Great writers say that you should start with what you know, and my latest obsession is maternity clothes...and how profoundly fugly and expensive they are. Being an office gal myself, I couldn't very well go to the office naked (considered it, shuddered at the prospect of other naked government suits and decided against it) and instead joined the masses of pregnant women stalking maternity websites, scratching their heads wondering why all maternity tops are made out of the same cheap polyester. As I was neither blessed with a money tree (if you find one, call me) nor loads of pregnant girlfriends willing to hand down their Paige maternity jeggings, out came the credit card and a little Internet shopping. Here are my lessons learned.
The Perfect Black Pants: All good wardrobes start with a basic essential, in my case, the perfect slim leg trouser/pant. Why slim leg? Because for the first time in my curvaceous life, the proportions of my belly work in my favor! As the belly gets bigger, your thighs look trimmer. Genius. My go-to? The ok™ bengaline maternity ankle pant by Japanese Weekend ($68). I'm 5'5" (5'6" on a good day) and I detest hemming pants because I 1) am cheap, 2) am lazy and never carry through with my plans to get my pants hemmed, 3) judge people who don't get their pants hemmed properly, and 4) expect at 5'5" that most pants should fit me off the rack (yeah, right). These pants fit like a charm from the minute I ripped them from the clutches of their mail order bag. The waistband fit from the earliest "is she getting fat or is she pregnant?" days to my now protruding belly. The bengaline is somewhat impervious to wrinkles, which makes it great for travel and those of us who detest ironing. Is it a cigarette pant? No, this is a slim leg trouser, with room to move, because pregnant women get bigger as pregnancy gets longer and, believe me, you'll need room to move. Turns out I like the short waisted waistband on these particular pants. Its highly elasticized, stays up, and doesn't show through my more form fitting tops. 
J. Crew Tanks: Could be that I'm pregnant in the middle of an ungodly heat wave (110 degrees anyone?) or just sweat more than the average gal, but J. Crew's favorite tanks ($18, with occasional in-store and online sales when purchased in multiples) are my go-to item for chic pregnant lady layering. Whether I wear them with a cardigan or pre-maternity blazer (unbuttoned), or on the weekend with leggings and sandals, they always look great. The long length accommodates my growing belly and, best of all, I'll be able to continue to wear them after the baby. Yay for multi-purpose.
The Good -- Other Solid Buys: Much like the black pants and skirt, a little black dress goes a long way through pregnancy, when mixed and matched with different shoes and accessories. Also, dresses are just damn comfortable when you want to let it all hang out and still look put together. I'm not bothering to post my LBD of choice, if only because there are a million on the maternity market and mine is rather unexceptional. You can pair your LBD with the cardigans above, too, to get more mileage. Love my 3/4 leggings, especially in the heat. I made the classic mistake of purchasing maternity leggings at an inflated cost early in my pregnancy without appreciating that my otherwise low-rise leggings would do me just fine throughout. Plain t-shirts are another great layering essential. My two loves are my husbands undershirts, which I have shamelessly stolen (Fruit of the Loom v-necks are awesome -- how did I not know this before?! $14.83 on amazon.com for a pack of three) and my splurge Michael Stars Maternitees, which I purchased on Gilt at a substantial discount ($28). (Just found a link on Pinterest that suggests you can make your Fruit of the Loom cheapies even more soft and comfy by "brining" in the washer with salt water, to give more of a vintage feel. Hello! If you do this, report back on the results! http://octaneshop.com/pages/brine-your-tee)
The Bad -- Lessons Learned: Although I read this advice on a million other pregnancy websites, I'll repeat it here: go slow. Do not overbuy. Take stock of what you already own. I purchased a pair of maternity jeans, but did so only after spending a painful two hours in the dressing room at Pea in a Pod (which sucks the lifeblood out of being pregnant) trying on every pair of premium denim they sell (sadly, you should probably do this, if you intend to shell out the cash for premium maternity denim). Turns out, their store brand was almost indistinguishable from the Citizens of Humanity Kelly Bootleg Maternity Jeans, save for the wash, and at an almost $100 discount (which is to say I still paid around $100). And, yes, I did buck up and pay to have my maternity denim properly hemmed at Nordstrom with the original hem (an expense always justified). If you're 5'5" or under, try the petite denim! The inseam is usually between a 30-32 and works with flats. Finally, do splurge on proper undergarments as your lady bits expand. I had a great rack pre-pregnancy and went up almost three full cup sizes (ouch!) by my fourth month. If your foundation sucks, so will everything else. Do not cheap out here; have yourself properly fitted by a professional (yes, you are probably larger than you think). On the undies, save your pennies. My pre-pregnancy Hanky Pankies do me just fine, thanks.
And the Ugly -- What Didn't Work: Don't waste your time (or money) purchasing maternity camis. Although the maternity camis I purchased from the Gap are lovely (long in the torso and extra support in the bust, support cami $19.95 -- if you do purchase these, size up because they run small), my pre-pregnancy camis continue to fit just as well five months in. Also, for me, belly bands just didn't cut it. Notably, these were lifesavers for many of my girlfriends, especially those who slowly put on weight or were hiding their pregnancy. I went from my jeans fitting one Saturday, to bursting at the seams the following Sunday morning. Not all pregnant bodies were created equal. Finally, do think about proportion. I bought two pairs of bootleg pants (Gap's full panel modern boot pants, $55.96 and Japanese Weekend's over the belly suiting pant, $68) and both were epic fails. If you want to avoid looking like a house, embrace your curves and do your best to create some proportionality, using color blocking, belts, or fitted shapes.
