18 weeks pregnant

In the first trimester of my pregnancy, the last thing I wanted to do was go shopping. For me, this is as rare as snow in Los Angeles. I could spend the entire day browsing through boutiques and seeing what the latest trends are. Most pregnant ladies get cravings or aversions to certain foods……my aversions were to coffee and clothing!! (My two favorite things). Not having coffee daily was a good thing, since too much caffeine is not good during pregnancy. My husband would also say that my aversion to shopping was also a plus…..I would disagree. Thankfully after a few weeks this aversion disappeared and I’m back to my normal self.

Many women loose weight or gain just a couple of pounds during their first trimester. Maternity clothing is not really needed until later in the second trimester. For me by the time I was 7 weeks pregnant I noticed that a lot of my pants already started to not fit me. This was difficult for me as I felt like it was too early for maternity wear and I was starting to look frumpy. (No obvious baby bump yet). I’m assuming the raging hormone changes and the thought of clothing not fitting the way it used to was making me avoid shopping. I’ve slowly gotten over that, but I still have a daily struggle to find what works for my changing body.

Maternity Jeans have been my lifesaver. I think I bought them earlier than most women do. I was tired of trying on all my pants and getting frustrated when they weren’t buttoning up. I was thrilled when I found these Adriano Goldshmit 5 pocket jeans. Buying a pair of nice pregnancy jeans is a must. I still feel like I’m wearing a pair of my old jeans but they are so much more comfortable. They have a perfect stretch and no button so I have a lot of room to grow. Getting dressed in the mornings is much easier once I finally took the plunge on pregnancy jeans.

Jacket: Aritzia // Tank top: Anine Bing // Jeans: A Pea in the Pod (AG Jeans) Non-maternity here // Shoes: Steve Madden // Sunglasses: Karen Walker

I love adding animal inspired pieces to my looks. You can pair them with a basic outfit to add depth and texture, or add them to a more colorful look as a neutral.

My style is most often very casual. My go-to look is usually a button down shirt and jeans. Especially during my pregnancy it’s getting harder to experiment with outfits. I kept my look sleek and simple, and added two animal inspired pieces to enhance my outfit.

The first look included an old Zara leopard coat. I don’t think you can go wrong with leopard. I usually wear it in the form of a scarf or shoes but when I saw this jacket a couple of years ago I knew it was a must have. I don’t get to wear it very often, but when I do, I always get compliments. I think a good statement coat is an investment…especially when it’s not expensive! Getting a basic print like leopard, houndstooth, or a bold color will be something that can last for many years and will always come back into style.

Coat: Zara old (Similar here and here) // Shirt: Equipment // Jeans: 7 of All Mankind (Similar here and here) // Boots: Stuart Weitzman (Similar here and here)

For the second animal inspired accessory I added a faux fur vest. The vest adds volume, layers and texture. I bought this vest last year at Club Monaco during end of the season sales. I am very happy I did since this year faux fur vests are everywhere.

Vest: Club Monaco old (Similar here, here and here) // Sunglasses: Karen Walker