My friend Nassrin always tells me that I do a poor job of keeping her informed of good children’s clothing sales. Obviously my primary mission with this blog is to outfit all of you pregnant woman. But inevitably you’ll be buying children’s clothing soon. Being that I do spend a substantial amount of time searching the web looking for bargains on high-end children’s clothing, I thought I’d share today. There are a good number of very serious sales going on this week, so here you go, Nas:

1. Crewcuts. J Crew’s super-cute children’s clothing collection widened its sale selection today and while the sizes are limited, shop today and you could score yourself a bargain. They are offering 30% off the already-reduced sale prices when you use code “EXTRA30.” Shop now here, this stuff goes quickly. I have already had some other enterprising shoppers steal items out of my shopping cart before I could even enter my credit card. I really love Crewcuts shoes, by the way. Very durable and they look like real shoes, not like kids’ shoes.

2. Ralph Lauren. Always my go-to designer for the boys’ back-to-school clothing, Polo is offering an additional 25% off their summer sale prices this week here. Again, children’s sizes are limited, but their clothing is timeless and there are many bargains to be had, especially on trusty basics like T-shirts and cargo shorts. Buy ahead for next summer, that is what I have been doing.

3. Tuttibella. This high-end children’s clothing boutique has been staging a “Progressive Sale” here for the past few weeks and prices are now up to 75% off.  Sizes here are extremely limited, but there is still a good selection of infant wear available. Some of the clothing is ridiculously expensive, but at 75% off, ridiculous can suddenly become reasonable. James went to camp this morning in his new Moschino black Bermuda shorts, pictured at right. Originally priced at $149.95, they are now only $36.99. I don’t know who is buying toddler boys’ shorts for $149.95, but I must say, these are very, very nice shorts.

4. Vineyard Vines. The children’s clothing made by Vineyard Vines is certainly pricey, but I can tell you from experience that their clothing lasts. These pique polo shirts I bought two years ago for James lasted through both twins and Leighton is now wearing them. They still look great–and that’s after numerous treatments with various stain-removal agents. Vineyard Vines is currently offering 25% off its sale items with promotional code “VVSUMMER25″ here and although the initial sale prices themselves aren’t so impressive in terms of discounts, the additional 25% off does make it seem like you are actually getting a good deal.

5. Mini Social. If you are about to have a baby, then click over here to join Mini Social today and shop the Splendid Littles sample sale. Most of the availablility is in the infant sizes, but there are some items available in larger toddler sizes. Splendid Littles runs extremely small and does shrink a little bit, so I always buy two sizes up for the boys. If you are a soon-to-be new mom and haven’t discovered Splendid Littles yet, you are in for a treat. It’s been years since I discovered this incredibly soft cotton children’s line, and I still can’t seem to get enough of it.

Happy shopping!

I have good news if you are all about looking trendy and fabulous during your pregnancy, but not such good news if comfort is a top priority for you as well. Shopbop has restocked the Paige Premium Blue Heights Skinny Maternity jean in both black here and dark blue here. Like I said, this is good news if you are planning on spending the fall looking uber-chic parading around in your skinny maternity jeans because these jeans are the most flattering skinny maternity jeans out there. There is, however, one major drawback–they are incredibly uncomfortable. In exchange for wearing a pair of very well-cut, very slimming maternity jeans, you have to put up with a very unforgiving waistband and a very inconveniently sized elastic panel at the top of the waistband. Paige Premium did recently catch on to the problems with the width of the elastic waistband on their maternity jeans and the dark blue jean has a wider elastic piece at the top of the jean, as you can see in these photos. But Paige’s black skinny maternity jean is still sold with a narrow elastic waist band at the top. When your jeans are already incredibly tight, it’s a serious battle to keep them on without an elastic panel that pulls all the way over the bump.

