The Best (Actually Stylish) Maternity Coats, According to Moms and Pregnant People

Features editor Julia Edelstein wore this two-in-one parka when she was pregnant with her second son that features a removable center panel. It extends the circumference of the coat when attached so you can wear it when you’re pregnant, and removing it turns it back into a regular coat. “It was great, and I was able to keep the panel on when I wore my baby in his carrier underneath it after he was born. He loved it in there,” she says.

Here’s another adjustable jacket that includes built-in expansion. Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang got it secondhand from a neighborhood listserv and appreciated how clever the design is. Thefleececoat comes with invisible zippers on either side that extend the whole jacket to create more room for your belly during pregnancy. (Here’s a helpfulvideoshowing how it works.) Once the baby comes, you can wear the jacket with a baby carrier inside and still close it. There are zippered openings higher up, too, where the baby can stick their arms out. A drawstring at the bottom hem allows for even more adjustability. “Both of you stay warmer when you’re covered together,” says Yang. Because it’s a thinner jacket, you could layer a regular coat over it as well.

Some brands make extension panels that you can add to an existing coat. Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio’s sister used this rib-knit trimmed panel to turn her Canada Goose jacket into a maternity coat. It works with several styles, including Trillium, Shelburne, Victoria, Solaris, and Dawson parkas. You can often find it secondhand on neighborhood listservs and mom groups.

You can also try thisuniversal extenderthat fits most zippered jackets. It comes with a universal adapter that you slip onto the jacket’s existing zipper plus a panel that can be used for both pregnancy and babywearing.

When I was pregnant with my first child who was due in February, I seriously considered getting anOrolay coatfor its oversize silhouette and adjustability. It turns out that the coat’s designer, Kevin Chiu, actually designed it with his pregnant wife in mind. “She realized how much harder it was to have a jacket that closes, so I wanted to make something that a woman could wear through the whole pregnancy and later as well,” Chiu says. It has zippered panels on either side of the coat that go pretty far up, extending the width of the coat. The back flap is also longer than in the front, providing more butt coverage.

ArtistSarah Nsikak, who tried her best not to buy maternity clothing, recommends trying a swing coat or something that has a generous A-line cut. “I feel like going with something that’s meant to have more flow or movement is always great,” she says. This car coat from Cos, which I bought after I had both kids, would be a great option. It has a relaxed silhouette that flares out and also a buttoned tab in the back for even more flexibility. It’s technically a fall jacket, as it’s made from Pima cotton canvas, but it’s generously cut to layer over thick sweaters. Graphic designerAmanda Jane Jones, who lives in Utah, also relied on Cos coats during her last pregnancy. One was similar to this car coat, and the other was a version ofthis long, quilted down coat with a shawl collar. “I’m amazed they both fit until the end,” she says.

[Editor’s note: While this coat is currently out of stock, you can sign up forrestock notifications on the product page.]

Instead of getting a maternity coat, sizing up can also work with a bump. If a jacket is thick enough, it can be worn open, too. Yang got a version of this Fjällräven parka one size bigger than she normally wears a decade ago and wore it both when she was pregnant and after. “I could wear it with just a T-shirt underneath and unzipped with a baby in the carrier, and it would still provide enough warmth for both of us if I put one of those carrier-blanket covers on too,” she says. Product managerDarun Kwakalso wore a large parka, hers from Canada Goose, two whole sizes up when she was pregnant. It also worked with a baby carrier up until her kid was 1. (It’s still her winter coat now that the baby is grown, though she admits that she looks like a marshmallow, especially when she layers it over hoodies.)

For something more affordable, consider Quince’s down puffer, whichStrategist senior writers Liza Corsillo and Michael Zhao both found to be really nice for its priceand which our travel and outdoors writer Katherine Gillespie calls aSuper Puff dupe. PhotographerEmily Nicolella, who’s currently eight months pregnant, loves theshorter versionfor its roomy, comfortable fit. As Corsillo has noted, the longline coat comes with a two-way zip, while the short version does not, so keep that in mind when thinking about adjustability.

PublicistAli Moran, who is currently six months pregnant, hasn’t yet had to overhaul her wardrobe because she already wears oversize clothing, including a version of this quilted coat from A.P.C. “It’s not quite coat season here in Savannah, but I’ve been doing a lot of back-and-forth trips to NYC this fall, and this coat has been on heavy rotation since the buttons still close over the bump,” she says. She bought hers last year in Paris and loves the brand’s tailoring and clean lines, adding that they accommodate a lot of different body types, including pregnant bodies. She likes the utilitarian but still elevated look of a quilted jacket, which can be worn for outdoor activities and again to dinner. Stephanie Downes, a growth and audience development VP, also wore a quilted coat from A.P.C. when she was pregnant. “Looking back on it, it worked because it’s oversize and has buttons instead of a zipper, so at the end of my pregnancy, I just did the top few buttons. It more or less worked my whole pregnancy, and I would layer a thinner puffer underneath when it got too cold,” she says.

