Share the ♥︎

December 7, 2016

My Maternity Wardrobe: Isabella Oliver Gardner Maternity Top Review

I haven’t had much luck with maternity-wear so far. At 27 weeks I’ve almost outgrown my TopShop vests, at 14 weeks I couldn’t even fit into New Looks’ so called ‘maternity pyjamas‘ (I’m a size 10-12 and ordered a large but they still didn’t fit!!!) and the maxi dress I ordered from Amazon for my trip to Abu Dhabi at Christmas is closer to my knees than my ankles (seriously, I’m only 5’4’’). I was beginning to lose faith in maternity clothes.

So rather than going to my usual stores and ordering the maternity-equivalent of my normal wardrobe staples (most of which were subsequently returned to the store when I realised they either didn’t fit or simply looked terrible- if only there was the option to try these items on in-store!), I ventured online to Isabella Oliver.

Anxious about maternity-clothing as a result of my previous experiences, Isabella Oliver gave me the opportunity to review one of their products. Last week I received the Gardner Maternity Top and I gladly packed it in my bag ready for my forthcoming trip to Poland where I would test it out over my evening meal.

Most of my maternity wear is casual in appearance and so I particularly liked the smart-casual look of this top. The top is very low-cut for a maternity top (which I thought was quite appropriate for my evening meal seen as we were away for our one-year wedding anniversary!), however my maternity bra thought otherwise, revealing the ever-not-so-sexy polka dot bow and fabric across my chest-bone. This would have looked great should I have had the right bra, however I haven’t found many maternity bras to be remotely sexy or capable of boasting my new pre-baby cleavage! So, failing that, I decided to style the top with a vest top beneath it.


Isabella Oliver maternity top

The fabric that this top is made of is good quality and relatively thick, so it was perfect for a cold night out in Krakow. It has two long pieces of fabric which can be wrapped around your bump to help keep it warm, but also to give the top a bit of additional ‘style’. I chose to wrap these around once and then to tie them together at the side, but I’m sure that there are many different ways this can be done.

wrap around maternity top

The top was super comfy, again something that is very important for pregnant ladies, and was flattering at the same time. I used to be able to get dressed pretty quickly in the morning, but nowadays I have to try on several outfits before I’m satisfied that I look pregnant and not fat! With this top, however, there is nothing to worry about. The colour and fabric are very flattering, minimising any ‘fat’ bits and promoting the best bits (i.e. your cleavage!).

At £85 this top is quite expensive, however. Personally I wouldn’t usually spend this amount on a top that I will inevitably only wear for a few months, however after all of my bad experiences with other retailers offering maternity-items, I would reconsider my budget. This top is durable and has lots of room so it will last the duration of the pregnancy, unlike some of my other clothes.

Overall I would give this top a 4* rating. You can buy it on the Isabella Oliver website here.

Leave a comment
  1. Rachel says:

    I love that style of top it suits you and your neat bump x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* We will never share your details with any third party 

Grab our ebook

Get instant access to "How to budget a Family Vacation"

We'll get back to you shortly.

Thank you!