While pregnancy alters the way clothes fit, it does not mean that the personal style that you had before pregnancy should be changed completely. The clothes that you were previously used to wearing may no longer fit as you want them to and some outfits may not look the way they used to before pregnancy, but finding your personal style during pregnancy is all about adapting the things that you like to wear.

Sometimes you will need to try and test out various combinations and see how they will work out for you because some outfits that seem to be comfortable at one stage of pregnancy may not feel so when you get further ahead with your pregnancy. Therefore, instead of making an attempt to build up one wardrobe that will serve you throughout your whole pregnancy journey, think of building an adaptable wardrobe.

Start With the Elements That Characterize Your Style

Before you begin exploring maternity clothes, take some time and think of what really defines your personal style. Do you usually wear minimalist outfits, colorful dresses, tailored clothes, clothes designed around accessories, or something else? Regardless of your preferences, they are going to be relevant even after you get pregnant.

Some of your clothes may remain functional and wearable throughout a longer period than you may expect. Wide blouses, cardigans, jackets, relaxed dresses, stretchable knitwear, and certain tops can sometimes remain a part of an outfit even when some of the other pieces stop working as before. In addition, accessories can add some elements of your style to your outfits as you adapt your clothing.

The point is to understand which elements of your style will still suit you, and the other ones will adapt on their own.

Adapt Your Clothes Without Changing Your Style

As your body changes, the proportions and silhouettes that you previously enjoyed may no longer look the same on you. The high-waisted pants, for instance, may become unpractical while you get pregnant, while some silhouettes that you have never worn before pregnancy may become more attractive now.

Therefore, you have an opportunity to explore different options and experiment a bit with the clothes without completely changing your identity through clothes. A fitted dress can emphasize the bump while still being a reflection of your minimalist style. If you tend to favor oversized clothes, then you may become more comfortable in your relaxed shirts and flowing dresses. Neither of these two options is incorrect.

In addition, contemporary maternity clothing has long moved away from the idea that you should disguise your pregnancy beneath the loose clothes. The recent fashion trends show how the women manage to keep their recognizable personal styles while adapting the fabric and proportions to their changing body.

Comfort and Personal Style Can Go Hand in Hand

As pregnancy proceeds, comfort becomes more important, but it does not mean that your comfortable clothes have nothing to do with the other clothes in your wardrobe.

Instead of thinking about comfortable clothes and your style as being the two separate things, look for the features that make your garments easy to wear. Stretch, roominess around your waist, adjustability, and less restrictive silhouette can become an important feature that can be taken into consideration when you think of what type of your preferred style you want.

Remember that comfort is personal, too. While some women find that they become more and more comfortable in loose clothes as their pregnancy progresses, others may feel more comfortable in the clothes that emphasize their changing body. There is no universal silhouette for the maternity style.

And that is the reason why sometimes the small flexible wardrobe may become more useful than the wardrobe that tries to foresee all stages of your pregnancy.

Maternity Style Has Became Personalized

The celebrities’ pregnancy styles give us a good view on the issue. Pregnancy fashion becomes a part of the existing fashion identity rather than a reason to give up your usual style.

For example, Anne Hathaway demonstrates that recently. Being in the third pregnancy, she has been seen in a variety of looks starting with the red Ashlyn jumpsuit with a peplum accentuating her bump and ending with relaxed silhouettes and a semi-sheer Stella McCartney top. Vogue reports on the looks of Anne Hathaway that reflect her fashion identity rather than replace it with some maternity fashion.

Anne Hathaway is a good example of maternity style being a stage of the personal dressing process. Her examples are, of course, a celebrity examples, but the principle is transferable to everyone’s everyday wardrobe. Your personal style can adapt to your changing body without disappearing.

Allow Yourself to Change Your Mind

The personal style that you are going to develop during pregnancy does not have to be consistent from the first trimester to the last one. An outfit that fits you perfectly during the earlier stage of your pregnancy may no longer be comfortable when you are closer to the due date. And some of the clothes that you thought you would never wear might become your favorite ones.

The ability to change your mind gives you an opportunity to avoid frustration because instead of trying to judge an outfit according to the question whether it is similar to your pre-pregnancy looks, you can consider how comfortable it makes you feel and whether it is still recognizable as a continuation of your personal style.

There is no need to accept all of the maternity trends. Whether you will enjoy your visible bump, body-con dresses, and cropped silhouettes or will prefer soft silhouettes and more coverage is purely a matter of your personal style.

Keep the Focus on You

Pregnancy may bring you a lot of opinions from the outside on what you should wear and how your body should look like, but your wardrobe does not have to meet any of those expectations.

The easiest and most efficient way is to keep the elements of your style that are still working and adapt the clothes that have stopped working for you.