If you could design maternity clothes...

[kgscully]

Hello ladies,

I am mommy of 2 and have designed a line of casual maternity tees with great success.
Now I am putting my foot in the door to designer wear for maternity apparel; tops, bottoms, dresses, skirts etc.
I am interested in hearing what pregnant woman WISH for in maternity clothing options. What do you wish maternity boutiques had- think color, sizing, fabric, styles. ANYTHING!
This is a chance for you to help me design the perfect line for pregnant women.

I appreciate any and all input you may have.
All the best to you and Congratulations!

Kristin
www.materniteebyswanky.com

 

[OverTheMoon]

Hi - great to hear you are taking the bull by the horns I've been getting a bit depressed trying to find a 'trendy' maternity wardrobe.
My biggest problem was finding a good pair of jeans (finally accomplished - i got a really nice dark blue pair in Mothercare, they were the only ones which didn't age me by about ten years!!).
Also in my opinion a lot of the maternity stuff seems very 'plain' - not a lot of pattern. I would like to see a lot more colour and pattern in maternitywear!
Also I've found that with most tops, the material is t-shirt type stretchy material, which really shows lumps and bumps underneath i.e. the not very flattering stretchy belly panel on your trousers underneath!
Sorry to go on so much - hope this helps - good luck with your venture xxx

 

[sasha715]

i agree. jeans are a nightmare to find nice ones and even then they cost far too much. i think alot more is needed in the way of summer wear some thing thin to keep you cool (as if carrying that weight isnt heavy enough without the heat!) i do like some of the vest tops avalible but ive eneded up with pregnancy spots and they cover my chest and back so i dont think a vest top would be too flattering. maybe a high neck no sleves top? and i dont like wearing shorts as i hate my legs so before i got pregnant i always wore those short legged jeans, sort of below the knee. i know alot of people that dont like showin off their legs so if you make jeans with that really thin denim like the stuff childrens summer jeans are made of that would be a god send. where can we look at your stuff?!!

 

[kgscully]

Great feedback, ladies! Thanks so much. Keep it coming!!!!

I hear you in regard to JEANS. I am 5' tall and finding petite jeans when I am NOT pregnant is hard enough, forget adding 'maternity' to the loop.

When talking about lightweight-denim material; I believe that may be a Tencel blend? Super soft, lightweigh- almost like a combed cotton. Very nice! I will start researching today!

I live in the USA and currently have a line of casual tees (short sleeve, long sleeve and camisole) at www.materniteebyswanky.com. Check it out! We hav received great Press as well! MENTION THIS FORUM AND RECEIVE 20% OFF (in comments when checking out).

My designer collection will be available for Spring 2006. So, some of you ladies will be past the pregnant-state. But there is always the 'next' pregnancy!?

Congratulations to you all and THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your input. It is so important to go to the consumer when creating any product.

Best,
Kristin
www.materniteebyswanky.com

 

[Claire]

I would like to find maternity wear that is stylish and still a reasonable price. I can't find anything in stores here that fits that description. The stylish stuff is really expensive and the cheap stuff is really ugly. If your line of clothing is available exclusively on-line, it would be nice to see that you ship to Canada.

I would like to see maternity fashions that are currently in style for non-pregnant women, just add room for the belly. One thing I really miss the most from my wardrobe is looking sexy. I know that a lot of people don't think pregnant is sexy (myself included) but that doesn't mean I still don't want to try.

I would love to see a dress that is somewhere between a sundress and a going-out dress that doesn't look matronly. Also colors, please! I would like to see colors other than black or pink. Also jeans that make your bum look good, maybe add a cute embroidery on the back pockets like a tiny heart or something. And I absolutely can not find any maternity lingerie anywhere! Sometimes I don't want to wear large panties, and I would like to be able to slip into a lacy babydoll or chemise or something silky.

I also have a problem with sizing. Early on in my pregnancy, the only thing that grew was my belly. Everything else remained the same. So here I am, a tiny 5-foot woman, and all the maternity pants I try on have huge hips, long legs, big thighs, but the belly fits well. Or shirts that are made for a D-cup woman with wide shoulders. Pregnant women are definitely not all the same size, and I would like to see some consideration for this.

Good luck, happy designing, and please let us know where to look for your stuff if your website changes!

 

[tea1]

Hi Kristin

I am 25 weeks pregnant with my first child. I started off as a big person - shapely, but large. I have been surprised with myself and pleased that I have not ballooned in pregnancy - the tummy is definitely out now, but I am still able to get into some trousers from pre-pregnancy days. Our local area is absolutely diabolical for maternity wear (unless you're size 12) and I got a little frustrated looking online as they seemed to think that people over size 16-18 don't apparently get pregnant...are we so unattractive? I tried on some larger sized non-maternity clothes in one high street shop, but there was too much material in the areas I didn't need it and the clothes looked awful. My mum found some trousers online for me - they are great, but the selection is very limited. A friend of my sister has donated a few items as well. It is very disheartening for someone of my size to try to find fashionable, well made clothes in general, never mind getting more pregnant by the week and getting depressed over the fact that very few people cater for your size. I hope that you have a good range and are kind enough to remember those of us who are not stick thin!!

Good luck with your venture.

Sharon

 

[kgscully]

I hope that you have a good range and are kind enough to remember those of us who are not stick thin!!

Good luck with your venture.

Sharon

Sharon-
My first collection will have two size options (small/medium and large/xlarge). I did this for my first collection in order to meet minimums for fabric and manufacturing and to establish a clientele before adding on to the next seasons.

I hope to cater to Plus and Petite pregnancy sizes in the next collection, and am finding more and more that these are the needs and requests of many pregnant women.

I will let you know that Iam using a modal/spandex material that is super soft and has stretch- but not that spandex/lycra feel of athletic wear. Very nice material if I say so myself!

Are there any pieces that are of more interest than others- ex. pants vs. dresses and/or skirts, long sleeve vs. short sleeve etc.?
Is there a certain silhouette that you love or HATE?

Thanks again and again ladies!
Kristin