-priced boutiques, Goldstein shops in plus-size stores. "I still felt I could maintain my sense of style, and it wasn't as expensive," she says. Most designers have collections in larger sizes, and plus-size chain stores in shopping malls offer quality, up-to-the-minute clothes at reasonable prices.

"I wanted to look nice and feel good about myself," says Pam Robinson-Vinson, a music video director in Studio City, Calif., who recently gave birth to her first child. "I didn't want to look like a balloon." During the early stages of pregnancy, Robinson-Vinson got away with wearing leggings and big shirts she already owned. "When I was past four months, I started to buy maternity clothes," says Robinson-Vinson, who shopped sales at maternity stores. "I would buy things that I could tailor down once the pregnancy was over."

For Robinson-Vinson, a classic white cotton shirt easily made the transition from casual to formal. "For a business luncheon, I wore the shirt with black slacks, black flat shoes and accessorized with black jewelry," she explains. "On the weekends, I'd pair the shirt with leggings." During the warm summer months, Robinson-Vinson favored long, straight cotton skirts worn with slip-on sandals and a velour jumpsuit with an empire waist for casual parties.

For formal occasions, Robinson-Vinson usually wore a navy blue tunic with a slight sheen and matching pants. Six months into her pregnancy, she attended an awards ceremony wearing a "simple" black dress and a gold jacket. "When I had to dress up, I wore thick heels up until the eighth month," she says. "After that, it was strictly tennis shoes."

Robinson-Vinson supplemented her expanding wardrobe with items "borrowed" from her husband, television director Chuck Vinson. "Your husband's closet can be your best friend," Robinson-Vinson says with a laugh. "I wore his jean and flannel shirts ... they were big and comfortable."

When it comes to finding clothing that grows with you, Robinson-Vinson claims you can't go wrong with elastic waistbands. "Elastic is a beautiful thing," she says. Karen Wollen, an e-mail administrator for the clothing company Haggar in Dallas, Texas, agrees. "I found a skirt with enough elastic to expand that I could wear it throughout the pregnancy," says Wollen, who recently gave birth to her second child. To get through the dog days of summer, Wollen relied on shorts sets and button-down dresses from maternity and plus-size stores. "I bought two items a week until I had enough clothes to replace my pre-pregnancy wardrobe," she says.

Working in a casual business environment allowed Wollen to wear less formal clothing.

Her favorite maternity outfit was a pleated chambray dress, tapered at the top with a back-tie belt and flared bottom. When it came to shoes, she sacrificed fashion for comfort.

"I tried to get away with sandals or sneakers whenever possible," she admits.

For a pregnancy wardrobe that maintains your professional image, stay away from bows, cutesy sailor suits and flowery smock dresses. Focus instead on clothing with simple lines and clean silhouettes. If you plan to be pregnant more than once, invest in a few quality items in comfortable cuts and classic patterns. For six or seven months, those clothes will be worn and washed repeatedly, and some inexpensive things won't hold up. Microfibers and jersey-like polyesters drape well and stand up to repeated washings. Look for clothes that you can wear as you're trying to get your figure back.

What happens to all those maternity clothes after the baby is born? While getting back down to your pre-pregnancy weight, you may want to bold on to a few items. "The last thing you want to do after having the baby is to wear what you've been wearing over the last nine months," says Robinson-Vinson, who continued to wear her maternity clothes while she worked to lose 25 pounds. The majority of those clothes are now packed away, but Robinson-Vinson would like to have a few items altered. "There are a couple of pieces I like so much I'd have them taken in to get more wear out of them." Wol]en, who gave most of her maternity clothes to friends, also intends to have the more expensive pieces taken in when she loses weight.