Wednesday 29 June 2011

It's all in the jeans

I'm not one for buying maternity-specific clothing. It's always a bit naff and expensive. I've tended to get by wearing clothes a few sizes bigger, longer or stretchier.

At the moment, I'm still wearing my normal jeans, despite my enormous belly. I just do the button up below my gut and away we go. It's starting to get a little uncomfortable though and after a wash it does take a bit of an effort to do up, with Skip laughing at me as I struggle. Being a stay-at-home mum and being winter, jeans are pretty much my uniform. So, I've decided to bite the bullet and buy a decent pair of maternity jeans (yeah, yeah I should have done this a couple of pregnancies ago). I realised that I'm completely clueless and going into a shop or online and just buying a pair of jeans is not that easy.

After doing some research, I found some fab information on the Queen Bee online store. I'm going to share it with you as you might be as clueless as me.... (This post was not sponsored, just me doing some research and asking the experts)

First things first, you must pick your pre-pregnancy size or else you'll be hitching your jeans up all day.
There are three main types of maternity jeans and the difference is how they accommodate your growing belly.

Underbelly waistband: These jeans either have a front-only supportive stretch waistband OR an all round elastic waistband. the waistband sits underbelly as you get bigger. These type of jeans are super comfy and good for post-partum wear too.


Stretch side panels: As the name suggests, these jeans have side stretch panels that expand with your tummy – from the back they look just like your regular jeans.  This type of jeans is the most 'normal' style of jeans and can be worn when you're not pregnant.


No panel styling: These jeans have no panels but sit underbelly with plenty of stretch in the denim to support you to nine months.


Now this information is good, but is it going to make me look like the style kitten I really am? (ha, ha, ha) I asked the owner of Queen Bee, Sharon Chim, what she recommended for this winter.


Her top pick was: James Jean Twiggy. Apparently this is a fave with all the celebs. "They are designed by a woman so they are cut to make your legs look longer, leaner and thinner and your bottom sexier than ever," Sharon tells me. Awesome! They come in black and blue (Black Cat or China Doll)
James Jean Twiggy






Her second pick was: Maternal America Skinny Jeans. Sharon told me they are a great everyday, everywhere jeans. "The quality of the denim is superior and they will last you many pregnancies – Im still wearing mine as the tummy band gives shape underneath my clothes!" Sharon revealed. They come in classic wash, dark vintage wash, stone wash or black.


Maternal America Skinny


So, I now feel like I'm a little more informed, now I have to pick a pair! Which pair do you think??
To make things easier, the nice people Queen Bee have offered myself and my readers $15 off any full-priced pair of jeans from their online store. Just enter the promotion code: blogDENIM15 to receive the discount at the check out. 




TERMS + CONDITIONS:
1. Excludes delivery charges.
2. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
3. Applies only to all full priced denim, excludes accessories
4. Offer valid to midnight 31.7.11
5. Returns/exchanges welcome within 14 days
6. You must enter the correct promo code at checkout to receive your discount - sorry, no exceptions. we cannot manually adjust orders


Disclosure: This post was not sponsored. Queen Bee made the discount offer after I requested permission to use information from their site.



9 comments:

  1. Happy shopping.
    They look fabulous - hope they feel as good.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I bought some fab underbelly maternity jeans in the US a few years ago, they were great during AND after pregnancy. Sadly they've fallen apart after so many wears.

    Yesterday I hit KMART and stocked up on maternity gear. I got about 20 pieces of clothes, dresses, tops, underwear, nighties for $140. None of it labelled 'maternity' but bigger sizes, stretchy and cut to accommodate an expanding belly. They even had stretch skinny jeans (my uniform) with an elastic waist for $10!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maternity clothes are a lot better now thenwhen I need them. They ae more comfortable, stylish, and more variety.

    Whatever you choose, you will look fantastic!!! A pregnant woman is always beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think the jeans are very expensive given you'll only wear them for a few months. I highly recommend the Jeanswest maternity jeans, great fit & they usually do 2 pairs for $90. Bargain!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have the $10 Kmart stretch skinny jeans, that Alex is talking about, on right now! Love them!

    I *wish* I had invested in a nice pair of maternity jeans. Instead, I was the tightass who spent 40 weeks in trackies and yoga pants ... and not doing any yoga ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. The maternity clothes in the UK are very good I have to say and I stocked up in my first pregnancy I have had good use out of them and they can easily be worn when you're not pregnant.
    Most of the maternity tops are breastfeeding tops too - so really good after the birth. I always look a good six months pregnant for quite a while after anyway :).
    I have spent a long time researching which jeans I wanted and went and tried a lot on. I ended up with two pairs one underbelly and one that goes over.
    I found the underbelly ones great when you are not too heavily pregnant and after birth - mine had an ajustable waist that you could make bigger/smaller. However, when you are heavily pregnant - they drive you mad as they slip down and give you bad builder's bum etc.
    It is at this point that the elasticised over the bump jeans come in to their own. They are so damn comfy - do not slip down, never dig in etc.
    Does any of that help your decision? I always think you're so uncomfy being pregnant anyway - the least you deserve is comfy, nice clothes! xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. How lovely, what a sweet offer... but I'm definitely not in the market for maternity jeans at this stage ;o)
    I used to wear these stretchy black maternity pants I bought at MYER. They were fabulous for work, going out at night or even just for casual wear! In between my first and second pregnancies, MYER discontinued stocking maternity wear, so I had to make do with the same pants for my second pregnancy. They held up beautifully and still look newish even now. I'm like you and usually don't buy maternity things, but these were brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I didn't buy many maternity clothes the first time round just some bigger clothes to get me through but always felt a bit frumpy and daggy. Second time around someone suggested Queen Bee to me and they were a godsend.I did buy some maternity jeans from Queen Bee and lived in them even until 8 months after the birth. If you're like me and don't want to go into the shops then this is the best way to buy and delivered to the door so quickly.

    Well worth the investment. I'd definatley recommend getting maternity jeans.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You have a nice post. Pregnancy is really just a blip in our whole lifetime, but the problem with clothing during that time is very painful. Every time you step out of the house, whether to the store, visiting a friend or a casual dinner with your spouse, 10 to 1 you will be wearing jeans.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for your comments! I'm always thrilled to hear from you.

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