Comments on: Love or shove: Maternity clothes rental?

By: Dinah

Dinah — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:09:29 +0000

I am 37 weeks pregnant now and have been incredibly fortunate to have a close friend 9 weeks ahead of me along this journey (she gave birth to her 1st baby 6 weeks ago). Between her handing down maternity clothes that she no longer fits in (she shopped at local thrift/consignment stores), clothing swaps thrown by other friends, and the way my bump has developed the only maternity wear I’ve had to spend money on has been a couple of belly bands and some pretty nursing bras.

I don’t see the point in spending money on clothes that will only get a few months wear at most (that said I’m not one for clothes shopping on a regular basis when I’m not pregnant either). When I deliver my baby I’m sure my friend and I will have a mini clothing swap session to see which items fit either of us.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:06:16 +0000

I will say, though, that my everyday wardrobe is a combination of designer and cheaper pieces. I ONLY wear designer jeans (Citizens, Hudson, J Brand, True Religion are some of my favs)… but I sometimes find really cute blouses and tops at Target and Old Navy. I think balance is important, and it’s worth it to splurge on certain pieces. I am a teacher, though, so it’s not like I have some high-powered career to dress for!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:01:00 +0000

That is a LOT of money to spend. And no hate on clothes-shopping at Target, I shop there alllll the time NOT pregnant.. they have a lot of great stuff if you know what to look for! But I’m no expert when it comes to maternity clothes…

By: Carly P

Carly P — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:34:31 +0000

These are nice, designer clothes. I agree with Anna B. that the target demographic is women who need (and want) lots of variety and quality clothes for work and are used to spending upwards of $100 for a quality top or slacks. Looking closer at the website, individual items rent for $23.50 per month — so not bad if you consider a $100 top or $200 pair of James Jeans. . .

By: CM

CM — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:12:57 +0000

I’m not the target demographic either. At all. I guess if I really wanted a few designer pieces and only wanted to wear them for a few months, maybe I’d use this. Individual pieces are $23.50 per month, without the $125 fee. So if I were inclined to buy something that normally cost $200 and I wanted to return it after 3 months, it would be worth it. But most of the clothes on that site seem to be more around the $75-100 price point. If I wanted a pair of $100 Japanese Weekend jeans, it would be a lot more cost-efficient to buy them retail, wear them for six months, and then sell them for $50.

By: Anna B.

Anna B. — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 05:34:41 +0000

Sigh @loodytinfoil you.are.not.the.target.demographic. Some women don’t want to just wear a few plain maternity T’s and “dress them up” (ha) with cardigans. Seriously. That wardrobe would be completely UNACCEPTABLE for someone in a high level job, especially if they had to meet with clients. And as far as jeans go, if the other commenter (Jamie) wanted to be comfortable in her own skin and that’s how it worked out, then that’s fine. That’s not for you, but it’s for her. But there’s a market for this. It’s a waste of money for YOU as you stated, but not for someone else who feels differently. I can’t believe that if women are 80% of the buying power that we as a group “get” marketing so very little. I probably have to stop commenting because as a marketing professional I think my brain is ready to melt, lol.

By: ellie

ellie — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:50:24 +0000

For my first pregnancy I went on craigslist and got 2 huge boxes of maternity clohes for $50. I used what I liked and donated the rest. The second pregnancy was only 6 months after I had my son so it was more like a continuation of the first one. I was so sick of the clothes I got new ones at Gap and Target. It was worth it. I felt better in new clothes. Who knows, maybe I’ll use them again some day.

By: loodytinfoil

loodytinfoil — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:28:01 +0000

…I’m not sure why shopping at Target is “(sad but true)”.
If you’re not so concerned with being fashion forward, but rather aiming to be sensible and realistic then what’s wrong with buying simple rack items for a reasonable price from Target and Walmart?
Buy basic items to combine with things you already own – plain maternity t’s you can wear no matter the season you are hugely preggo, and use cardigans and scarves to dress them up.
Jeans/pants are a different story but seriously, you’ll need them for less than 6 months (unless you’re carrying multiples) so why buy designer mom jeans. Fashion Forward Maternity sounds like a waste of money.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:56:27 +0000

I got most of my maternity wear from eBay… this works especially well when you find a seller with similar style and size who’s cleaning out her maternity stash because you can buy several items and save on shipping.

By: Alisha

Alisha — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:52:44 +0000

I’d love to find the goodwill they give their leftovers to

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:27:42 +0000

While I understand that the price seems high, it really is put into perspective when you consider the types of items you are renting and/or purchasing. I am not fond of the pants from Old Navy, Target, Motherhood, etc. I ended up with designer pants ranging from $80 – $200 per pair. Additionally items such as fancy dresses or winter coats would be great to rent if you wanted something nice but didn’t have the cash to spend.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:21:55 +0000

No. And not even if I was the demographic. That being said, I did look into renting a formal maternity gown at one point. The pricetag threw me off because I could afford my own if needed when compared to the price they wanted. I bought my own maternity clothes (not that I wouldn’t have loved handmedowns, just wasn’t an option) and I hope I have another summer pregnancy so I can wear those great sundresses again. If not, well, then I guess I’ll probably just buy more clothes or throw some leggings and a cardigan on top of the sundresses.