There is no greater challenge for the pregnant woman than that of formal attire. Every mama-to-be's worst nightmare is hearing her sibling is engaged and the wedding date is set in her 30th week of pregnancy and she'll need to find a gown in the perfect shade of pea green. Ok, I'm being overly dramatic, but if you've ever had a bun in the oven, you know how hard it is to get dressed on a normal day, let alone for a black tie affair. Every now and then, Rosie Pope or ASOS will make a maternity dress that isn't bad, but I have yet to see anything that is red carpet worthy. Preggo celebs have it so easy...Olivia Wilde was glowing in custom Gucci sequins at the Golden Globes and Ciara had 4 fittings for her fully embellished gold Pucci gown at the Grammy Awards, but what do you do if you're not a starlet (I mean, we're all starlets, but you know...)?

I was honored to attend the Fort Worth Symphony Gala with my daddy and enjoy a concert from the legendary musical prodigy, cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. An amazing opportunity for a special night I will always remember, but finding a gown to meet my style standards in my 25th week of pregnancy? Ugh. I decided to forgo the maternity options in favor of something I could wear again post-belly. When venturing outside of the maternity realm for formal wear, a mama-to-be must remember a couple of very important things:

1. Your waist is now under your bust. This is the smallest part of your body while pregnant. Emphasize it.

2. Draping is your very best friend. Actually, I should say, strategic draping, because too much fabric isn't good and will make you look larger than you are and who the heck wants that?! A Grecian-style gown that starts draping right under the bust (your new waist) is the ultimate flattering choice.

Thankfully, by some miracle, this turquoise dress from Issa London, with both a waistline under the bust AND strategic draping appeared just in time for the special night. I added large statement earrings, because a bigger belly calls for bigger jewelry. I happened to own a snakeskin clutch from Lelya in the exact same shade of turquoise as the dress, so I couldn't resist carrying it even though it was a bit overly matchy-matchy. I finished off the accessories with a large, gold, vintage peacock cuff, because again, bigger is better when it comes to preggo-accessorizing!

The performance was phenomenal, the memories with my dad are irreplaceable, and I felt confident and elegant with my baby bump on display in my non-maternity, maternity-friendly gown and my oversized accessories. Just call me Yo Yo MAMA.

Gown: Issa London, Earrings: Erickson Beamon Bossa Nova, Clutch: Lelya, Cuff: Vintage