Maternity Wear:
What Real Women Want
By Lisa Patterson

Moms-to-be nowadays aren't settling for shirts that resemble tents, shapeless pants, or pastel prints that make mom look like a giant baby herself. Ugh.

During the past five years, more and more clothing retail distributors have been catching on, but there is still a growing (no pun intended) market to be captured.

"When pregnant with my first kid five years ago, decent maternity fashions of variable sizes and affordable prices were few and far between," says Alicia Lawver, a married 28-year-old who lives in the Seattle suburbs and is pregnant with baby No. 3.

Pregnant women want to be able to wear the same styles of clothes they would wear if they weren't pregnant, Lawver says. And just recently she's noticed many retailers are offering maternity versions of the popular styles they carry for the non-expecting crowd.

Fresh, crisp, bright white pants and skirts are hot this season combined with bright, vivid colors on top. Fitted shirts long enough to cover an ever-expanding belly are flattering, and tailored jackets can help make the look office-ready without a lot of effort when paired with some khaki, gray, or traditional black slacks.

Perfect for the beach or a summer stroll is the reappearance of the baby-doll style tops and sundresses that fit tight on the bust and flow down in an A-line. Sleeveless, button-down style tops in prints or plain are also a no-fail choice as the temperature rises.

Lawver says maternity shirts that run too short are the most annoying and that women want clothes to last through the ninth-month bulge.

"Few shirts have passed the nine-month test, and those that do tend to be a size or two too big elsewhere," she says. Lawver also says finding a good pair of maternity pants has been an even bigger challenge.

"Maternity pants of all styles seem to have a penchant for falling down within the time it takes to carry a kid from the car to the door, causing me to pray like there's no tomorrow that the neighbors aren't looking out the window," she says.

Some designers offer maternity pants minus the unsightly, stretchy fabric panel. The designs equate to a better fit and look. Other maternity jeans this season are hitting below the belly. The best looking ones have pockets on the backside and resemble "normal" jeans, perhaps with a stylish flare at the bottom. Whether going for the worn, tattered look or sleek and dark, maternity jeans that have a bit of spandex fit to the curves of bodies and offer more comfort.

Thanks to famous new mothers, like Courteney Cox Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Julia Roberts, designers, retailers, and others are finally realizing pregnancy and high-fashion go together.

Pregnant women have more of a selection of elegant dress styles to choose from this season than ever before so they can feel their best while attending all of those outdoor summer weddings, or while dancing the night away.

And day clothes aren't the only maternity wear that have gotten a major makeover recently.

Can you say, "hot mama?"

Yes, maternity lingerie is heating up the bedroom.

Stretchy lace chemises, sheer baby doll nighties, and more are now available because feeling desirable shouldn't stop at "It's positive!"

Even though the choices have gotten better through the years for maternity wear in general, distributors in the know realize there is still a lot more ground to cover and a lot more business in the maternity fashion world to be had.

Lawver is currently on the prowl for a long, yet flattering skirt.

"They're all short! What about some longer skirts in more stores?" she says. "Long skirts are flattering, and they camouflage and still fit when you're retaining a bit of water or gain a few ice-cream pounds."

The key to success in the maternity fashion world is simple — listen to your mothers (to be).

And keep in mind that many women continue to wear their maternity clothes a couple of weeks or months after hearing, "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" So quality products that will last are important.

Lisa Patterson is a journalist who lives in Aberdeen, Washington.