If you’re not familiar with the term ‘capsule wardrobe’, it means that instead of having dozens and dozens of items of clothing, you have a select few that all go together. I never planned to have a capsule wardrobe – I love clothes. But as my bump has grown, my clothes have shrunk, and I hate buying something I won’t wear for long, so my wardrobe is significantly smaller than it was six months ago. I still have all my clothes (although I need to sort through and get rid of some) but most of them don’t fit at the moment.
I currently have a pair of shorts, a skirt, and five tops that fit. I have two dresses and one maxi skirt that fit. And one pair of shoes that I wear 90% of the time.
I have a few other items I can sometimes wear but they’re either uncomfortable or not suitable to wear in public.
These are the items that I currently wear on a regular basis. I’ve included the sizes, and whether that’s my usual (pre-pregnancy) size or not.
Maternity Capsule Wardrobe
1x Maternity jean shorts (The Warehouse) – usual size (10)
1x Regular bodycon skirt (Postie) – several sizes up (16)
3x Regular stretchy t-shirts (The Warehouse) – size up (M)
1x Regular stretchy t-shirt (Postie) – size up (M)
1x Maternity 3/4 sleeve t-shirt (The Warehouse) – usual size (S)
1x Maternity flowy long sleeve top (given to me) – usual size (8)
The jeans in the graphic above fit great for the first 6 months or so but now they don’t fit comfortably.
I have a few dresses and skirts that I can wear for church, but this is what I stick to on a daily basis. I also have several cardigans (as pictured) that I wear often!
As you can see a couple of the tops are starting to get small now so I may need to go up another size, or get another one or two maternity tops.
One more item, and this one has been a lifesaver, is my shoes! You can see a few different pairs of shoes in the photos above; the pink Nike ones I’ve had for two and a half years. They were so comfortable but since I wore them on a daily basis they were getting holes in them. A couple months ago Jared sent me to get new shoes, and it was perfect timing since Rebel Sport had a sale that weekend! I got these amazing Puma shoes. They are absolutely perfect for pregnancy, and here’s why.
Why you need comfortable shoes in pregnancy
You’re always supposed to eat healthy and exercise, so of course while you’re pregnant you should too. It goes without saying that having comfortable shoes that fit well helps a lot!
Your feet might grow. I’m usually a size 8, could possibly squeeze into a 7 1/2 but uncomfortably. Now I’m an 8 1/2, could possibly squeeze into an 8 but uncomfortably. I hope that my feet go back to my normal size once Kiwi is born because all of my shoes (except this new pair) are too tight, and I would hate to have to get rid of them all! With the extra weight from your growing baby, you really want to take care of your feet so make sure you have at least one pair of shoes that is really comfortable.
Swelling. I was hoping to avoid this but unfortunately I now have some experience with it! Normally my feet get swollen if I’m walking or standing for most of the day, so if I’m busy in the kitchen or I go for a walk. The shoes that I have are perfect for this because the material covering the top and side of your foot is very stretchy and flexible so it doesn’t constrain my feet and make them worse when they’re swollen.
I always get nervous buying something expensive like shoes, but I love these so much! They’re so comfortable (it took a week or two to break them in, during which I was afraid I didn’t like them, but now they fit perfectly!). They’re sparkly and teal. If you need new shoes, these are truly the bomb.
What do you think of capsule wardrobes? I’ve always been too nervous to try it but now that I’m practically doing it out of necessity, I actually enjoy it! It’s definitely easier to get dressed… I probably have less laundry since I wear the same thing all the time. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m really bad at getting rid of stuff. It feels like a waste. However, now that I’ve experienced having a capsule wardrobe, I have to admit it is amazing. If I do end up switching to a capsule wardrobe with my regular clothes, I’ll have to do another blog post and let you know!
We can’t wait to meet this little cutie!!!
Tilly Cutforth 