Ankara Baby Shower Outfits. The current trend of baby showers may have been imported from the West, but the origins of the ritual of gift-giving and celebrating the transition of a woman into motherhood date back several centuries and various cultures.
Though African society has been hesitant to indulge in this ‘Western import’ due to a number of inherent superstitions, more and more black women have been following this trend and posting about it on social media. Some of them go the modern route while others like paying homage to their culture.
Fantastic Ankara-Inspired Outfits for a Baby Shower
Modern African baby showers are much like the Western ones. The only way they differ is when the elements of African culture and tradition are incorporated into the overall theme. African prints like Ankara and Kitenge are popular worldwide, and we’ll be discussing outfit ideas for expecting mothers in these fabrics.
In this blog, we’ll shower you with some of the sweetest Ankara outfit ideas for the mother to wear on her baby shower.
Black-Owned Maternity Brands:
If you’re really interested in supporting black businesses and initiatives, check out these amazing brands owned by black people offering amazing maternity-wear, baby products, and much more! Want to explore more about Ankara Outfits? Check out Best Mother-Daughter Ankara Outfits.
- Kemi Telford: The clothing brand is owned by a Nigerian-born woman. The apparel has Nigerian roots but plays with Western themes as well.
- Chic and Discreet: The London-based brand specializes in affordable breastfeeding clothes, nursing accessories, books, cards, and art prints.
- Mom 2 Be: This brand was started by Dr. Pamela Lacy, an Obstetrician, due to a lack of local maternity stores addressing the needs of expectant mothers. Their catalog is incredibly vast, covering all areas related to motherhood.
- Happy Mango: The store offers things like strollers, car seats, nursing and feeding products, and bath and diapering tools from several brands.
- Milky Mama: Milky mama offers drinks and treats that help breast-milk production! Isn’t that awesome?
Tips for Dressing During Baby Shower:
These are general tips that you can take advantage of in your everyday dressing as well! You’ll love reading more about Latest Ankara Styles & Outfits For Ladies.
- Prioritize Your Comfort: We know you want to look good, ladies, but this is the point in your life where you should try to be as comfortable as possible. That means no high heels, super-tight dresses (unless they’re made to fit your size or are stretchy), or heavy accessorizing.
- Keep it Minimal: This applies to your appearance as well as your baby shower decorations. The less there is, the faster it would get cleaned up.
- Wear a Not-Too-Tight Dress: They’re easier to go to the toilet in!
- Buy Affordable and Reusable: Make sure it’s something you can go back to again and again.
↓ 20 – Bubbly Pink and Blue Flared Dress
Sometimes you have to go with the theme! This super-cute mama-to-be decided on blush pink and contrasting blue tones for her shower, and so her dress matches with the theme. Her dainty bubblegum pink shoes seal the deal.
↓ 19 – Chocolatey Tribal-Print Dress with Bead Detail
Oh, mama, she looks good enough to eat! If you want a tribal-themed baby shower, you might want to take some pointers from this lady. Everything she has got on is exquisite in its detail. Her dress is strapless and made from cotton material: it fits her bump nicely. Then she’s got these beads on, and they look awesome! The beads aren’t part of the dress, which is even cooler. You’ll see how all African women wear matching headwraps and headbands with their printed dresses, and our chocolate lady is no exception. Her gold hoop earrings look lovely with her afro.
↓ 18 – Glorious Body-Hugging Mermaid Gown
Another thing you’ll find super common among the women of Nigeria is that they tend to wear mermaid gowns a lot. They know this dress form flatters their beautifully curvy bodies, so they flaunt it with pride. When you have incredible Batik prints like these, a stunningly cut dress only enhances the perfection.
If you’re having a little girl and are deciding the theme for your baby shower, choose a mermaid or sea-theme and wear a magnificent, bump-showing dress like this one. Read more about Cool Ankara Style Dresses To Wear For Weddings.
↓ 17 – Color-blocked Long-sleeved Maxi Dress
Ankara prints are known for their vivacious patterns and vivid colors. The colors in these prints are often complete opposites, which lead to wonderful color-blocking opportunities for the wearer. This glowing mama chose an emerald green-brownish red print for her dress. The flared sleeves and bottom are attached to a stretchy, bodycon-like upper portion. Of course, she also wears matching headgear and accessories with the dress.
↓ 16 – A Delicious Mini Confection
This Dashiki-like digitally printed Ankara dress is all sorts of impressive. The mother-to-be is projecting incredible energy and happiness in this dress, and we adore that! The comfort level of the dress is high, but she’s wearing heels too, which we don’t recommend. However, if you feel that you won’t get tired quickly, you can totally wear heels. A slick top-knot hairstyle and diva makeup are all you need with this delicious dress. Don’t wear accessories or any other kind of bling if you’ve opted for a similar look.
↓ 15 – Matching Dress and Headwrap
The thriving market of Ankara prints has no shortage of new designs coming every day. Hand-printed patterns are lovelier than digital ones, but the latter ones are produced faster, so one can’t really complain. We love this fruity, summery pattern because it’s something the expectant mother can feel jolly in. Complimentary makeup, a matching headwrap, and big gold hoop earrings complete the outfit like they do in most cases.
↓ 14 – Sparkling White and Blue Masterpiece
Some women go the same route of getting whole dresses made with the same print, some get creative, and that leads to imaginative pieces like these. This lovely lady took a charming starry night print and decided to add pieces to it to a white dress! The quirky print is on point with her baby shower theme.
