Wardrobe Staple: Comfortable Dresses

I’m more than halfway through my pregnancy now,  and I feel like my stomach has become exponentially bigger in the past month. I keep getting stuck between chairs and other furniture. While getting ready for work a few weeks ago, I realized that all my “big” dresses that I’d been saving to wear were now gaping at the buttons. While this was depressing news, I decided for my sanity and comfort that I would give myself an extra metal pregnancy allowance for my 25 item wardrobe challenge. It allowed me to quickly stock up on some new comfortable pieces.

I’ve found that I personally like looser versus tighter items for “maternity” wear, and found some great dresses that I think I’ll be using even after this period. I don’t think there’s anything that beats the right dress for comfort out there. And, just as a reference for other preggos looking for clothes, I have a 21 week bump in these pictures, and it fits with plenty of room under all of these dresses!

1. First up is this long sleeved Free People dress, which incidentally appears to qualify for Friends and Family at Bloomingdales in three colors – white, black, and fuchsia !

Free People, $148

I bought this dress because it looked like a super easy piece that I could continue wearing after pregnancy at the beach, for an evening stroll in the summer, etc. I also loved that it comes in a bunch of great colors (though of course I ended up with black).  As a plus, this dress also comes with a full lining, which I don’t always to be the case with Free People (see my other review below).

Also, I’ll note that I could have easily taken an XS in this dress, but ended up with a Small because I wanted the extra length. I believe that this style runs very short…and maybe my bump took away some material, too!

2. Next up is Anthropologie’s Paned Cocoon Dress. This dress is uber comfortable, and fully lined as well. It’s actually quite warm, so I wear it on days where the weather is closer to 70 degrees versus higher.

Anthropologie, $138

This dress can be a very “beach” style on its own, but paired with heels for the summer or leggings in the fall/winter dresses it up quite a bit. It’s one of my favorites from Anthropologie this season and I would have likely purchased it, pregnant or not. I did end up choosing to go with XS Regular instead of XS Petite, just to get some added length again.

3. Next is another Free People number – one of my favorite ones to wear currently actually, a gauzy embroidered maxi dress.

Free People, $168

For what it’s worth, this dress is the one that I’m told makes me look the “least” pregnant, which I take to mean that it hides bellies well. I fell in love when I tried it on and I realized that there was no tailoring needed on the length..even if I wore flats. I’m 5’1, so that almost never, ever happens.

For those who’ve asked, here’s a “bump” update picture for you all…see how well it hides it? Perfect for buffets!

It’s also incredibly comfortable, and I love all the embroidery details. I do have a soft spot for “hippie” looks, and this is probably a dress that falls into that category. Also, I’d like to note that unlike the first Free People dress I recommended, this one does not come with, and requires a slip. My favorite is from Commando.

4. Last, but not least, is this relaxed fit dress, from Gap. I love the Gap, and shop there almost every season. Yes, I end up trying on lots of items with wonky fits, but the prices are great and I’ve found the quality to be quite good. This is one of their best items this season in my opinion.

Gap, $49.95

This dress is perfect. It’s so simple, but the cut is flattering, the material really comfortable, and the striped pattern makes it a classic. Plus, it has pockets! At $50, I think the price is already fine, but Gap of course always has promotions. I bought this one (and a second version) for under $40 each.

Thank you all so much for your kind words about my pregnancy. I hope this post was helpful for some of you looking for some nice, loose comfortable dresses for the coming summer months!