By Megan Treseder
While pregnant women may not be able to indulge in every runway fantasy this spring, many popular fashions at their neighborhood maternity stores.
This spring, mothers-to-be will be wearing capris, Bermuda shorts and cap sleeve shirts to stay cool, said Beverly Villalobos, who owns Mother Hen Maternity, a retail store in Kaysville.
?The styles are a lot softer and more feminine,? she said. ?They?re not showing as much skin, so for Utah girls, that?s a good thing.?
Villalobos said she has noticed women in Utah buy basic maternity pieces in neutral colors and then have fun with their accessories. She said girls should consider buying two or three trendy pieces and flesh out their wardrobe with clothing that will be stylish for years to come.
?People are really limited on what they?re going to spend on maternity ,? she said. ?Get the basic stuff so that can do a lot of mixing and matching.?
If money is an issue, pregnant mother and former BYU student, Joelle Baxter, said she suggests borrowing from a friend.
?It?s just kind of nice to have ? a wider selection,? she said. ?Then when you wake up in the morning, you?re just feeling ?ewww,? you can go to your friends? clothes or your sister-in-law?s clothes.?
Baxter said she also saves money by shopping online at gap.com and the Old Navy in American Fork for clearance maternity clothes.
Mothers-to-be should start looking for clothes a few months before they will actually fit into them to find the good sales, said Janette Mattson, a senior from Marchfield, Wis.
?Go looking early,? she said. ?See if you can find stuff at the end of the season because you only wear it for four months, so it?s not worth it to put a lot of money into it.?
Women who are looking for maternity clothes might want to stick with the fitted look that has become popular in the last several years, Villalobos said.
?They?re putting Lycra in the shirt fabric so they?re more fitted,? she said. ?They?re actually showing your tummy ? more so that you don?t feel like you?re in this big tent or tepee.?
Mattson, an elementary education major, said she thinks the new look is a refreshing change from what her mother wore when she was pregnant.
?I remember when my mom was wearing maternity clothes and they were just puffy, big sleeves and enormous shirts, so I feel like they?re a lot better than that,? she said. ?If you shop around a lot, then you can find enough to make you happy.?
Mattson also said she feels more comfortable when people realize she is expecting and not just carrying a few extra pounds.
?I don?t like anything that?s too tight because then I feel awkward,? she said. ?But I do like it ? so it shows that I?m pregnant and not just chubby.?