↓ 13 – Quirky Yet Comfortable Off-the-Shoulder Dress
This funky print is a mish-mash of different blocky patterns, and a simple off-the-shoulder dress is just what you need to make with it instead of an elaborate gown. It’s extremely comfortable, and trust us when you’re hosting a party while pregnant, you need as much comfort and ease as you can get. Ethnic jewelry is a great option for this type of dress. We’ve added links to products we think are similar to the ones shown in the picture.
Get Similar Earrings:
↓ 12 – Sexy Bodycon Dress with Fishtail
You’ve seen a similar outfit above, but this one’s got oomph. It’s juicier, sexier, and more stylish. Bodycon dresses are actually a great choice for pregnant women, and the reasons are simple. The number one reason is that they’re made with a stretchable, flexible material that accommodates your growing body and can just as easily revert back to their normal shape. The second reason is that the material is light and comfy, another great pregnancy plus. The third reason is that bodycon dress can be reused after you’ve given birth because they revert back to their original form!
The fiery orange-and-yellow dress combines all the advantages of bodycon dresses with the exquisiteness of Ankara prints, resulting in this magnificence.
↓ 11 – Adorable Top and Leggings Combo
This outfit is probably the easiest to get your hands on. You need a good pair of leggings (try maternity leggings) and an adorable top to go with it. There are loads of Ankara top options on Amazon and other websites online. The key features which you should look for are: the dressy top should come up to your mid-thighs, it should have a nice flare to the hem, and it should be sleeveless.
It looks like this mama planned a minimalist out-door baby shower and chose the cutest ensemble for it.
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↓ 10 – Stylishly Minimal Baby Shower Outfit
Speaking of minimal, we have another contender! If you focus on color interpretations and what specific color symbolizes, you’ll most likely select a pink dress if you’re expecting a baby girl and blue if it’s a boy. We love this bubblegum pink dress because, again, it dares to do something different. Instead of a full-blown Ankara print dress, only the bust and sleeves are made from it; the skirt is delicate baby-pink chiffon. How lovely!
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↓ 9 – A Riot of Yellow and Blue
The selection of the baby shower dress might not only depend on the theme and budget of the shower itself but also on the scale of your maternity photoshoot. African maternity photoshoots are hands-down the best. These gorgeous dark-skinned ladies are proud of their bodies in general, and their baby bodies in particular, and the photoshoot images reflect that. This riotously colored gown is satisfying to look at. We love the choice of the triple-bead pearl necklace and the lemony yellow headwrap.
↓ 8 – Lavendar Tribal Queen Outfit
We present to you another tribal look, though this one is projecting the vibe more due to the choice of jewelry than the print itself. It’s amazing how different types of jewelry can give you a whole new image. This mama looks like a tribal queen in her ethereal lavender dress, but it’s more to do with her forgoing the headwrap than the dress itself. The forehead statement piece and studded earrings are to-die-for.
↓ 7 – Dazzling Tropical Gown
More queenly outfits are coming your way! The colors and the pattern of this Ankara dress is hurting our eyes, but that’s something that can be said for most of the prints anyway. African people love the color with passion, and the prints they churn out on a mass-scale reflect that. Whoever came up with this print deserves massive respect and admiration, which we’re ready to give.
You also need the guts and charm to pull something like this off, and our radiant mama-to-be has plenty of both. With her crown-like headwrap, it looks like she’s sitting on a throne, doesn’t it? We bow before you, our queen!
↓ 6 – Long Ankara Skirt with Plain Shirt
We follow up one over-the-top offering with another simpler, plainer one, so you guys can have a little bit of both and know that doing either is fine and totally your prerogative. We’ve broken down this look like a mix of an Ankara printed skirt paired with a plain shirt. Even though in this instance, the top clearly has stripes of the print, but you can do without these just as easily.
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- Women Traditional African Ankara Print Long Skirt
- Hanes Long Sleeved Tee
- Shenbolen Wax Print Headwrap
↓ 5 – Acid Green Dashiki Maternity Dress
You’ll find Dashiki printed tops, shirts, and dresses online, and that is where we suggest you buy a similar-looking piece. The print will do everything for you, and we mean that whole-heartedly. You can evidently see how bright and bold it is, so there is no need to accessorize. Focus instead on doing chic makeup and wearing comfy yet stylish footwear.
↓ 4 – Traditional Perfection
Excuse me, the current ruler and future heir of Wakanda coming through! The costume designers of Black Panther are probably tripping over themselves, taking pointers over this dress. The sheer majesty of this dress is undeniable. The lady looks fearless in it.
P.S: The green headwrap has our hearts and souls.
↓ 3 – Couple Outfit for Baby Shower
Now there’s something you don’t often see in baby showers. It’s a women-only event, mostly so finding men, including the father-to-be, is rare. But life is all about breaking the tradition, so here’s an African couple completely slaying the styling game in matching outfits. And yes, we’re halfway to blindness by now.
↓ 2 – Maternity Ankara Outfit to Copy
Tradition meets West in this printed top and denim slit-skirt pairing. Honestly, this is awesome if your baby shower has a modern and chic theme, but you want your roots to be on display.
↓ 1 – Proud Mama in a Sultry Deep Neck Gown
Among bright jungle foliage, we bet she’d be invisible. Jokes aside, we admire her bold choice of a deep-V neckline and the print, which is bolder still.
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We hope you’ve enjoyed our picks for some fantastic Ankara baby shower outfits on social media. Give us your feedback and thoughts by commenting down below.
