The way Tracy Gravius sees it, there is no reason to overspend on maternity clothes when the items will be used a handful of times.

There is also no reason to compromise on quality or fashion when being frugal, she said.

To help pregnant women dress fashionably on a budget, Gravius launched Pregastyle, an online store that sells gently used maternity clothes. Her website and social media accounts also include style tips.

“I want it to become the go-to place for moms. I want it to become a phrase: ‘What’s your Pregastyle?’ I’m trying to build a lifestyle brand,” Gravius said. “I’m building a nice community of moms. It’s got a nice, positive theme.”See more at:cheap formal dresses

Gravius started Pregastyle in October and runs the business out of her home in Brookfield, where she lives with her husband and two children. She has a home office and photographs and hangs the clothes for sale in her finished basement.

“We started it in the home to keep overhead expenses to a minimum. The goal is to get the business running well and move to a location locally,” she said. “There is the possibility of a retail front, but the vision for now is to remain online.”

According to the report “Global Maternity Wear Market 2015-2019,” the maternity wear market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 2.01 percent through 2019. An increase in pregnant women in the workplace is the main reason for the expected increase, the report says.

Gravius hopes to grow to the point where she can add employees, launch her own line of nursing apparel and rent formal maternity outfits.

“That way you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on something you’re going to wear for four hours and then put it in the closet,” she said.

For now, Gravius purchases and resells maternity clothing through her website pregastyle. At the site, women may sell maternity clothes they no longer need or browse Gravius’ inventory.

For those selling clothes, Gravius ships a large “clutter bag” to the person, who fills the bag and sends the items back. Gravius inspects the clothes carefully and, if they are accepted, she steams, photographs and hangs them before putting them on the website. Gravius pays for the items she accepts up front, instead of consigning.

The items she does not accept are either shipped back — which she calls “returnity” — or donated to a local organization.

“I have very high standards. I want people to not know the difference between what I sell and what’s new,” she said. “The clothes are at least 40 to 60 percent off of what you’d pay in a store. A lot of the items I get still have tags on them. A lot of others you can tell they’ve never been worn.”

People who purchase items from Pregastyle may return them after 14 days if they do not fit. Pregastyle has a large selection of tops, bottoms, dresses, swimwear and sleepwear.

“My mission is to give expectant moms the opportunity to look and feel great without breaking the budget,” she said. “Maybe they can save some money for a date night.”

Gravius got the idea for Pregastyle when she was pregnant with her first child.

She was the first of her friends to become pregnant and didn’t have anyone to turn to when she needed fashion advice for maternity clothes. She had a corporate job and needed to dress professionally, but also needed casual outfits.

“I needed two closets and it was very expensive,” she said. “I was a financial planner and it killed me to pay so much money to buy something I wouldn’t need for very long. I really struggled with it.”

Her corporate job, which required a commute from Brookfield to Greenwich each day, kept her from following through with her idea. Earlier this year, however, she was unexpectedly laid off and quickly put the wheels in motion for Pregastyle.

“It was challenging, but a fun challenge,” she said. “There’s just so much to do. There’s always so much more detail involved than anyone anticipates. I’ve always worked in corporate America so it was a big shift for me. Suddenly I was the decision-maker. You’re the driving force behind everything.”Read more at:http://www.marieaustralia.com/red-carpet-celebrity-dresses