Affordable maternity work tops for very large chested women (no empire waist)

So, not quite there yet (and really hoping to get there!) But I tried on some maternity clothes to get an idea of what I'd be looking at, and, guess what? THEY DON'T FIT MY CHEST... I am really hoping some of you ladies have been somewhere and can recommend places I will be able to shop when I get there....

I was a 32DDD before, and I've grown quite a bit in just a couple of months- probably and E or an F now... Everywhere I've went, (Target, Kohls Ross Marshalls) all of the styles that aren't T-shirts are Empire waist-which means they cut my boobs in half and look ridiculous. There were a few empire types that were Large or Extra- Large, which were skin tight on my chest and also showing way too much cleavage...makes me look like a streetwalker at best..

I cannot afford clothes from 'motherhood' or the online store referenced here, so that is not an option. I work in a professional environment that forbids casual wear, so t-shirts is definitly not an option...

An added frustration was I notced there WERE NO SKIRTS. This may sound silly, but I don't wear pants- ever. I have really short legs so nothing fits, and I have really chubby thighs.... but not a big rear... so I only wear skirts. Needing skirts, professional blouses (not empire waist)

Again, I feel weird about posting this because I am superstitious and all, and I'm not there yet, but I thought I would ask before I end up having to make the choice between staying at home or leaving the house with buttons popping and skirts unzipped... where do the other large chested women shop for their clothes?

Thank you so much in advance ladies!

 

I am not large chested, but I wanted to let you know that Motherhood has great stuff on clearance. I got outfits- pants and shirts for 9.99-19.99. Check the clearance section.

 

I have a very large chest also. I was a DD before and I'm an F now. Unfortunately almost every maternity shirt is cut very low. So, I buy the shirts to fit my chest (mostly X-large) and i wear a tank top/cami under every shirt. The empire shirts should work if you buy them big enough and wear a tank underneath. I would recommend getting dresses instead of skirts and shirts. It is the same deal with having to wear a tank top, but at least you get a whole outfit when you buy a dress. My favorite dress so far is actually not maternity from kohls. This is it: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/womens/dre...oral+Dress.jsp#. I just wear a black tank under it for additional coverage. There is lots of room for a growing belly even though it isn't maternity.

 

I wear a D and have a longer torso, and even I have problems with the clothing peddled to pregnant women now. I feel like most of the clothes now are feeding into the "hot pregnant sexy little mama" trend now. . . sadly, being pregnant for some people is a fashion trend.

I have had some luck at my local consignment shops. . . finding skirts, dresses, tops and jeans for $2 to $10. You just have to look often. Also, if you hit the Target sale racks at the right time, you can hit the jackpot. Have you tried seeing if any of the Women's sizes might look nice? Even though I wear a size 10 or 12, I sometimes find Women's tops that look good on my pregnant body.

Seems like there used to be a brand called Dan Howard that had maternity and women's sizes. . .

 

QUOTE(marisa55 @ May 18 2008, 08:01 AM) [snapback]779510[/snapback]
I have a very large chest also. I was a DD before and I'm an F now. Unfortunately almost every maternity shirt is cut very low. So, I buy the shirts to fit my chest (mostly X-large) and i wear a tank top/cami under every shirt. The empire shirts should work if you buy them big enough and wear a tank underneath. I would recommend getting dresses instead of skirts and shirts. It is the same deal with having to wear a tank top, but at least you get a whole outfit when you buy a dress. My favorite dress so far is actually not maternity from kohls. This is it: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/womens/dre...oral+Dress.jsp#. I just wear a black tank under it for additional coverage. There is lots of room for a growing belly even though it isn't maternity.



Thanks... tank top is a good idea... unfortunately the XL are still too tight for my chest I like the dress!

 

QUOTE(Emily@Home @ May 18 2008, 09:36 AM) [snapback]779604[/snapback]
I wear a D and have a longer torso, and even I have problems with the clothing peddled to pregnant women now. I feel like most of the clothes now are feeding into the "hot pregnant sexy little mama" trend now. . . sadly, being pregnant for some people is a fashion trend.

I have had some luck at my local consignment shops. . . finding skirts, dresses, tops and jeans for $2 to $10. You just have to look often. Also, if you hit the Target sale racks at the right time, you can hit the jackpot. Have you tried seeing if any of the Women's sizes might look nice? Even though I wear a size 10 or 12, I sometimes find Women's tops that look good on my pregnant body.

Seems like there used to be a brand called Dan Howard that had maternity and women's sizes. . .



Thanks, I appreciate it... I can definitely look into the plus sized stuff... Right now they would look silly but they probably won't in a couple of months- lol....

They really do cater to women with 'normal' (average sized) chests, don't they? Don't they realize women's boobs grow in pregnancy too?
thanks again! Sorry for the griping! Really, this is not the worst problem in the world to have, but it IS a little annoying

 

I have found some great deals at oldnavy.com. If you don't like what you buy, you can return it to the store. It's $5 for shipping, which isn't too bad. The clearance racks at Old Navy can have some great deals too. Maybe an XXL will fit your chest. I have found some tops at Motherhood on clearance that fit pretty well and I'm large-chested too. You just have to shop around until you find exactly what you want. It's a lot of work.

 

I found quite a bit at Motherhood....Their prices are no more than Target. I actually got some stuff in there cheaper! Good luck!!

 

My chest is not all that large but have found shopping to be a bear with twins as my belly is huge and had to go from a medium to large just at around 20 weeks......Motherhood has great sales. You may also want to check out ebay. I got 14 new items tops and bottoms, skirt, dress for a under $200 on one of the auctions there. All was in great condition and fit well, except for 1 top. Hope this helps.

 

Try JCPenney.com You can get some great stuff there on sale. I am Plus size and 6 feet tall. So buy anything is hard for me. I had great success there. Good Luck!

 

Sears has some nice stuff and plus sizes. I chose to go up to a 1x in plus size since my boobs are big too, and bought ones with a tie in the back so they dont look like im swallowed in them. they also have nice work sets, that are tops & skirts or tops & dress pants.

 

QUOTE(marisa55 @ May 18 2008, 08:01 AM) [snapback]779510[/snapback]
I have a very large chest also. I was a DD before and I'm an F now. Unfortunately almost every maternity shirt is cut very low. So, I buy the shirts to fit my chest (mostly X-large) and i wear a tank top/cami under every shirt. The empire shirts should work if you buy them big enough and wear a tank underneath. I would recommend getting dresses instead of skirts and shirts. It is the same deal with having to wear a tank top, but at least you get a whole outfit when you buy a dress. My favorite dress so far is actually not maternity from kohls. This is it: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/womens/dre...oral+Dress.jsp#. I just wear a black tank under it for additional coverage. There is lots of room for a growing belly even though it isn't maternity.



Thanks... it is good to know I'm not alone.... unfortunately I did a LOT of shopping this weekend and found even the extra-large empire waists don't fit my chest.... which is REALLY frustrating because I fit a medium regular shirt, and even some 'regular' empire waist stuff fits in a large... grrrr..... I will check out the Kohl's dresses, though, thanks for that!

 

Gap Maternity had some cute stuff on mega-sale. Not hoochie-mama wear. I'm trying to get soft, stretchy knits with loads of room. Old Navy is cheap and has lots of tanks and camis...good for layering/making a low-cut top decent.
I also found Belly Bands on Amazon that you wear under your top, over your unzipped skirt. They have loads of different colors, but I figure black or white will work with everything.