FASHIONS Expectant mothers prefer stylish clothing

Traditional muumuu-like smocks are no longer symbols of motherhood.
KNIGHT-RIDDER
SANTA ANA, Calif. -- When Erin Warady's pregnant belly began to bloom two years ago, she didn't hesitate to show off her budding baby's progress.
The Irvine, Calif., public-relations executive wore tight-fitting tanks, tees and blouses around her growing waistline -- forgoing traditional muumuu-like smocks. Now in her second pregnancy, her attitude remains the same.
If you got it, flaunt it.
"I can't tell you how nice it's been to, well, try, to keep up with the latest fashions," said Warady, 33.
Maternity clothes -- from sexy hip-hugging lingerie to stretchy dresses -- are taking off as more expectant mothers express a need to remain stylish during pregnancy.
Listening closely are retailers. Old Navy, Nordstrom, Target, The Gap, Mervyn's and Sears, and specialty e-tailers have launched or announced plans to expand maternity lines in recent months.
The goal: capture part of a $1.2 billion industry that is growing in leaps and bounds.
"It's a niche market that has been untapped by mass merchandisers and specialty retailers," said Soyeon Shim, an expert on consumer spending among women and a professor at the University of Arizona.
Among Warady's favorite buys: Capri jeans that don't ride too tightly over her belly, combined with a white spaghetti-strap camisole and a snugly-fit denim jacket.
With trendy pieces so abundant, she's splurged. Despite her mom's protests, she's spent $1,500 on sexy clothes during her back-to-back pregnancies.
Tight fit
"As a product of the '50s, Mom subscribes to the Lucille Ball look of big overcoats and bow-tie frocks," Warady said. "She kept buying me XXL tops so I wouldn't have anything tight."
But Warady wouldn't budge.
Her attitude underscores a movement among modern-day women who are embracing pregnancy far differently than past generations, say experts.
Part of work force
Contributing to the changes: Many more women are likely to work while pregnant as the overall female population enters the workforce in greater numbers, Shim said.
The number of women 16 years of age and over in the civilian labor force has grown from 56.8 million in 1990 to 68.3 million in 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Yet, the number of annual births remains flat, hovering at 4 million a year over the past decade. Shim and other industry insiders say the data supports the idea that retailers are reacting not to a surge in births but rather to a change in attitude when it comes to pregnancy clothes.
"It's a society mind shift borne from a new acceptance to celebrate motherhood in a way that we didn't a number of years ago," said Joyce Gioia, who tracks national trends for the Herman Group in Greensboro, N.C.
Shim said pregnant celebrities also are raising the bar for maternity fashions. "You see these women highlighted in magazine covers while being pregnant, and they are beautiful, professional and sexy," Shim said.
Aim to please
Throughout the country, retailers are aiming to please.
This August Los Angeles-based babystyle, which sells upscale maternity and baby clothes, plans to open a fifth boutique in California.
The company, founded by Laurie McCartney, sells clothes ranging in price from $24 for a camisole to a $98 for a silk chiffon wrap dress.
Mervyn's department store plans to launch its first exclusive line of maternity clothes July 11. The line -- expected to compete with affordable maternity clothes offered at Old Navy and Target -- will be in its more than 260 stores across the West and Midwest.
Sears ramped up its maternity racks in March when it unveiled Two Hearts Maternity, a line created in collaboration with Mothers Work Inc. in Philadelphia, the country's largest manufacturer and retailer of maternity clothes.
Trying to stay ahead of the curve, Mothers Work opened in March its first maternity megastore in Connecticut. The superstore sells clothes from the company's three familiar brands -- the upscale Pea in the Pod, the contemporary Mimi Maternity and the affordable Motherhood Maternity.
Makers of lingerie and exercise clothes also are making strides.
New York designer Daniella Simon says her mommy-to-be hip-stretching panties are a top seller for her maternity lingerie sold online and at Bloomingdale's in Fashion Island.
Lisa Pedersen said she's been overwhelmed with orders for her $95 set of yoga pants and matching maternity camisole since she introduced it last year at www.yogabirth.com. Pedersen now has her yoga set in 20 stores nationally.