Shop Bump-Friendly Dresses
What to Wear to Every Christmas Party on Your Calendar Reading Bump-Friendly Holiday Dresses: What to Wear Pregnant Through the Holidays 2 minutes
By Diana MacKellar
Tags
Share

Bump-Friendly Holiday Dresses: What to Wear Pregnant Through the Holidays

So here is the thing about being pregnant during the holidays.

Your body may have decided to completely reorganize itself without consulting you, but the calendar has carried on like nothing happened. There is still the work party. And the dinner with friends. And Christmas Eve. And family pictures. And somebody's annual holiday party that was apparently booked in August because they are a much more organized person than you are.

And now you need something to wear.

Which sounds simple enough until you are standing in front of your closet holding a dress that absolutely fit six weeks ago and wondering whether the zipper has somehow gotten shorter. It has not.

Things have changed.

So if you are searching for bump-friendly holiday dresses, pregnancy-friendly Christmas outfits or simply something nice to wear while pregnant that still looks like you, this is where we start.

Our Bump Friendly collection is made up of regular Red Dress styles with the stretch, roomier silhouettes and easier shapes that can work beautifully through pregnancy. They are not traditional maternity dresses, which is part of the point. These are dresses you can love now and still wear later.

The Fit

What Makes a Dress Bump Friendly?

Stop fighting the dress.

There comes a point in pregnancy when optimism stops being a legitimate fit strategy and you know the one.

You put the dress on. It technically closes. You stand sideways. You take a breath that is approximately forty percent of a normal breath and decide this could probably work.

It cannot... and there is no prize for making it work.

Shop the knit midi

The best bump-friendly dresses for pregnancy usually have one or more things working in your favor: stretch through the bodice, an A-line or flowing skirt, an empire or flexible waist, a relaxed silhouette or enough room through the middle that the dress can accommodate a growing bump without becoming a wrestling match. That is also why so many regular dresses can work during pregnancy without technically being maternity clothes.

A few that do exactly that: the Easy Confidence Black Knit & Satin Midi Dress (stretch bodice, satin skirt that falls away), the Toasty Thoughts Burgundy Knit Turtleneck Midi (a soft stretch knit from neck to hem), the SPANX AirEssentials Fig Noir Tie-Waist Midi (the waist tie goes exactly where you want it) and the Tucked Away Memories Black Pintuck Midi (a flowing skirt with nothing rigid through the middle).

Black sleeveless midi dress featuring a stretch-knit bodice, scoop neckline, and a flowing satin skirt with an elegant drape.
Easy Confidence Black Knit & Satin Sleeveless Midi Dress
Cozy burgundy sweater dress showcasing its soft stretch knit, relaxed silhouette, long sleeves, and ribbed finishing along the neckline, cuffs, and hem.
Toasty Thoughts Burgundy Knit Turtleneck Sweater Midi Dress
Heathered burgundy midi dress with plum undertones, a crew neckline, long sleeves, and a matching waist tie.
SPANX AirEssentials Fig Noir Tie-Waist Midi Dress
Lightweight rayon-nylon midi dress featuring a V-neckline, softly gathered puff sleeves, front pintuck detailing, and a flowing skirt.
Tucked Away Memories Black Pintuck Puff Sleeve Midi Dress

The Occasion

Bump-Friendly Dresses for Christmas Dinner

"It's just family." Sure, Jan.

Holiday family dinners have their own very specific dress code because they always begin with someone saying it's just family. And then you arrive and someone has set the table with china. Your sister-in-law is wearing a dress. There are candles. Apparently "just family" has an unannounced dress code now.

Shop the wine maxi

So, for Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner or one of the seventeen other meals that appear on the calendar this time of year, you want something that looks polished but still lets you sit through dinner comfortably.

The Read the Signs Wine Red Short Sleeve Maxi Dress is exactly the kind of bump-friendly holiday maxi dress I mean. The relaxed A-line shape gives you room through the middle, while the wine red does all the seasonal heavy lifting for you. The burgundy In the Best of Company does the same job with a knit bodice and satin skirt, and the We Shall Celebrate Green Tartan Plaid Midi is the one for the table that insists on plaid.

Add a boot. Add earrings. Oh, and definitely accept the second helping. Nobody needs to know how carefully this outfit was engineered around mashed potatoes.

Wine red woven maxi dress featuring a collared neckline, statement gold floral buttons, rolled short sleeves, side pockets, side slits, and a relaxed A-line silhouette.
Read the Signs Wine Red Short Sleeve Maxi Dress
Burgundy fit-and-flare dress with a fitted ribbed knit bodice, long sleeves, and a flowing satin skirt.
In the Best of Company Burgundy Knit Bodice Satin Midi Dress
Green plaid midi dress featuring a ruffled neckline, adjustable shoulder straps, and a gently flared skirt.
We Shall Celebrate Green Tartan Plaid Peplum Midi Dress
Burgundy dress showcasing graphic contrast stitching, puff sleeves, and a fully lined construction.
She Makes a Strong Point Burgundy Contrast Stitch Midi Dress

The Occasion

What to Wear Pregnant to a Holiday Party

Somewhere worth dressing for.

