Dressing the bump – rainbow summer dress

I bought this rainbow cotton dress many years ago in one of my favourite second-hand shops in Copenhagen. It cost around 8 pounds.

I love the bold and bright colours as you can’t help but feeling cheerful when you wear it, and it’s perfect for hot and humid summer days where you need a bit of ventilation under your skirt.

I remember thinking that someday this would make a great maternity dress, as it can accommodate even the biggest of bumps, so the other day I decided to give it a try.

I’m wearing it with a ribbon tied around it, to make sure that I wouldn’t be mistaken for a ginormous tent

Dressing the (summer)bump – Liberty print jumpsuit

Summer really has arrived, so I’ve been combing through my closet seeking out summer dresses and other comfy light garments….with an expandable waist of course.

The first thing I found was this home-made, second-hand jumpsuit, made from Liberty fabric. I bought it for £12.50 two years ago at the outdoors Greenwich Clocktower Market (open Sat, Sun & bank holidays 10-5).

It always had a very loose-fitted waist and before I had to wear it with a belt. Not so much anymore.

And if it gets a bit more chilly, I’ll wear it with my beloved old Camilla Stærk jacket.

On my feet are the even more cherished (they live on my feet every summer) glitter-infused jelly shoes.

Dressing the bump – black and blue dots

HAHA! I found another two items in my wardrobe that still fit.

Strangely enough I’m not really into (second-hand) clothes shopping at the moment, so I get very excited when I discover that I can squeeze the bump into old stuff from my closet.

Like this black & blue dotted top, bought from a second-hand shop on Edgware Road ages ago for around £10. (I’m also wearing it here in a non-pregnant state).

I’ve paired it with an old H&M zip-up skirt which fit the bump after I stretched the seams until they started popping…..woops.

I really like the puff sleeves and cheerful dots on this hand-loomed sweater and the fact that the look changes, chameleon-style, from black-on-blue to blue-on-black dots, depending on what side you’re facing.

Blingin’ up the bump

What do you do when you want to dress up but your waist has disappeared alongside 99.8 % of your wardrobe?

Well, my answer is you either sit down or cry or you bling it up baby.

So yesterday when I was going to Soho for a party I decided to spice my beloved stretchy H&M dress up with a gold second-hand belt and my Chanel earrings.

The belt might be in a weird position, but who cares, it’s shiny & glittery!

Dressing the bump – H&M cropped animal print top

So, I stopped by Topshop the other day to check out their maternity range. I left empty-handed (apart from a pair of leggings) as the collection failed to impress me, especially when you consider their pretty high prices.

Instead I stopped by always cheap and reliable H&M where I bought this cropped viscose top for £13.

I haven’t really had any weird pregnancy-related food cravings, but when it comes to clothes I don’t seem to be able to resist animal print at the moment. Very strange.

Here I’m wearing it with converse boots (bought many many years ago in India), a long viscose skirt from H&M and a wooden second-hand bracelet, found in Chiswick (notice how I’ve colour-coordinated boots w. bracelet….wohooo).

Topshop Maternity Favourites

My cold is slowly getting better, and today I’ve even had the energy to check out Topshop’s  brilliant maternity range. Online that is, as my health is not really ready for the over-crowded flagship store at Oxford Street.

Anyways, it’s always a good idea to have a clear idea about what you’re after before heading into the high street clothes jungle. Here are a few of my favourites that I’ll be checking out IRL soon:

Maternity tan grandad style collarless blouse. £35.

Love the colour and the comfy factor. It would look really nice with a pair of skinny black jeans. Or maybe with the tan blouse above.

Maternity camel ottoman bodycon skirt with an elasticated waist. £25.

Again, nice colour! I would wear it with a tight black top, heels and a cropped jacket.

Maternity navy teddy tunic with gold military style buttons on shoulders. £35.

Simple and stylish and I love the navy/gold buttons combination which saves it from being boring. Comes in this colour as well.

Maternity grey baxter skinny jeans with front panel elasticated support. £40.

Last, but not least, the jeans. Topshop make really good maternity jeans. I know because my friend has given my a pair of her old ones that I’m wearing right now. They’re almost identical to the pair below but in a very light blue colour, so they’ll be perfect for summer.

Most of Topshop’s jeans are skinny and have a wide elastic band under the stomach which makes them really comfy.

All pictures from topshop.com

See their entire maternity range here