That being said, these jeans will look amazing on your pregnant body. I wore them constantly and just endured the pain and tried not to sit down too often when I had them on. I also did try to look at my rear view in a mirror as much as possible when I had them on to remind myself why I was putting myself through this and that helped a lot. If you are having a good number of “fat days” during your pregnancy, buy these jeans and save them for those days when you just can’t believe how big you look. These jeans will make you look smaller, I promise that. They may make you cry out in pain as you try to pull them on, but they will definitely make you look smaller. And no matter what you do, do not heed Shopbop’s advice and buy these jeans in your pre-pregnancy size. Buy one size up to lessen the torture just a little bit. Trust me, they will feel “skinny” enough even if you buy one size larger. And if you need help justifying the purchase, you will wear these often during those postpartum weeks–I guarantee they will be slightly less painful to pull on when you are not pregnant.

Just a small piece of advice if you do buy them. I did manage to solve the whole waistband problem with the black jeans by wearing my trusty Scrunchbump tank top or cami at all times.  I love Scrunchbump tops and no pregnant woman who wears under-the-bump trousers should be without one during the third trimester. Scrunchbump tops are fitted enough and supportive enough that they do manage to keep troublesome maternity pants from sliding down.

It is nice to see everything you’ve been eyeing for the summer months go on sale, but it is also nice to see the Fall 2010 items start rolling in. I had a great preview of samples from the new Fall 2010 maternity lines back in April and I made a list of my favorites to make sure I posted about them as soon as they went on sale in the online boutiques. Olian Maternity always occupies a huge corner of the sample showroom I go to and I usually browse through their offerings without ever being really impressed. I don’t tend to like their choice of prints for pregnancy and I don’t feel as if their pieces are ever that special, particularly considering the huge portion of the market they occupy.

I did, however, feel differently about this ruched wrap dress. Obviously every pregnant fashionista will have one or two or three wrap dresses in her closet. But finally Olian is giving us something a little bit different with this ruched raspberry dress. What pregnant woman doesn’t appreciate a bit of extra ruching? This is more than your basic wrap dress and it makes choosing what type of undergarment you are going to be wearing on top a bit easier because of the ruching (with the V-neck, you will probably have to wear a camisole). And I really like the color, as it is a bit different than the typical colors available for maternity dresses. Isabella Oliver used to sell its Ruffle Wrap Dress in a raspberry color and I wore that dress to all sorts of special occasions. Olian Maternity’s Ruched Wrap Dress is now available here at Euphoria Maternity for USD $126. It is still available in all sizes. Olian runs true to size, but whatever you do, don’t put their items in the dryer.

By the way, I congratulated my friend Reena on her newly announced pregnancy in my last posting and I lamented the lack of maternity fashion options she was facing in Jerusalem. Silly me–turns out that a lack of fashion is definitely not Reena’s most serious problem.I had forgotten what it is like to be pregnant in the face of Israeli security. I had an awful time getting into coffee shops and hotels when I was pregnant in Jerusalem, particularly when I was pregnant with the twins and did look as if I had to be hiding something sinister underneath my clothing. But Reena is a journalist and she has more important things to do than pick up a latte or enjoy a hotel buffet breakfast, which were my primary daily activities in Jerusalem when I was pregnant. Poor Reena was on her way back from working on a story in Gaza this past week when the Israelis at the border crossing subjected her to a full body search. The IDF forces simply could not figure out why Reena’s jeans had an elastic piece attached to the top that stretched all the way over her belly. Obviously, the Israelis assumed, she was using the elastic piece to transport something illegal into Israel, not simply to keep her jeans from falling down. Whomever is training the IDF might need to add a course on the rudimentary basics of maternity wear. Like I said last time, best of luck, Reena.  You will clearly need it…

I am sorry I have been such a terrible blogger this past week, but my husband was back in Jerusalem last week and he took his laptop with him and left me only with the iPad. Wow, I hate that damned thing. I fought with it for the better part of the week before I just gave up and put it away and used my blackberry for everything. I readily admit I am not at all tech-savvy, but I am not a complete idiot and that iPad just drove me absolutely nuts. There–that is the first and last time I will offer my opinion regarding anything pertaining to technology.

