Shirts and blouses for your maternity work wardrobe

A shirt or blouse is an essential part of any expectant mums work wardrobe, especially as you move into the second stage of your pregnancy.

Bumps are beginning to show, while you may also find have a new cleavage that prevents those last few buttons on your normal shirt doing up.

Thankfully there are are a great range of maternity shirts and blouse on the virtual highstreet with styles to suit every shape. A wrap shirt is perfect for the more curvy mum-to-be, while ruched detailing in the bra area is great for showing off that new cleavage - appropriately. 

Teamed with a simple pencil skirt, trousers or under a tunic, this item is a must for any working mums' capsule work wardrobe.

See below for some of our faves.

Maternity Classic Shirt £18, ASOS

Sleeveless stripe blouse, £20, Topshop

Stripe shirt, Marks and Spencer

Tie Front Blouse, £75, Isabella Oliver

Wrap Maternity Shirt £29, Jojo Maman Bebe

Blossom cotton fitted maternity shirt Sabrina
£135, Blossom Mother and Child

Maternity fashion tips for plus-size and curvy women - Isabella Oliver tells us how to stay stylish and comfortable

Although we're still in our new born stages, we've had a great amount of support from mums-to-be, with many asking us for specific advice when it comes to their maternity style.

Some of the most common questions we've had are from plus-size women who are afraid that some outfits aimed at showing off their bump will also show off their curves. However, they don't want to be left with a choice of tent-like creations either.  

We like to help our readers as much as we can so we got in touch with Baukjen de Swaan Arons, the Founder of Isabella Oliver, who was perfectly placed to give advice on this topic.

"It is completely natural to gain a little weight during pregnancy and we have designed our clothes to allow for that," she told us.

"It can be tempting to go up a few sizes, but although the extra fabric will fit over your bump, it will also swamp the other parts of your body and create an unflattering look.

"Isabella Oliver uses special design techniques to create flattering pieces that celebrate your bump whilst offering coverage where you need it."

Baukjen pointed out that going for a ruched design would create soft pleats across your bump resulting in a fitted look with extra fabric that can be adjusted as your body changes shape.

Wrap tops and wrap dresses can also be adjusted with as much or as little fabric as your bump needs.

"Cinch these styles at the waist, accent your cleavage and allow the rest of the fabric to drape effortlessly over your curves," Baukjen advises.

 When it comes to cuts, Baukjen recommends picking maternity clothes that make the most of your best features, show off your neckline, shoulders and décolletage.

The company's wrap designs are particularly great for this as they flatter your curves.

"Finally, go for pieces with special design features that draw attention to the areas of your body you feel more confident about," Baukjen advises.

The company has a gorgeous range of wrap and ruched pieces to choose from.

And if you order a jersey dress before midnight you'll also receive 30 percent off in the company's flash sale.

Just enter the code FLASH at the checkout online.

Maternity dressing gowns inspired by Fearne Cotton

Fearne Cotton may have opted for two different dresses as she hosted the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Awards 2012 last night, but she also showed us how to wear a dressing gown in bumpilicious style.

As well as the boho sleeved floral and lace frock, which she wore for the beginning of the event, and the sleek monochrome dress for later in the evening, the presenter also gave us a little lesson in the importance of nightwear.

This morning she Tweeted: "Last night the Cosmos were in the V&A. My dress needed an iron so I ticked 'being naked in the V&A' off the life list!", before posting a picture of herself in a cosy whitedressing gown.

We've taken inspiration from the sneak peak and put together a few of our fave styles, which are sure to keep you comfy and your bump warm in the upcoming winter months.

See our picks below.

Fearne showed off her bump in a casual dressing gown

We heart this nightwear number from Blooming Marvelous, £18, Mothercare

Break the buget with this gorgeous nursing dressing gown £79, Babes with Babies

Mauve dressing gown, £25 Melba London

Bibee launches dress with changeable breastfeeding tops

Breastfeeding is an amazing and natural way to bond with your newborn baby, but for many it does nothing for their relationship with fashion.

While we may all dream about having that fantastic stylish wardrobe, the reality is that outfits are often splattered with milk.

Although there are a great range of breastfeeding pieces available, Bibee is going that extra step to help new mums maintain their sense of style.

It's launched the Bibee Dress, which has changeable "bibs" or tops, meaning that stain or new mark can be changed immediately.

The removable Bibee Bib is designed to open at one side, allowing breast-feeding mums the
opportunity to subtly feed when out and about. Attached by buttons on the shoulders and under the arms, it is also claimed to cover the areas most susceptible to stains, such as the shoulders and chest, and can be easily removed and replaced.

Creating a capsule wardrobe, this design is great for avoiding last minute ‘what to wear’ dilemmas and gives hassle-free access for breast-feeding.

Bibee Bibs come in a range of designs and colours, and can be worn with any Bibee
Dress.

Bibee Dresses including a matching Bibee Bib start at  £175.00 with individual Bibee Bibs from £40.00.

The Bibee Bib range includes designs incorporating flowers, birds, jewellery and more. Bibee T-shirts are also available to sit underneath the Bibee Dress  for £40.

The dresses went on sale for the first time at The Baby Show last weekend and on-line sales will launch shortly.

Halloween maternity fashion and make-up ideas: The Devil

Halloween is almost upon us and we're gearing up for an evening of fun and fashion.

Last week we bought you a range of ideas on how to dress your bump for this scary event and today we thought we'd continue the theme with a few tips on how to get that perfect maternity devil look.

As we've said before, Halloween outfits have moved on from the traditional full fancy dress, making it easier to channel the scary look when you're pregnant, and the virtual highstreet is brimming with key pieces to help you get that perfect fancy dress look at a budget.

A bargain pair of horns are a great way to kickstart this look, while a red dress, which elegantly covers your bump is perfect for adding to this theme.

However, the key part of this look all rests on the make up, which has again moved on from the traditional painted red demoness face, and into something alot more sultry. 

Get to work on creating a smokey eye look, starting with a dark grey or black eyeshadow, coating your upper lid and taking the colour right up to the brow.

Add a thick coating of gel eyeliner round the frame of your eyes and lashings of mascara and complete the look with some bright red lipstick.

See the gallery below for our top fashion and make up looks to help you channel the devil trend this Halloween.

Take a bargain pair of horns, like these from Poundland

Add to an on-trend red maternity dress, which can be worn again over the Christmas party season. We heart this one from Asos, £55

Go for a sultry devil make-up look

Coat eyelids in a grey shadow like this one from Steenbergs

Finish off eyes with a thick coating of liquid eyeliner like this one from Bobbi Brown

Complete the look with red lippy like this one from Topshop