IF you thought maternity wear and fashion were two terms that never went together, then it's time for some second thoughts. Maternity wear is a lot more stylish now, with some fashion designers specializing exclusively in this genre of garments. New age moms are no longer raiding their husband's closets for bigger shirts or borrowing cast-offs from their friends or relatives who have gone past the pregnancy stage, but are investing in a whole new wardrobe to meet their requirements. And there are numerous maternity wear stores mushrooming in Saudi Arabia which cater to women's needs -- right from pregnancy to the nursing stage. “Eight years ago, when I was having a baby, all I had were some home-made oversized gowns to make do with. There was nothing to make me look feminine. But now, when I am strolling in a mall and see the amazing maternity wear on offer, it looks like it was probably our bad luck then,” said Hind Al-Hamoud, a Syrian mother. It is believed that looking good during pregnancy not only helps to boost the mother's esteem but also ensures comfort in the long run. Deena Bougary, an expecting mother in her second trimester, said that like any other women, expecting mothers also wish to look trendy and wear something that doesn't necessarily take away their sense of personal style. “Earlier, the so-called maternity clothes would make me look like a balloon and I hated getting pregnant. During my first pregnancy in 2005, I bought my maternity wear from abroad or purchased clothes online as there was nothing in the markets here,” she said. “Maternity clothes should let you celebrate maternity and look forward to pregnancy. Because of the heat here, I prefer only cotton in maternity wear,” she said. Deena said she shopped for maternity clothes from ‘Benetton' and ‘Pink or Blue'. “They have good after-delivery wear also,” she added. One wonders: Is the monetary investment necessary or worth the trouble, for clothing that is worn for only a short period of time, say for 6 months, as it is only in the second trimester that clothes begin to feel too tight in the waistline when the baby and uterus gets bigger? “Normal clothes don't match up to the requirements of a pregnant woman, may be oversized and make you look like an astronaut! Maternity clothes accommodate a pregnant woman's body without looking sloppy or oversized,” said Dur, another expecting mother, adding that she is most comfortable in cotton tops and maternity denims. Saudi Gazette asked some maternity stores in Jeddah, what the most sold-out garments are at their stores. “There are changing fashions in maternity wear just like there are in any other line. Most women at our store chose simple jeans and T-shirts, short nighties, pyjama suits, all in cotton fabric,” said Malim Mohammad Yousuf, salesperson at Mothercare, at Tahlia Street in Jeddah. He said clothes at the store are priced between SR100 and SR250. Sondos Zaidi, owner and buyer of the ‘Pink or Blue', a Saudi maternity wear boutique which stocks clothes from the US, UK, Canada, Italy and Australia, said denims are the best-selling items at her store. “Saudi women prefer separates- like pants and tops rather than dresses. Jeans can be worn casually or dressed up, they are slimming and always in fashion,” she said. She said that loose fitting clothes are no longer in fashion as they make the pregnant woman look even bigger. “It is now fashionable to wear leggings or skinny jeans to highlight the slimmest area in the body and wear comfortable blouses on top. Maxi long dresses are very popular as they elongate the body. Silk and jersey dresses and tops are highly desired because of their feminity and the way they fall. Wearing belts is really stylish, whether worn over or under the belly,” Sondos said. She said women in Saudi Arabia like light fabrics like cotton voile as they are light and breathe well. “You can get away with the first trimester when the belly is not really big. But a regular shirt that fits a pregnant belly will have the shoulders and chest that will be way too big on her. The same goes for pants -- maternity pants are cut specifically to accommodate the belly and regular pants will just hang down and not look right. So the styles follow the fashion and are cut to suit the pregnant woman. They highlight the women's assets and disguise whatever she wants to hide,” Sondos said, adding that maternity wear, these days are nice enough to be worn even after the delivery when the woman is not yet back to her original weight. Prices at the boutique range from SR200 to SR5000. “Most people buy clothes that are between the SR500 and SR2000. The pricier dresses are for fancy occasions such as weddings,” Sondos said. Dr. Meher Sultana, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said that there is no medical indication or necessity to wear maternity clothes during pregnancy and recommends women wear ‘loose cotton clothes'. “It's a matter of personal choice, and if women prioritize their appearance and want to look slim, then they can opt for maternity clothes,” she said. Dr. Sultana said that it is from the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy that regular clothes are rendered out of use, and that the body weight increases between 9 to 10kgs in normal pregnancies. So the bottomline is: shop around, plan your wardrobe carefully so that you can mix and match garments to get the most out of your purchase. __
