Maternity wear is no longer voluminous - it's fashionable to show your bump. Claire O'Connellmeets a few enterprising Irish women who sell stylish, well-priced alternatives.
W hen I was expecting my daughter, four years ago, I lived in tracksuit bottoms and my husband's T-shirts. I had little choice. Shops in my price range stocked mostly outdated, frumpy maternity lines, and online retailers with anything decent tended to be based in the US, with no provision for shipping to Europe. So when I discovered recently that I was expecting again, it was with some trepidation that I went looking for something to cover the burgeoning tummy.
To my delight I found that, although I had sat despairingly in a baggy fleece during my first pregnancy, snorting ice cream and grumbling about having nothing to wear, other Irishwomen had sprung into action and set up their own maternity retail businesses. And, thanks to their efforts, as well as high-street chains finally stocking some bump-flattering garb, mums-to-be (even those on a budget) are now almost spoiled for choice.
"There was nothing, really, except the frumpy horrible stuff or the high-end expensive stuff; there was nothing in the middle," says Sheena Barry from Cork, who also had a daughter four years ago. At the time she was a personal assistant at Pfizer; she vowed that, if she were to change career, it would involve bringing affordable and flattering maternity clothes to Ireland. So a year and a half later she and her friend Marie O'Donovan set up the web-based company JellyBean, selling a selection of mid-range maternity wear from suppliers they sourced online.
One of their main suppliers is Séraphine, a French company whose London shop is a frequent haunt for celebrity mums. "We stuck with Séraphine because of the quality, and the price is very good for what you are getting," says Barry, who tests product samples by washing them to see if they last well. "Their jeans are really sexy, gorgeous around the bum, and they are great with a bit of a heel and a nice top."
Her tip for mums-to-be who want to look good on a budget is to invest in the essentials. "Stick with your jeans, your black trousers, your denim skirt and a nice dressy skirt. And then, maybe, three casual and two dressy tops; that's your core," she says. After that you can mix and match with accessories such as boots, bags, jewellery and wraps that will outlive the pregnancy.
"I think Irishwomen are very stylish," she says. "And I think it's getting very sexy now to show your silhouette and show your bump without exposing it."
Aileen Howell agrees that an affordable core maternity wardrobe is easy to manage. She set up her website, Bump Basics, because she was frustrated by the lack of suitable clothes when she was expecting her first child, Jack. When he was born she decided against going back to her job writing banking software and opted to set up an online maternity shop from home. "I remember being in the armchair of the sittingroom, feeding Jack as I phoned suppliers. He was about eight weeks old," she says.
"I went online and started looking to see what I would like, what would I wear. There were endless suppliers where the clothes were beautiful but they cost a small fortune. I was looking for mainstream, high-street prices."
She started with a few items from a Scottish company called FunMum and built up her product lines and suppliers according to demand. Specific requests also led Howell to source a range of "plus" sizes.
"A lot of the bigger ladies were telling me the only option they had was to go into regular plus-size clothes shops and buy sizes that would cover them. But nobody wants to go around feeling they are wearing something just for the sake of covering themselves, especially when you're pregnant and you're feeling a bit bloated. If you look well you might feel a bit better about yourself. I think when you're pregnant you need to treat yourself a little bit."
As the business grew, Howell tired of tripping over stock around her house, so last November she set up a shop in Tullyallen, outside Drogheda. And the one item that tops everyone's list, both online and in the shop? The Bella Band, a wide elastic belt that can hide opened buttons on normal jeans when the bump is starting to show or after the birth. It can also keep larger maternity trousers and skirts from falling around your ankles in the middle of pregnancy if the bump isn't big enough, Howell explains. "It immediately has the effect of doubling your wardrobe. It's not even a luxury item; it's a staple. The Government should give them out free," she says, laughing.
"I really believe basic maternity clothes shouldn't cost the earth, because unless you are planning to have 12 kids, you are only going to wear them for a limited time."
There are some occasions, such as weddings or parties, when a mum-to-be really does need to look glamorous, and for that she can turn to Bella Mamma, Suzanne King's boutique in Ranelagh. King previously worked in marketing in London, so when she came home to Ireland she saw a need for premium pregnancy clothes. She figured the mass market was covered by high-street retailers such as Topshop, H&M and Next, so she and her husband, Aengus, scouted out more unusual labels and then set up the boutique.
"There is a mix of stuff: bread-and-butter brands and also premium lines, which aren't for everybody, but some people will indulge when they are pregnant," says King, who has had two babies since setting up the shop.
Some of her customers are in the market to spend upwards of €500 on a Gharani Strok outfit that they can also wear after pregnancy, but King stocks less costly designer lines, too, such as Noppies and Japanese Weekend. Current bestsellers at Bella Mamma include "apron" trousers by Home Mummy, which wrap around the front and tie at the back, allowing flexible space for the bump as it expands and, later, contracts.
King's most desirable items for the spring season are Rock & Republic maternity jeans, which have just arrived in stock - much to the relief of those on the waiting list. "They are perfect during pregnancy and post-pregnancy. There are no stretchy bands; they have hidden adjustable panels and you wouldn't even know - they look like all their other jeans. We're really excited about that. They are my next season's must-haves."
JellyBean's website is www.jellybeangroup.com; Bump Basics is on Main Street, Tullyallen, Drogheda, Co Louth (041-6849831, www.bump basics.com); Bella Mamma is on the Triangle, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 (01-4968598)