How a Fashion Editor Does Maternity Style

Rihanna, the ultimate fashion girl, knows that serving looks doesn’t stop for anything. The star ditched the maternity wear for bump-baring outfits complete with lace-up tops and stilettos. She’s not alone, Vogue Netherlands editor-at-large Stephanie Broek was inspired by her: “We were pregnant at the same time, and that really empowered me. It’s weird that I felt more shy during pregnancy, and then I saw her and said I’m just going to own it and show my bump.”

Broek said she wanted to wear her wardrobe for as long as possible. She shared the news of her pregnancy on TikTok in knee-high Miista boots and wore vintage Hermès with a pair of tabis for as long as her doctor allowed. Now her daughter is 3 years old, and she’s still balancing her style between trips to the playground and Paris Fashion Week. Here’s how she does maternity style.

Were you excited about pregnancy style, or did you see it as a challenge?

I said I wasn’t going to buy maternity clothes, and I was going to wear my own clothes for the longest time. I ended up doing that, actually, but looking back, I also advise my friends to get some comfortable trousers. Gradually, during pregnancy, there’s a point where you can only wear about 5 or 10 percent of your wardrobe. If you love fashion and dressing up, then you’re going to miss it.

There’s also a fourth trimester. When I was in my third trimester, I thought it was too late to wear maternity clothes, but your body doesn’t go back right away. When I was breastfeeding, my breasts looked different, my hips looked different because of the hormone that widens your hips to prepare for labor. It takes time. I think I gained more weight after giving birth than during, and I still couldn’t wear what I wanted to wear, so I wish I had invested in more maternity clothes. I think I would’ve felt better.

Where did you look for maternity clothes? Was that a challenge?

I looked at Vinted and secondhand maternity clothes, also my boyfriend’s wardrobe. It was different from what I would normally wear. I love high-waist trousers, but at one point, you’re not really able to wear them anymore. I was just looking at lower waist and things that would fit around my bum. I tried to be creative because it felt wrong to buy all these new clothes when there are so many secondhand options, because you only wear them for a short amount of time.

How much did pregnancy change your personal style?

I ended up getting really bad lower-back pain, and at one point, the physiotherapist couldn’t help me anymore because I refused to wear comfortable shoes. I wore my tabis the entire pregnancy and also kitten heels. Towards the end of my pregnancy, that caught up with me, and I kind of regret it.

Do you have any style essentials you wore during pregnancy?

I liked a long blazer from MKDT Studio you can wear open, that worked really well with the bump. I was pregnant in winter, and once I got my bump, it was spring and summer, so it worked because I would show my bump a little bit. I love mostly loose-fitting Recline pants from KYE Intimates, Leset, Paloma Wool, and Cou Cou Intimates. They all have loose-fitting trousers you could wear high-waisted and then lower during pregnancy. I also wore a lot of Pleats Please from Issey Miyake.

Did being pregnant during the spring and summer present any style challenges for you?

I could mostly wear dresses that I really liked, but it felt limiting because I’m into more menswear-inspired clothes. I did struggle with the fact that there were limited options because at one point, it didn’t look how I wanted it to look.

Where did you shop? Did that change?

I found a seller on Vinted who had maternity items, like denim with supporting bands. I wish I had gotten those sooner to make sure my bump and lower back were comfortable. A friend also gave me these stretchy yoga pants, they were a cotton-stretch blend, and they still fit. I have to give them back to her. So many women pass along their maternity clothes to other women, which helps so much.

Is there anything you wore during pregnancy that you still wear?

I like the stretchy trousers from Paloma Wool; I also got a pair in a beige color. I kept all the tank tops I wore and still wear at the late stages of my pregnancy. I had some amazing tank tops from Toteme.

What’s your uniform now for picking up your daughter and running out of the house?

Today I’m wearing loafers and some loose-fitting pants and a longer blazer, very similar to what I wore when I was pregnant. I did go through an identity crisis after I had her, and I now know that that’s very common because your life is suddenly so different. You’re changing diapers and nursing on the go, so you need to wear clothes that are easy and stainproof. It doesn’t make sense to wear heels, because I’d have a baby carrier or stroller.

Even though I was the same person, I didn’t really recognize myself in my wardrobe. On weekends, my style has changed a lot too; I don’t even wear kitten heels, because I need to be at the park or playground. I also don’t wear my nicer stuff because I don’t want to be at the dry cleaners every single week. So now, during work days, I do dress up, and with the nature of my job, I get to travel a lot, and I still feel like the old me.

It was weird because I couldn’t wear a lot of my wardrobe after my pregnancy, and then fashion took this Y2K turn, and it felt like I had to get back on the train. I wanted to because I liked that influence in fashion, but it also felt weird because there had been such a gap between what I was able to wear, and then all of a sudden fashion had changed. I had to get to know myself and my style again. Even though I’m a mom now, it’s not that I don’t wear certain things, but it did make me think, Who am I now? Am I still the same person? What do I like? It was very strange to go through.

I think you also have to be very practical, too.

Sometimes I wish I looked more chic on weekends, but that’s the mother I want to be. I want to be on the playground with her and not be afraid to get on the grass because it will ruin my shoes — that’s not who I want to be. It makes getting ready in the mornings much easier. I have my comfortable uniform. I wear a lot of Hunter boots, because she loves to jump in puddles with me. I wear a lot of trousers and denim. I mostly wear cotton pieces that I can hand-wash myself.