I’m back with a What to Wear post and this time I’ve put together a post of what to wear for  {Summer} Maternity Sessions.  My original WTW Maternity post remains one of my most shared and most pinned posts – which is awesome if you’re pregnant in the winter.  Me, personally I prefer to be pregnant in the winter.  I love jeans and sweaters and long sleeves.  I could live in them all day when pregnant and for photos I love it.  And I got that with my second child but with my first – I was due in September so my largest months were also my HOTTEST.  (I remember the week we moved to Philadelphia I was 7 months pregnant in a 3rd floor walk-up with window units only and the temperature never went below 100 for a week.  ::shudder::)  ANYWAY.

The basic rules of maternity photography remain true no matter what time of year you are doing the shoot.  In this shoot YOU are the star. You are beautiful, you are glowing, you are sexy (I swear).   That means you totally and completely (with my permission) need to take the time to pamper yourself the days leading up to your session.  Go get a blowout, get a mani/pedi (especially pedi since it is summer and your toes will probably be showing).  Make sure you are feeling pretty.  While you are out doing all of these things, also make sure that you have a good bra.  Good fitting bras are so important.  Especially if you need strapless for a spaghetti strap or strapless dress / top.  Not only does a good bra hold the girls up (remember that old commercial “It lifts and separates!” You can see it here – always makes me laugh) it really does give definition to them under clothing.  Most shoots I do, I shoot between 32-35 weeks.  At that point you have been watching your belly grow and grow until it has blocked sight of your feet and become far more “out there” than your chest.  The larger you get, the more you lose that waist that you have (You still have it, I promise) and the more triangular you become.  So with a good bra (or foundation garments as fancy people would say) you are really able to redefine what is under the clothes and show off your smaller rib cage above the belly.  Along that same line think about underwear / shapewear.  I know, maternity and shapewear combined in one sentence is enough to make most women cringe.  Did you know Spanx has maternity shapewear??  They do.  See it HERE .  Really good stuff, ladies (plus some provide extra low back support).  Because think – summer is all about jersey knit and maxi dresses and thin knits.  And nothing ruins a good photo more than me having to edit out the dreaded VPL – visible panty lines OR the lines that come from belly panels on pants and skirts.  A pair of the spanx maternity shapers takes care of everything from bra to knee.  Just do it.  Thank me later.

This little post here I’ve thrown together is for those maternity sessions in the summer / warm weather (or all year round if you’re lucky enough to live in one of those climates).  Summer is all about being cool and comfortable.  This means sleeveless or short sleeves, light fabrics, flowy fabrics, shorter skirts, maxi dresses, etc.  You can wear ANY and ALL of it if you remember my cardinal rule for maternity shots – the separation of boob and belly.  You will hear me mention it several times just like I did up above and in the last post.  Now, this post is specifically for when you are getting photos done.  In everyday life I highly condone the wearing of super soft tees with no waists – it’s awesome.  But with maternity, when your body has changed so much, you really need to work on redefining it for the camera.  Cameras are not 3-d so you need to show the camera exactly what you want it to capture.  That means waists, shape of belly, curves, etc.  If you are my client, I work very carefully on posing and hand placement for maternity sessions.   But there is less work needed when the client has the right outfit.

You want to think the opposite of normal life – tighter-fitting figure-conscious clothes are your friend for a maternity shoot.  Loose and blousy without a belt or something else to give it shape become shapeless and add weight visually to your frame (which no woman ever wants).  you have gorgeous curves, don’t be afraid to show them off.  And if we go back up to that undergarments section and you’ve listened to me, not only are you going to show off those curves, but you are going to be doing it without any bulges or uni-boob or double boob-ness.  (Just keeping it real).  Avoid boxy, stiffer fabrics that won’t conform to the shape of your body, they can add bulk when you’ve already got plenty of added bulk going on.  If you *do* choose a stiffer fabric make sure the cut of it works for your body and doesn’t overwhelm you.  And a big question always – “Can I wear a print?”  YES!  Absolutely.  Unless you wear a print a la Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala.  Then no, no you cannot.  😉  With prints either go small and delicate or abstract.  Just ask yourself “Do I look like my grandmother’s sofa?”  If the answer is yes, keep looking.

