Good Prices & Good Quality? Try Bellyssima Maternity

I’ve recently been taking some heat from readers and in chat rooms about the lack of budget-friendly items posted here on PF. You are all absolutely right–a budget-friendly shopper I am not. I am working on it, but the real problem is maternity and nursing clothing simply has to be well-made. Bargain shop all you like when you are svelte and without child–try it when you are shaped like a lollipop, and things go bad fast. I feel really strongly that a pregnant woman should buy herself one perfect $59 Isabella Oliver ruched white cotton tank top to last her throughout her pregnancy and beyond, rather than buy 5 mediocre $10 white maternity tanks at Old Navy, which stretch out after only a few wears and have to be replaced.

But I also acknowledge that shopping habits are changing in this economy and when you are only buying for 9 months, budget is even more of an issue. So, I went directly to the experts, i.e., the people who are actually selling maternity clothing to customers. I am in touch with a good number of maternity retailers and wholesalers and I wanted to know, what is the best-quality, but also most budget-friendly maternity line out there right now?

Bellyssima Maternity was the overwhelming answer. I was familiar with the brand but had never purchased any pieces from the line. These days, Bellyssima is enjoying a very brisk business. The pieces are manufactured in Canada and just about everything in this line is priced under USD $100. The line’s bestseller last year was actually this black jersey cap sleeve dress with embroidered flowers at the waist, which has been reissued this winter and sells for USD $99 here at Pickles & Ice Cream, $94 here at Bellydance Maternity,  $89 here at Madison Rose Maternity, $88 here at Figure 8 Maternity, and is on sale for $77.50 at Ann Taylor Loft here with promo code “HOLIDAY.” (I know, go figure, I found five progressively lower prices for the exact same dress–who says I am not a savvy bargain shopper?) Anyway, I actually saw the dress last week in a maternity showroom in NYC and I have to say, it is well-tailored and cleverly designed. The fabric is predominantly polyester, but you wouldn’t know from looking at it. Will you be wearing it two pregnancies from now? Probably not. But it would certainly pull you through one pregnancy’s worth of special occasions.

Pickles & Ice Cream carries a small collection of basics from Bellyssima here. Chicago-based boutique, Belle Up Maternity, also carries a small collection online here. Ann Taylor Loft had a small selection of Bellyssima basics as of Friday afternoon, but they went on sale over the weekend and now they are completely sold out, there is not a single size or color left. The tops are really the highlight of the collection–they are all clean and simple, and primarily made from rayon/polyester blended jersey. They are perfect basics for your pregnancy. Again, I don’t know how many rounds they will go with your washing machine before showing some wear and tear, but they will certainly survive this pregnancy. Expect to see more and more Bellyssima in stores this spring.

My recent visit to NY also yielded some not-so-budget friendly recommendations for the winter and particularly for the upcoming spring, so tune in over the next few weeks. I am particularly thrilled about a new line called Pour Deux that will debut its first collection in Spring 2011. And no, believe it or not, it’s not French–founder Tara Stafford is from Jersey!