maternity_surprisesGap Maternity Embroidered Eyelet Shift Dress ($79.95).My review, here:

Once you pass the unkind stage of non-stop nausea and concealing super sore boobs and what can only be described as carby bloat (as if you inhaled an entire XL extra cheese pizza + two bottles of Cab Sav the night before, when only the former is true), the best part about pregnancy is maternity dressing. Look how effortlessly Kate Middleton does does it! I couldn’t wait to take my basketball belly out for a stroll in a perfectly-draped dress. And so I spent countless hours falling down online rabbit holes on Pintestest, Asos, TopShop and Gap admiring the models with their undone hair, belly cupping and glowy skin. That could be me, right?

At first, I assumed I would have to stick to super clingy pieces, like my beloved black body con Vince dress with layered cardigans—because everything boxy I tried on tended to make me look twice the size! I have larger lower half, so I found the tent-like shapes that weren’t form fitting would stick to my belly and my bum—thus creating a side-profile that looked as wide as I am tall!

But in actual fact, I was just trying on the wrong pieces. Here, proof of my first fave item from Gap Maternity, which recently launched in Canada:

Best_maternity_top_GapGap Maternity Linen Denim Three-Quarter Popover ($64.95)

This linen blend top is everything. It’s breezy and skimming and so light! Scientifically, pregnant women are 75% hotter than non-pregnant women (I totally made that up) so wearing linen is such an essential. The only drawback was the linen itself—impossible to keep crease free! But really, who cares. No one rides you on your wrinkles when you’re knocked up.

best_jeans_gap_maternityGapMaternity Tencel Denim Joggers ($69.95)

Now these joggers really took me aback. After close counsel with my fellow curvy Virgo (and vertically-challenged) co-worker Sarah Laing, who suggested I steer clear of these, I plunged in anyway. And they ended up being really, really comfortable and cool. The best part was that they lacked any weird maternity details—no obvious ruching, no extended belly band—they were truly cut the same way non-maternity pants are. I wore them nice and low on my hips on days when my bump felt larger than life, and I was still quite comfortable.

Watch this space for part two of maternity dressing next week.

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