BY GLORIA STRAVELLI
Staff Writer

Women don’t have to lose their sense of style when they become pregnant, according to Maria De Ceglie-Borella, owner of Bellie & Katrina, a boutique featuring trendy maternity wear and infant and children’s clothing and accessories. RED BANK — For centuries, women hid the fact that they were expecting behind billowy dresses and loose-fitting clothing. But that’s all changed, and today’s mom-to-be flaunts her “bump.” She doesn’t have to park her body image or fashion sense while she awaits the birth of her child.

“Although your body is changing, you don’t have to wear muu muus,” said Maria De Ceglie-Borella, owner of Bellie & Katrina, a boutique focused on maternity, infant and children’s wear. “You can still be chic and fashionable.

“I think pregnant women enjoy their bellies and their bodies. They’re no longer ashamed of having a ‘bump.’ ”

Playing off her pregnant anatomy and middle name, De Ceglie-Borella came up with the name Bellie & Katrina for her first boutique, which she opened in Hoboken three years ago.

SCOTT PILLING staff The Fashion Institute of Technology grad with Hoboken roots always wanted her own shop and decided to make maternity wear her niche.

“It’s a fun market and untapped,” she said. “I love Hoboken; it’s young and hip and my family is from there.”

The shop at 12 West Front St. in Red Bank was a natural segue, she said.

“A lot of my customers were moving to the area,” said the Matawan resident. “Red Bank is a lot like Hoboken — I’m finding the same clientele here.”

The boutique is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Bellie & Katrina aims not just to sell clothing and accessories, but to provide a setting where customers can linger with their children and socialize.

“I wanted to create a warm environment for new moms and their children,” she said, “a comfortable place to come and not be at home, and start play groups. It does get lonely.

“This is a nice environment. It can be an ice breaker.”

“So many times when I’m here, I meet so many people,” said staffer Michele Scher, mother of two. “I pull the chairs out of the dressing rooms and we’ll sit and talk. They’re new moms and I’m an ‘old pro.’ ”

The 1,000-square-foot space features an exposed brick wall and fine art children’s portraits by Hartshorn Portraiture on the walls. A portable crib is tucked next to the dressing rooms.

“It has a boutique-y feel,” said De Ceglie-Borella. “Customer service is what differentiates a boutique from a mall store.”

There are no vestiges of the “old” look in maternity clothing at Bellie & Katrina. Here, pregnant women can dress as fashionably as they did before their abdomens took on new proportions. Nursing moms get the same treatment, with shirts and tops that are fashionable and discreet.

Jeans made to accommodate expanding waistlines come in labels like Citizens of Humanity, and to top them, there are trendy T-shirts by Michael Stars or Nom.

The small, select collection of maternity clothing in fine fabrics and attractive hues and prints includes fashionable coats, sweaters, slacks, shirts, bathing suits and lingerie.

A cotton robe and nightgown set is a play on mom and baby bonding with matching infant gown and cap for $70.

“Here’s something new to maternity,” said De Ceglie-Borella, showing off a peasant-look, shirred and sequined brown jersey frock. “This can be worn as a dress or skirt,” she explained.

Labels include Japanese Weekend, Chiara and Kruza, sizes run from extra small to large, and prices range from $54 for a T-shirt to $180 for designer jeans.

DeCeglie-Borella, mother of a 6-month-old daughter, credits celebrity moms-to-be with changing the way fashions are designed for pregnant women.

“I think because Hollywood [stars] got pregnant and every designer wanted to dress the latest fashion icon, it trickled down — and it’s great,” she said.

Infants’ and children’s wear for girls and boys range from newborn to toddler size 4 and will extend up to size 6 in the spring collection, she said.

Clothing for little ones tends to be in vibrant colors and prints, due to De Ceglie-Borella’s own preferences.

“I love bright, fun clothing and colors that are not the typical blue, pink and yellow for baby clothes,” she said.

There are seasonal fabrics like fine wale corduroy in the collection, which includes outerwear — a faux shearling coat is $52. There are also cardigan and pullover sweaters, pants and shirts, dresses and tops with flutter sleeves for resort wear.

Accessories have a sense of whimsy, like a box of girls’ socks designed to look like Mary Janes that sells for $24.

Screen-printed T-shirts with clever designs are a Bellie & Katrina trademark, De Ceglie-Borella said. “The Hoboken store is known for them.”

T-shirts and onesies amuse with sayings like: “I Drink Alone,” “To Do List: Eat, Sleep, Poop,” and “Rage Against the Green Bean,” and “Easy Drooler” has a motorcycle motif.

Here, diaper bags aren’t the boring necessity they once were. An attractive diaper bag in a bright print by Room 7 sells for $115 and is so stylish, it can later serve as a tote. The equivalent masculine version for dads, Diaper Dude, sells for $56-$118.

The mix of maternity and infant and toddler wear at Bellie & Katrina is designed to give customers options, De Ceglie-Borella explained.

“It works really well,” she said. “Someone can come in and buy a present for a child. Or if a pregnant woman is having a ‘fat’ day, she can come over to the kids’ side and shop and remember she’s creating life and buy something for the new baby.”