UPDATE: Formal event at 16w - maternity or regular dress?

[minionkevin]

My company holds a huge formal holiday gala for its employees. Long dresses/gowns are preferred - short dresses are very out of place. I am going to be 16w+ on the day of the event. I am on the border of regular and plus sizes not pregnant. With Kid2, I did not really look pregnant until ~24w. With Kid1, I was definitely showing by 16w. FWIW, I started out this pregnancy ~30lb less than I did either of the previous ones so between that and the differences of my other 2 pregnancies, I have no idea what to expect. Either way I have huge boobs (34M - not a typo) - so a lot of empire styles cut right across my chest vs. under it.
I am an overthinker and already looking for dresses but...
-Regular or maternity?
-Regular or plus size?
Any experience with Pink Blush sizing? I like basically none of their plus size maternity dresses but I’m afraid that an XL in the ones I do like will be too small. I would be willing to give PB a try if they run larger.
I have gained maybe 3lb (I’m 7w and eating all the carbs), but I gained most of my weight in 3rd tri both times.

[pooh8402]

I would get a regular dress that is bump-friendly. Like a wrap dress.

I love Pink Blush and have a few items from there. They run TTS for me.

[cherryvalance]

How much lead time do you need? Would you be able to order and return? I'd probably just order a ton of stuff in enough time to try and return within the return window.

[jennistarr1]

Shop both and see what you find, any chance if you bought maternity you would have another formal event to wear it to anyways

[centralsquare]

I went to a formal wedding in NY at 15w (not my first pg)

I wore this, which I already had, and it worked beautifully. I am a 36G right now, and it was easy to tie under my bustline.

[cheeseandcrackers]

i feel like you could go either way at 16 weeks.
i never bought maternity dersses though because most fit the same, unless you're really trying to show off your bump and you want those sides that hug on it.

[Susie]

I'm in a similar boat, will be 14w for my firm's holiday party, but mine is more cocktail attire.  I am not sure whether I'll have shared news publicly by then.  I'm short (overall and torso) and will almost certainly be showing by then.  I think my plan is to try to find a bump-friendly non-maternity dress to rent, because I need a nice dress but don't want to buy ($$$) a nice dress at my early 2nd tri size.  I'm thinking of this:

www.renttherunway.com/shop/designers/badgley_mischka/ombre_natasha_dress

or similar, something I can wear a regular bra with.

[scm1011]

Oct 17, 2018 10:25:41 GMT -5 Susie said:

I'm in a similar boat, will be 14w for my firm's holiday party, but mine is more cocktail attire.  I am not sure whether I'll have shared news publicly by then.  I'm short (overall and torso) and will almost certainly be showing by then.  I think my plan is to try to find a bump-friendly non-maternity dress to rent, because I need a nice dress but don't want to buy ($$$) a nice dress at my early 2nd tri size.  I'm thinking of this:

www.renttherunway.com/shop/designers/badgley_mischka/ombre_natasha_dress

or similar, something I can wear a regular bra with.

Ohh I love this. I'll be 16w at my firm's "black tie optional" holiday party and I think it would work perfect. Bookmarking! 

[minionkevin]

So Pink Blush was a horrible horrible bust. Sizing is crazy - the XL dresses I tried were more like mediums, the 1X (plus) shirt and cardigan I bought were huge. I was incredibly disappointed in the quality. One of the dresses had a huge pull in it, fabrics were practically see-through thin. And of course having to get a return authorization and pay for return shipping majorly turns me off.
I ordered a few other (non-maternity) dresses from Macy’s on BF and they were...ok. One still hasn’t come yet, one was huge (even in my pre-pregnancy size though I have gained weight), and one was great but more than I wanted to spend.
For some reason, I ordered this dress on Amazon on a lark and it is amazing, especially for the price. It fits perfectly (helped by the fact that I am still not showing). I can wear a regular bra (unlike one of my options I had from pre-pregnancy at a similar weight), and it doesn’t need hemming. So long as I don’t majorly pop in the next week, it is a go!
www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0BUTUX?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

[woowoo]

minionkevin, it's so pretty!!

[Mrs.flang]

That is a beautiful dress! And amazing for the price!

[Susie]

My party is on Friday and I'm still not sure what I'm going to do.  I never pulled the trigger on renting something from RTR because I had no idea how big I'd actually be.  Now that I know, everything I was interested in is sold out.

I have this dress from Gap, which is not maternity:

It fits fine, but IRL the dress is super thick and it just makes me feel kind of lumpy and shapeless.  It would have been great if I was smaller and still trying to hide my bump because it has zero definition to the waist.  But I have a clear belly now, and am "out" at work, and it just makes me feel "fat-not-pregnant."  The slits in the wrists also fit weirdly, like an ungraceful bell sleeve just because of how thick the dress is (with multiple layers).  I think I would need to add hook & eye closures or snaps to hold them shut because they look sloppy on my petite frame.

I also have this dress, which is maternity:

and it's... ok.  The picture shows the cuffs on the sleeves much narrower than they actually are, so that part fits weird.  Also like most of the reviews say, the snap that holds the v-neck closed is too high so it gaps below it.  I would need to remove it and re-sew it on lower.

I don't actually feel pretty in either dress, but I think this is it since I don't have time to order much else.  

