Hey there, I hope your 2018 is off to a great start! I had promised to share this post a while back so I hope I haven’t kept you guys waiting for too long, my website decided to act up for weeks. Anyway, as I had mentioned before, when I got pregnant I was quite excited to try out maternity pants and went out and bought several. Unfortunately, however, once my bump began to enlarge I realized that pulling off maternity pants or jeans is actually not a walk in the park as I had initially presumed. I mean unless on those easy days you can just pair them with a tank top and sandals, if you ever want to dress up a little then you have to think a bit harder on what to pair them with. I also noticed that some of these pants can be quite uncomfortable. From experience, I realized that only two styles really work for me. Either, something very low waist that sits below the belly or something that goes over the belly. Anything in between regardless of elasticity is just torture.

So finding these pants at FigureStyle Boutique was nothing short of a miracle because luckily they fit the criteria I was looking for. I decided to use a few tops also from FigureStyle, to demonstrate a few styling ideas for maternity pants. Any mama-to-be who might be wondering how to wear these non-flattering pieces of clothing that are a necessity when pregnant might find these options helpful.

1. Off-shoulder flowing tops

So far, off shoulder flowing tops have lately been my go-to picks when styling pants. I actually bought several in different colors and prints, and so far they’ve been working great. And also since I always insist on buying clothes you can use postpartum these tops will still be easy to style tucked into high waist pants or skirts. So win-win.

2. Detailed sleeves

I find that when you wear a top with some detail on the arms it adds some oomph to your outfit while at the same time balancing out your thick midsection.

3. Something loose, but shapely

Especially when it comes to tops for the office, it’s always a good idea to find something shapely so it still gives off that serious vibe that the office demands. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look put together.

4. Go a size up with regular tops

If you see a top you really love but it’s not really a maternity kinda style, don’t fret, just go one size bigger as I did with this one from FigureStyle, it will flatter your growing bump and once you have your baby you can take it to the tailor to resize if need be. Who knows, you might not bounce back to your original size immediately after birth and that’s okay, so you will at least have something to wear during that transition period.

I hope the above tips will be helpful for any expecting mum looking for something to pair with their maternity pants. All these styles can work with both jeans and office pants so don’t be afraid to experiment! And if you’re not pregnant yet and hope to be someday, hope you bookmark this for future reference, because these hacks have definitely come in handy for me time and again.

Thanks for reading and stay elegant!

Xoxo

Dottie.

Outfit details:

All pants and tops: FigureStyle Boutique Kilimani

Bags: Jumia

Black block sandals & black flats: FigureStyle Boutique Kilimani

Grey pumps and flats: Jumia