Anyway, Angelina Jolie popularized the maternity maxi dress back during her first pregnancy and since then, just about every maternity designer has released its own version. In fact, many non-maternity designers advertise their empire-waisted maxi dresses as maternity-friendly and as long as you are all willing to go and have the dresses properly hemmed so they don’t ride up in the front (I absolutely hate that look), I fully support donning a Splendid or Ella Moss or Rachel Pally maxi dress during your pregnancies.

One of my favorite maternity maxi dresses is currently on sale at More of Me maternity, discounted 30% when you use the promotional code “HOT” at checkout. Every woman to whom I have suggested this dress subsequently informs me that she loves it. At USD $180, the price is a bit hard to swallow compared to other maternity maxi dresses out there, but this dress is a keeper and will be a perpetual part of your maternity wardrobe from pregnancy to pregnancy. Click here to buy the dress in navy–it is still available in all sizes, but does run slightly big.

Pregnant British women are raving about Oscar London, a new UK-based designer that specializes in flowing maxi dresses. They are not specifically designed for maternity, but are being carried in all the the top maternity boutiques over the pond. My pregnant friend just purchased the “Venus,” a V-necked maxi dress with an empire waist that is available in black, purple and this unusual floral print. The Venus is currently available here directly from the Oscar London site for GBP 89 (USD $135). After she bought her dress, they offered her 25% off her next purchase–a clear incentive to buy the Sophia dress as well. The Sophia is also pregnancy-friendly, i.e., you can wear a bra with it, which is always a bonus. I love this mauve color.

And I also really love this long-sleeved maternity maxi dress from NOM. It’s clearly not for this insanely humid weather we have on the East Coast right now, but it is perfect for fall. Bellydance still has it available in a size Small on sale here for USD $94. You’ll need a camisole underneath this dress…

And a quick congrats to my friend Reena, who just announced she is expecting her first baby. Reena is gorgeous, stylish and is most definitely muse-worthy material for Pregnant Fashionista, despite currently living in fashion-starved Jerusalem. Best of luck, Reena!

There is still a good amount of summer left–enough to justify buying yourself a pair of white maternity jeans on sale, i think. Pickles & Ice Cream has reduced J Brand’s white maternity jeans by 40% in it’s online maternity boutique. Both the straight leg version and the cropped version are discounted and I was surprised at the range of sizes still available. Apparently, not all pregnant women are feeling that they must have a pair of white maternity jeans for close to USD $200. I understand. At USD $120, maybe you will feel differently. Click here to shop Pickles & Ice Cream’s summer sale. You should go one size up in these jeans, but be prepared to wash them every time you wear them, because they definitely stretch out quickly. Although, what doesn’t when you’re pregnant, right? Also, if you are having a winter baby, it might be worth picking up a pair of these for those postpartum months. Having a pair of J Brands to wear in those awkward post-baby days is nice.

There are maternity sales going on everywhere this week and I am sure you too are being bombarded by emails about them. I thought I’d list a few sales going on at the lesser-known, but just as fashion-forward online boutiques.

1. My Bump Maternity is a Canadian-based maternity boutique that carries high-end Canadian maternity and nursingwear, as well as some international lines that are more difficult to find in the US. As of today, July 9th, My Bump is offering 25% off all of their maternity and nursingwear when you use promotional code “SS2010″ at checkout. My Bump carries Jules & Jim and Hatch, two great maternity lines designed out of Canada. My Bump also carries a small selection from Peek-a-boo, the small, Israeli-based nursing line I wrote about here a few months ago. Peek-a-boo designs a beautiful long-sleeved nursing dress–the “To Tie For Dress” that I saw several women wearing in Tel Aviv. I love the extra-long sleeves on this dress, but it is normally very pricey (I inexplicably have a really hard time spending more than $100 on a piece of nursing clothing because I know how often nursing clothing is stained and smells like sour milk). My Bump still has Peekaboo’s nursing dress in stock here in chocolate brown in all sizes and with the discount, it costs only CAD $97.50 (USD $94).