Content designer and author ofshopping newsletterOdeJenny Xiealso opted for a quilted coat when she was pregnant. She wore one from Aritzia’s Wilfred line, which is no longer available, but she says that this one from Lululemon is similar. “Mine is superlight, soft, layerable, and basically a blanket,” she says. “The main thing I was looking for was that it should be relatively loose and open versus cropped and cinched on the bottom, and that the closure is a button or snaps, so that you can button just one or two and it would fit over your belly, versus a zipper, which is more constricting.” This jacket from Lululemon has a similarly relaxed and roomy fit that can be worn both under and over layers.

A work coat can also be a good option during pregnancy. ArtistAnna Bak-Kvapil, who is currently pregnant, wore this jacket from Shaina Mote in the fall before it got too cold and says it’s a good one for layering over sweaters. Chore- or barn-style coats are usually cut more generously to promote movement, and can therefore comfortably accommodate a growing bump.

A coat that you tie closed instead of using buttons or a zipper can offer a lot of flexibility, too. Now that it’s colder, Bak-Kvapil has transitioned to this roomysleeping-bag coatfrom Norma Kamali. “It is indeed like wearing a chic comforter,” she says. It has an oversize silhouette, dropped shoulders, ample sleeves that can be rolled all the way down like hand muffs, and an attached drawstring belt.

A wrap coat in general is a great option for pregnancy. During the last few months of my first winter pregnancy, I wore a double-breasted wool coat with a button and belt closure that I already had, as that was the only thing that fit. This wrap coat from Aligne —which was one my favorite coats in my hunt for a mostly wool overcoat— would be an even better choice for its oversize and more adjustable fit. Not to mention the fact that it is extremely warm, stylish, and soft to the touch.

If you want to stick to wool, a roomy double-breasted coat can work well, too. Food journalistAnna Hezelwore “a voluminous shacket that fits over the belly somehow but also works with sweater layers underneath” in the fall, but now that it’s getting colder, she’s turning to an oversize,now sold-out coat from Everlanethat she thinks “will work for both the end of pregnancy and walking around in the winter with a baby attached to my torso.” Because her exact coat is sold out, a good alternative would be this slouch coat from Aritzia that I love for its cocoon-y and relaxed shape and dolman sleeves. It’s so easy to throw on, and it fits over chunky sweaters and layers.

[Editor’s note: The Slouch coat is currently out of stock, but you can add it to your wait list on theproduct page.]

Or you can try something with no buttons or zip closures at all.Artist Jane Dashleyremembers “giving up buttoning my jackets and just layering sweatshirts for warmth.” She wore a drapey vintage ’80s Zoran silk wool-blend coat with a shawl collar that she calls “very forgiving,” as well as a “similar heavier shawl-collar vintage from Bill Blass that looked very smart even when my stomach got enormous.” For a shawl-type coat that you can buy new, nothing beats Lauren Manoogian’s double-face long coat, which is made from a softly felted alpaca-merino-wool-blend fabric that feels like a giant blanket. It’s admittedly expensive, but you can find it on sale, as I did a couple of years ago. I got it after my kids were already born, but it’s generously proportioned and so soft that I can imagine wrapping it around a big belly and feeling incredibly warm.

Wearing a men’s style is another option. Margaret Austin, buyer and co-owner of Outline boutique in Brooklyn, wore the Beaufort jacket from Barbour when she was pregnant. It has a two-way zip that makes it easy to adjust. “I was super pregnant mostly during the summer, but I did have a bit of a bump during the wet season in April and May,” she says. “I often wore my Barbour jacket buttoned all the way up but with the bottom zipper open.” I remember wearing my Barbour jacket a ton, too, when I was pregnant with my kids.

Ari Spool, co-founder of Union Square galleryEnorme, also went with a men’s jacket. She avoided buying maternity clothes and only wore things she already had, which included a lot of oversize clothing, like this coat from menswear line Arpenteur. “It’s cuddly and drapey and big enough to button over the bump most of the way through,” she says. “I was also pretty low-key about being pregnant and I used it to successfully hide my pregnancy until my eighth month or so. It’s really that flattering.” It’s still her main winter coat that she wears all season long now that her daughter is a toddler.