Pregnancy does this strange thing to clothes where suddenly everything gets filtered through comfort first, as if wanting to feel good in what you are wearing has somehow replaced wanting to look good in it.

But sometimes you have somewhere worth dressing for. A holiday party. A dinner. A wedding. Something with cocktails and candles and people you have not seen in a while. So, look for the dress that gives where you need it to, falls away from the body in the right places, and still feels like something you would have chosen before you were pregnant.

Shop hunter green

The In the Best of Company Hunter Green Knit Bodice Satin Midi Dress is a perfect example. The knit bodice gives you flexibility while the satin skirt moves away from the body, and hunter green looks unmistakably holiday without requiring one single candy cane. And it still feels like a real dress, not a "pregnancy dress."

I think my making that distinction matters here. Because there is a strange tendency for pregnancy to become the first adjective attached to everything you do.

Pregnancy jeans. Pregnancy pillow. Pregnancy workout. Pregnancy app. Pregnancy snack.

At some point you just want a beautiful green dress. So, wear the beautiful green dress!

Hunter green dress with a fitted ribbed knit bodice, mock neckline, long sleeves, and flowing satin skirt.
In the Best of Company Hunter Green Knit Bodice Satin Midi Dress
Red and green plaid mini dress with dark green velvet trim, a stand collar, and black braided frog closures.
Tidings of Joy Red Tartan Plaid Velvet Trim Mini Dress
Mini dress with a high halter neckline, gathered bodice, and relaxed swing silhouette.
Fancy That Black Halter Bow Back Ruffle Hem Mini Dress
Olive mini dress with oversized black and gold fan-shaped florals, a stand collar, and short puff sleeves.
With a Certain Flair Olive & Gold Floral Jacquard Mini Dress

Comfort Counts

Comfortable Holiday Dresses for Pregnancy

Knits are your friend.

When you are pregnant, a dress can look perfect on the hanger and still be completely wrong once it is on your body. Anything too rigid through the waist or rib cage can become uncomfortable fast, especially if you are wearing it for hours. Knits are your friend. So are softer bodices and dresses with a little stretch built in.

Shop the plum midi

The More Than You Expected Plum Lace Hem Knit Midi Dress works because it gives you that softness without looking casual. The knit makes it easy to wear, while the lace hem gives it enough detail for dinner, a holiday party or wherever the night ends up taking you. And the plum color feels right for the season without being another red or green dress.

For the days that call for all knit, all the time: the Prosperina Dakota Ivory Cable Knit Maxi, the SPANX AirEssentials Very Black Tie-Waist Midi and the One Less Thing Mocha Knit Maxi.

Plum midi dress with a smooth knit bodice, crew neckline, relaxed short sleeves, and a sheer floral lace skirt.
More Than You Expected Plum Lace Hem Knit Midi Dress
Soft cotton-blend knit maxi dress with intricate allover cable patterns and a ribbed crew neckline.
Prosperina Dakota Ivory Cable Knit Sweater Maxi Dress
Classic black midi dress with a crew neckline, adjustable waist tie, and side-slit skirt.
SPANX AirEssentials Very Black Tie-Waist Midi Dress
Mocha knit maxi dress with contrast pinstriped trim and a collared V-neckline.
One Less Thing Mocha Brown Contrast Pinstripe Knit Maxi Dress

The Photo

Bump-Friendly Dresses for Holiday Family Photos

Everyone becomes extremely interested in your profile.

If you are pregnant during the holidays, you are going to hear: "Turn sideways." "Put your hand under the bump." "Now look down." "Now look at each other."

And yet, somehow nobody has ever once asked your husband to stand sideways and cradle his abdomen lovingly toward the camera.

Shop this floral

So, if you are choosing a bump-friendly dress for Christmas photos or fall family pictures, pick something you actually want to see yourself wearing ten years from now. A flowing maxi, an easy midi or a dress with stretch through the bodice works beautifully because the bump becomes part of the silhouette without the entire outfit becoming about the bump.

Rich colors photograph especially well this time of year: wine, burgundy, hunter green, olive, navy and plum. And if you do not want to spend the entire season in dark colors, the Lovely to See You Pink & Green Floral Cotton Midi Dress gives you a softer route with a relaxed shape and a floral print that still feels seasonal without turning you into holiday décor.

P.S. Florals are allowed at Christmas. I checked.

Mocha brown midi dress featuring a delicate pink floral lace print and flowing A-line skirt.
The Thought of You Mocha & Pink Floral Lace Trim Midi Dress
Green floral midi dress with pink blooms, a ruffled stand collar, and a straight silhouette.
Lovely to See You Pink & Green Floral Cotton Midi Dress
Olive floral midi dress with pink, orange, and golden blooms, a pointed collar, and gold-tone buttons.
In Such Lovely Company Olive Multi Floral Cotton Midi Shirt Dress
Vibrant red multi plaid maxi dress with adjustable spaghetti straps and a ruffled straight neckline.
Every Shade of Happy Red Multi Plaid Maxi Dress

Color Story

Bump-Friendly Christmas Dresses Do Not Have to Be Red

I love red, obviously. But you are allowed other colors.

