first trimester maternity capsule wardrobe
Last time I was pregnant, I wore all of my non-maternity jeans into the second trimester. I credit that to it being my first pregnancy and to the high waistedness of all my jeans. This time around is not the same (shocker, I know). Pretty early on in the first trimester, I realized almost all of my jeans were fitting incredibly snug. I had to say “see ya later” to some of my favorite jeans, including my summer jean and my button front jeans. Basically, I was forced into creating a mini maternity capsule wardrobe.
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a capsule wardrobe post but this has been at the front of my mind lately (since I have to get dressed every day). I desperately wanted to share this kind of stuff last time I was pregnant but I was never organized enough to really document it. Anyway, second time’s the charm! Here’s what I wore during the first trimester.
ON CREATING A MINI CAPSULE
I went about this mini capsule wardrobe differently than in the past. Every other time I’ve set out to make a capsule, I start by picking the clothes I plan on wearing for that season (or in this case: trimester). However, no matter how meticulously I plan, I almost never end up wearing everything I set in my closet and drawers. Over the years, I’ve learned to just go with it because I don’t keep that many clothes from season to season. This time, though, I let the capsule unfold organically. I wore the jeans that fit comfortably and stored the rest. I wore whatever tops made we feel good and didn’t worry about getting use out of everything. I ended up with a pretty tight color palette and probably the smallest wardrobe I’ve ever had outside of the 10x10 challenges!
CAPSULE BY CATEGORY
TOPS
white boxy mockneck sweater (old) / similar
thin knit sweater (old) / similar
cotton blouse (old) / similar
striped long sleeve (old) / similar
copper knit sweater (old) / similar
rust sweater / this season's version
turtleneck (thrifted) / similar
striped long sleeve (old) / similar
cashmere sweater (gifted)
green sweater (thrifted) / similar
peasant top (old from american eagle)
sweater tee (thrifted) / similar
My tops and sweaters were all non-maternity, and I’ll try to stick with that as long possible because I have an insane aversion to the ruching that comes on nearly all maternity tops. 😅 Interestingly enough, some of the tops I thrifted during my last pregnancy not only made it into my first trimester wardrobe but are some of my favorite, most worn sweaters and tees in my closet! Honestly can’t wait to be able to go to a thrift store again to find some more treasures.
BOTTOMS
midi skirt (secondhand) / similar
hi rise boyfriend jean (old) / similar
overalls (old) / similar
wrap dress (old) / similar
Here’s where things got interesting. I relied heavily on my stretchiest jeans, jeans that relaxed a lot after a couple of long wears, and a pair of jeans I got for Christmas that were a size too big for me before I got pregnant. Once those hormones started kicking in, I was so thankful to have jeans in a size up, and I expect that they’ll be my go-to denim postpartum, too! I played a little more with layering sweaters over my midi dress, which funnily enough is my favorite way to wear that midi dress! It can be a bit sexy in the chest area, even without pregnancy boobs, so I tend to cover up the top to make it more wearable for my daytime, chasing after a toddler mom life. And for the days I just couldn’t stand to stuff my changing body into my highest waisted denim, I wore my elastic waist linen pants or my midi skirt, which I know will be a big part of my second trimester wardrobe.
OUTERWEAR
I bought myself a couple of new jackets on Poshmark last autumn and have worn the heck out of one of them. This amazing sherpa jacket is so warm and goes with basically everything. The other jacket was a rain jacket, but I got probably three wears in because it hasn’t been a very rainy winter here in Sacramento.
I did occasionally wear one of my more dressy coats, but if you saw me with a jacket, it was one of these. A cool side note: both of these jackets were bought secondhand through Poshmark and a local clothing consignment store called Freestyle Exchange.
SHOES
chelsea boots (old) / similar
This is probably the loosest capsule category in my closet. I technically have more shoes out and available for me to wear, but being a mom on-the-go leaves me reaching mostly for sneakers. It’s a casual life and I’ve fully embraced it. I did wear my chelsea boots that I got two Christmases ago constantly — they’re so easy to slip on and they go with everything.
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And there it is! The little capsule wardrobe that created itself during my first trimester! These pieces took me from late winter into spring comfortably. Between the nausea and how rapidly my body changed this time, the first trimester of pregnancy left me feeling unlike myself. It was nice to at least have some favorite clothes to help me counter those feelings.
Thanks for reading! See you back here next time!
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