While pregnant, my body transformed as it does when a woman’s pregnant. Even though I had a bun in the oven, it was still important for me to stay true to myself. I wanted to be fashionable and fab. This doesn’t need to change just because cause you’re pregnant, this doesn’t need to change.
Ugh, for me, there was nothing worse than typical tent-like maternity clothing. I swear a lot of what is sold and labeled as ‘maternity’ is doing the exact opposite to what you actually want it to do.
I’d describe my pregnancy style as very feminine with a definite edge. Almost every day of my pregnancy, you could find me in heels (yes really) and a dress. Pants were a no-go!
Flirty and fun, that’s what I wanted it to be, and to be honest the pregnancy style I adopted helped me smile (or in some cases grimace) through some of the toughest days of my pregnancy when nausea, fatigue and overall discomfort were taking over.
On some of the tough days it felt good to be able to look in the mirror and be like “Hey girl, hey!! You’ve still got it!”
To those women who have no troubles during pregnancy, I’ve got one word for you – RESPECT! Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case for me! Pregnancy was tough, really tough at times, but I was determined to hold onto my sense of self and my sense of style through the 10-month journey. If you just blinked your eyes and thought “10 months? What’s she on?” you read correctly. Everyone says it’s 9 months, but that’s a lie!
My maternity shoot was something else. And for those of you who say you never want to have a maternity shoot, please just do it! It’s all about finding the right style for you and you alone. Embrace the way you look and feel – seriously, there’s nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman!
In some respects, I’m not your typical mom-to-be. I didn’t want that usual pregnant woman shoot amongst the wilderness wearing a crown of flowers in my free flowing hair as I gazed off longingly into the sunset…it’s just not who I am.
When I connected with my maternity shoot photographer, Jess Baumung, I knew he was the one. Known for killing it behind the lens with awesome artists such as Drake and Jazz Cartier, Jess has a great rep, and I was lucky to have him. My girlfriend Sasha, who also happens to be pregnant at the moment, helped me out with the art direction and location scouting. Personally, between the three of us, I think we pulled off a killer shoot!
I think our combined efforts and talents paid off. I was thrilled with the end result and I forward to the day when little Kensington is old enough to sit down with me and I can proudly show off my beautiful maternity shots with her in my tummy – I just hope she’ll be proud!
TorontoShay xo
PS. I’m wearing everything Zara. Zara and Forever 21 were absolute godsends during my pregnancy. I’m ride or die for both brands and they were welcome alternatives to some of the monotonous maternity apparel that’s out there.
For all you moms-to-be, I’ve also included a gallery of Forever 21 dresses (like this one) that worked beautifully for me throughout my pregnancy. I hope you can find your some maternity fashion inspo. Happy experimenting!
TorontoShay xo
