I am happy to say that you all may finally put away/give away/burn your Juicy Couture maternity hoodies because I have discovered an equally priced, yet infinitely nicer substitute at Nuka Maternity. If there is justice in the world, pregnant women will no longer feel compelled to buy those brightly colored, slightly aggravating velour Juicy hoodies because they have no other options. Instead, they will all head straight to Nuka Maternity here and opt for the tasteful, supremely soft hoodies and T-shirts designed by mom Julia Noik, an LA-based graphic designer who set out to make pregnancy more comfortable with Nuka and has most definitely succeeded.
The absolute must-have in Julia’s Fall 2009 Collection? The V-Neck Hoodie, a supremely soft, cotton, short-sleeved hoodie with an empire waist and subtle ombre shading. The empire waist has cute button detailing through the front, but is reinforced with two pieces of elastic through the back, allowing for some serious stretching. This hoodie is so cozy and comfortable that I’ve been wearing it daily since it arrived this past weekend. I am not actually pregnant. But I think it is the ultimate compliment to a maternity designer when a non-pregnant women chooses to wear her clothing. I still haven’t decided if I am going to part with the V-Neck Hoodie and send it to my pregnant sister (sorry, Jane, I really like it). And Leighton’s diaper exploded while I was wearing it so I can also promise that the Nuka V-Neck Hoodie washes quite nicely and does not shrink.
You can buy a Nuka V-neck Hoodie for yourself here at Nuka’s website for USD $110-it comes in olive, chocolate and caviar black. I should warn you that Julia is not exaggerating when she called this the V-Neck Hoodie. This is a plunging V-neck, so on the days you don’t feel like you need to flaunt it, you should plan to wear a camisole or tank underneath (the zipper stops at the bottom of the V-neck, you can’t pull it up any higher if you suddenly have an attack of modesty).
Also, be sure to peruse Nuka’s entire collection while you are on the site. I also like the Nuka Peasant Top, which is made from a cotton/jersey blend and is a comfortable option for the first or early second trimester when you aren’t yet at the stage where you really need an empire waist. The lantern sleeves are a great touch and this looks really nice with jeans or even your most casual maternity sweatpants. It is available here in orchid for USD $70.
You must order at least one of Nuka’s pieces just to try it out for yourself. The cotton and jersey used to make Nuka’s maternity clothing is amazingly soft and is of the highest quality. You’re pregnant, after all, you deserve a few beautiful and comfortable articles of maternity clothing. Whether you are going out on the weekends or just hanging out at home, Nuka’s T-shirts and tops will be the maternity pieces you reach for every day…and probably at night too, they are just that comfortable.
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If this is not your first pregnancy and you have already navigated high-end baby fashion, you are probably already familiar with Petit Bateau’s clothing. The French brand has been around for over 100 years and their luxurious cotton baby and toddler clothing can be found all over the world in their own stores as well as in baby boutiques and department stores. I am addicted to their boys cotton pajamas for both summer and winter and I have not been able to resist buying each of my children one of Petit Bateau’s classic yellow rain slickers, available 
Moving on, Petit Bateau has very recently expanded its clothing collection to include a small line of high-quality cotton maternity wear. Several pieces from the collection are now available online 
I also like the cut and the neckline of this basic black maternity dress, available 
My apologies for the brief blogging hiatus, but we are just back from a long weekend vacation in Jordan at the Dead Sea. The Israelis have for some reason not quite figured out how to build and run a luxury hotel, so if you want to spend a couple of days ordering exotic, overpriced drinks and having cool, strawberry-scented towels brought to you poolside, you need to head across the border to Jordan. Here is a great photo of the boys after an afternoon of serious swimming in the hotel’s numerous infinity pools. They all passed out from exhaustion every night by 7pm–truly a successful vacation.
This fall, she has a wide selection of Dutch maternity line Noppies available on the site. Noppies only has brand stores open in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, but you can sometimes find a few of their items in online boutiques. Noppies makes good quality, basic maternity clothing that is reasonably priced and extremely versatile. 
Noppies is best known for its over-the-belly pants (which I blogged about 
Pregnant Fashionista’s “Maternity Item of the Week” at TheBump.com this week is from one of my favorite new maternity designers, More of Me Maternity. I blogged 
Now, it may be easier for all of you to just say no to maternity leggings because Jules & Jim, the Canadian maternity designer, has released the black “Prada” pant for Fall 2009 and this rayon/nylon/spandex blended skinny pant should usurp leggings in all of our closets. 
