My struggles with shopping for maternitywear in Mumbai

As I piled on kilos in the second trimester, I realized I was fighting a losing battle with maternity wear. For some strange reason I was unable to find good maternity wear that appealed to my fashion sense and was comfortable.

There are a host of wesbsites that offer maternity wear such as www.firstcry.com or www.ninematernitywear.com. Honestly I was a little wary to shop online given the changes my body has undergone in the last six months. Hence I decided to explore the tried and tested route of Retail therapy at Malls. I had little or no references or starting points so I went to the usual suspects.

I was very disappointed to see little or no collection barring track pants at Mothercare (I visited the one at Phoenix Market City, Kurla). Given that the brand is called Mothercare they should be taking care of needs of to be Moms but that is definitely not the case.

Mom & Me on the other hand has quite a variety when it comes to maternity wear, be it Indian or western wear (I checked out both the Bandra outlet & the one at Pheonix Market City, Kurla). At the Bandra store the attendant was both helpful and knowledgeable, making the whole experience really nice. I found some very comfortable churidars to go with my kurtas for office wear. The material of the churidaar is nice and soft and they have a comfortable belly pouch that snuggly holds the belly in place. Bought this in both black & white, mix and match these with kurtas from Fab India and Kilol and my office wardrobe was all set, resulting in attire which is both smart & comfortable (given the long hours we spend in office, it’s important to wear something comfortable). However I struggled to find good western wear. I ended up buying three pair of maternity jeans, all from Mom & Me however I was not happy with either one of them.

I first bought a good fitting basic blue with a belly pouch that sits firmly over the belly. However I wasn’t too comfortable since the jeans kept slipping and with no loops for a belt, there was no way to hold them up (Unless I choose to wear suspenders). Thinking that I may have bought one which wasn’t the right size, I bought another one in black (with a belly pouch). This time I picked one which was a little more snug; unfortunately the result was the same, they just kept slipping down.

The two types of maternity jeans I bought for myself; Unlike the ones shown in the picture, the ones I bought from mom & me, didn't have loops for a belt.

Unhappy with the belly pouch design, I thought I should try the one with the waist band that sits right below the belly. This led me to my third & final purchase, nice fitting blue denim. I wasn’t comfortable wearing this for long durations. The waist band that fit right below the belly made me feel uncomfortable after a while. So now I have three pair of maternity jeans but none of them that serve the purpose of smart, comfortable casual wear.

I even tried Debenhams at Phoenix Market City, Kurla, but they didn’t have too much variety on the occasion that I visited. I did stumble upon a pair that looked like it could be the elusive dream pair that I had been searching for, only to realize that it fit like the 70s style bell bottoms.

Honestly I was quite dejected since the only option left in my wardrobe was Indian wear. Then one of cousins asked me to go check out Marks & Spencer. I was a little apprehensive because I never really shopped at M&S. I discovered something known as Treggings at M&S. Now this is a cross between trousers and leggings and comes with a comfortable elastic waist band that sits at the waist comfortably accommodating the growing belly. And the large variety of sizes available at M&S ensured that I found the perfect fit (Yayyyyy :), the joys of finding a good trouser that fits).

Treggings from Marks & Spencers

I bought treggings in two basic shades, grey and black and picked up a few cotton & Linen shirts (a couple of sizes bigger to accommodate my growing belly) that looked smart and felt super comfortable. These treggings have now become my best friends and I can practically live in them apart from my track pants (from Jockey)
I am glad my maternity wear struggles finally came to an end with M&S (I shopped at the outlet at Phoenix Market city at Kurla). Would love to know how you coped with your maternity wear needs and suggestions of any new outlets that I may have missed would be most appreciated.

Image source: http://www.upscalejeans.com/designer-maternity-jeans/

Image source: http://www.queenbee.com.au/content.aspx?Dyn=true&pageID=66

Image source: http://m.marksandspencer.com/mt/www.marksandspencer.com/plus-pull-on-stretch-treggings/p/p22186685

All your clothese are supposed to fit in the first trimester, then why am I struggling with my wardrobe?

They say women who are pregnant for the first time usually don’t begin to show before 12 to 16 weeks. In case it’s your second pregnancy, you may start showing a bit early on since your abdominal muscles are already somewhat weak.

One would assume that when you begin to show is when you really need those maternity clothes and some of your existing wardrobe becomes redundant for the time being. My body doesn’t seem to be following the rule book. I am 9 weeks pregnant and although I don’t really show according to family and friends I feel all bloated and round, and this is not some feeling that exists in my head. The first casualty of my pregnancy was my skinny jeans and for someone who is used to living in jeans that just felt like a huge handicap.

My jeans felt too snug around my belly making me feel uncomfortable. Hence I had to say bye to three of my favorite pairs at least for the next few months. So here I am in an awkward phase when my existing wardrobe choices have been narrowed down by my body which seems to have a rule book of its own and it’s just too soon to be shopping for maternity wear.

Leggings and tunics are my new knight in shining armour- leggings sit comfortably over my little bloated belly and tunics make me feel less round. I pair them with nice and colorful flat sandals, juttis or loafers to complete the look.

I absolutely love shoes and am of the opinion that a good shoe could make or break an outfit. Although I have had to say bye to those “Hot” stilettoes & high heels but I am not too bothered because unlike clothes all my shoes still FIT (unlike clothes). So I derive this strange sense of comfort from my shoe wardrobe (I know that sounds a little crazy :)).

My primary concern these days is comfort not that I am willing to sacrifice “looking good” for comfort. So I prefer to wear smart Indian wear to office over western casuals. Indian wear keeps me more comfortable through a busy day than western formals for the same reason that my trousers feel quite snug because of all that bloating. I recently went shopping in Delhi to Kilol & cotton world in GK and picked up some beautiful summery pieces that help me both look good and be comfortable.

Due to my wardrobe constrains I was too scared to step on to the weighing scale. I was sure I would have piled on kilos since my last doctor’s appointment. This morning I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped on to that weighing scale - I haven’t gained weight at all (In normal circumstances I would have been quite happy about it, not too sure if its good news at this stage) I realized it was simply all that bloating that had restricted my wardrobe choices.

I guess the wardrobe battle shall only get tougher as the weeks progress. Hopefully the mind shall also get more creative to combat the wardrobe struggles :)

One can never have too many shoes! My recent shoe haul to compliment those pretty tunics and Indian wear. Although the black one looks least appealing I call them my "walking on cloud shoes" thats because they are insanely comfortable.