Maternity Wardrobe: What Pregnancy Taught Me About a Minimalist Closet

The clothes I wore while pregnant. Not things I loved. Just things that fit.

Its Boring.

Before pregnancy I wouldn’t call myself a maximalist by any means but I also do not have a tiny ten piece closet. Pregnancy has cornered me into using a capsule wardrobe. Well I cornered myself into it. I stubbornly refused to buy maternity clothing because it seems wasteful plus the vast majority of maternity clothes are cheap quality and ugly. My plan was to buy a few things that I could wear during and after pregnancy. Luckily I did not need to worry about work clothes because I worked as a bartender and had the typical server uniform: black button up and black pants**. I did not need to make decisions or look stylish. just squeeze into a predetermined uniform for as long as possible.

My original maternity wardrobe plan:

Flowy a-line dresses, long cardigans and boots.

I already owned the boots and some dresses and one cardigan. So I just needed a couple more.

But I underestimated the I-don’t-care-I-just-want-to-be-uuuber-comfortable affect pregnancy has on your style.

My actual maternity wardrobe:

Two pairs of maternity skinny jeans (the only maternity clothing I bought).

Five of the exact same mens tee shirts from Urban Outfitters.

Two long cardigans (one I already owned, the other I bought second hand).

Three pull over sweaters (two I already owned, one I bought second hand).

Two coats (both already owned: a black trench coat and a black long sporty winter coat).

Three sneakers (all I already owned).

This is essentially what I’ve been wearing for the past four months. I was able to wear more of my wardrobe earlier in my pregnancy but as I got bigger the variety of clothing got whittled down. I have accomplished my goal of not spending a bunch of money and resources on maternity clothes I don’t like and would only use for a few months.

I did not buy any pajamas or lounge wear. I used the same mens shirts for day time and sleeping. I was able to wear my leggings and sweats for awhile through my pregnancy. Now (38.5 wks) the only bottoms I fit into are a pair of my husband’s basketball shorts. The other things I bought was maternity underwear and bras (I got nursing ones so they have a longer functionality span).

This amount of clothing would be more enjoyable if I could wear all my favorite clothes instead of being limited to what I have to wear. The number of items doesn’t really matter. It is more important what the items are. That being said the low number of items does make it really really easy to get dressed. I’ll wear the exact same thing for days (changing my shirts and underwear of course). I realize me saying a capsule wardrobe is boring is very biased because of my limited options. But my final verdict is that a capsule wardrobe makes life easier but more boring. Perhaps I would feel differently if I had a capsule wardrobe of the items I love. I am really looking forward to the days when I can wear any and all of my favorite clothes again. Although I am also curious to see how the activities of motherhood will change my style.

What are you thoughts or experiences with minimalist or capsule wardrobes?

What was you pregnancy clothing plan?

Has being a mother changed your style or the way you dress?

Have you experienced other life changes that cornered you into a limited wardrobe?

**Side Note:

I was able to make my work clothes last the entire pregnancy and I worked till 37 weeks. The last couple weeks I started wearing my shirt unbuttoned with a black tee shirt underneath. About five months in I stopped buttoning my pants and fastened them with rubber bands. This worked till my last shift! Woohoo. I made it work without wasteful purchases. Also there is a very limited selection of tall maternity clothes and I couldn’t find tall maternity black slacks at all. The two tall maternity jeans I did buy are still cropped on me (I am still so grateful for them. They were a helpful purchase).