2. Chaiken Maternity If you follow the maternity fashion news, you may have heard that Chaiken Maternity is no longer. Pregnant women who have to walk themselves into a corporate office every day are definitely going to miss the Chaiken line, as it was a great resource for tasteful, classic, work-appropriate maternity attire. Sample sale site Hautelook is having a “Chaiken Maternity” Blowout sale this Tuesday and it could be your last chance to snag yourself a piece from this collection. I recently found a stash of Chaiken Maternity dresses I bought for work during my first pregnancy in 2006, which I had misplaced over the past three years while we were overseas. These dresses are entirely on-trend and could all easily be worn today, four years later–this was truly a timeless maternity line, it will be missed (sniff, sniff). Click here to join Hautelook if you aren’t already a member.

3. Polarn o Pyret, the Swedish children’s clothing designer, has a small maternity line that always includes one or two unique, must-have pieces. Polarn o Pyret makes high-quality clothing at reasonable prices, both for children and for pregnant moms. Right now, most of their maternity collection is 50% off, including this denim maternity dress at right, which is reduced here to USD $42.50 from USD $85. I am kind of obsessed with the denim dress trend this summer, and have been lusting after one of the denim dresses released this past winter by Lanvin. They cost approximately USD $1000, so I won’t be owning one anytime soon, but I have been content to settle for knock-offs. I have yet to see another denim maternity dress this season–as usual, the Europeans are making the trendiest maternity clothing.

4. Nest Maternity in San Francisco is having a rather confusing online sale here, with discounts ranging from only about 10% to up to about 50% for items that are the “last one” in stock. But there are some good finds if you get lucky with sizing. For example, if you happen to be a size Small, you could be the owner of this cute summer cocktail dress from Ripe Maternity for only USD $137 here, reduced by 30%.

I have been waiting and waiting for Boob’s absolutely adorable Singoalla Nursing Dress to go on sale somewhere. Priced as high as USD $156 here in the US, this dress is a serious nursing investment. Still, made from 70% Lyocell and 30% cotton, the dress is not only a must-have for your nursing wardrobe, but it is also ecofriendly. And it’s from Boob, which means there is just about no way you won’t love it. But it is now the height of the summer sale season and none of the online maternity boutiques are offering even a mild discount on the dress…which means it is time to take advantage of the weakened Euro and buy this Boob dress from an overseas boutique.

The Irish-based Onceborn Maternity is currently selling the Boob Singoalla dress in coral, black, and denim blue here.  The dress is still full-priced at €85.00 (including VAT) and international shipping costs approximately €15.00. But do the conversion and even with the higher shipping costs, you’ve managed to buy Boob’s Singoalla Nursing Dress at a nicely discounted USD $126. Hey, it’s not a huge discount, but I have found that buying online from European boutiques these days truly makes me feel like I am bargain hunting.

Happy belated 4th of July to everyone, by the way. It was so nice to be home in the USA for the 4th. The boys enjoyed a week away at the beach in South Carolina with their cousins and had a truly American 4th of July. Here they are celebrating the holiday (although, they are actually celebrating the fact that they all got new Toy Story backpacks at Target that day). Hope your long weekend was as fun-filled as their was…

If you scroll through nearly three years of blog postings on this site, one thing you’ll never find is a recommendation for maternity shorts. Here’s the thing–pregnant women don’t look right in shorts. We’ve all seen that rare pregnant woman whose pregnancy has curiously not impacted the rest of her body and she still looks amazing in short shorts. But for every one pregnant woman who can get away with the short shorts look, there are 100 women who simply cannot. Having been one of the pregnant women who simply cannot several times over, I have refrained from buying shorts during my pregnancies and consequently, have refrained from suggesting that you buy shorts during your pregnancy.

