not your mom's maternity jeans

Oooo, what a FUN post idea, Grace.

So fun.

I know. I do! I just can't help myself when it comes to heady topics like this. In the five years since I bought my first pair of maternity denim ... the selection has come a LONG way and who am I to deny you-who-might-care (all .08 of you) access to my detailed research and findings? No one. Access AWAY.

When I was pregnant with Julia I couldn't WAIT to dive right into maternity clothes like a new and predictable mom-to-be. Since the bulk of my second and third trimesters were in the late spring, heat of the summer, and then early fall I stuck to mostly wearing skirts and dresses but wanted a pair of jeans because I'm an American woman and I just did. After several order/try-on/hate/return misses I finally settled on these full panel flares and borrowed a pair of these fancy flares from a good friend and felt set. I loved them both but wore them a lot less than I thought I would but was happy to have them for when I wanted to feel pulled together in overly air conditioned settings {like my classroom}. Same story/weather situation minus the borrowed pair with Sebastian's pregnancy.

hurry
it
up,
Patton.

Okay!!

I got a little to a lot leggings tunic bootsed out with Theo and Phoebe's winter pregnancies but discovered the beauty of the side panels (HUGE thanks to Britt's generosity when she gave me this pair of jeans) which brings me to lucky number five and my all important quest to find a couple pairs of jeans that I could wear daily. It was important that they held their shape so that I didn't have to wash them after every wear and that they were thick enough to look like jeans and not leggings or jeggings. And it was important that they were comfortable enough that I didn't want to tear them off and jump into my beloved leggings after two hours of wear.

So here's what we're working with/what I kept/what I returned etc ....

{hey! if there can be a 'Not Your Daughter's Jeans' line then I can hit right back with a 'not your mom's' jab ... although the irony of maternity denim wanting to steer clear of looking mom-ish is NOT lost on me, I promise}


1. J Brand Maternity with side panels - as mentioned above, Britt gave these to me and they are nothing short of magical. They do thee best job of holding their shape, haven't faded, and stay UP. Obviously they are kind of a huge investment if you go the brand new route but I've seen quite a few pairs pop up on eBay. They fit a little on the small side but I would say they fit mostly true to size and to stick with your standard pre-pregnancy size. These were a little too snug to wear for the last weeks of Phoebe's pregnancy because I tend to carry girl babies in my thighs and face but they were perfect for the majority of my second trimester and most of the third.

2. ASOS Ankle Grazer Under the Bump Ridley - {worn here} I had read good things about ASOS maternity section and took advantage of a Christmas sale they were having and ordered these. And I love them. They don't have to side panels but the soft elastic 'under the bump' or 'demi' panel but they still don't feel like maternity jeans and I appreciate the ankle length (not capris - like the 5'11'' makes them look). They aren't quite as thick as the J Bran denim but they most definitely aren't thin enough to be considered traditional jeggings. The back pockets are nice and big which means they aren't going to make our rapidly growing seats look bigger than they actually are. ASOS makes returns SUPER easy and convenient {free! included return shipping label!} so I decided to try my luck with a few different pairs ... for the sake of thorough research. Or so I told Simon. Which brings me to .....

3. ASOS Maternity Distressed Jeans - Loved these. Loved the fit. Loved that they had the bigger back pockets. Wanted to keep them BUT ... the photo is totally deceiving and the destroyed spots do show some skin and the two top holes are just a little too daring and um, cold for me. I could lie and tell myself that I'd take the time to sew patches underneath but I wouldn't get around to it until the baby was born and maybe even walking so ... pass. But! They fit true to size and really would be so perfect minus the scando factor.

4. ASOS Maternity Whitby Skinny Jeans with destroyed knees - a consolation prize for the 3's not working out. Although the kids cannot get over how funny they find the holes. These fit a little more generously which gives me hope that they'll work all the way up until d-day.

5. Old Navy distressed denim - I ordered these with VERY low expectations because Old Navy maternity bottoms have never done much for me but after reading tons of great reviews {order a size down from your pre-pregnancy size! you gotta} ... I couldn't resist because they were on sale and then 40% off that price and you know how Old Navy lures you in LIKE THAT. Anyway - they exceeded all expectations (the photo above is a terrible representation - you can get a better idea here and here) and while they can't go several wears without stretching out a bit, they'll definitely be going the distance to the very end of the third trimester. They are pretty long {I'm 5' 7''} but I don't mind the rolled up look and I plan to wear them for 18 months postpartum ... maybe more. I noticed that these are sold out and hopefully they restock them SOON but I think that these are a good alternative minus the destroyed spots. But, who isn't up for a good denim DIY, right? Right. {me neither}

6. J.Crew Maternity Toothpick denim - I found a black pair of these on eBay for a steal and almost expected them to be fakes or something but they are in mint condition. I'm mostly in the 'no denim to church' camp (I don't know why - I don't mind or notice if/when others do) but these look so nice that I've been wearing them with heels to Mass on occasion. They are the thickest denim of the bunch but definitely the lowest rise which might bug some people. They don't stretch out at all. If I had found these at the beginning of Julia's pregnancy I wouldn't have minded paying full price because the quality is outstanding and I know they would've widdled their price per wear down to very little even after three or four gestational periods. I sized down from my regular Jcrew pant size and the pair I found happened to be ankle length which I love.

I know some people might prefer the full panel so maybe I should've tried a few to report my findings {round two! here I come!} but I'm a big (lit and fig) fan of side panels or the under-the-bump panel because they fit earlier and can be worn longer during the postpartum period, in my experience. AND I know some people might be able to just get away with wearing their regular jeans doing the rubberband trick or using a BellaBand for a lot of their pregnancy but I am not those people and start wearing maternity pants earlier and earlier every pregnancy. No shame here. Maternity jeans are most definitely not a must-have or a necessity during pregnancy but if you wear a lot of denim and you're pregnant during the colder months .... they are definitely nice to have.

What else? I was tempted to try some of Loft's selection but didn't want to have to break this post into chapters and I've heard good things about H&M's maternity denim too!

I know I'm missing some - hit me with them if you don't mind. I don't want to steer other innocent readers in all the wrong directions here.