I was going through my drafts and realized I left this post sitting in limbo for a year! The pandemic and being pregnant and moving and all that last year had us shouldering left me little energy to finish this post, but my capsule wardrobe posts tend to be my most popular (and thus, my most valuable I hope) so I’m going ahead and sharing this for all the lovely people who find themselves pregnant this summer.

I took inspiration from what I had in my closet rotation during my second and third trimesters and daydreamed a little to create this lovely earthy, airy, neutral capsule wardrobe.

Let’s jump in.

A warm neutral minimal maternity wardrobe for spring and summer

CAPSULE BY CATEGORY

TOPS

Just like in the first trimester, I avoided maternity tops as much as possible. I’m a short gal, so most non-maternity tops are long on me, which means they accommodate a bump pretty well. My favorite maternity tee comes from ASOS because they’re the only place I’ve been able to find a t shirt that isn’t rouched on the sides. Other than that, I stuck with basics in my favorite colors and added in a few “dressier” pieces for the days I felt like dressing up a bit.

BOTTOMS

Summer means heat which means trying to keep as cool as possible. I love love love the linen blend shorts from Old Navy and Gap for pregnancy and postpartum. They’re breezy and the waistband is super adjustable. And because I gravitate towards separates, I also wore the heck out of my two elastic waisted skirts in the second and third trimesters.

DRESSES

swing dress | smocked midi dress, same dress in blue | maxi tank dress, non-maternity version

It’s a well-known fact that dresses are a maternity wardrobe staple, even for someone like me who isn’t a massive fan of dresses. The breezier the dress, the better! I really embraced wearing dresses this time around and loved how put-together they made me feel.

SWIM

strappy one piece | wrap one piece

Would a summer capsule be complete without a couple of swimsuits? I don’t think so. I exclusively wore my strappy one piece throughout my pregnancy. I was so impressed with how well it lent itself to a pregnant bump even though it isn’t maternity! This year, I’m eyeing the brown wrap version of this suit and I have every confidence that I’ll be able to wear if I get pregnant again.

SHOES

Comfort is the name of the game when it comes to maternity footwear. I relied heavily on my canvas slip ons (which have unfortunately been discontinued) and my Teva sandals. Tevas are the new trendy shoe aside from Crocs this summer, but take it from someone who’s owned hers since 2015: they’re fabulous and totally worth it.

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There you have it! I know that being pregnant can make us feel like we have to buy all the clothes so I hope this helps give you a starting point on a minimal maternity wardrobe that can be worn postpartum and beyond.