maternity clothes I'm liking...

Thanks to my rapidly changing profile, more and more of my regular clothes are becoming obselete every day. Even if I had the money, I doubt I'd use this as an excuse to go out and buy expensive maternity clothes, so here's some alternatives that I'm counting on to help the situation along.

1. Scrubs (aka "Hospital" Pants): You know the ones--they typically come in decidedly institutional colors, and have a drawstring waist. Unless you have some kind of medical fetish, they probably aren't high on your list of fashion musts, but I must advocate in favor of them. For one, they're widely available cheap and used at places like Goodwill. For another, they're expandable and will grow with you for awhile if you get a big enough size. I don't recommend wearing them to your (non-clinical) job, but they're great for around the house.

2. Salwar Kameez: Much more fashionable than the above, we can thank India and Pakistan for this highly useful, maternity-friendly item. Thanks to those drawstring (or elastic) MC-Hammer pants, and the long tunic with side slits, they're extremely versatile and you can wear them comfortably throughout many lifestages (from anorexic teen to carrying triplets, one size DOES indeed fit all). Much more practical than saris, they're easiest to find if you live in an area where there's lots of immigrants from the middle east, India, and Pakistan. Around here, they turn up at Goodwill pretty regularly. Otherwise you have to order them online. I like these because they're exceedingly comfortable, come in an endless variety of fabric and color choices, and are very "work-friendly".

3. Drawstring (or elastic waistband skirts): Fitted skirts are a total drag when you're pregnant because eventually you WILL outgrow them. Skirts with stretchy waistbands or drawstrings, on the other hand, will usually grow with you. Awhile back, these flowy, gauzy, India-print drawstring skirts were popular hippie-wear. They're a bit harder to come by now, but you see them now and again, and they're great for summer. About the only bad thing I can say about them is that sometimes they get caught in the wheels of rolling computer chairs. Others are so sheer you have to wear something underneath them if you don't want to put on a free show.

4. Maternity hand-me downs: The best maternity clothes are the ones you receive from a kindly soul. Baring that, the next best option is a maternity consignment store. If you don't appear to have one of those in your town, try a children's consignment store--they might happen to carry some maternity stuff in the same place, even if that's not their primary focus.

5. Tunics: The problem with regular t-shirts (and shirts) is that eventually, most become too short (think glorified halter-top), and the bottom half of your belly hangs out to greet the world. While this might be kinda cute if you're a teenager, for most of the rest of us, this isn't the most attractive look, and definitely won't cut it outside of the house. A nice solution to the problem is a tunic, which is basically a long shirt. Full coverage is nice, and they're usually kinda flowy which is helpful as you expand.