Put Together a Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe With These Must-Haves

A celebrity stylist shares all the secrets.

I'm nearly six months into my pregnancy in the middle of very stressful and isolating time, which has impacted my ability to see friends and go shopping for maternity clothes. I love thoughtfully selecting each item in my wardrobe so that I always feel like myself, but when I went in search of stylish pieces for my changing body, I was immediately bummed. My options included: a lot of billowy stuff that made me look like a tent, bright and colorful things that made me feel wider and more pregnant, or larger sizes of non-maternity designs (an ineffective tactic, save for a couple of notable exceptions, below). I can't dress exactly like I did pre-pregnancy because of my new shape—my bigger chest and belly are challenging for non-maternity clothes. It's a totally new way of thinking about my body.

So I reached out to Katie Holmes' stylist, Allison Bornstein, who's helped me downsize and perfect my non-pregnancy style. She explains the secret to looking great: "When you're pregnant, what looks better is tighter clothes. Billowy clothes [only] look good on [petite] women. It's actually kind of cool; You have nine months when your body is not your normal body, so it's an opportunity to do something a bit new." With her help, I figured out what I could pull from my regular wardrobe (shoes, bags, blazers) and what I needed to buy (jeans, tops, skirts, dresses). You don't need much, which is perfect for someone who's trying to practice conscious consumerism. Bornstein's hyper-focused on helping you shop your own closet, and she's always booking FaceTime styling sessions: either a regular hour, or an extended version during which she'll send you relevant links for new items. Below are a few of the tips she passed on so I could make the perfect capsule—she's basically my pregnancy style whisperer. (Check out her super-helpful pregnancy capsule video for even more tips.)

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Katherine J. Igoe
Contributor

Katherine’s a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle—from “Clueless” to Everlane to news about Lizzo. She’s been a freelancer for 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. It’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.