BBP Prenatal: A maternity capsule wardrobe will save you brain space, time and effort.
PART 1 OF A 2 PART SERIES ON PRENATAL MUST-HAVES TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER.
The Calm Before the Storm.
2/15/2023: Why hello from a place called Past My Due Date! I’m pretty stoked to be getting out of here in the very near future, but until then, I thought I’d distract myself with a few posts that wrap up my second pregnancy as I’m waiting on this little person. Today’s topic is on something that cuts through the hassle of outgrowing the vast majority of your clothes and allows you to pull yourself together every day with very little thought. Which is a huge win in my book, especially if you’re also raising another kid, working, living your life, and growing a human. I’m referring to the capsule wardrobe, of course! And it’s a game changer.
What’s a capsule wardrobe, why do we want to assemble one, and what sort of credentials do I have to preach about this? Let’s jump right in.
First of all, I have no credentials for this whatsoever. BUT. What I do have is the fact that I searched the internet high and low for a list of prenatal capsule pieces that weren’t god-awful AND didn’t cost $300 a piece. (I don’t do ruching, people. I just don’t.) My goal was something simple and French-inspired that would create a cohesive set of outfits I could just wear over and over without thinking too hard about this. I wear workout clothes for my job, but I don’t want to wear them out in public every day. And though it’s noon and I’m still wearing my pajamas at this very moment (Hi, I’m 41 weeks pregnant), typically, I prefer to be dressed. Not in sweats, but in actual grownup clothes.
So here’s what I did.
First I watched like 30 youtube videos, read at least 25 blogs (Again with the ruching! It’s a prenatal crutch.), and then finally found this lovely video from Violette_FR which was pretty much the only helpful video I could find. So with that as my inspiration (not in terms of style per se, though it is very aspirational, but in terms of proportions and simplicity), I decided what I wanted my pregnancy uniform (if you will) to be and bought a few pieces so I could get dressed quickly without looking totally a) cutesy and/or b) haggard. I created an extremely limited wardrobe which gave me fewer choices to contend with in the morning and thus less opportunity for frustration (trust me—this works!).
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
THE LIST: A few ideas to start your capsule.
These maternity jeans from Abercrombie in LONG. I have zero allegiance to this brand and if you feel like hating on them, the Netflix documentary can’t be beat!, but I liked these jeans WAYYY better than the $200 boyfriend jeans from Hatch (returned!). They’re around $90 and I wear them every single day. I ordered mine in long as I mentioned (I’m 5’7—so not super tall!) because a) I don’t feel like super-cropped is a good look for me as I’m getting wider and b) it’s winter. They’re a great vintage-inspired denim that I’d actually want to wear in real life. Order yours in your pre-pregnancy size. [*Note: I can’t vouch for the other two washes! Just the distressed.]
This striped Bateau top from Hatch (This was a hand-me-down from my friend Elena and it’s my favorite.) It’s such good quality and it hangs really well.
A white thick(ish) cotton henley top from Hatch that they don’t have anymore, but I found it on The Real Real for a steal. P.S. TRR is the JAM for finding maternity clothes! Barely worn, a lot of it with tags on, and best of all, you can return it if it you don’t like it. (Remember that it’s a flat $12 rate to ship, so I like to order a few things at once.)
A black or white t-shirt. Not too tight or your belly button will show through. Lots of brands make these specifically for maternity so it just depends on how you want a t-shirt to fit. I don’t like too much tenting so I just wore an oversized white T in a men’s size small and tied it off under my belly.
An oversized cashmere cardigan in a color that I don’t need to worry about because a) I knew I would wear it pretty much daily and b) I have a 2 year old. I bought this one from Jenni Kayne in camel and it’s ok. Not *great* quality for the price, in my opinion, but it’s nice enough and it’s held up well after being worn prob 150 times. I’ll keep wearing it for years if I stop torturing it with daily wear. I also bought one from Quince in cream which was literally less than half the price. It’s slightly thinner than the Jenni Kayne, but it still works. Very soft and comfortable.
Men’s sweaters. I’ve been wearing an oatmeal colored roll-neck wool sweater from Alex Mill that I gave my husband in 2021 and it’s perfect in terms of length (size med). I also have (he also had?) a more basic navy merino wool v-neck from Quince that’s really affordable, sustainably made, and perfect for me.
A button-down oxford shirt in white or blue. I have both. Mine are from AYR–they’re oversized and my pre-pregnancy size still fits! Well, it did two weeks ago. Now it doesn’t, but I got a lot of use out these, so that’s a big plus in my book.
A cashmere scarf in camel. Again, choosing a forgiving color is key. You won’t be able to button your coats so the scarf keeps you somewhat protected from the cold.
These black leggings from Blanqui because they’re thick enough to workout in (i.e. they’re NOT see-through), NOT shiny, and comfortable enough to wear up until the last week of pregnancy (read: not too tight that you won’t want them anywhere near you). I tried other brands that were either see through (Storq!) or just too tight. Size UP in Blanqi, for the record. I bought two pair of these and I’ve gotten my money’s worth. And they’re still in great condition so I can pass them on to someone else once this situation wraps up.
An oversized blazer that you won’t actually be able to button, but still looks cute. (I’m still wearing my pre-pregnancy blazers for this.)
A pair of FLAT boots that slip on (not important in the mid-stages but when you’re 9 months pregnant, you don’t want to wear a heel, even a low one. Unless you do and then I salute you, Madam). I went with Frye motorcycle boots in distressed black and I wear them every day. With workout clothes, with jeans. With dresses.
A black bodycon long sleeve dress that’s not too long cause I don't want to look like Stevie Nicks even though I adore her. I’ll be honest: I couldn't find a great one. I wanted a specific length for this (below the knee to mid-calf) and NOT loose. If anyone has a rec, I’d love to hear so I can update my list!
Prenatal joggers from Quince. These are really affordable sweats. NOT super thick or good for wearing outside, but perfect for when you get home and just want something loose and forgiving. I washed these a ton and they held up, but again, they’re not nearly as nice as my lulu joggers which I’ve had for 4 years at this point. Order your regular size or a size down. I think these run somewhat big.
And that rounds out my list of basics for a fall/winter/PNW spring prenatal capsule. From here, you just accessorize, style with what you already own in terms of coats and jewelry, and live your life. As a side note, summer maternity is soooo much easier than winter (speaking from experience), but winter can be done well! Here’s to hoping I never see any of these clothes again (with the exception of my beloved boots!)
There’s a Part 2 of this series and it’s coming SOON—it’s on everything that really helped me in this pregnancy (a second pregnancy is so different from your first!), so stay tuned!
-Meegan