The Best Maternity Dresses to Wear Through Every Trimester of Pregnancy

When I was growing up, my Southern-raised grandmother almost exclusively wore a house dress and, during my most recent pregnancy, I adopted that style for myself. Lounge dresses offer the same level of comfort as a pair of cotton pajamas, but if you need to run out for school bus pick-up or to grab something from the grocery store, you’ll still look put together.

From weddings to special events, here are our favorite maternity dresses for fancy occasions. And if you’re on the hunt for a baby shower dress, we’ve got you covered there too!

Comfortable? Check. Casual? Check. Stylish? Check. Maternity clothes don’t get easier than this. And the best part of a casual dress is it can be the only one in your closet; a pair of heels and jewelry can dress it up and a denim jacket with sneakers can dress it down.

When you’re trudging through the third trimester of pregnancy, in the thick of summer (I’ve been there twice), a mini dress can let air flow around your legs and keep sweating to a minimum.

If you’d rather not add a bunch of new pieces of clothing to your lineup that are for a finite time in your life, you can go the clothing rental route. You can either rent a few pieces every month or a single dress for an upcoming event from services like Nuuly and Rent the Runway. Clothing rentals are a fantastic way to get your hands on super stylish (and even designer) dresses without committing to keeping them forever. (Note that we’ve listed the retail prices, not the cost to rent).