Is she pregnant or just very, very fashionable?
    The recent popularity of “baby doll” tops and dresses — which feature lightweight, voluminous fabric with no cinching around the waist — has led to some speculation about buns in ovens (think Nicole Richie in the tabloids of late…)
    And the style hasn’t endeared itself to the folks over at Mothers Work Inc. The maternity apparel retailer complained on Thursday that ladies buying baby doll styles at competitors’ stores caused a 5.4 percent drop in same-store sales in June.
    Specialty retailers as varied as Old Navy, H&M and Target have been selling the styles since last year. Worn alone as dresses or over cropped pants or jeans, the baby doll styles are popular for their casual, summery, boho flair.
    All that boho flair from rivals caused Mothers Work to slash its third-quarter earnings outlook. But the company says problems are not long-term, but indicative, in part, of “a temporary fashion trend in the non-maternity women’s apparel market favoring styles which more readily fit a a pregnant woman early in her pregnancy than typical non-maternity fashions.”
    Oh, and a “continued difficult overall economic and retail environment” hurt, too.

(Photo: Target web site)