The whole “capsule wardrobe” concept has had my attention for a few years, since it started becoming the thing to do, but I’ve never considered putting one together for myself (not enough time/inclination/boredom). Now that I’m pregnant, I’ve started to really want and crave a simple maternity wardrobe. The very idea that your closet doesn’t need to be filled with an extensive mishmash of clothing…and that you actually get more out of a very limited and well-thought-out collection of clothing…it all sounds pretty awesome.  In theory, right?

But I’m starting to appreciate this concept even more now that I’m pregnant, because 1) I don’t want to spend copious amounts on a wardrobe that I solely wear for 9-10 months and 2) I get overwhelmed by too many choices. I’d rather have fewer pieces that I really feel awesome in. You know?

So. I decided to give it a go. Why the heck not? I’ll never know if it could have been the best thing to ever happen to my pregnancy style if I never give it a chance.

The Challenge

To curate a small maternity capsule wardrobe from Amazon Fashion (we picked seven pieces),  and wear those pieces in varying combinations for an entire month.  The entire collection must ring in under $500, and a few pieces can be pulled in from my existing wardrobe, but the main pieces of the outfit must be from the capsule wardrobe.

What is my goal through all of this?

Aside from wanting to push myself to be more creative, I’d like to see if a capsule wardrobe – specifically a maternity capsule wardrobe – actually works. Not kinda/sorta, but Does It REALLY Work? It’ll be a challenge to have to come up with many different ways to style the same 7 pieces. I may quickly run out of outfit ideas. I may end up wearing the same thing every day (no, Cams! You’re not allowed). I could also find out that I really needed to add another piece or two (or three). What makes a good capsule wardrobe, anyway??

These are all things I aim to find out. I guess we’ll seeee.

Why Amazon?

It’s hard to beat Amazon when it comes to ease of shopping (the one-click magic!  the free two-day shipping!), so Amazon Fashion was a logical place to start.  Especially for maternity clothes, since they take such a beating…reviews matter.  That said, it’s easy to get lost.  However, there’s one little trick I like to use when searching Amazon for clothes:  the refinement tool. Let me show you the magic….

Ta-da! You see? I simply scrolled down the left toolbar and clicked ‘Amazon.com’ under Seller while searching for ‘maternity jeans’. Knowing that one simple step unlocked Amazon Fashion in a whole new way for me, where I found a more selective selection of clothing from great brands and designers, clothing with plenty of customer reviews(!). I love being able to read what buyers have to say about an item before I buy it and Amazon is great with it’s star ratings and customer reviews.

The Capsule Wardrobe

A well functioning wardrobe has to have some pretty solid basics….and a little bit of fun.  I tried to incorporate the right mix of both.  We’ll see, won’t we?

It looks a tad…limited. Yep. I actually did that on purpose and you know what? I’m really excited about it! I concentrated on quality over quantity.

The Basics

Basic tank: the Three Seasons Maternity Side Ruche Tank Top I chose is a very basic item. It’s perfect, because it is simple. It can be worn often, with a lot. I plan on layering it under my non-maternity tops and sweaters.

Stretchy Midi: Ingrid & Isabel’s Maternity Midi Skirt. Man, is this thing comfortable. I chose this skirt, because it looks like it can successfully be dressed up or down. It also has two layers, so it’s not flimsy and see-through when stretched out a bit.

Go-to Maternity Jeans: PAIGE Jimmy Jimmy Skinny Maternity Jeans. For me, it is imperative to have a really great pair of maternity jeans. They are that basic that can be thrown on again and again, with a tee, sweater, tunic, etc etc. I knew that I had to find a great pair of jeans, so I went with Paige…which is well rated on Amazon. I tried them on and they are a looser fit, but I decided they will work out really well…as I continue to gain weight and the bump gets bigger and bigger.

The Interesting Pieces

A well functioning wardrobe needs a few statement pieces to save it from Snoozeville.  Here’s what I picked:

Cozy Wrap: this Kensie Blanket Cardigan is amazing. I couldn’t pass it up. It makes the whole capsule collection more interesting, with it’s pattern and draping.

