As my pregnancy winds down, I wanted to share with you the 10 most important ‘behind the scenes’ pieces that dressed my bump for the last 8 months. As you all know by now, I have been using Rent the Runway for the majority of my fashion pieces; for vacations, work meetings, date nights, NYE and other daily activities. But those pieces are nothing without a solid foundation to dress this bump on every day.
While I have never been one for a capsule wardrobe, I feel strongly that a maternity capsule wardrobe is the smartest cost and space saving decision yet. When you are getting ready for a baby, nesting, and generally spending a ton of money buying supplies and getting your house in order, the last thing you want is to spend money on maternity clothing that you can only wear for a few months. I’m not saying don’t buy anything! I’m suggesting that a few clever non-maternity shopping hacks can get you a wardrobe of cool, and joining Rent the Runway will be all you need for the cherry on top of your maternity capsule wardrobe.
Today I want to share with you the 10 most worn pieces in my maternity capsule wardrobe, and those that I think will take you far beyond pregnancy as well. Paired with my other Pregnancy Style Tips, such as:
The Knit 2 Piece Set
3 Easy Maternity Outfits for Winter
A Different Type of Holiday Style
8 Knit Dresses to Look Chic
You have all you need to dress yourself through the colder winter months, while not losing your style sanity. The best part about this capsule wardrobe is that you probably already have 3 or 4 of these items in your wardrobe already, and you just need the reminder of how cute they can be with a bump! Take a look and let me know if you would add or take away any items!
10 Piece Maternity Capsule Wardrobe
- Black Knit Sweater Skirt – What I wear 3 out of 7 days a week. This is a particularly good piece to wear to doctor appointments and ultrasounds as it can easily fold down, and if it gets covered in that gross goo then it’s an easy item to wash!
- Cozy Mini Turtleneck Dress – This is an easy item that you can dress up or down for dates or errands, and looks just as chic with boots as it does with sneakers. Choose a versatile neutral like camel, grey or olive green.
- Cheap Black Leggings – I do not mean fancy ones with cool seams. I mean an easy, jersey pair of leggings that costs nothing but you can wear around the house, for quick outings, and under oversize tops that you may already have in your wardrobe. These do not need to be maternity as the lightweight and stretchy jersey material can be comfortably worn under or right on your bump.
- Black Maternity Jeans – Truthfully, I didn’t buy these, but instead chose to rent them from Rent the Runway. I am in my 8th month and can still comfortably wear the Mama J jeans by JBrand, which have the elastic inset at the waist. I tried the under bump and over the bump jeans, and was constantly pulling them up. Whatever you choose, just buy one pair- you won’t want to wear jeans that often anyway!
- Oversize Turtleneck Sweater – A turtleneck is flattering on anyone, but especially lengthening on a preggo. Add a little flair to your maternity capsule wardrobe by picking one with some interesting details or sleeves, so that you actually enjoying wearing it with your jeans, leggings, and that knit skirt!
- Knit Sweater Set, Top – When you need some fashion in your life, invest in a NON-MATERNITY knit two piece set. I say non maternity, because if you want to invest you can easily wear this post pregnancy as well, and it will be just as chic. Mix and match the pieces into the rest of your wardrobe, or wear together for a very professional and sophisticated look!
- Knit Sweater Set, Skirt – for reasons above!
- Oversize Denim Jacket – You can still wear most of your coats and jackets when you are pregnant, so the only piece of outerwear I would pick up is an oversize denim jacket. It looks cool layered over almost anything, is roomy, and can be worn indoors when you really need to switch your look up.
- Oversize Band Tee – Again, skip the maternity clothes and just find an oversize tee that makes you feel comfortable and cool. Paired with some layered necklaces, the knit skirt and flat boots, you will be the rocking-est momma on the block!
- Nursing Tanks – This set of 3 tanks was a gift from my mom friend, and she nailed it with the usefulness. Not only are they the only true ‘maternity’ item I wear, but I clearly I will be wearing them post pregnancy as well. I use them as a base in order to wear my regular non-maternity wardrobe. They are long, which means you can wear them over your regular pants that aren’t quite zipped all the way (use a hair tie to loop them closed!) and fitted enough that I feel contained going out with them under a statement cardigan or sweater.
