Week 40 – due date outfit

Well, Little Pea’s due date has been and gone but, I wanted to document what I was wearing on ‘the’ day for the blog. I wasn’t sure which image was ‘best’ but thought a side view of my bump was rather amusing.

In the last week or so, finding any tops that fit my continually expanding belly has been troublesome but thankfully, ASOS’ maternity sale has come to the rescue again with cheap vests and t-shirts to keep me going.

I’ve also been extremely lucky to have been treated to my dream gift, a Mulberry Alexa handbag for my recent birthday/you’re having a baby gift by Mr G. Thought my due date was treat enough to take the bag out on its first outing!

Wearing: top, ASOS Maternity; jeans, Isabella Oliver; bag, Mulberry; shoes, H&M

The wait continues.

Little Pea Green

x

Maternity outfit ideas for the third trimester

I’ve been talking maternity clothes with @HonestMummy on Twitter this morning and it reminded me that I’ve not uploaded an outfit post for a while. To be honest, as the bump is rapidly getting bigger I’ve been recycling quite a lot of the same maternity outfits already featured on Little Pea Green or, trying to squeeze into some of my bigger non-maternity clothes (like this H&M dress I wore to work the other day!):

Wearing: dress, H&M; shoes, Topshop

Of course, I’d love to stock up the whole Isabella Oliver range but, when you’re having to buy prams, cots, car seats, sterilisers, bottles and baby clothes I just can’t justify that sort of spend on clothes I’ll only wear for a few months.

I’ve mentioned before that Primark has been a godsend for work tops and they’ve got loads of chiffon blouses and shirts for between £5-12 in stock at the moment.

Wearing: top, Primark; chinos, GAP; shoes, Office

I’ve also, for the first time this pregnancy started to buy a few maternity tops which, whilst longer and a little more forgiving than ‘normal’ tops still aren’t as blousey and unshapen as quite a few of the maternity ranges I’ve come across. Topshop Maternity and H&M Mama coming up trumps:

Topshop Maternity Neppy Tee – £14.00

Topshop Maternity Herringbone Vest – was £30, now £15

H&M Mama Shirt – £14.99

Anyone come across any other great maternity clothes that won’t break the bank?

Little Pea Green

x

Warm weather work wear – butterflies and red jeans

Apologies for the radio silence recently but we escaped for our babymoon to Santorini and made a vow to keep away from emails, Twitter, Facebook and blogging. I managed, nearly, but I’ve come back with loads more ideas for posts to share with you.

Coming up, some top tips on travelling when pregnant but, in the meantime I thought I’d share today’s back to work outfit with you all (apologies for the photo – I’m not even looking at the camera but a bit of a rush to sort before work this morning!).

The warm weather is making it even more tricky to look presentable for work whilst trying to keep cool but, today’s outfit comprises of my fab ASOS maternity jeans purchased last thing before our holiday.  Surprisingly, they’re more than long enough for all you tall pregnant ladies out there (even though the details on the ASOS site say 30.25in, I’m 34in inside leg and they fit fine).

The top is one of my absolute bargain buys from Primark coming in at about £6. Would heartily recommend a regular browse for blouses and shirts which are perfect for work. If you’re anything like me you don’t want to spend a fortune when you’re having to constantly buy new things to accommodate the ever expanding bump!

Wearing: top, Primark; jeans, ASOS; sandals, Schuh

How are all you pregnant ladies managing with outfits for work in this beautifully hot weather?

Little Pea Green
x

Pregnancy holiday wardrobe

Having just made a last minute booking for the all important babymoon I’ve been searching for some wearable maternity clothes which are suitable for a warm clime. Of course, I’m only going to use them for a week and they’ll probably get covered in suntan lotion and sand so, I need pieces that aren’t ridiculously expensive.

I headed to Manchester for a shop with my best pal last weekend to see what I could find and thankfully, some great bits and pieces which I thought were worth sharing.

For maternity trousers and shorts, ASOS and New Look came up trumps:

New Look, Maternity Denim Shorts, £19.99

New Look, Maternity Chino Shorts, £14.99

The jeans aren’t massively long but I think you can get away with turning them up when you’re wearing them in the summer with sandals or pumps:

ASOS, Maternity Skinny Jean in Red #4, £32.00

ASOS, Maternity Skinny Jean in Spectrum Blue, £32.00

For daytime tops I’m going to resort to my pre-pregnancy t-shirts and vests from GAP:

GAP, Mason crew T, £12.95

But, I also found some interesting pieces from Topshop which will be perfect for day or night:

Topshop, Maternity Racer Back Shirt, £36.00

Topshop, Maternity Puff Print Aztec Vest, £20.00

And not forgetting the all-important elasticated dresses and skirts which, predictably, I’ve chosen in stripes and coral:

ASOS, Maternity Sundress In Stripe With Tie Shoulders, £18.00

New Look, Coral Voile Maxi Skirt, £14.99

Along with some of my favourite pre-pregnancy All Saints pieces, fingers crossed I’ll have enough to keep my going for a week.

All Saints, Ebony Maxi Dress, £95

All Saints, Treasure Vest, £85

Bring on the lounger, pool, books, magazines and the sunshine for what I’m guessing will be my last relaxing holiday for a while!

Little Pea Green
x

Summer brights – coral jumper and scarf

I’ve been facing a drought of funky maternity clothes for the unusually tall pregnant lady in the last few months but, I’m glad to report the drought is finally over – hurray!