[minionkevin]

I feel you on the shapeless part. I also looked at the Gap sequin one, but long is preferred at my party, so I didn’t order it. Also the reviews were pretty poor. If you have Prime, you could get a dress by Thursday. Otherwise I would wear the maternity one and bling it up with some jewelry or bright shoes.

Hello Miz Womens Maternity Floral Lace Nursing Friendly V Neck Faux Wrap Dress (Medium, Navy) www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF8VZUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ItRbCbQ9SWGEY
My Bump Maternity Dress Velvet - Premium Soft Stretch Cowl Neck Baby Shower Photography Party Bodycon Burgundy X-Large www.amazon.com/dp/B0771R76RX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FuRbCb4S1VS0Z
Hello MIZ Women's Maternity Floral Lace Knee Length Bodycon Dress (Black/Silver, M) www.amazon.com/dp/B07JZVGP24/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qvRbCbKARJ05V
Ingrid & Isabel Women's Maternity Boat Neck Lace Dress, Berry, Medium www.amazon.com/dp/B00NR6HX90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EwRbCbWH5J4TZ

[poppyseed]

I hate to hear your bad experience with Pink Blush! I love them. I buy regular clothes from them frequently and have bought several maternity items as well recently and have been happy. The dress you chose is pretty!

[thom]

Dec 4, 2018 12:08:36 GMT -5 minionkevin said:

I feel you on the shapeless part. I also looked at the Gap sequin one, but long is preferred at my party, so I didn’t order it. Also the reviews were pretty poor. If you have Prime, you could get a dress by Thursday. Otherwise I would wear the maternity one and bling it up with some jewelry or bright shoes.

Hello Miz Womens Maternity Floral Lace Nursing Friendly V Neck Faux Wrap Dress (Medium, Navy) www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF8VZUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ItRbCbQ9SWGEY
My Bump Maternity Dress Velvet - Premium Soft Stretch Cowl Neck Baby Shower Photography Party Bodycon Burgundy X-Large www.amazon.com/dp/B0771R76RX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FuRbCb4S1VS0Z
Hello MIZ Women's Maternity Floral Lace Knee Length Bodycon Dress (Black/Silver, M) www.amazon.com/dp/B07JZVGP24/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qvRbCbKARJ05V
Ingrid & Isabel Women's Maternity Boat Neck Lace Dress, Berry, Medium www.amazon.com/dp/B00NR6HX90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EwRbCbWH5J4TZ

These are nice choices. I like the first and the third; I can’t believe how many good options amazon has. Too bad I have no need of a holiday dress.
Susie — you might still have time to 1 or 2 day ship these. Otherwise I hope you can make the little alterations to get one of the other two to work. I like the Gap dress best from the pictures, but it’s hard to tell because pictures can be so deceiving.

minionkevin — You are good at this! I do need to attend a wedding (my H is a groomsman) when I’ll be 5-6 weeks postpartum. I’m tempted on the first dress but comments make it sound like it doesn’t actually work that great nursing. Any other brilliant picks you’ve seen for nursing-friendly dresses??

[Mrs.flang]

thom , I wore this to a wedding at 7 weeks postpartum. It was a little shorter than I would have liked. And the v-neck was very open so I had to pin it, but that made it very easy to nurse. At some point in the night I just left it unpinned and let my black nursing tank peep through and it was fine.

www.renttherunway.com/shop/designers/halston_heritage/lights_of_ioannina_maxi

ETA - I'm sorry, it was so long ago I just realized it's not available to rent anymore.  Maybe something by the same designer would work though!

[Susie]

Dec 4, 2018 12:08:36 GMT -5 minionkevin said:

I feel you on the shapeless part. I also looked at the Gap sequin one, but long is preferred at my party, so I didn’t order it. Also the reviews were pretty poor. If you have Prime, you could get a dress by Thursday. Otherwise I would wear the maternity one and bling it up with some jewelry or bright shoes.

Hello Miz Womens Maternity Floral Lace Nursing Friendly V Neck Faux Wrap Dress (Medium, Navy) www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF8VZUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ItRbCbQ9SWGEY
My Bump Maternity Dress Velvet - Premium Soft Stretch Cowl Neck Baby Shower Photography Party Bodycon Burgundy X-Large www.amazon.com/dp/B0771R76RX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FuRbCb4S1VS0Z
Hello MIZ Women's Maternity Floral Lace Knee Length Bodycon Dress (Black/Silver, M) www.amazon.com/dp/B07JZVGP24/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qvRbCbKARJ05V
Ingrid & Isabel Women's Maternity Boat Neck Lace Dress, Berry, Medium www.amazon.com/dp/B00NR6HX90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EwRbCbWH5J4TZ

I like that first one, but after ordering 3 dresses (the two above plus one that was a total flop and out of the running early) I decided to just alter the velvet one that I PIPed above and go with it.  I pinned it last night and found I can remove the snap and just sew the wrap top closed at my preferred height and I can still easily get it on and off.  Project for tonight.

I end up returning like 3/4 of the maternity dresses that I buy because I have a really short torso and dresses hang too long from the top of the shoulder to the empire waist seam.  The seam ends up running across me an inch or two down my bump instead of where I'm actually smallest (up near my bra band).  It's not a great look, but petite maternity is so hard to come by.  I probably should've ordered more expansively and tried some of these options before this week, oh well.

I suddenly have even more empathy than I even did at the time for Meghan Markle, trying to plan clothes for her Australian tour at about this pregnant.