Let’s start at the top with tops.  In the summer most things are short sleeved or no sleeves or even strapless!  You can wear whichever kind of top you want.  Chances are you’re a bit older now and you know what works for your body (ie cap sleeves make me look like a football player).  Keep that in mind when choosing a top.  There are ways a good photographer will pose you to slim down arms so don’t be afraid to go sleeveless.  The top is really the key part in a top and bottom outfit.  It shows off the most important part – your belly!  Don’t hide it under a shapeless top that slopes from neck to belly button.  It’ll be a flat slope from the side and from the front a large triangle.  Neither one is a flattering option.

These tops here are all good examples of what to look for.  Some of the tees are a bit casual for a photo shoot but you get the idea

For bottoms, really you can do anything.  One bonus of a large belly is that the rest of you automatically looks smaller – so you might be able to get away with a skinny capri pant or skinny denim.  White denim is really hot right now – why not try it out??  And leggings ALWAYS work, especially if, at the bottom, your top is a little bit looser similar to that green tunic up above there.  I would wear them with a wedge sandle to give your leg some extra length.  And try (ideally) for leggings that don’t end at the widest part of your calf – it will visually make your leg look bigger.

BUT I will fully admit that skinny is not for everyone (me included 90% of the time).  In that case a beautiful wider leg pant is gorgeous with a tighter fitting top.  Think in opposites – tight tops with loose bottoms, loose tops with tighter bottoms.  (Unless you are one of those amazingly blessed pregnant women who can do tight on the top and bottom.  Then go for it.  And gauchos with wedge sandals = super cute.

My favorite option, however is a dress followed closely by a long skirt.  A tighter fitting dress on the top that is looser on the bottom by a little bit is a great way to go.  Unless you are built like Heidi Klum, however, stay away from the long straight tank dresses **unless you add a belt**.  These dresses below here, not so good.  The side gather is going to pull the fabric right across your butt and be very unforgiving in the thigh area.  That combined with no separation between the boob and belly is going to make 95% of women unhappy with their pictures.

Instead look for a break between the boob and belly and more relaxed fit below the waist.  And prints are gorgeous on a dress!!  Pair these with some long necklaces or add a wide belt over the waist, throw on some wedges (or dressy flip flops) and you’re done.

If long dresses aren’t your thing or you think it’s too hot, short dresses are also an option.  I personally hate my knees so I would never wear a short dress to be photographed in.  Some people however are blessed with awesome legs.  If that is you go for it!! Just always consider the shape and cut of the dress when choosing it for photos.  Again.  Wearing out is one thing when you can move and turn and people can see how your body fits under the dress.  But in photos, not going to work.

Looser dresses with more of an a-line shape are going to work well on anyone.  Again, watch the fabric and make sure it will drape over your figure.  Don’t have *too* much fabric however ( a rule for both short and long dresses) because sometimes we will want you to gather your dress under your belly.  Hard to do if there is a lot of voluminous fabric there.  The top three here have sashes.  Sashes are really great and can be tied different ways.  The bottom three simply have a waist.  This is also an example of the smaller more delicate prints I was talking about.  And don’t be afraid of color in your sessions either!!  If you’re taller, a high-low dress like on the bottom right will be a great option as well.

You may have noticed most of everything I’ve shown is sleeveless.  Not to worry – add a simply well-fitting shrug, or if it’s looser make sure it has a nipped in waist (ie the far right one) and you have a totally-covered-but-still-showing-the-belly look!

The last option that I mentioned above is the option of a skirt.  Personally, I love skirts.  I love long, beautiful flowing maxi skirts, pregnant or not.  The same rules with long vs. short dresses applies here.  If you like your legs, go for a shorter skirt.  If you don’t, go for longer.  And the rule with tops applies as well – the looser / more flowy the skirt, the tighter the top should be.

And of course if you want to do something more intimate in your shoot, there is always the option to do some images in lingerie.  Just have a matching bra and panty set on hand for it or a pretty piece of lingerie, probably a flyaway style that opens in the front.  I know I *love* when a client wants to show some skin.  And as someone who did a boudoir shoot at 33 weeks pregnant with my second I can tell you – it was pretty awesome to look back on those photos.  (Yes that is me five years ago taken by my dear friend Bernadette)

So there you have it.  A complete guide on what to wear.  A few extra things to remember:
1) Accessories are great!  Go to Forever 21 (cheap!!) and get some long dangly earrings or fun necklaces
2)  The higher the heel in a shoe the better your legs and body will look.  BUT BUT BUT your center of gravity is off so unless it is something you are comfortable with or used to do NOT wear heels that are too high.
3)  A belt can be your friend for anything that *is* shapeless

Best of luck to all of you planning maternity shoots.  Hope this helps you figure out What to Wear!

🙂