Today: Maternity style with Bella Gravida.

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Bella Gravida. I received a complimentary subscription and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

As I shared earlier this fall, I had a chance to try the new Bella Gravida maternity “wardrobe rental” service.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I knew I didn’t want to spend a fortune on maternity clothes… and… that I kind of needed to wear something other than my husband’s sweatpants when leaving the house.

I am expecting my second delivery from Bella Gravida this week, but my experience with the first delivery was largely positive.  I received a maxi skirt, a maxi dress and a long-sleeved top.  The skirt did not fit well, but I really, really liked both the dress and top.

What I loved

• Returning items is extremely easy.  Bella Gravida includes a postage-paid envelope with each delivery.  Once I was ready to return my items, all I had to do was drop the envelope at the Post Office.
• Laundering is included in the monthly fee — no need to worry about washing or dry cleaning items before you send them back.
• You have the option to buy styles you love, rather than sending them back and this, too, is very easy.
• There is no deadline to return a particular item — you can keep it as long as you like.
• Unlimited exchanges during the month — you can send back items to be replaced with new items as many times as you’d like.

This top by Everly Grey was my favorite item — I held onto it for weeks and loved that I could dress it up or down.

Changes I’d love to see

• Website improvements: The website is not especially user-friendly.  I toyed with buying one of the items sent with me, but it was not appearing in my “closet.”  I contacted customer service by email, though, and received a prompt response and the issue was resolved that same day.
• The company’s slogan (“We’re not a subscription box.  We’re a subscription wardrobe.”) might not be entirely accurate.  I was provided with two month’s of Three Styles at a Time, which retails for $79/month.  If you ask me, three articles of clothing do not a wardrobe make… and $79 is not chump change.  Also, I was hoping for a great pair or two of maternity jeans or black skinnies, but alas… there are currently no pants available.  I feel like pants are sort of critical to one’s wardrobe.
• More information about individual styles: I’d love to see more information about both material and fit for each style.  This would make filling my personal closet a lot easier.  Being allergic to wool, I hesitated to add most sweaters and tops to my closet, which left me with limited choices.

The bottom line:

We had several weddings and special events to attend this fall and between the acrobatic feat that is climbing into maternity nylons (Whyyyyyyyy?) and lack of in-store options to try on, I could have used some help finding a great dress.  I think special occasions (rather than attempting to build an every day wardrobe) are the perfect reason to use a service like Bella Gravida.  

They have a large (and beautiful) selection of dresses available, which I am sure will be attractive to other expecting mothers as we head into the holiday season, and so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend women check out Bella Gravida for this purpose.  With family get togethers, office parties, and special holiday events, I can see a real benefit to having great looking maternity dresses shipped directly to you (and styles may be en route to you as quickly as 48 hours after adding them to your personal closet).

Even in the short amount of time that I’ve been familiar with Bella Gravida, I’ve noticed improvements being made (and more and more styles being added)… which leads me to believe the service will keep getting better.

Current promotions:

• Bella Gravida is offering one free month to new users.  Simply sign up for a membership at BellaGravida.com.
• By Thanksgiving, Bella Gravida will be launching their ‘Give The Gift of Style’ feature.  If there are expecting mothers on your gift list for the holiday season, consider giving them a Bella Gravida subscription.  

Also On Tap for Today:

• Meeting our new niece!
• A good read: A Stay-at-Home Parent is Not a ‘Luxury’ from The New York Times
• Obsessed: Which Martha Stewart Era Are You? via The Kitchn

What’s on your holiday wish list?