Hunter green is wonderful while pregnant because it feels festive, photographs beautifully and works with practically every neutral already in your closet. Plum, wine and burgundy feel seasonal without turning you into the holiday décor. Softer greens or florals can be especially good if you want something you will still be excited to wear in January.

Shop the stripes

Our That's More Like It Hunter Green & Light Blue Stripe Sweater Midi Dress is a good example of a dress that feels festive without being specifically Christmas. The knit bodice has stretch, the skirt has plenty of room and the green-and-blue combination will still make sense after the holiday season. That is the difference between buying a holiday dress that happens to work with a bump and buying something you will never look at again after December 26th.

In the same spirit: the She Makes a Strong Point Hunter Green Midi, the Dream All Day Olive & Aqua Floral Midi and The Feeling Is Mutual Olive & Blush Floral Maxi.

Hunter green midi dress featuring a sleeveless silhouette, refined mock neckline, fitted bodice, and light blue striped A-line skirt
That's More Like It Hunter Green & Light Blue Stripe Sweater Midi Dress
Hunter green cotton midi dress with a split neckline, contrast stitching, short puff sleeves, and a flowing A-line silhouette.
She Makes a Strong Point Hunter Green Contrast Stitch Midi Dress
Olive cotton midi dress with aqua florals, a ruffled stand collar, and a relaxed silhouette.
Dream All Day Olive & Aqua Floral Cotton Midi Dress
The Feeling Is Mutual Olive & Blush Floral Halter Maxi Dress

Non-Maternity Dresses You Can Wear During Pregnancy and After

Please buy something you will wear again. This matters to me. Pregnancy already comes with an impressive amount of temporary stuff. There are products for situations you did not know existed. There are pillows the approximate size of a compact vehicle. And at some point a very enthusiastic influencer on the internet will tell you that you need seventeen different kinds of swaddles.

So, I would rather buy a dress that still has a life after pregnancy. That is one of the reasons I like bump-friendly dresses that are not technically maternity. You can wear them now because the shape gives you room, and you can still wear them later because they were never designed around one very specific season of your body. A relaxed maxi still works. A knit midi still works. A dress with an easy waist or a little stretch still works.

And that is how we thought about the Red Dress Bump Friendly edit. These are dresses we already loved because they were good dresses first. They just happen to work especially well when you need a little more room. These are clothes. Good ones. They just happen to be a little more accommodating right now.

Shop Bump-Friendly Dresses

So What Should You Wear Pregnant Through the Holidays?

Probably less than you think. You do not need an entirely new holiday wardrobe. You need a few good pieces that understand what is happening. One bump-friendly dress for Christmas dinner. One pregnancy-friendly party dress for the event you cannot get out of. One knit or relaxed dress for the day when literally nothing touching your stomach sounds acceptable. And maybe one great maxi for family photos, church, dinner or whichever plan appears on the calendar next.

That is enough. Because the best bump-friendly clothes are not the ones that shout to everyone what trimester you are in from across the room, they are the ones you would have liked anyway.

And Then There Is the Part Nobody Really Talks About

The other thing nobody really tells you is that your closet can change faster than you expect. Something that worked two weeks ago suddenly does not, and sometimes that is annoying for no deeper reason than you had already figured out what you were going to wear.

You also do not need every outfit to become a statement about pregnancy. Sometimes you just need a dress that fits right now, feels good, still looks like something you would choose, and works for whatever is on the calendar Saturday night. That is really what this edit is for. Dresses with a little more room where you need it, enough shape that you still feel dressed, and enough life in them that you will want to wear them again later.

And if somebody asks where you got it before they ask when you are due, even better.

So, wear the dress. Eat the dessert. Let everyone take the picture.

And if somebody asks you to turn sideways so they can see the bump, you are absolutely allowed to make your husband do it too.

Shop Bump-Friendly Holiday Dresses

Bump-Friendly Dress Questions

Stretch through the bodice, an A-line or flowing skirt, an empire or flexible waist, or simply enough room through the middle for a growing bump. Most of the dresses in our Bump Friendly edit are regular Red Dress styles with those shapes, not maternity dresses.

Yes. Knit dresses, relaxed maxis and dresses with an easy or empire waist work through most of pregnancy, and you can keep wearing them afterward. That is the whole idea behind the Bump Friendly edit.

Something polished enough for the china and comfortable enough to sit through dinner: a relaxed A-line maxi, a soft knit midi or a dress with a stretch knit bodice and fuller skirt. Add a boot and earrings and accept the second helping.

Wine, burgundy, hunter green, olive, navy and plum all photograph beautifully this time of year. If you want a break from dark colors, a soft floral in a relaxed A-line shape still reads seasonal.

Continue reading

Christmas party outfits: a wine red one-shoulder maxi dress and a wine sequin halter mini dress by a gilt mirror

What to Wear to Every Christmas Party on Your Calendar