16 Best Maternity Dresses for Your Growing Bump

The best maternity dresses don't just see you through your pregnancy, but after you've given birth too. That's what three Glamour editors on maternity leave found, anyway.

If you're anything like us you'll likely prioritise comfort over style throughout each trimester, reaching (and re-reaching!) for the best maternity leggings, favouring stretchy maternity jeans and wearing your maternity nightwear whenever you can get away with it.

That being said, maternity dresses are actually just as comfy and are, in fact, so much simpler to wear. A throw-on-and-go outfit when you're too busy creating life to think about what looks good together? Sign us up.

Outline Lemon High-Neck Maternity Maxi Dress With Draped Skirt

Over the nine months that you're carrying your baby, your body can change in ways you may never have thought possible. And while you might've written off maternity clothes altogether, assuming you can eke out the wear of your usual wardrobe staples, let us gently inform you that while possible for some of your looser pieces there may be a lot that you've outgrown. And that's entirely normal, there's no shame in it whatsoever. The great news, though? A lot of the maternity dresses that we've road-tested aren't actually labelled ‘maternity’ at all; they're very much versatile enough to be worn pre- and postpartum.

Yep. Some of our favourite e-tailers have caught on to the need for multi-purpose maternity frocks, and their selections are growing daily – you can now find anything from casual day dresses to office appropriate pieces, and even dresses for a night out (tee-totalling and tearing up the dance floor until 2AM aren’t mutually exclusive, after all).

Plus, many of our favourite high-street brand's websites have specific 'maternity' sections, which makes shopping for new maternity dresses a lot easier when your mind is distracted by pelvic floor exercises and hospital bag packing…

Why you can trust us

Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, Commerce Photo Editor, Neamh Randal and, freelance Fashion Editor, Charlie Teather, have all become first-time mums over the last few years, and – alongside, you know, prepping for one of humankind's toughest physical feats and the subsequent life-altering reality of a tiny new human to care for 24/7 – rediscovering how to dress a body that was changing every single day posed a real challenge.

We didn't want to lose our personal style identities, but we also wanted to celebrate and not just ‘disguise’ this incredible moment in our lives. And if we were finding this balance hard to strike, after working our whole adult lives in the fashion and magazine industry, we figured others must be too. So, we made it something of a personal/professional mission to compile the ultimate maternity fashion guides. If for nothing more than for us to refer back to if/when we ever do this pregnancy thing again, because (spoiler alert) baby brain is no joke, people…

How we tested the best maternity dresses

The number of bump-friendly dresses out there is rather overwhelming. So, Elle, Charlie and Néamh, who are all currently navigating life with their tiny humans, trawled through high street and specialist brands to find the most stylish maternity dresses at every price point. They considered fit, style, value for money and longevity postpartum.

From long sleeve stretchy dresses for casual days to drop-waist midis for nights out (because, yes, you can still hit the town with bump in tow) and a feathered mini dress to pack for your babymoon, they've brought you the best selection of maternity dresses out there. See a handful of their favs below, and the rest if you keep scrolling…

Here are the very best maternity dresses to add to your wardrobe immediately.