When you are pregnant, it can feel like in surrendering complete control of your body to the process of having a baby, you also lose your sense of self because all the clothes you have chosen to articulate you no longer fit how they once did. This is a theme that carries over into parenthood more broadly but one of the greatest tacit qualities that I believe style brings to us is the material reminder that through even the steepest valleys of transformation, you’re still in there.

Today, Laura Vidrequin — a London-based (but French) fashion consultant, stylist, and the founder of Kids o’Clock (a kid’s clothing resale platform) — breaks down how she retains her sense of self while dressing to accommodate her second pregnancy and the panoply of changes that come with it. So! What do you wear when you’re pregnant and have to…

“I started with the skirt and added the sweater, but it wasn’t interesting enough to me (I wanted to add new dynamic), so I put on the shoes because I was hanging at home and they create a good contrast. They’re perfect in between — for being home or stepping out, and I was dropping my son to school and had a whole day of meetings ahead. It’s transition weather season [see: the 5th season] in London and I love fringe, so I grabbed this jacket and it completed the look.”

“I love this look so much — I think because it surprised me. I bought this fringe vest from Portobello market, but didn’t try it on and when I get home realized it was much tighter than what I usually wear. I had no idea how to pair it, but with these pants, it just worked. the proportions are surprising but right [lightweight, straight leg].

The shirt underneath is my husband’s — I’m completely guided emotionally when I shop, so I don’t own any classics of my own — all my t-shirts are merch from travel or airports. The basics I wear are my husband’s. And the shoes are very easy and comfortable for walking.”

“This is really the kind of outfit that you have to wear to a meal or somewhere you’re going to sit a lot because you can’t run after your kids at the park and the shoes are too open for too much walking.”

“I wear this outfit every single day when I don’t have a meeting or something. I mean that — every day. These leggings are from H&M —I have them in 2 colors and I wear them literally all the time because they are so comfortable. I don’t always like wearing pregnancy denim (even though I do it) because even though it’s nice to look put together, I don’t find the jeans comfortable, but these cycling pants are great because of how they are cut. The area from my knees to my ankles is the only part of my body I still recognize — it still looks familiar (and I could still see it), so it feels nice and soft and feminine to show this part.

The sneakers are chunkier than I usually wear, but I love them with the jacket and my belly — they catch the weight of both. The jacket is so heavy — it’s like wearing a weight vest, which is why I wear such lightweight stuff under.

I don’t care that the jacket is so heavy, I feel at home in it. The way some people feel so comfortable in my blazer, that’s like me with fringe.”

“I wore this on a date with husband — we went for pizza on Portobello road. This is such a comfortable dress from My Malene Birger; there is no seam so it completely hugs you like a blanket and when you’re pregnant, everything is uncomfortable except for being laid across a bed. It’s super light as well.

It was raining on this day, which is why I had on socks with my clogs. I love in and out shoes because I live near a garden so I can always step in and out like this.”

“One annoying feature of being pregnant is that you find yourself having these needs that won’t be relevant anymore postpartum, but I have a shopping rule which is that if I can’t figure out how to wear something at least 15 [yes, 15] times, I won’t buy it and this set — a polo and ribbed skirt from Ven store — is so versatile. You can truly wear it anywhere: to the dentist, to drop off, to a serious meeting. And I can wear it like this or with flat sandals and jewelry, or in the winter with boots. It’s a no-brain-needed look and I know that I will use it post-pregnancy too.

The jacket is from Stand Studio — I love an oversize leather jacket but the sleeves can look very aggressive or overwhelming, so it’s nice with the vest against the knit. It creates a softness.”

“I don’t want to feel hidden, or like I’m excluded/different when I am pregnant so this look helps me feel like my non-pregnant self. It’s with the same H&M leggings but in black — I love putting them because thet don’t hide me like a sweater dress might and they show the legs, so I can have fun with my shoes.

But then I put on the sweater (from Tricot) bc I do still want to be hugged and embraced.”

“I bought these shorts from By Malene Birger, they’re size 44, and I will have to take them in post pregnancy but it feels so nice to wear a non-maternity piece. I would rather invest in something I know I will be able to take in and love/use later rather than buy a piece that won’t serve me after my pregnancy.

The sweater and the shoes do the same thing for me — both are kind of weird: why would you wear an open-foot flat that is shearling, why would you wear a sweater than doesn’t keep half your top warm but I get hot flashes a lot so both do well in keeping me somewhat warm but also fresh.

I wore this for a full-day brainstorm [off-site]. It felt good because I could sit in it for a long time, and the hot flashes came and went and I was fine.”

“This is a good thing you might wear to a pub or something with your partner/friends, when you want to feel like everyone else. I’m so glad the one-shoulder top is coming back from the 90s, I never dressed like Buffy the Vampire Slayer but [this is my contribution to that style era]. The shoes (by Rondini) are easy slip-ons, so I don’t need to bend down for them and these jeans are a size 50 mens jeans that I bought for 5 pounds from a store on Portobello road. I have been wearing this belt throughout my whole pregnancy because it’s the only one I have with enough holes to extend all the way out.”

“If you have a belt with a lot of holes [or you go ahead and add new holes] a pair of regular mens pants can make you feel like everyone else while you are pregnant, no need to for maternity anything.”

“I bought these pants from the same shop. They are super big and belted the same way. It’s an easy outfit to wear when running around. I love the combination of the gold [of my ring] and belt buckle against the army pants; Vans have been my easiest shoes to wear this season, they go with everything in the early summer and I like the nautical vibe with the ivory and navy blue.

The sweater is from Tricot; I love this brand because I am very particular about the neck of my sweaters. The ribbed ring of these sweaters is thick, flat and open on the neck, so it exposes more of it. Most womens sweaters either have rings that are too small and the ribbed area is too thin or too bulky.”

“Start with the item you’re most excited about, which was these army pants for me. I love how they look with this pink sweater. Even though it’s not feminine, it really is. And then as far as the shoes, they took me a long time to find! I had seen a little girl wearing them with socks and her mini skirt/school uniform and thought, Wow I have to find those. In the end, I got them on Etsy.”

“The great thing about a dress is that it’s the whole outfit — you throw it on and go. I love how long dresses look on me — I guess because I am tall, so they suit me well.

The little basket is Hermes; I have many thrifted, beaten-up baskets and I wanted one to use formally as an evening or more fancy bag. It’s a quite versatile piece as well, like a modern deco piece, so it looks nice as [a tabletop] accessory in my home, too.”

“This is very girly for my usual style, but if you don’t wear something like this when pregnant, when do you wear it? As it is smocked, you can wear it before and after pregnancy and it never makes the wrong impression — do you know what I mean? She’s not too blue, not too printed, not too smocked. So it works for many events when you’re not sure what to expect from the crowd you’ll be in.

I wore it to a brunch recently, when I was being introduced to a bunch of new moms in my neighborhood. I didn’t feel like my truest, most natural self but it also felt nice to be a bit quiet.”

“These are maternity jeans [from H&M] from my first pregnancy. I’m wearing them with a jacket I got from Portobello Road and my denim Ralph Lauren shirt. The sandals are from Soeur. I wore this to the hospital for my glucose test, which made me so sick, actually, that I had to stay at the hospital for the entire day and do it again. The good news is, I had on three layers, so the denim jacket spent most of the day shoved into my bag and if I got hot, I took off the denim shirt and tied it around my waist. All is well!” As told to Leandra Medine Cohen from London to New York on May 18th, 2023

Up next? How to dress for vacation when you’re pregnant…

See you soon.