What with the unpredictable English weather, I’m not quite out of my jumper and jeans yet but, I’m trying to bring some colour into my life with this rather fabulous jumper from Zara.

Like my last outfit post, this key piece comes in at under £20 and importantly, is suitably long enough to complement my ever growing bump. Teamed here with one of Zara’s equally well-priced scarves (which I’ve used for a number of outfits recently).

Wearing: sunglasses, Ray-Ban; jumper, Zara; scarf, Zara; vest, Topshop, jeans, Isabella Oliver, shoes, New Look

Next stop – shopping for maternity holiday clothes. Wish me luck!

Little Pea Green
x

Work outfit for a rainy day

Regular readers of my blog will know I’ve been on a mission to find tall pregnancy jeans for quite a while. And, it would seem, like buses, once one arrives, they just keep on coming.

My latest find is a pretty fabulous pair of jeggings from Zara (I know, don’t panic, I had the fear initially!). They’re available in a few different colours, stretchy with an elastic waist and, even more excitedly, you can buy them right now at the bargain price of £19.99.

Considering the turn of events with the weather they’ve been perfect for wearing for work on cold, wet winter days along with my knee high boots and a long shirt.

Wearing: shirt, Gap; jeans, Zara; boots, Schuler & Sons at Anthropologie

I’ve also taken to wearing them with some great jumpers I picked up in Topshop recently. The jumper here is from their maternity range but jumpers from the tall range also do the job perfectly (I couldn’t really pick any difference between the two).

Shop: jumper, Topshop

And, as the sun doesn’t appear to be coming out any time soon, looks like the jeggings could prove to be quite useful for the next few months!

Little Pea Green
x

Isabella Oliver. The saviour of tall, pregnant women everywhere

Anyone that has read my previous post on the challenges of being tall and pregnant will appreciate I’ve been on a mission to find well-fitting, long, skinny jeans that I can wear throughout my pregnancy.

Many of the usual suspects, Topshop, Gap, Asos etc don’t seem to combine the benefits of their maternity and tall ranges and the jeans that I have found have been shapeless enough to fit both me, Little Pea and Mr G in! So, as skinny denims are a mainstay of my wardrobe for work I’ve been making do with that damn elastic band and long shirts and tshirts to cover up the bump.

But, fear not, the famous maternity clothing range from Isabella Oliver has come to the rescue. To be honest I’d not sought their range out before as I’d assumed they wouldn’t have a tall option but, guess what, their jeans range is 34 inch central!

Admittedly, at £99 their Bardot jeans aren’t the cheapest I’ve ever bought but working on the premise that I’ll probably wear them 3-4 times a week, at least, cost per wear should prove to be pretty minimal.

And, when the order arrived it was wrapped in such lovely packaging – I know, I’m a sucker for pretty things – but every little touchpoint is an opportunity for positive brand engagement right?!

The only problem is that again, clever Isabella Oliver also included the latest edition of their catalogue which has some great pieces in. Thankfully, to make another purchase a bit easier on the wallet they also sent an Isabella Oliver discount code which is valid until next month (31 May 2012).

And, because I’ve always been taught to share – here it is for you to take advantage of too – may the purchasing begin – 15LOYAL

GAP to maternity clothes rescue!

For those that have already read my post on the trials and tribulations of trying to keep your jeans up with the power of an elastic band you’ll also know that jumpers, shirts, t-shirts and blouses that help cover up the offending band are very useful indeed!

American brand staple Gap has saved me so much hassle (also read ‘embarrassment’) in the last few weeks and, the good news is that, with their frequent 30% off vouchers and current sale, some of the bits and pieces I’ve bought recently can be snapped up for a pretty decent price.

I’ve already bought the spotty shirt and stripy jumper in the photos below but unfortunately I couldn’t find an image online of the print t-shirt I bought in-store.

Importantly, after the bump enters the big wide world I’d be more than happy to wear any of the clothes in real life too and, for now, can put up with up scaling a size or two – oversized is all the trend you know ;o)

Little Pea Green x

When using elastic bands to hold your jeans up no longer cuts it

I’m in denial. For the last few months I’ve managed to get by by hitching up my non-maternity jeans with an elastic band. No, it’s not pretty but if I wear t-shirts, shirts, jumpers and tops that are long enough to hide the offending elastic I’ve managed to respectably attend (as far as I’m aware!) conferences and business meetings with the band holding strong.

But, it’s all just changed. The jeans can’t take the strain any longer and the search for maternity jeans has begun.

I’m in the fortunate position to be able to wear jeans for work which means I have a pair in every colour possible – denim blue, bright blue, black, grey, pink, the list goes on. However, at 5’11’’ I’m also pretty tall and, more often than not I have to rely on Topshop, Zara and Gap to stop me looking like Oliver Twist!

This is where my problems have started. Most of the above stores only stock maternity jeans in a 31/32 inch leg. I need a 34 and the ones I’ve just ordered from Gap could be worn by my hubby for doing the house renovations – they’re horrible. As an interim measure I’ve managed to find some immensely stretchy jeans from Zara and, at £19.99 a pop I can manage it but, I’m not sure how long these will hold out.

If anyone knows of any reasonably priced maternity jeans that will help to keep me looking half normal all, and any suggestions welcome. Until then, the search continues……

* The jeans/elastic band combo above isn’t mine – couldn’t bring myself to take an actual picture but, you get the idea!

Little Pea Green x