I'm not buying it! (or - my theory about maternity clothes)

warning: this may be long and boring to you if you are not currently or are not ever planning to be pregnant

Yesterday, I went to Portland to shop for maternity clothes. I made this special trip because shopping for maternity clothes anywhere within thirty miles of my house is - well - depressing for me. I have a hard time finding clothes for my normal body because I am a long person, I have long arms and long legs, making places like Target a virtual impossibility. Little did I know, that shopping for maternity clothes ANYWHERE would be well - depressing. Now, another thing is, I am a picky shopper, I don't ever by anything I don't love. I also shop alone, as a rule, because other people slow me down, with the exception of my mom, who I've been shopping with, well, since day one. Another things is, I don't go shopping very often, so when I do it's with a strategy and it's serious. All that to say, I am not your typical shopper.

Before I started shopping I was really looking forward to this stage of pregnancy when I got to start wearing maternity clothes because I LOVE the way a pregnant body looks! And don't get me wrong, I love my little bump :) BUT - I am disappointed that most maternity clothes seem expressly purposed to COVER UP that bump and not to accentuate the beauty of it. Plus, maybe I'm being a little snooty here, I think they are ugly. There, I said it, they are ugly, that's my opinion. One little thing, there are a few designers that make beautiful maternity clothes, but, and here's the big surprise, your can't buy them for under 50 bucks a piece, which is alot to pay for something you are only going to wear for 6 months.

So my plan of attack when I entered Portland was to hit the resale shops. However, most resale shops that carry maternity clothes are resale kids clothes with about two racks of resale or consignment maternity clothes. I had the best luck at Picolina in the Clinton neighborhood. I bought 2 things there. I hit maybe 6 of these kind of shops, thinking it would be the cheapest way to buy the things I needed. I was really disappointed. Not only did nothing fit, it wasn't my syle, and I felt like I was being covered up, "tented" if you will. Finally, I decided to stop into my favorite "normal clothes" store because I needed a break. I was complaining to the person there about not being able to find maternity clothes.

"oh hoooooooney", she said, "I never wore maternity clothes with any of my kids."

I stared blankly at her.

"oh yeah, I just wore normal clothes that were very stretchy."

And with that, she started filling up my dressing room with clothes that would fit me in pregnancy and beyond. Let me tell you, I think this could actually work. It seems stupid (yeah, I said stupid) to buy clothes that you don't really like and are only going to wear for 6 months. I think someone has tricked us pregnant women into thinking that we actually NEED this stuff.

But I bet you are wondering how this works, how regular clothes could actually fit your pregnant body. Let me tell you what I bought yesterday:

1. one black skirt that fits under my belly

2. two very long and stretchy long sleeved t-shirts (fortunately this happens to be "in" right now so I found them easily)

3. one of those really long sweaters that go down to your knees

My plan is this: don't waste my money on maternity clothes. We'll see how this plan works but right now I think it's a good one. Who knows, I may be so huge in my 7th or 8th month that I just have to go out and buy the wretched stuff.

I'd like to hear from my girlfriends: have you had problems of this kind? what was your take on maternity clothes? do you think I can make it?