Pregnant and Chic!

When you are pregnant it can often seem like a challenge to look stylish and chic without looking a bit frumpy.

However, there are ways to still look excellent when pregnant. One important thing to bear in mind it that just because you are pregnant you don’t need to completely overhaul your style; unless you want to off course, you don’t have to look like a hippy earth mother just because you are carrying a child. You can look good and like you even though you are pregnant.

While in the past maternity wear has had a bit of a reputation for being a bit frumpy and horrible nowadays there is a much better range of cheap maternity clothes UK available for expectant mums. There has also been a number of celebs who have been showing off their pregnancy style in recent months so it is easy to take inspiration from then when planning your maternity wardrobe.

One thing to learn from the celebrities is that you can embrace your new shape, long gone are the days when you had to cover your body with a shapeless tent. Instead, celebrities like Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, Rachel Zoe, Victoria Beckham and Penelope Cruz have all shown that you can look great while having a baby. In fact all you have to do is look at Natalie Portman in her gorgeous purple bump fitting gown at the Oscars or at Victoria Beckham’s smart navy shift at the Royal Wedding to know that you can embrace your new shape and look great.

One trend that the celebrities all seem to channel when pregnant is the maxi-dress, this season is all about the maxi and it is a perfect look for expectant mums. It can cover the bump but at the same time show that you are pregnant and is also really comfortable which is important when you’re pregnant. It can be dressed up or down and will also be bang on trend this spring/summer.

However, if a maxi-dress isn’t your style you can channel Victoria Beckham and go for stylish knee length dresses that skim the bump and show off your legs. While, for work a good pair of maternity trousers styled with a pretty blouse or shirt is simple yet smart.

Trend: Colour Blocking

With the weather starting to warm up now is the time to start thinking about a new wardrobe and injecting a bit of spring/summer 11 style into your look.

If there is one look that screams this season it has to be the trend for colour blocking. Bright shades dominated the spring/summer fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris.

Prada, GILES, Jill Sander, Gucci, Sonia Rykiel and Christopher Kane were just a few of the designer who opted for bright dazzling colours in their collections. From bright tangerines at Gucci, rainbow shades a Jill Sander and neon pinks at Christopher Kane you needed a pair of sunglasses for all the dazzling colours.

But it is not just a trend for the catwalk with a number of celebs also sporting the look with the likes of US X-factor judges Cheryl Cole and Paula Abdul all rocking the colour blocking trend in recent weeks.

With the shops full of bright colourful pieces it is a great time to really start experimenting with colour. However, it is not a look for the feint hearted as it is one style that is guaranteed to get you noticed.

The key to getting this look right is to make sure all the impact of the outfit is in the colour and not the detailing so steer away from fussy details like ruffles and instead go for chic simple lines; like a plain dress or pair of trousers or even a simple blouse. If the detailing is too fussy it will fight with the colour and look a bit much.

As for colour well anything goes, you really can team what you like together but if you are new to the look a bright cobalt blue, scarlet red or dark tangerine are good places to start. A mix of coral and blue or teal and white will look great on most people.

While the look can be colourful as you want if it all seems a bit daunting then going for one colour dress for example with black or white accessories can be one easy way to get the look. Or for a nod to the style without going overboard you can update your LBD with some bright heals and a colour pop handbag which will look chic and bang on trend.