Updating Your Spring Style: Wardrobe Must-haves and Some Exciting News

The weather hasn’t really been playing ball for breaking out my spring/summer wardrobe but as we have our summer holiday booked and coming up quite soon, I’ve been adding some new pieces in the hopes that once the weather improves I can get plenty of wear from them.

A slight challenge to this is, and one that I’m so excited to share, is that I am expecting our second baby in October and so I’m trying to plan my summer wardrobe with a view to an expanding bust and waistline!

As this is my second pregnancy, I have a little bit more of an idea of what to expect from my body, and so far things are following a similar pattern. I’m at the start of my second trimester and so far my non-maternity clothes still fit well, and I’m working hard to add non-maternity pieces that can be adapted as my bump grows and should work into my third trimester. My only non-negotiable is maternity jeans! Although I can still fit into my non-maternity jeans, I find the lower waistlines and button fastening uncomfortable toward the end of the day.

So far I’ve picked up these maternity jeans from Mango (bootcut and cropped) and H&M which I’m loving. The H&M maternity jeans have a lot more give in the waistband so you might find you need to size down.

Dresses

I think dresses are a great option any time of year. All you need to do is throw on accessories and you’ve got a complete outfit.

I picked up this bottle green shirt dress last year and got so much wear out of it (I’m also eyeing up the bronze, red and navy). The belt can be swapped out to a leather or plaited belt to ring the changes, but this year I’ll be adjusting the tie belt to accommodate my bump.

This striped tie waist dress is a new addition to my wardrobe. The stretch fabric and attached tie belt means it will work beautifully with or without a bump and I can keep wearing it for many seasons to come. I bought the ivory, which hits at the top of my calf. It also comes in navy, which is low calf/ankle length on me. As well as wearing it with sandals and some great earrings in summer, I can also imagine wearing it with a chunky knit and loafers or ankle boots in cooler weather.

I also bought this green dress from Nobody’s Child, which is a super similar shape to the Monsoon dress so I know it will work well both as maternity and non-maternity. I’ve worn it already with a muted orange cardigan and tan loafers.

Bottoms

This is probably the hardest aspect of dressing your pregnant body without resorting to maternity clothes. For me, as mentioned, jeans are a maternity item. I don’t tend to gain weight on my hips and thighs until much later in pregnancy so sizing up in non-maternity jeans isn’t an option. If you don’t want to spend out on maternity items, you can pick them up on Vinted or Ebay. Just be aware that many maternity jeans tend to have a lot of stretch in them, so you may find that pre-worn maternity jeans are a little stretched out/baggier than if you bought new.

I have bought these linen trousers, which I think will likely last me at least until the end of my second trimester. They have some elastic in the back of the waistband, as well as a zip, button, hook and belt to fasten. As my bump expands, I could use just the zip and belt and leave the button and hook undone. I love the brighter navy which works well with my colour palette, and they also come in a short length if you’re on the petite side.

These linen drawstring shorts would probably last my whole pregnancy if the weather was warm enough! Instead, they’ll see me into the early autumn and then I can retire them until next year. I bought the khaki but they also come in navy, bright blue and denim.

I ummed and ahhed over this skirt but in the end I had to have it, and I’m so glad I did. I’m not big on pattern in my wardrobe usually, perhaps because I tend to wear a lot of colour and I find it easier to mix and match with plain items. But I just loved the summery feel of this and already had tops and t-shirts in a lot of the colours to pair with it. Although it’s not elasticated, in my usual size it sits on the top of my hip bones and there is plenty of length to lift it up over my bump as my waistline expands and still have it be midi/midaxi length. There is also a matching cropped top and a dress but they were a little much for me!

Tops

Although a lot of my tops will fit for a while, one of the biggest issues I have during pregnancy is that my torso is long, and tops tend to come up quite short anyway, so once my bust and bump expand I can easily end up revealing a lot more of my waistline than I’d like! Tucking shorter tops into a high waisted skirt is one way round this – you can add a belt over the waistband to help with proportions.

Longer line shirts, which are always available in cottons and linens, work really well for pregnancy and afterwards. You can leave them undone over other tops, tuck them in or tie them. I’ve picked up this striped linen blend shirt which I’m really looking forward to pairing with my white jeans, navy trousers and shorts as the summer approaches. It also looks great with a lightweight knit for cooler days and evenings.

Last year I bought a super cute broderie anglaise flutter sleeve top which got a lot of wear and will do again this summer. It’s not longer available but you can find similar here and here.

Spring/Summer Wadrobe