I have often used this blog to tell you about must-have maternity items that simply have to be purchased immediately to ensure they become part of your maternity wardrobe. Perhaps you took my advice, perhaps you didn’t. Perhaps you consider me an out-of-control, impulsive shopper, perhaps you don’t. Regardless, today is the day to put aside your personal opinions and finally heed my advice, because Nordstrom’s online maternity boutique currently has the Michael Stars Raw-Edge Long-Sleeved Maternity T-shirt available in white here. Despite having combed the entire globe looking for this T-shirt in white, I was never able to find it while I was actually pregnant. This T-shirt is virtually impossible to find in white, I am not exaggerating when I tell you I looked everywhere for it. Now that I am finally no longer pregnant, it is suddenly just a mouse click away. I have written about this Michael Stars T-shirt before and I will assure you, it is the best long-sleeved maternity T-shirt out there. It is extra long, it is comfortable, it has a flattering neckline, it layers very well, it is made from high-quality cotton, it doesn’t shrink, and you can easily wear it from the very first day you discover you are pregnant until the day when you officially lose all of your baby weight. I advise you to buy it in every available color and now that it is mysteriously so easily available in white, I advise you to buy as many as your wallet can withstand (at USD $59, it is not an inexpensive T-shirt, but you will get your money’s worth).
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I’m thrilled to be back in New York for the summer, but after an excruciating 11-hour overnight flight home, I have four severely jetlagged babies and consequently, I am functioning at a very low level right now. This will be a short posting. But a pregnant friend just asked me to recommend a stylish, denim maternity skirt and I discovered that my must-have Citizens of Humanity Maternity Denim Skirt is currently on sale at Nordstrom. I haven’t blogged about this skirt before, because it was very overpriced at USD $163. But it’s now 33% off and can now be yours for a much more reasonable USD $108.90 
I try very hard not to be swayed by celebrity maternity fashion, so I tend to ignore what most of the starlets are wearing during their pregnancies. After all, those of us who are not Nicole Richie can’t fit into Balenciaga pants when we are with child, let alone afford them in the first place. But I recently came across this photo of “Gossip Girl” actress Kelly Rutherford in a beautiful Paulina Maternity summer dress and I felt compelled to share it with you. I LOVE “Gossip Girl.” I feel I am entitled to such guilty, mindless pleasures while I am stranded here in the Middle Eastern desert and I have been known to check iTunes about 25 times a day on Tuesdays waiting for the new episode to appear so I can download it and watch. It is going to be a very long summer without Serena, Blair, and Chuck.
And if you are very early on in your pregnancy, it can be cute as well. It also works if you are still trying to camouflage your pregnancy or if you’ve just had a baby and are trying to disguise your new muffintop. But note that it has no definition around the middle (no empire waist, no sash in the back) and if you are in that second-trimester stage where you just kind of look pudgy, this dress may not be your most flattering bet. The Never Ending Story Dress is available 
The more forgiving, straight-leg maternity jean seems to me a perfectly acceptable fashion compromise for the extremely pregnant woman and I just discovered that J Brand has released its straight-leg maternity jeans in a new color for Fall 2009. They are now not only available in the very dark Indigo color, but also in this lighter color, Ocean. Saks Fifth Avenue now has both colors for sale in all sizes 
But Mama-La-Mode asked Lotus London to adapt its gorgeous silk, beach kaftans for maternity and while I am usually very skeptical of “adapted” maternity clothing, I have to admit, it works. The kaftans have a belt and Lotus London has added two sets of belt loops that work either under your bump or above. The kaftans are roomy and even at my current size, the periwinkle “Anais Poncho” at left which I purchased is still long enough that I feel comfortable wearing it on the beach (I should tell you I ordered one size up from my pre-pregnancy size just to make sure). Out in public, I’ll need to wear it with pants, but if you aren’t that pregnant, it would certainly work as a summer dress (it actually comes with a slip underneath to make sure it’s not see-through should you wear it without a bathing suit). 
And priced at a steep GBP 259 (USD $373) 
If you don’t happen to live in a warm climate, aren’t going to be spending much of your pregnancy beachside, and don’t want to make quite such a large investment in your beach look, Mama-la-Mode does have several of Lotus London’s beach kaftans on sale, reduced 
Congrats to my good friend Jessye, who gave birth to Jasper Lapenn over here in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon. Poor Jessye endured three days in an Israeli hospital as the doctors tried desperately to induce her, but she ultimately gave birth to Jasper via C-section. Jasper is obviously a trooper and Jessye clearly deserves a stiff drink mixed with her Tylenol/codeine after that ordeal. I haven’t been able to talk to Jessye at length yet, but I’ll be taking notes so I know exactly what not to do when my turn at the same Israeli hospital arises in a few weeks. 
Moving on to a crucial spring maternity staple, the basic maternity T-shirt. Michael Stars has released some vibrant, fun colors in its maternity line for Spring 2009 and the oh-so-very reliable and flattering Michael Stars Scoopneck Ruched Cap-Sleeve T-Shirt is now available in yellow, orange, lavender, amazon blue, turquoise, passion pink, as well as the basic black, coffee brown, and white. I’ve included a sampling of some of the colors here. 
Both Due Maternity and Bellydance Maternity are carrying varying selections of the new spring colors 
The Michael Stars T-shirts are $48 at both Due and Bellydance and are one size fits all. I have been wearing this T-shirt since the start of my pregnancy and at 33 weeks, it still covers everything that needs to be covered, so it’s a good investment.
I was thrilled to discover this past weekend that Shopbop is now carrying Paige Denim’s Blue Heights Skinny Maternity Jean in a dark blue rinse (previously, these jeans had only been available in black). I absolutely love these jeans. As I’ve blogged 
I am now loving Vince’s Long-Sleeve Open Front Cable Knit Cardigan, which I recently puchased and am using to throw over just about everything, from dresses to blouses to just plain old tank tops and jeans. It basically works as a cozy, oversized shrug, so you can wear it with just about anything. It doesn’t even come close to closing in the front so do be aware that this is a “show off your bump” piece. It’s a 40% cashmere/30% wool/30% alpaca blend and is made from the high-quality wool we all have come to expect from Vince. Also, because of the chunky cable-knit texture, this sweater doesn’t have the “pilling” issue that drives me absolutely crazywith most of my maternity sweaters. Like all Vince sweaters, this is also a definite keeper for those postpartum days when your stomach is flat again and you just need a warm cardigan to throw over your outfit.
This sweater is, of course, drastically reduced since I purchased it and is selling for only USD $79.99 
I have consoled myself, however, with Alice & Olivia’s cream-colored Marilyn Knit Wool coat, which I recently bought on sale, and turns out to be extraordinarily maternity- friendly. I tried to buy this sweater coat last fall and it was completely sold out at all the major department stores. But I recently discovered it in several online boutiques and not only was it still available in my size, but it was also on sale, the priced halved from USD $638 to USD $319. And it’s not just your typical sweater coat. The shell and collar are wool, but it’s completely lined in silk, so it feels especially decadent. And don’t worry, I can personally attest to it being easy to clean–Tristan vomited watermelon and tomatoes all over it last Friday and after a trip to the dry cleaner, it looks good as new. And best of all, it seems to be cut specifically for a pregnant woman, with an empire waist, pleating all through the empire seam, and a tie that fits just right over your bump. In fact, doesn’t this model kind of look pregnant even though she is not? I actually don’t know if I would wear this sweater if I weren’t pregnant, I can’t imagine it would do wonders for one’s lower half.
