Forever 21 topThere are stylish maternity clothes, and there are affordable maternity clothes. Rarely do the two meet, so the news that Forever 21 is launching a maternity line will be welcome by some of you hot mamas-to-be.

The line's pretty limited at this stage with lots of casual, classic tees and leggings.

Most of the leggings are the under-the-belly type versus the massive over-the-belly style, so they seem like the kind of thing you could wear comfortably in those postpartum weeks when you're swimming in maternity clothes but not shrunk back down to a regular size (and the comfort of a legging would be much appreciated).

Same goes for the yoga pants, the casual uniform of not-quite-showing pregnant women and postpartum moms everywhere.

I was struck by a couple of things.

One, the jeans: They have nice-looking jeans in boot-cut and skinny styles, which are a far cry from the acid-washed, ill-fitting monstrosities I could find during both pregnancies (how can jeans be both way too loose in the belly and tight in the butt? HOW?).

The other was the prices! Those jeans are a mere $13.80. I paid three times that for much uglier versions when I was pregnant. The priciest tops are $19.80 and are also the most stylish. There's a chiffon flowered tunic, which would be gorgeous at a summer party, and a long-line slub-knit maternity cardigan, which would easily carry you through the fall and maybe beyond.

The downsides are that the colors are very muted and most things come in only one or two shades. If you like brights, you're out of luck, as you are if your pre-pregnancy size was bigger than 14 since that's where the line tops out.

Where is your go-to store for cute maternity wear?

 

Image via Forever 21