Becoming a mum is inevitably a life-changing experience. As a stylist, I get a lot of questions from pregnant clients and new mums on how they can adapt their style to suit their changing lifestyle. I feel it’s so important that women still feel like themselves after they become a parent, so I’m a big fan of using clothes and accessories to celebrate the ‘me’ in ‘mummy’. I think one of the key things is to be really prepared, and be smart with mixing maternity wear with stylish high-street items.

author’s own

I recently partnered with Ecover, experts in caring for laundry for all the family, who prompted me to share my top style tips for new and expectant mums. I hope you’ll find these useful!

1. Detox your wardrobe before baby arrives

So that you can easily find clothes that fit, a wardrobe detox is essential before giving birth. During your ‘nesting’ phase, clear out clothes that you no longer wear or like, and store away anything that you aren’t likely to wear for the next few months. That way, when your baby arrives, you’ll have a clear head and a streamlined tidy wardrobe, so you can quickly find clothes that you want to wear and know will fit.

2. Embrace colour

Colour can help to boost your look and mood. Reds and light blues reflect light, helping you look more awake, even if you’re feeling sleep-deprived. Block colours are very on-trend; don’t be afraid to mix unusual colours together, like red and pink, or colour-block with your baby. Protect your colours from fading with a specialist colour detergent, and wash on a low temperature setting.

3. Mix specialist maternity-ware with high-street

Take a leaf out of the celebrity mum style book and mix your specialist maternity-ware with everyday high-street items in larger sizes. This can help to make functional items, like maternity tops, look more stylish. Simply layer an unbuttoned shirt from the high-street over your breast-feeding top, or pair with a loose-fitting blazer or cardigan.

4. Invest in jeans that adapt to you

Some luxury jeans brands such as J Brand and AG at Trilogy Stores and at Harrods will alter their styles for expectant mums. This is brilliant as it means you can still look and feel fashionable with your growing bump. To protect your denim for longer, wash your jeans inside out on a slow spin cycle to avoid shrinkage and fading, and use a gentle but thorough Non-Bio detergent.

5. Make friends with flats

Flat shoes must become your friends, both through pregnancy and afterwards when you’re kept on your toes, running after little ones. There are a wealth of gorgeous flats to indulge in. Trainers are still having a moment, so why not try out the sports-luxe trend. Flat boots worn with leggings also look great in winter, or why not opt for something with sparkle!

6. Be selective with your accessories

Keep accessories to a minimum – you don’t want children pulling on your ear-rings. Instead, show off your fashion flair with a bright manicure, a colourful scarf, or use a colourful head-tie to keep your hair back. Invest in a small over-body bag for yourself so you can always easily find your keys, coins and concealer, and look for a larger stylish bag to act as an undercover nappy bag.

For more information on Ecover’s new laundry range and fragrances, visit www.ecover.com