Dressing as a Petite Pregnant Woman

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

5 Rules for Dressing as a Petite Pregnant Woman

If you're a petite woman, you've already spent a lifetime working around the tall-centric nature of the fashion industry in order to look good in your clothes. You've homed in on the cuts and brands that work well for your shorter stature, and you know what styles you absolutely can't pull off. Also, you probably know your tailor well. Like middle-names, where-you-went-to-elementary-school well.

While it is possible to look fashionable and polished as a short woman, you are always going to have to work harder at it than taller women do. 

That doesn't change when you become pregnant. In fact, navigating the maternity fashion world takes the challenge up a notch. 

I confronted this reality when I became pregnant with my first son. I was working as a principal and education director, and was used to going to work looking supremely professional. I'm 5'2", and had honed my workwear game for years. Smart petite blazers and dress pants, skirts that hit at just the right spot, and heels that were comfortable but gave me enough height to see over the heads of (most) 7th grade students. Naively, I assumed that I would simply transition over to quality petite maternity workwear during pregnancy. 

I looked. And Googled. And Googled more. And I came up with a whole lot of nothing. I was a baffled that maternity brands made so few options for petite moms-to-be, and that those options mostly consisted of casual jeans. Unfortunately, most of the petite styles being sold were made of very cheap material, had unflattering proportions, and didn't hold their shape past a few washes. And no one sold petite maternity work clothes. 

Being a pregnant woman -especially a pregnant professional - already comes with plenty of challenges. Beyond constant physical discomfort, you are immediately viewed as less competent and less committed in your career. Being unable to dress professionally only reinforces such false assumptions. Until our society changes its biased attitudes about motherhood, a pregnant woman needs all the support she can get -and that includes great workwear.

After my two pregnancies, and after speaking with numerous friends about their maternity fashion challenges, I decided to leave education to start MARION, a maternity workwear focused brand offering a full petite collection. I had learned in my research that the average height of US women is now 5'4", which is considered the cutoff height for "petite." More and more women continue in their careers while pregnant and nursing, which means more and more short women are working during pregnancy. The more I learned, the more ridiculous it seemed that this huge group of women wasn't being represented in the fashion industry when they became mothers. 

I had no fashion industry training or experience, but I do love solving a good problem. And this problem felt worth solving on behalf of short mamas everywhere. 

Fast forward a couple of years, and MARION has been growing quickly, gaining clients across the US, Canada, Europe, and now Asia. We are thrilled to see what a large part of our sales come from petite mamas, and love hearing about what a relief it is for our customers to find pregnancy clothes that fit. Hopefully, more companies will begin offering petite collections as the need for short-length maternity clothes becomes clearer. MARION designs with petite women in mind, and we base our decisions on 5 petite-friendly fashion principles. Whether it's selecting from MARION's petite line or petite maternity lines to come, following these 5 simple principles will help you put together a maternity wardrobe that will fit and flatter your short frame. 

1. Avoid Boxy or Oversized Clothes

As tempting as it can be to try to hide our growing bodies under loose-fitting and boxy styles, this is the opposite of helpful. For tall women, oversized pieces can look attractively slouchy and effortless. For short women, oversized styles tend to overwhelm our frames, making us look shorter. We're better off wearing fitted pieces that draw attention to the slimmest parts of our silhouettes (especially when we want to provide a counterbalance to our expanding middles). 

I knew this principle long before I was pregnant, so naturally tried on dozens of fitted maternity dresses when expecting my first son. The problem was that my body was covered in new pregnancy bulges (not just on my belly, by the way), and nearly every fitted maternity style I could find was made with paper-thin fabric. I don't have to tell you how unflattering the combination was. This leads me to a maternity-specific petite rule:

2. Choose Quality, Substantial Fabrics

There is nothing worse than feeling exposed as your body changes and expands. Quality, structured fabrics act like Photoshop's magic eraser tool on all the bloats and bulges motherhood brings with it. It's usually true that pieces made from quality materials are more expensive, but the difference is worth. it. Just remember to look for breathable fabric, or your bun won't be the only thing cooking. 

3. Wear Full-Length, Slim Leg Pants

We know- it's oh-so tempting to jump on-trend when pant legs go cropped or super wide. But the reality is that those styles are never going to be the best fit for petites. That's even more true when petites are pregnant. The cropped leg of a shorter pant creates a visual break halfway down our ankle, making it appear that our legs are several inches shorter than they are. No bueno. 

Short frames also struggle to elongate a flowy pant. Instead, wider silhouettes stretch us out horizontally until we risk looking square-shaped. Especially when pregnant, slimming the appearance of our legs balances out our bellies. Fitted maternity pants help make it clear that our thickening middle is from a baby, while the rest of our bodies still look like our bodies (well, mostly). 

The most flattering petite maternity pants are always going to be slim cuts, which can include skinny, straight, or boot. Again, go for quality fabrics that will hold their shape and cover any changes you don't want to advertise. 

4. Follow the Rule of Thirds 

As a petite person, one of your main fashion aims is probably about looking as tall as possible - or at least not looking shorter than you really are. Following the rule of thirds is one of the best ways to maximize all the inches you have to work with - especially during pregnancy. This means splitting your body's lines into thirds. For example, wear maternity and nursing dresses that fall to about your knee so 2/3 of your body is covered by the dress, and 1/3 is showing. Choose 3/4 length shirt sleeves so 2/3 of your arms are covered, leaving only flattering forearms exposed. Select maternity blouses and tops that fall at or above the hip (these are hard to find for short mamas unless you're shopping in a petite maternity collection). Remembering the rule of thirds will bring a balanced, lengthened appearance to every maternity outfit you create. 

5. Flaunt Your Best Bits

Many of us spend a lot of time listing the things we don't like about our bodies, and little time appreciating the things we do like. Especially during maternity, it's important for pregnant petites to get clear about what your biggest physical assets are, and dress to highlight these. (Obviously, if you said your flat tummy is your biggest asset, you're going to have to go with your second choice.)

Have great legs? Show 'em off! Michelle Obama arms? Bare 'em. Love your bust? Go for it.

Many pregnant women experience a physical identity crisis as their bodies stretch, bulge, and reshape themselves to accommodate growing babies. Find the parts of your body you like (and that are the least likely to radically change during pregnancy), and highlight them in your fashion choices. This can provide a reassuring anchor to your "old self." It can help you recognize and appreciate portions of your body that remain consistent, and make the parts that are changing a little less overwhelming.  

Next time you're struggling with what to wear as a petite pregnant woman, start with these 5 simple rules. Rest assured, the results will be absolutely stunning.