I’ve been doing some styling this week; Topshop set me the task of creating a maternity mini-shoot for this advertorial*, finding different outfits for different occasions. A nice little challenge, as it has all been a bit dry on the old fashion front, recently – having an ever-changing figure does not make life easy when it comes to clothes shopping, and so my off-duty uniform has basically consisted of the same pairs of leggings and jeans, worn on rotation, topped off with huge t-shirts and bits of knitwear that I can manage to stretch over my bump!

So a “maternity clothes for every occasion” styling post was just up my street. Granted, most of my “occasions” are very casual – it’s not like I’m going out clubbing at the moment, or finding suitable attire for a dirty weekend in St Tropez – but there are subtle differences! Here we go:

Something Smart for Work

What I have really struggled with, pregnancy dressing-wise, is finding that middle-ground between casual and try-hard. You know when you have to go to a meeting and you don’t want to wear jeans, but you also don’t want to look like an overly-keen candidate on The Apprentice? This dress hits the sweet spot with its smart fabric and “body-con” side panelling.

It’s pretty tight, though, so I took the sex factor down a bit by throwing a nice long cardigan on over the top! The Geometric Bodycon Dress is £30 here (I might be tempted to take a size up, it’s very snug!) and Salt and Pepper Cardigan, £30 here.

Something Slouchy for Home: Part 1

Because – let’s face it – I spend a hell of a lot of time at home, working on my computer. And when I’m squirrelled away, incognito, I just want to be comfortable. So: Topshop Maternity Luxe Charcoal Joggers (a lot softer than the other jogging bottoms and with a kind of “sport-luxe” look to them) and a simple black “slubby” t-shirt. The joggers are £28 here, the T-shirt is £14 here.

Something Slouchy for Home: Part 2

Well, a girl has to have options even if she is staying at home! This outfit is a little more structured, though – the ponte leggings are quite thick and firm, more like trousers than leggings, and so you could throw on some boots and a leather jacket with this and feel confident meeting the outside world. It’s kind of like…smart slouchy. I’ve had loads of compliments on my Salt and Pepper Jumper (£36 here) and I have to say that the leggings (£20 here) would be fine post-baby too, as well as being useful from very early pregnancy when you can’t bear to wear anything tight in the tummy region.

Something Familiar for Everyday

My old daily “uniform” was always jeans, a vest top and a plaid or checked shirt. It’s what I feel most me in. And so this is probably my favourite outfit. So much so that I’ve done two options! Both great for everyday trips into town for appointments and events, meeting friends, going for lunch, doing stuff at the weekend… The first version shows the Soft Checked Shirt (£38 here) with dark grey Leigh Jeans (super-skinny, nice soft feel, £38 here) and a grey ribbed vest (£6 here).

Version two is a bit double-denim; dark-vintage Leigh Jeans (go down a size – all the other washes seem to run true to size but these came up a little bigger on me! They are £38 here) with a peach-coloured vest (£8 here) and Oversized Chambray Shirt. The shirt seems to have disappeared from online, but it might be in-store still…

Something Dressy for Evening

Actually, I say evening, but this little black dress is just as suitable for daytime with some flat ballet pumps. Dresses with full skirts like these do tend to make you look very pregnant, but I quite like that – the resulting shape is somehow quite cute and feminine! The lace panel detail on the shoulders of this LBD is lovely, too… £28 here.

Something Different Because…

I almost forgot about this one; I picked out a top in a colour that I’d never usually wear, just because I thought that it might make a nice change. I’m still not 100% sure whether this kind of shade suits me – what do you think? It’s the Maternity U-Neck Top (£18 here). I’ve gone for black jeans with it (Leigh again, I just really like the fit) but actually, it would be quite nice with something grey.

You can find Topshop’s Maternity Collection online here.

*This post is a Topshop advertorial. For your reference, I am usually a UK10 and all of the items shown are a UK10, so fit true to size except where noted. I was 28 weeks pregnant when the pictures were taken. Hope that helps!