Hip, Fun Maternity Wear: Urban Belly
Interview

Belly camouflage is no longer the rule of maternity wear. Proud expectant mothers can now find dress in maternity fashions that reflect a variety of personalities and lifestyles.

Kellie Ulrich and Megan Geary of the maternity fashion boutique Urban Belly

LoveToKnow Pregnancy asked Kellie Ulrich, owner of the maternity wear boutique Urban Belly in Des Moines, IA, about celebrating this special time of life with fashion and the latest trends in maternity wear. In the store she runs with sister Megan Geary, Ulrich stocks maternity clothes that enhance personal style while respecting a need for comfort and versatility.

When did the tide shift from maternity wear that was rather dull to a more modern, fun, even glamorous, approach?

I started really noticing a shift in the maternity market when Generation X entered the starting-a-family stage of life. Several factors collided and created a very confident pregnant woman who is more secure to bare her belly.

• Women are having children a minimum of five years later than 20 years ago. Age brings wisdom and confidence: the wisdom to know we don’t have to sacrifice style and the confidence to show it off.
• The number of women in the professional workforce is far greater and women no longer have to hide their pregnancies at work.
• Celebrities helped pave the path by setting stylish examples and making their pregnancies more public. I think Rachel on Friends was key to giving everyday women the go-ahead on making pregnancy cute.

Urban Belly, in Des Moines' East Village neighborhood

Why do you think most of today's pregnant women are more comfortable with body image than all the generations before?

I think in part because accentuating the pregnant figure has gone mainstream. It’s hard to be the first, but a few brave souls started a trend and made it easy for us to follow.

I do feel, however, that I have a responsibility to not push women into the belly-baring role. Too many images of weight gain isolated only to the belly can lead to unhealthy pregnant body images. I would hate for an expecting mother to feel inadequate because she carries her weight differently than the images seen in the media or in our store.

Women don’t have to wear the tummy-hugging tees to look hip. At Urban Belly, we try to bring a variety of fits and styles so no matter where pregnancy weight is being carried, moms-to-be can find something to feel comfortable and confident in.

How do other people respond when they see a mother-to-be in a tight belly t-shirt instead of a big-bowed smock?

We hear a lot of reactions. The most common comment we hear from women who carried their kids 20+ years ago is “They didn’t have things like this when we were pregnant. We had to hide it!”

I think those women are excited to see the transformation in maternity wear and the overall response is positive, sans maybe the pink two-piece swimsuit we carried. Also, the younger generation is much more comfortable with a two-piece swimsuit in general, and have successfully carried that over to maternity.

What do you look for in maternity wear and dress maternity fashion for Urban Belly, and how quickly do trends change?

We look for good basics and will test out as many items as we can find until we get consistent positive feedback on one. I want to make sure an item is a good fit on a number of different figures before we will consider it a store staple. We also look for seasonal items that resemble trends in the non-maternity market.

We love it when we hear “Do you have to be pregnant to wear this?” Our answer is always “absolutely not!” Megan and I are always clad in our own maternity styles and love it. We love to find items that can transition easily into post-maternity clothing. It’s much easier to sell something that you can tell women to continue wearing well after their nine months.

One line we have found that is great for this is Momzee. Their designers seem to really stay on top of trends and merge this with pregnancy comfort.

Momzee top

We also look for lines like Olian that help us keep our prices down. Olian has a great pair of professional pants that we sell for around $60.

The many changes the body goes through in nine months can sometimes be nerve-racking. What suggestions do you have for mothers-to-be for staying stylish and confident during their pregnancy?

I would suggest staying as close to your pre-pregnancy style as possible. If you love low-rise jeans and clingy knits, you will have no problem finding a slew of styles to meet your needs.

On the other hand, if you don’t normally wear the clingy tees because you are uncomfortable in them, don’t try to start just because that’s what you have seen in the magazines. Same thing with color and cuts.

The options are endless and a good maternity store will have something that represents several different styles. Take advantage of that!

At Urban Belly, we love it when a customer gives us a little bit of detail describing the look they want. We know what will be most flattering on what figures and we help save a lot of time in the dressing room. This is an exciting time and the last thing we want is someone worrying about is back fat!

Obviously many women want to spend money on preparing for the baby and maybe not as much for clothes they'll only wear for a short time. What few pieces of maternity fashion can carry a mother-to-be through most of the cycle?

We love to help women build a maternity wardrobe with just a few pieces.

• Start with the Bella Band, which lets women wear their non-maternity pants longer and start wearing maternity clothing earlier, so it gets a lot of mileage out of both.
• ChiarKruza Klee Pants because they seamlessly transition from dress maternity to casual and will last the whole nine-months and then some. I always suggest women bring these to the hospital because they will want to wear them home.
• A pair of perfectly fitting jeans.
• For work, Olian professional pants and a shirt for each day to coordinate with either black or brown.
• Check for tops in department stores’ juniors’ section, as the trends right now in contemporary fashion are so similar to maternity.
• The other item we suggest is a baby shower outfit for first-time moms. This is always the most fun outfit to find.

Urban Belly also features shirts that state "Celebrate Adoption" and "Adoption Rocks". Why did you decide to carry these pieces?

I created our Adoption Apparel line to give women who are expecting through adoption a fun way to spread their news and raise awareness. I am an expecting adoptive mother myself, and was a bit envious when selling all the fun novelty tees for pregnant women. I wanted to wear something fun while I wait. We have had very positive response, and actually just made the Top 8 list of best adoption gifts.

You and Megan are also very community-conscious. You recommend that new mothers donate their maternity clothing to women in shelters. Urban Belly also donates some of the proceeds from the adoption tees to select adoption agencies. Why is charitable involvement important to you?

When I decided to do something entrepreneurial, the second thought I had was regarding what ways can I give back. Both Megan and I have been very blessed in our lives and in starting our families, yet we know many others are not. It only seems right that if I am in a position to start a company, I should be able to pass some resources around. I have also found that if you make giving turn-key for people, they are more willing to give.

Aside from shopping on your Web site, what other resources would you recommend for our readers interested in maternity fashion?

There are so many resources for maternity fashion. Celebrities are much more public with their pregnancies and seem to have access to all the cool stuff. A quick look through any of the fashion mags will nearly always have a few hip expecting women. Even if you can’t buy that exact outfit, it’s great style fodder. Head down to your local maternity boutique and they are likely to have something similar.

~Tracey L. Kelley

• Winter Maternity Clothing
• Maternity Polo Shirts
• Summer Maternity Fashion
• Gender Selection and Conception
• Conception Myths

• How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test
• Natural Ways to Induce Labor
• How to Conceive a Boy
• How to Conceive a Girl
• Early Pregnancy Symptoms

• Maternity T-Shirt
• Maternity Evening Wear
• Funky Maternity Clothes
• Main Page
• Novelty Maternity Shirts