Something Striped: After looking through all of the striped top options, I went with this Splendid Canvas Double Stripe V Neck Tunic Top. It’s a little different from the usual striped t-shirt and offers more room for the growing baby bump. Perfect.

Cool Vest: Sanctuary Clothing Globe Trekker Vest – I knew that I needed something else, aside from the Blanket Cardigan, that would make the basic pieces I chose more interesting – something I could throw over the basic tank and it would instantly make it more cool. Well, this vest does it for me. It’s got that look to it that I love – a little grunge, a little sophistication.

Last, but not least…the wild card –

Statement Hat: I went with this red San Diego Hat Company Floppy Hat. I am not a big hat girl. That begs the question, whyyyy did you choose a hat then, Cams? About that. Ha. There’s a reason behind this craziness. I think that to make this capsule wardrobe work I needed an accessory that wows…something a little wild. One of the reasons I want to take on a capsule wardrobe is to challenge myself to be more creative and to try different things, things I may not have before. So. I went with this wild garnet colored hat and plan to put it on regularly (hopefully!). That’s my big plan.

That’s it. These are the solid pieces that, I believe, will really go the distance. Of course, I can’t solely wear these 7 pieces with nothing else added on. SHOES, for example. I have a few things in my closet that will simply act as embellishments to the capsule maternity wardrobe. They’ll just finish off the outfits and make them complete.

I’ve already started planning some of the outfits I want to wear…

outfit 1

The tank and vest will go well with some things I already have in my closet – maternity jean shorts (the one pair I own), my favorite sandals (that I have been wearing all Summer and plan to wear for most of the Fall, too) and a long pendant necklace. The vest is surprisingly cool, as in I can wear it comfortably in the still very warm temps down here in SC.

tank | vest | maternity shorts | sandals | necklace

outfit 2

The comfortable Maternity Midi Skirt and Basic Tank can be either dressed up or down and, while I am definitely looking forward to throwing on my Steve Madden’s with them, I am really looking forward to making the combo casual and cool. What can make anything more cool than a pair of Shoreline Converse and a sweetsweetsweet Herringbone Ballcap? Nada mucho. Except maybe a pair of aviators…hmmm…may need to borrow the husband’s. 😀

tank | midi skirt | shoes | ball cap

outfit 3

Now, haha…I love this outfit – adore it, actually. However, I am fully aware that I live in the dirty South where it remains dirtily hot for quite some time. HOWEVER, I had to have that wrap and that hat. They were a must and the reason why is, eventually it will get chilly here (even cold sometimes. crazy) and I will appreciate the heck out of them both. The wrap can even stand-in as my jacket/coat for all of the cold months that I am still pregnant. I’ll just layer a black turtleneck (that I already have from last Winter) underneath it with the basic maternity tank. BAM. This might actually all go down quite swimmingly. Yay!

wrap cardigan | hat | tank | maternity jeans | pumps

So that’s three outfits. Only a bajillion left to go…weeeeeeeee…

Follow Along!

I’ll be styling daily outfits from the 7 pieces I found on Amazon, wearing them, snapping a pic of it all and sharing on Instragram (@camilledipaola)…everyday for the next 30 days. whoah. Yeh. DEDICATION.

So follow along to see me rock out this maternity capsule wardrobe thing for at least the next month.

Hopefully.

(Oh and hey – any outfits suggestions are WELCOME.)

I’m hoping that having less may actually help me to create more. I’m excited to find out!

Cheers,

Cams

A huge thank-you to Amazon Fashion for sponsoring this post.  As if we weren’t already addicted to free two-day shipping, (I swear, they’ve wrecked us for all others), now there’s another good reason to head over to Amazon.com.  As always, all thoughts, opinions, product choices, and style challenges are our own.  Thank you – so very much – for supporting the retailers who support The Mom Edit.