Buying Maternity Clothes

There are a handful of places that have been my go-to's for maternity clothes.  Some are obvious, some less so, but I wanted to at least mention them here and the reasons that I either loved (or in some cases, hated) them.  If you're ever in the market for maternity clothes, hopefully you'll find this helpful!

1. Gabriel Brothers
Yep, Gabe's.  If you don't have a Gabe's near you, I am oh-so-sorry.  It's one of my favorite places to shop in general, although it can be very time-consuming to find nice things sometimes, and it's often hit or miss.  But the prices are dirt cheap, so I'm ok with the time spent.
I was surprised to find that they have maternity clothes, and every few weeks I've stopped by to look at the new stuff.  That's the nice thing about Gabe's - they get new stuff in all the time, so the stock is constantly rotating.  The stuff is generally cheap - shirts for between $5 and $7 for the most part, and really nothing more than $12.99.  I got a cute dress there, 2 pairs of slightly miscolored jeans for $3 each, shorts and skinny denim capris for $7.99 each, multiple maternity shirts, and countless numbers of ribbed tank tops for $3 or less.  I have purchased so much of my maternity wardrobe from Gabe's and I'm pretty sure I spent less than $150.

2. Target
The Liz Lange maternity line that is carried at Target has some really nice options, particularly in dresses.  Their full-price maternity stuff is severely marked-up though, so I refuse to pay full price. However, they usually have a small maternity section on the clearance racks, and the Gabes near my house generally has a bunch of Liz Lange stuff on their racks so I look for her stuff their too.  My Liz Lange denim shorts are worn every weekend, both days.  I love them.


4. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart carries a limited line of maternity clothes and they really are dirt cheap (which is what WM is known for, right?) but it's only available online so you can't try stuff on before purchasing.  This is when I decided that I should really try things on.  I ordered a pair of gray pants in size large.  They were waaaaaay too big; I don't think they'll ever fit.  Plus, they weren't really gray  - they were more like green.  So I kept them anyway (since they were only $13 including shipping) and ordered them again in a size medium.  That would make sense right? Well, the mediums were too tight, and too short, and a totally different color than the initial pants, even though they were supposed to be the same thing.  I kept these as well, although I now regret it as I more or less hate them.
I have crossed Wal-Mart off of my list of maternity clothing providers and would not recommend them.

3. Old Navy
I've only shopped for Old Navy stuff online although there is apparently an ON near me that carries some maternity stuff in store.  They have some occasional sales, and their ribbed tank tops are a staple of my wardrobe.  I also got a cute dress from them, but be sure to read the reviews before buying - the applique on the dress is really cheap looking, and if I had read the reviews I would have known that in advance.

4.  Motherhood Maternity/Pea in a Pod
There's a MM/PinaP outlet store in the area where I generally shop, so I've never been to a regular, dedicated store for either of these brands. They have a great, robust website, but the in-store shopping experience is definitely a plus, because you can try things on.  There were pants that I saw online, and thought about ordering in size medium, but then when I went into the store to try them on, the medium's were way too tight and I ended up with larges.  I did order some shirts online and the size larges were too big, but since they were on sale, they really weren't worth returning.
Pea in a Pod is their designer brand, and it seems to be ridiculously overpriced. You can hold up a pair of Motherhood brand pants and an extremely similar pair of Pea pants and although you can't really see a difference visually, the price is often as much as a $100 more for the PinaP pants. 
Ridiculous, I tell you. But in general, their stuff is really nice and I would highly recommend them particularly the Motherhood brand, and particularly if you have a store nearby where you can try stuff on first. 

5. JCPenney
JCP primarily carries a brand called Duo Maternity.  Their selection is pretty limited, but they have great options in jeans.  I got two pairs of jeans that I really like from there, for a total of $32.  Definitely worth checking out, but again, try stuff on first.  I first saw the jeans online and they even include measurements for sizing.  I measured into a medium based on their online chart, but I couldn't get the mediums up past my thighs (and it's not like I have huge thighs or anything).  The size larges fit perfectly.  So again, buy where you can try stuff on first. 

6. Hand Me Downs
Not a place to shop, but worth mentioning.  If someone offers you free maternity clothes, take them! That stuff is so overpriced that even a crappy old maternity t-shirt will save you a few bucks.  And if you're crafty, you could probably take in things that are too big, or hem things that are too long.  Free is free, people!