Maternity Work Clothes - Create a Capsule Wardrobe 

If you want to make your pregnancy more sustainable or affordable (or both), a capsule wardrobe is a fantastic way to maximize your investment and minimize your footprint.

For those of you who are new to the concept of a capsule wardrobe, it refers to a carefully selected collection of clothes that can be mixed and matched easily, enabling you to maximize your outfit options. In essence, it allows you to achieve a wide range of looks using just a small number of garments.

Here’s how to do it. 

Related: When You Should Buy Maternity Clothes

Use Your Pre-Pregnancy Base

First, go through your pre-pregnancy closet and put everything into storage that is tight or waist-hugging. Find all your most forgiving flowy tops and dresses, and keep them in your closet. Also keep stretch pants, open-front blazers, and loose-fitting pajamas. These pieces will be foundational to your sustainable, chic maternity capsule. 

Design Around 2-3 Colors

Select 2-3 neutral, complimentary colors that pair well with the pregnancy friendly clothes in your closet (beige and black; navy, white, and gray; or etc.). 

Build Your Foundation from Key Pieces

Select your foundational pieces, such as dresses and pants in your chosen colors.

Keep it Solid 

Stick with solid colors for the most part. They're much more versatile than prints, and less susceptible to falling out of trend from season to season  (an occasional pattern or color pop should be selected carefully). 

Plan for the Future

Opt for styles with nursing access to extend the life of your capsule. Make sure the nursing access is fully hidden or cleverly designed to look like a non-nursing style feature. Obviously nursing styles are harder to style and much less flattering than discreetly designed nursing clothes. 

Go Quality over Quantity

Choose styles made from quality, breathable fabrics that will still look great and hold their shape after more than 20 washes. No matter how beautiful a style looks on the model (or how tempting the price is), cheaply made pieces never look good after a wash or two. 

Related: Why Quality Maternity Clothes are a Surprisingly Good Investment 

Putting together a beautiful maternity wardrobe doesn’t have to be painful. A bit of planning will leave you with nearly endless outfit options using just a few well-chosen pieces. Bottom line: embrace the changes in your body and enjoy the journey of dressing stylishly for motherhood.

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Author Bio: Joy O’Renick is mama to 3 amazing sons and wife to an "adorable Pixar dad". She gets to live on a mini farm in Oregon where she and her family grow food and host board game nights. Joy is a longtime teacher, principal, and education executive. In 2022, she launched MARION out of a desire to empower working moms and limit pregnancy discrimination in the professional world. Joy is a frequent contributing author at Motherly. Joy is a founding member of a Bailamos, a Latin Dance nonprofit, and a former foster parent and mentor for Big Brothers, Big Sisters. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and a Master’s Degree in Education & Educational Leadership.