Pregnancy changes a lot.
Your body changes. Your routine changes. Your relationship with your wardrobe can change approximately 111 times before lunch.
But your sense of style? That doesn't have to go anywhere.
From Bollywood's most recognisable fashion girls to Rihanna, some of the world's most stylish women have treated pregnancy as an addition to their personal style rather than a replacement for it.
And that distinction matters. Because you're still you. Just pregnant.
Here are eight women who did precisely that!
1. Deepika Padukone, her maternity style has never really looked like a change from her wardrobe. It has looked like an extension of it.
During her pregnancy, she moved between oversized silhouettes, body-conscious looks, Indianwear and high-fashion pieces rather than settling into one prescribed "maternity aesthetic." Her recent maternity shoot, for instance, featured a fitted lace look that embraced her changing body rather than disguising it.
That's the interesting bit. Deepika's style remained hers.
And that is the real maternity-style flex: finding clothes that accommodate the body you have today without making you feel like you've borrowed somebody else's wardrobe.
the be imli takeaway: Your clothes need to fit your changing body. Your personality doesn't need to.
2. Kareena Kapoor Khan has been doing this for years.
During her first pregnancy, she embraced roomy silhouettes, shirt dresses, gowns and layers. During her second, her wardrobe became even more varied: tailored separates, co-ords, silk pieces, asymmetrical cuts, kaftans and statement evening wear all made appearances.
In other words: comfort, yes. Giving up the rest of the wardrobe? Absolutely not.
3. Alia Bhatt was particularly good at proving that maternity style doesn't have to be one-dimensional.
She wore oversized blazers with distressed denim, sequinned dresses, velvet, pantsuits, crisp white shirts and street-style staples. Vogue India noted that her maternity looks retained the understated, contemporary style she was already known for.
Which is exactly the point.
She didn't suddenly become a different dresser because she was pregnant. She simply adjusted the proportions.
And there's something very useful in that idea for the rest of us: you don't always need a completely new wardrobe. Sometimes you need to rethink how your existing style works with your changing body.
4. Sonam Kapoor Ahuja. If there is one celebrity who was never going to let pregnancy come between her and fashion, it was her!
Her pregnancy wardrobe moved between couture, Indianwear, contemporary silhouettes and statement pieces. Her ivory sari look, in particular, was a masterclass in taking something deeply familiar and making it feel completely her own.
Her approach also makes a larger point: maternity fashion doesn't need to be its own visual category.
5. Anushka Sharma was perhaps less about making a fashion statement and more about making a very good point.
Her looks included breezy dresses, kurtas, roomy T-shirts, dungarees, prints and embroidered pieces with an emphasis on comfort and clothes that reflected her existing style. Vogue India specifically noted that many of her maternity dresses were versatile enough to work beyond pregnancy.
And honestly, this is where we think maternity fashion gets particularly interesting.
Because the best maternity piece isn't necessarily the one that screams MATERNITY.
It's the one you would happily keep wearing when you're no longer pregnant.
That is the entire thinking behind dual-use at be imli: design for pregnancy and beyond, rather than creating something that has a nine-month expiry date.
A good dress shouldn't become irrelevant because your bump does.
6. Rihanna. Of course, no conversation about pregnancy and personal style can skip Rihanna.
Across her pregnancies, Rihanna has repeatedly treated her changing body as something to dress *with*, rather than something to hide. Her looks have included sheer dresses, low-rise jeans, crop tops, dramatic tailoring, body-conscious silhouettes and an almost complete refusal to let conventional maternity dressing dictate the rules.
Her stylist even described the approach as making the bump the focal point rather than treating it as a problem to solve.
But you don't have to dress like Rihanna to take something from Rihanna.
You can be a jeans-and-T-shirt person.
A kurta person.
A linen-trousers person.
The be imli belief is simply: Don't let pregnancy make decisions about who you're allowed to be.
7. Blake Lively
During her second pregnancy, she wore everything from dramatic gowns to denim-and-dress combinations, tailoring, bold accessories and figure-skimming silhouettes. At the 2016 Met Gala, she chose a floral Burberry gown rather than disappearing into a conventional maternity silhouette.
What stands out isn't any one outfit.
It's the commitment to having her point of view.
Sometimes that point of view is a gown. Sometimes it's a pair of jeans.
Pregnancy doesn't mean you need less style.
Sometimes it just means you need to get more creative about how you express it.
8. Emily Ratajkowski: Why should your wardrobe suddenly become modest?
Her pregnancy looks included cut-outs, crop tops, low-rise denim, fitted dresses, boots and plenty of skin. British Vogue described her maternity wardrobe as remaining largely unchanged from her pre-pregnancy style.
Pregnancy does not come with a dress code.
You can show your bump. You can cover it. You can wear a crop top. You can wear an enormous shirt. You can wear a saree. You can wear the same black dress you've worn 17 times.
There is no correct amount of pregnancy in your outfit. There is only what feels like you.
You just need clothes that let your style survive the changing body.
That's what we make at be imli, maternity and postpartum clothing designed around the woman, not just the trimester. Pieces made to feel like you now, and still feel like you later.
Comfort. Style. Function. No personality sacrifice. Explore the collections here.
You're still you. Just pregnant.
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