Fashion on Wednesday
Grab your (spring) coat
Q
I’m four months pregnant and am finding it hard to button my suits, but I’m reluctant to wear an elasticated waistband. What do you suggest?
A
More than 50,000 working women are pregnant every year in the UK – which should mean that it’s easy to find good- quality, flattering maternitywear. But there still isn’t a huge amount on offer that’s appropriate for the office. I struggled myself a few years ago.
If you’re working in a corporate environment, you want to feel you can get on with your job without having to wear something tight and stretchy that makes you look very obviously pregnant. I’m not suggesting that you want to hide the bump, but I’d rather people talked to my face during a meeting, rather than my tummy. Pregnancy can turn your usual style on its head and really affect your confidence at work, so take the time to rethink your wardrobe. I’d advise trying to find spacious non-maternity styles that will fit you for as long as possible before opting for full-on maternitywear, and you should make friends with a local alterations place.
If you are blessed with good legs, the easiest solution is to wear tunic dresses. Goat excel at these, and their Lola style is chic and simple, comes in lots of colours and the fabric wears really well. Madderson London is also a good source for these shorter styles.
If, like me, you are more
pear-shaped and don’t want to wear anything shorter than your knees, look for midi dresses with either high empire waistlines or elasticated waistbands. I found a really beautiful printed dress from Asos that suited me and had it copied by a local dressmaker in wool crepe in a few colours. She
raised the waistband so that it fitted over a growing bump and the skirt length looked great with boots. These dresses have been lent lovingly to family and friends with similar figures when pregnant and have proved to be their workwear saviours, as they were to me.
Another good option is
the combination of slim trousers with an oversized shirt, which can look great either on its own or with a fitted blazer on top.
It’s worth investing some time and money into ordering various maternity trousers and trying them at home to get the best fit. I’d ditch skirts altogether, as they don’t flatter a growing waistline; the proportions simply don’t work.
Remember that you don’t need loads of options, and don’t be afraid to recycle outfits much more regularly than you usually would.
Finally, make sure you have a comfy pair of tracksuit bottoms waiting for you at home – though thankfully, no one at work will see you in those.
To ask Isabel Spearman your workwear questions, email isabel.spearman@telegraph.co.uk or follow her on Instagram @isabelspearman
Office-appropriate maternitywear can be hard to find – but there are ways to avoid tube dresses