Like Rihanna, Shay Mitchell Is Rewriting Maternity Style Rules in Minis & Crop Tops

Since announcing that she’s expecting her second child with longtime boyfriend Matte Babel, Shay Mitchell has stepped out in next-level maternity looks. On Tuesday, the Canadian actor headed to “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen in an iridescent minidress with a plunging neckline and tiny straps. With its metallic structure and glittering sheen, the design is reminiscent of classic space-age silhouettes – a theme stylist Monica Rose pushed further with a gold trench coat, silver hoop earrings, strappy stilettos, and a metallic bag. Taking a cue from Rihanna‘s maternity-style philosophy, Mitchell’s look exuded confidence and femininity.

Earlier this week, the “Pretty Little Liars” star posed in a brown cropped cardigan fastened by linked safety pins. Mitchell captioned the post, “Every sweater is a maternity sweater if your safety pins work hard enough ?.” Her clever styling hack made buttons feel entirely irrelevant, and it was totally on-trend with winter’s flirty take on the preppy sweater.

Mitchell’s cardigan opened to reveal a gray bralette and her growing baby bump. Paired with low-slung jeans and finished with a crochet bucket hat and a fuzzy shoulder bag, it was a trendy, head-turning approach to off-duty dressing.

Mitchell is writing her own maternity style rules, boldly embracing her body’s changes as she prepares to welcome a new baby. She opened up about going through prenatal depression during her first pregnancy in a POPSUGAR interview, saying, “I only heard [of] postpartum, so I was preparing myself for that. But then when I was upset and not feeling my best during, I was like, ‘Wait, what’s this? Nobody talked about this! I should be so happy right now.’ So I’m nervous to go back into it for that again.”

In speaking out about prenatal depression and breaking convention when it comes to maternity dressing, Mitchell is advocating for people to have more sartorial freedom and support during pregnancy. Ahead, see her best maternity looks so far.

Related: Shay Mitchell and Matte Babel Are Expecting Their Second Child