That being said, I do own maternity shorts and I have worn them out in public even knowing it was not my best ensemble. Look, sometimes you’re pregnant and it is summertime and it is just damned hot. I never wore maternity “short shorts”–I knew better than that and my thighs tend to bear the brunt of my pregnancies almost immediately. But I do own two pairs of longer maternity shorts and in the spirit of the summer holiday, I am recommending my Ripe knee-length maternity shorts to you. I found that if I opted for a pair of very simple, well-tailored shorts in dark colors, I did not feel exceptionally short and fat (well, maybe just a little bit short and a little bit fat).

But even I concede that there are those situations in which maternity fashion needs to be practical. If your pregnant self is going to be sitting on a lawn watching fireworks on Sunday night, maybe a dress isn’t your best option–instead, shorts are a very good idea. Ripe’s Tomboy Maternity shorts have no embellishments and are cut with an under-the-belly band to be well-fitted through the hips and thighs. There is nothing extra to these shorts and I find that to be the exact reason why they are worth owning. I wouldn’t buy these shorts in white, because I just don’t think there is a pregnant woman out there who should be wearing them in a light color. But in black, they work well with a tank top for casual wear, as well as with a nice blouse and for a summer night out. Ripe’s Tomboy Maternity Shorts are available here in black at Bellydance Maternity for USD $84.

There are just a few more days left to take advantage of the exclusive promotion being offered to PF readers by Milkstars nursingwear. I first posted about the promotion here, but head to Milkstars website here and type “PREGFASHIONISTA” when you check out for a whopping 25% off anything on the site through the end of June. If you are going to be nursing, you want one of Milkstars’ nursing tops ready to wear when you get home from the hospital. Trust me, you are going to feel terribly unattractive and you will be very oddly shaped. Finding a top to wear in those first few postpartum days while you are waiting for your nursingwear to show up is not fun. I think I cried when I first brought James home and could not find a single shirt to wear. Use this promotion and prevent yourself from having to go through it.

A very quick posting, as I have just finished the five-day process of transporting the boys from Jerusalem to our new home in Washington, DC and I cannot even think about shopping right now–I am just that tired. But not tired enough that I can resist posting this photo of a five-months pregnant Alicia Keys performing this morning in her short little belted romper. She is gorgeous, I love her voice, I send her the most sincere congrats on her pregnancy, but this confirms what I have been writing since the one-piece craze hit the maternity market. Jumpsuits/rompers are not for pregnant ladies. I think this looks hands-down awful.

Back to business. I was online trying to buy a new pair of my favorite Summer 2010 Isabella Oliver pants last night (the ones I have had an ill-fated run-in with a tomato-sauce-laden meal on the flight from Israel Monday night). I happened to click over to the maternity site and realized that the Bacall striped trousers are available in a maternity version and they are currently on sale starting today through this weekend. These trousers are striped with thin navy and white stripes and they look great with white or deep navy on top. They are incredibly lightweight, but they are also well-tailored and made from a crisp cotton fabric. These are real trousers and I am thrilled IO has released them in a maternity version. Not all pregnant women want to wear sweatpants or yoga pants every day, I love when a maternity designer releases a true trouser. They also come in black. If you are looking for a lightweight trouser to get you through the summer months in the office, this is it.

Type promotional code SPREE when you check out today and you’ll receive 39% off the USD $199 retail price of the Bacall trouser here. The discount applies sitewide and drops slightly every day this weekend (36% off on Saturday and 33% off on Sunday). The promotion does not apply to items already on sale.

These trousers would look fabulous on Alicia, don’t you think? If she paired them with a sexy low-cut white top, Alicia could still flaunt her baby bump without having to worry about trying to use the ladies room in between sets while wearing a romper. Let’s hope Alicia finds this blog before she squeezes that bump into another all-in-one. If the classy ladies at IO are reading this, send Alicia some of your maternity clothing ASAP.