Blog angels & urchins meets Claire Chaplin, 34 weeks pregnant, and founder of the Bump Wear Project, a fab site that tells you all you need to know about stylish maternity fashion (and for more angels & urchins info on pregnancy, click here).

I launched the Bump Wear Project earlier this year, when I was 31 weeks pregnant. Why? Well, during early pregnancy my first attempt at shopping for suitable clothes ended in tears. The second attempt, online this time, was slightly more successful, but not exactly fun. And when shopping isn’t a wonderful experience, you know something is badly wrong! I decided that I couldn’t be the only one finding clothes for my changing body an uncomfortable experience. So that’s where my site, The Bump Wear Project comes in. It aims to make looking good when pregnant a little bit easier by finding the right clothes, regardless of age, shape, style and budget. There are some Golden Rules which we believe can help you look and feel great. So in summary, we’re here to look at what’s on the market, and let you know what’s fab!

angels & urchins blog is with you all the way – we think bump should definitely not mean frump. What are your best tips if you don’t want to look like a sack?
Be yourself. It’s key. We think a lot of women change their style when they’re pregnant, mainly because there’s not much choice out there. Our top tip and first golden rule is: don’t forget your personal style. If you wouldn’t wear it when you weren’t pregnant DON’T buy it now. Stay true to yourself. Find clothes in the style you love, but cut to fit your new body shape.

Any looks that you should try when you’re pregnant that might not work when you’re not?
Absolutely. Work those new curves and wear your bump with pride. Try straight leg and skinny jeans and leggings, even if you wouldn’t before. You’re going to be a lot heavier from the waist up, so straight cut or skinny bottoms help elongate your shape.

Any labels you’d like to shout about?
Right now we love quite a few bits from the ASOS collection. It’s cheap and frump free. We also love a lot of the underwear collections – especially HOT Milk – which you can find on sites such as Ma Mere. We think the maternity market has changed LOADS in the last few years, labels are catching on to the fact that us pregnant people aren’t all in to tent tops and bows and lace. There is definitely more variety, and some of the new season’s collections are great – we’re looking forward to showcasing these!  Our current love affair is with the Belguim maternity fashion house, Fragile - we especially love this wool and mohair straight coat. It’s a splurge item at £249.99, but it’s a classic. Another label we’re loving is Pea in the Pod, which has been recieving a lot of editorial of late due to Nicole Richie’s collection and it’s a fab collection too. The 7 for all mankind jeans are seen on a lot of celebs. Finally, a label to watch is Yan To. Although his clothes are not maternity wear, a lot of his styles easily lend themselves to those of us rocking bumps. If you have a love of statement pieces, you’ll love Yan’s work. We’ve been lucky to have a sneak preview of his upcoming collection, and definitely give it our seal of approval! It’s soon going to be available in the bStore and you can get especially commissioned pieces too. Heaven.

What else should anyone pregnant think about when dressing? You’re likely to get hotter, for example, but don’t want to go about in skimpy stuff, particularly in the winter.
We strongly recommended getting a good collection of base wear in. This includes things like long length vests and leggings. You can then layer easily and peel those clothes off when you’re getting hot. I am constantly stripping off, and then ten minutes later putting it all back on again! If you’re looking for a good range of basics, we recommend you try New Look - one of the best on the high street for good value maternity wear, and ASOS. If you have a H&M nearby, check them out too.

 And finally, if you only buy three pieces, what should you get? And is there anything that’s completely hopeless and should be avoided?
Okay, this is a tricky one… I would get myself: 

• A great pair of jeans. My personal favourite are Baxters from TopShop. They come in a range of styles, with under and over the bump options. I brought mine at about 12 week’s pregnant, and I’m still wearing them now at 34 weeks!
• A bumpband. You don’t know what you’re missing until you get one. Our favourite is THE Bumpband. They give you longevity with your normal clothes (you can wear to cover up open buttons, or when tops are rising a little too much for comfort), thus saving you money.
• A nice tunic top. And make it a little bit swish. You can then dress up and down, wear it to work, or out at night. I recommend buying a fabulous fabric and print; don’t scrimp on a plain cotton one. Round necks work stop you looking like you’re all boobs. If you can, get down to French Connection. They have some great ones, and even their non maternity ones look great. 
• Avoid clothes that hide, rather than fit, the bump. They will make you look frump! Honest. Pretty much anything that falls from the breast will make you look massive. If you like maxi dresses, be careful. Don’t forget though, you can add a belt or ribbon above or below the bump to give the outfit some shape. Cole, one of our Bump Rockers demonstrates this perfectly.

Oh, and avoid those slogan t-shirts. Okay, maybe funny for five minutes, but they’re certainly no style statement!