Maternity fashion is complicated. During the first trimester, I was mainly trying to disguise my pregnancy with flowy tops and waterfall sweaters. We didn't tell people we were expecting until second trimester, and then came a point, around week 16, where I wouldn't have been able to conceal my bump even if I'd wanted to! Long tees and cardigans have been a staple, along with leggings and dresses. It was pants that were becoming an issue - I can't yet fit into the maternity pants my BFF loaned me, but I'm no longer comfortable in my pre-preganancy favorites. I found some great jeans at Motherhood Maternity, but still needed some work staples, so I reached out to Stitch Fix to try their maternity service.
This is not a sponsored post. I signed up for Stitch Fix and purchase the items I keep from each of my Fixes myself. I am a Stitch Fix Influencer, and my styling fee was waived for this Fix. My opinions on this blog are always 100% honest and authentic. This post does contain affiliate links - for each new sign-up I will receive a commission towards my next maternity Stitch Fix.
In my note to my stylist, I explained where I was in my pregnancy and requested a cozy Fix with work-appropriate pants and dresses that could be worn with leggings. I was pretty excited about my Christmas gift to myself.
If you're new to the concept of Stitch Fix, here's how it works: when you sign up, you pay a $20 personal styling fee and fill out a profile with your detailed size, style, and price preferences. I usually set my price preferences to "the cheaper, the better." Your stylist chooses five items just for you, which may include shoes, purses, or jewelry, and the $20 styling fee is applied toward the cost of any items you decide to keep from your shipment. There's also a 25% buy five discount if you love everything in your Fix! For a limited time, Stitch Fix is going to waive your styling fee when you sign up using my link - that's right, you can try Stitch Fix for free - if you don't like it, you can send everything back with no shipping costs. When my Fix arrived, I was excited to see the cute Holiday '17 packaging and the small box that meant I'd received an accessory as one of my five items!
Since Stitch Fix launched in 2011, they have become more and more diverse in their offerings - their services include petite, maternity, plus size, and even a men's line. While some of the items Stitch Fix offers can be found in stores, others are exclusive and can't be purchased anywhere else. For me, the maternity service is great because I live in a rural area and most of our local stores don't have a maternity section at all. Additionally, it's been a real challenge to find maternity pieces that are also petite - just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm not short anymore! I'm going to include the prices of my items in this review so you can see how maternity items compare to regular Stitch Fix pieces.
My favorite Stitch Fix stylists are Heather and Jan. The note in my Fix explained that Jan was on vacation so Heather styled for me again this time. Her note said,
"I packed this Fix with some maternity essentials to help you look effortlessly stylish in the coming moths. Try wearing the enclosed navy Skies are Blue Blouse with the navy Liverpool Pants, the taupe Dreamers/Debut Cardigan, the Nakamol Necklace, a tan purse, and navy flats for a polished work outfit. If the pants are too long, try cuffing them by rolling them up two to three times for a stylish twist. For a different business casual outfit, pair the cardigan and the necklace with the burgundy French Grey Dress, black leggings, a burgundy purse, and black flats."
I tried on the Skies are Blue Maternity Nidra Ruffle Neck Blouse ($58) with the Liverpool Reagan Maternity Skinny Pant ($78). As soon as I saw "if the pants are too long" in my stylist note, I was disappointed - my height is in my Stitch Fix profile and I request petite items whenever possible. The Liverpool pants are made of a nice stretchy material and have a full belly panel made of what felt like swimsuit material. Although the tag says they are a legging, they had real pockets, and I'm pretty sure they were black even though the stylist note said "navy pants." I didn't like having to cuff the pants for them to fit me length-wise, and they were more expensive than I'm really comfortable with for one pair of pants, so I returned them. I thought the Skies are Blue blouse was very pretty, especially the tulip sleeves and feminine neckline with buttons. It reminded me of the Papermoon blouse from my seventh Fix. However, it's December in Virginia, so short sleeves aren't very practical, and my best friend gave me several of her short sleeve maternity blouses. I was really hoping for some cozier tops in this Fix.
I paired the French Grey Maternity Ariell Knit Dress ($48) with the Dreamers/Debut Bartone Cable Trim Cocoon Cardigan ($58). The cardigan wasn't a keeper because it was very similar to a cardigan I received in my last Fix in color and shape - and this one didn't fit; the sleeves were much too long since it wasn't a petite item. The dress, though, was definitely a hit! This is my second French Grey dress - the first came in my November 2016 Fix. This one had a similar shape but was more flowy to accommodate a baby bump. I love the burgundy color and floral print, and the price was comparable to similar dresses from maternity retailers.
Please excuse the squinty face I'm making in this picture - I'll wear my glasses in the next post! The accessory I received in this Fix was the Nakamol Angelo Fresh Water Pearl Charm Necklace ($44), a three-strand piece with silver chain, neutral colored beads, and a silver pearl charm. The necklace was very pretty but not really my style - it was very "blingy" and I didn't think it would go with my bohemian-inspired wardrobe.
Even though the only "keeper" from this Fix was the French Grey dress, I'll definitely be trying Stitch Fix Maternity again - for me, it's a chance to feel stylish while my body is going through crazy changes!
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