Fashionable maternity wardrobes for moms-to-be

• Maternity finds just a click away

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

From left, Kimi Takazawa, Monette Rivera and Liz Bell model maternity clothes designed to be fashionable and more figure-flattering. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser Maternity fashion show at the New Baby Expo Featuring fashions from Makana Mother and Baby, including designs by Japanese Weekend, Olian, Maximum Mama and Mama Pavlova 1:20 p.m. Sunday, Pikake Room, Blaisdell Exhibition Hall Free. Information: 227-2229

Vogue magazine, that champion of the thinnest possible female figure, ran a photo essay on gorgeous pregnant moms in their recent "Shape" issue. Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman and Elizabeth Hurley have been seen flaunting their blossoming bellies. That Rachel, Jennifer Aniston's character on "Friends," has been pregnant and gave birth in last night's episode, has revved up the popular sitcom's ratings.

Since Demi Moore bared all nine months of her pregnant shape in a photo on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in 1991, there's been growing pride in the pregnant female form.

"I don't think there's been a generation before, within the last several hundred years anyway, where people have really emphasized their pregnancy rather than tried to hide it, mask it or deny it," said Dana Davidson, a professor of family resources at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. "The idea of feeling proud of your body through pregnancy is indicative of the New Age woman. She feels empowered in many ways, and fertility is definitely one area."

And the fashion industry has begun following Hollywood's lead in recent years by producing more fashionable and figure-flattering maternity clothes.

Unfortunately, they are in short supply in Hawai'i.

"Why can't I find cute maternity clothes like that here?" has been the cry among pregnant women in Hawai'i as they've watched Rachel on "Friends" parade around in smart, hip outfits tailored for her character's pregnant shape.

It's already tough enough to dress well during pregnancy. Most women say they have to settle for less-attractive styles and fabrics than they would normally wear — a compromise especially tough for women who must dress for professional settings. And there are relatively few maternity retail sources here.

JCPenney had a career-oriented line of maternity clothing in the late 1990s. But when it failed to sell well, the company surveyed customers and found they wanted more casual clothing, said Christina Dao, senior department manager for women's apparel at the Pearlridge store. The line now targets trend-conscious young mothers, offering jeans, sateen Capri sets and lots of stretch fabrics. At Sears, the look also tends toward the casual.

Complicating matters is that, for many women, it doesn't make sense to buy a whole new wardrobe to use for just the 30 weeks or so that a pregnant woman "shows," and the months after birth as she moves toward slimming back down. Relatively few women these days have more than two children, so maternity clothes seldom become long-term investment pieces.

The ideal, of course, would be to have 'ohana maternity wardrobes, passed on from mother to mother. But every woman grows differently, and has different taste.

So clothes-conscious pregnant women in Hawai'i are devising their own strategies and relying on the Internet, Mainland contacts and other resources.

The search commences

Kim Gennaula, anchorwoman at KGMB, who is due June 24, said she's been frustrated at Hawai'i's small selection of maternity clothes. Because she must wear business suits on the air five days a week, she improvises by wearing regular jackets, leaving them open when at the anchor desk.

Gennaula found a few suits she likes at Makana Mother and Baby, a mobile clothes retailer, and online at maternity sites Pea in a Pod and Japanese Weekend. For casual maternity clothes, her mother sent a box from a Target store on the Mainland.

Joyleen Kaiwi-Glenn of Mililani did not work during her first pregnancy, so she simply borrowed her husband's clothes. However, during this pregnancy, her second, she is working at Neiman Marcus, where she is required to dress to the standard of the store.

Unhappy with the maternity offerings in most stores here, she's found more satisfaction shopping online, finding her basics (jeans, jackets, T-shirts and blouses) at Gap.com and Old Navy.com. And, she learned, if you order through the local outlets of those store chains, the shipping is free.

Michelle Busbee of Hawai'i Kai used to wear suits to her downtown job. Now approaching the sixth month of her first pregnancy, she hasn't found a maternity suit she likes, so her sister sent one from the Mainland. Busbee found a few skirts and a cardigan at the Motherhood store in Pearlridge, saying, "They're not my normal look but it's OK for right now." She said she wishes Ann Taylor or Liz Claiborne would create a maternity line.

Kimi Takazawa of Manoa found some casual pieces at Motherhood, as well as T-shirts and khakis at the online sites for Gap and Old Navy. When it came to career clothes, she was delighted to discover Makana Mother and Baby where she found a suit, jeans and blouses.

A bright idea

The mobile clothes retailer Makana Mother and Baby is the brainchild of Deborah Sharkey of Nu'uanu. Sharkey does not have a storefront. She rents a U-Haul truck and takes her extensive collection, enough to fill a 1,200-square-foot room, to weekend shows in the Blaisdell Center meeting rooms.

The business grew out of her frustration at not finding maternity clothes she liked when she was pregnant with her son Ian, who is now 2.

Throughout her pregnancy she paid attention to magazines such as Pregnancy and Fit Pregnancy, and to other women's wish lists. Makana Mother and Baby offers 20 quality maternity and nursing brands, including Japanese Weekend, Olian, Mama Pavlova, Belly Basics and Bravado. The collection includes business suits, career separates, special occasion ensembles, workout wear and swimwear. Items range from $20 basic shorts and T-shirts to $170 business suits.

Pregnant women deserve to dress well, says Sharkey, who also holds a day job at PRWorks. "There are so many ups and downs throughout pregnancy anyway. The idea that you may have to wear a tent covered with pastel prints of baby ducks would depress any woman."

Maternity finds just a click away

Because so many pregnant women seem to shop online for maternity clothes, we checked out some of the sites. Here's what we found:

www.babystyle.com
Designs from Diane von Furstenberg, Cherry Pie and Adidas. The site's private collection includes fashionable $54 jeans and a $90 suede jacket.

Eneamaternity.com
The spring/summer collection is not for the timid, offering bright Pucci-like prints on tops with cropped jeans, red shimmer stretch denim jeans ($60) and a black stretch mini ($59).

www.landsend.com
Lands' End, the purveyor of casual classics, last month introduced a maternity line designed by moms, including chinos ($50), oxford shirts ($20) and stretch jeans ($42).

lizlange.com
This stylish, upscale maternity site sports lots of color and sexy, body-conscious fabrics, plus active wear in conjunction with Nike. Pants run about $120-$150, while dresses will set you back $135-$200. Liz Lange is a favorite of Anne Heche.

nicolematernity.com
Find sexy evening attire here, such as a black T-neck evening gown ($128) or tube top with a split-leg pant ($140). Faith Hill shops here.

www.target.com
Until we get a Target in Hawai'i, cost-conscious pregnant women will like this site's linen/rayon separates for $16 apiece, and a sleeveless pique dress for $15.