Glam Slam: Doing The Bump

By Ryan Patterson

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Heidi Klum , Nicole Richie and Ellen Pompeo are the most recent stars to continue the never-ending Hollywood baby brigade. Stylish stars gave me a lot of "Best Dressed Bump" inspiration during my pregnancy and I had two goals:

1. Look fashionable, not frumpy.

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2. Do it on a (non-Hollywood) budget.

Here's how I shopped:

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DON'T BUY MATERNITY
This advice might seem contradictory. I only bought two maternity items. Obviously every person is different - you should buy what fits you and feels comfortable, but my point is don't feel pressured to go out and buy an entirely new wardrobe. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on things with a limited lifespan and decided that I wouldn't buy anything unless I could also wear it AFTER I gave birth. That meant loose, long tops and sack dresses from Zara. In fact, I wore a black Zara dress on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. BCBG was a one-stop shop for workwear... sweater dresses, wrap style dresses - even stretchy pants with an elastic waistband. What's great is that I still can, and do, wear all of these things.

GO CHEAP
Forever 21 was my main go-to store when I was pregnant. I got both trendy items and basics there... all dirt cheap. (Hello five-dollar tank tops!) I would just buy a size larger as I needed to. The Simply Vera line by Vera Wang at Kohls is another option that's perfect for pregnancy because it features many loose fitting styles. I wore several pieces from that line. Old Navy and H&M are also great sources for inexpensive items.

JEANS ARE A MUSTI wore jeans more than anything else, but I had a really hard time finding skinny maternity jeans that I liked. During the early part of my pregnancy, I was able to wear my black Genetic skinny jeans because they had so much stretch! When those didn't fit any more, I bought skinny jeans at Forever 21 for $12.99!!! I would just keep going up a size as needed and wearing the jeans lower around my hips. I finally found two pairs of maternity jeans I liked at TOPSHOP during a trip to London. I swear by them! You can buy them online at www.topshop.com.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebrity Baby Bumps

ACCESSORIES ARE YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
It doesn't matter how much weight you gain - a necklace is always going to fit! I bought scarves, jewelry and shoes. (Luckily my feet didn't swell.)

It's an easy way to pull together an outfit and a great mood booster on days when perhaps you don't feel your prettiest. This was the one area where I splurged because these are investment pieces that I will be wearing for years. And who knows, maybe I will even pass them down to my baby girl when she gets old enough!

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