I entered the third trimester of my pregnancy yesterday, and I commemorated it by finally going to a maternity store. Why did I wait so long? Well, five plus years ago, when I was pregnant last, I went into Motherhood maternity at a mall and determined that this is exactly the place where clothes go to die. I also endured a lot of probing questions about my pregnancy which for some reason somehow seemed totally acceptable to ask a stranger, as long as we were in the polyester bubble of the store. But alas, readers, I come bearing good news this time!
There is a place… a magical place, for people like us… It’s Destination Maternity in Natick, MA, right on route 9. As I entered, I had no expectations, and I was in a crap mood (the result of a night of restless sleep filled with insipid visions of a ski trip with two of the Kardashian sisters (Kourtney and Kim, if you must know). It combined my 2 strong dislikes: The Kardashians and skiing). Almost instantly, I was uplifted! The store is large a laid out well, with great lighting. The front section is all upscale pregnancy fashion (it DOES exist!), with a large Pea in the Pod collection, designer jeans like JBrand, Laundry and even (gasp!) Ella Moss. I also discovered Heidi Klum’s maternity collection called Lavish and upon trying on a pair of skinny cropped jeans and a knit maxi skirt from her collection, I determined that her 17 pregnancies certainly taught her a thing or two about quality maternity clothes. The fabrics were very nice, and the prices reasonable, even if not on sale ($80 for the jeans, $69 for skirt originally, but both were on sale, so I was forced to buy them).
Another gem of this store: the undergarment selection. Brands like SPANX and Hankie Pankie make maternity and nursing styles, and Destination Maternity carries a large selection. There are also other upscale brands like Elle McPherson, and a full selection of shape wear. I found a Pea in the Pod bra with lace so beautiful, I would wear it as a shirt if only if it was socially acceptable.
The service at the store was also exceptional – a sales associate quickly started a fitting room for me as soon as I started maniacally grabbing items off the racks, and kept checking in with me so I didn’t have to carry anything. I was offered complimentary water and healthy snacks (Luna bars) while shopping, and the fitting room was beautifully lit and decorated. It was also stocked with helpful accessories like a 7 month belly attachment, for those that start shopping earlier in their pregnancy. The store also has a great little play area for kids with (jackpot!) cartoons on TV. The back of the store has the budget Motherhood selection, and while it has some finds (a less expensive collection of bras and underwear, tees and summer dresses), this section was much less enjoyable to shop – too many things, a lot of low quality fabrics… Still worth a quick browse, as evidenced by my finding a great red knit summer dress that I plan to wear to a friend’s birthday dinner this weekend for $35.
There are a lot of sales going on right now, and my total was $177 for:
- a heavier knit short skirt that will transition right into fall
- that beautiful confection of a bra
- Heidi’s cropped jeans
- Heidi’s maxi skirt
- the summer dress
I hope you make a trip to Destination Maternity to assess it for yourself. Comment with your favorite maternity stores, or tell us what you think of this one!
– Maria
PS – Did you miss volume 1 and volume 2 of Stilista’s maternity series? Here they are for your enjoyment:
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