I found this pant a few weeks ago and was very intrigued, so I sent it to my sister for testing (yes, I am still shopping for and buying maternity clothing–very sad, I know, but all of you are benefiting from my curious addiction). My sister confirms that this is a perfect alternative to the legging, plus, unlike leggings, these have a slight flare at the ankle so you may wear these pants comfortably with a heel without looking like Madonna, circa 1985.
The Prada pant is machine washable, but I would stick to line drying them–with such a narrow cut, you don’t want to risk that they shrink. The Jules & Jim Prada pant is available at Bellydance 
I am just back from an absolutely filthy afternoon of riding horses and climbing farm tractors. Now that James and the twins have evolved into bona fide little boys, I am starting to catch glimpses of what my future with my children is going to involve and it is unfortunately not going to include my own personal favorite activities, such as shopping trips and visits to the spa for manicures and pedicures. These boys are absolutely obsessed with tractors, diggers, excavators, garbage trucks, etc. and it seems the dirtier they are, the better. I may even have to break one of my cardinal rules and start wearing sneakers during the day when I take them out (I can’t stand it when moms wear sneakers to anywhere but the gym). Here is James taking Oliver for a ride on his mini John Deere tractor. This is our new favorite activity and driving/riding on the tractor is the primary topic of discussion throughout the day. Oliver is wearing a helmet because, contrary to James’ own opinion, James is not yet a skilled tractor driver.
Veronique Maternity in Manhattan has also posted its fall collection online and if you, like me, spend a lot of time lusting after Italian maternity designer Nicol Caramel’s clothing, this is your one and only opportunity to find the Fall/Winter 2009/10 collection for sale in the United States (click 
Exciting news for Fall 2009 keeps rolling in here at Pregnant Fashionista, and I am thrilled to announce that Blossom Mother and Child, my favorite maternity boutique in London, is offering PF readers an exclusive 15% online discount off their new Fall/Winter 2009 collection. If you read this blog regularly, then you need no introduction to Blossom’s maternity collection. The quality is impeccable, the designs are fashion-forward, and each of their pieces is absolutely worth the investment.
Danielle at Blossom particularly recommends this Knit Merino Wool dress at left, which is part of the new collection and available 
If you prefer that your Blossom investment be more of a basic, I highly recommend Blossom’s lovely Detroit Twist Maternity Top, which is available 
And if you are looking for the ultimate basic, Blossom has its classic maternity denim pencil skirt back up on its website for the fall. I blogged about this skirt almost a year and a half ago 
But during my wonderful tour of “A New View Maternity” in New York City at the end of July, I was able to go through samples of Pure T’s Fall/Winter 2009 line. Without a doubt, the Short Sleeve Soft Cowl Turtleneck was one of the top 5 items I saw that day. Both my sister and I tried it on in this gorgeous “Sa-fire” color pictured at left and added it to our Fall 2009 must-have list. If sa-fire isn’t your first choice, the turtleneck is available in seven other colors, including the lipstick color pictured here and the more neutral black and vanilla colors. 
This top is made from very high-quality cotton and just feels very comfortable and cozy when you put it on. It is extra long, ensuring it will last through all three trimesters. The sleeves are sufficiently long enough to cover the upper arms and the neckline is quite flattering. I am not usually a lover of turtlenecks, but this one is quite loose-fitting.
Today is our last day in Tuscany before we head back to Jerusalem tomorrow. The boys are true lovers of Italy, it seems–unending amounts of pasta, pizza, prosciutto, and gelato. We tried to feed them some vegetables last night and they simply weren’t interested. Israel, where the locals put chopped tomatoes and cucumbers on absolutely every type of of food, is going to be a rude awakening for them. Oliver just cannot get enough pasta and tomato sauce. Here he is shoveling it in his mouth in the old Tuscan town of Volterra (and that bag you see hanging on his chair is my newly purchased Italian handbag, which he decided to wipe his hands on after he was finished with his lunch–I don’t know why I bother).
These aren’t the most luxurious, high-quality scarves. They are made from a polyester/rayon blend and you will not want to cozy up with this scarf in the cold weather. I find that Maternal America does not make great quality clothing, which is why I rarely write about them. But the nursing scarf only costs USD $32, it comes in a range of colors, and Maternal America should be commended for coming up with a very good idea. Being that your nursing scarf is going to be covered in breast milk and spit-up, it’s not as if you want it to be cashmere anyway. And they are certainly a better option than those awful vinyl nursing bibs that women use. Nursing is messy, but only one of the participants should be wearing a bib and it is not you.
