Maternity: Fall & Winter Capsule Wardrobe

Last updated on December 29th, 2025 at 09:03 am

^{Header photo background by Divazus Fabric Store on Unsplash}

I recognize the irony in posting this as the temperatures are starting to warm up. But I hope this will be helpful for expecting mothers later this year!

When I think of maternity clothing, I often envision flowy linen dresses, stretchy maxi dresses… all spring & summer clothing. Alas, the majority of my pregnancy coincided with peak fall and winter months. While I was happy to lounge at home in stretchy joggers and leggings, I also needed some office-friendly outfits as well.

My goal was to try and utilize as many non-maternity specific items as possible, so that I can wear them post-partum as well. But, I found some maternity pieces to be unavoidable, and honestly, really great! So here’s the rundown of items that have served me well, along with a few to skip.

Quick note: This is for Northern California winters, which in our area ranges from 30s in the evening to 50s during the day. However, I also wore these outfits while traveling to colder locales (Tahoe, NYC) which ranged from low 20s overnight to 30s

Tops & Outerwear

I found these easiest to style throughout my pregnancy, without making too many modifications or new additions.

Tops

• Relaxed fit sweaters: Such as Everlane’s cashmere boxy cashmere sweater. I was able to stick with my usual size Small, but had to be OK with the top of my over-belly jeans peaking out slightly towards the end of third trimester. Split hem (high hem!) sweaters, like this one from H&M’s Mama line. And lastly, fisherman cardigans, which I’ve reviewed here in the past.
• Oversized and boxy shirts: Button-down shirts like the Reformation Will shirt and Quince’s boyfriend poplin shirt. Waist-length boxy tees surprisingly worked well through the second semester, and I continued wearing them in the third as an underlayer to aforementioned sweaters above.
• And lastly, long undershirts! I am a huge fan of Uniqlo’s Heattech layers during the colder months. This season, I’ve been wearing their ultra warm crew neck as both a base layer, and t-shirt. It has been long and stretchy enough to cover my bump completely.

Outerwear

Like tops, I was able to mostly wear what was already in my closet. With an emphasis on relaxed fit puffers such as the Uniqlo Powder Soft Down Jacket and Pufftech liner during the fall, and Rachel Antonoff’s fun Parker Puffer and Aritzia’s Super Puff (also reviewed here) during the winter.

I didn’t wear my wool coats nearly as much, as I couldn’t close them over my bump. The few times I wore my Curated Classic Wool Coat, I had a long scarf draped over the exposed front which worked decently well.

Pants, Leggings and Skirts

Ah… now the trickier part. While I was able to make most of my pre-pregnancy closet work for tops, the bottom half of my wardrobe required more adjustments. Knit skirts and dresses typically fit well, but pants required more nuance – below, a summary of what worked for me:

My waist measurements for reference:

• Regular waist: 27-28”
• First trimester photos: 32” (14 weeks)
• Second trimester photos: 35” (23 weeks)
• Third trimester photos: 36” (30 weeks)
  • While my waist measurement technically only increased 1”, the shape of my waist definitely changed, protruding forwards more over time.

First Trimester

While my waistline increased a few inches, I wasn’t obviously showing by the end of the first trimester. If anything, I primarily looked (and felt!) like I had perpetually eaten a big meal. I was mostly able to stick with clothing I already, opting for relaxed fit styles.

• Relaxed fit jeans like Reformation Val 90’s
• Sizing up in tried & true: Levi’s Wedgie Ankle
• Elastic back pants: American Eagle Poppy Trousers, Izzie Pull On Barrel Pants
• Athletic: Lululemon Align Leggings, Vuori Joggers, Quince Ultra Soft Leggings in my regular size

I started wearing below-the-belly maternity jeans towards the very end, more on that in the next section!

Second Trimester

I started to incorporate some maternity-specific styles, and had to retire most of my partial-elastic waistband pants for full-elastic waistband styles.

• Full elastic waistband pants: I had sewn a few pairs of these in the past, and it was super easy to add 2-3” of extra elastic so they’d be roomy for both 2nd and early 3rd trimesters. For ready to wear, check out these options from Quince and Everlane
• Below the bump maternity jeans, like Hudson Rosie Jeans (also worn above at the end of 1st trimester)
  • Did not like H&M’s Before & After as much. Aesthetically, it looks nicer because it avoids the stretchy panels, but I found I kept having to pull them. But your mileage may vary!
• Knit skirts: Quince Cashmere Midi, Uniqlo Wool Skirt both sized up by 1
• Athletic: Same as first trimester, still in my pre-pregnancy size

Third Trimester

• Over the bump maternity jeans: H&M Mama Jeans, H&M Mama Trousers, Abercrombie Maternity Jeans
  • Early on, I optimistically wanted to avoid these, thinking they’d be very uncomfortable. But they are the only pants that stay up, and provide a normal silhouette!
• Workout: While I sized up 2 sizes in my Lululemon leggings, my original Quince leggings still fit through 35 weeks and counting.
  • I also added this Quince unitard (size down, it runs big) which is so so comfortable on the midsection. And double lined!
• The stretchiest of elastic waistband pants: Eileen Fisher, rag & bone Miramar Sweatpant Jeans
  • Yes, the viral rag & bone sweatpants. And yes, they are pricey for what they are. But I have gotten a lot of wear out of mine, they are incredibly comfortable and really do look like real, worn-in jeans! I sized up to a Medium, and have been able to wear them throughout both my second and third trimesters.
• Knit dresses: I swapped my skirts for dresses, which were far more comfortable on my waist. Specifically, Quince Cashmere Cotton Ribbed Dress (runs small, sized up one) and Marine Layer Lexi Dress (very stretchy, went with usual size) were in heavy rotation.

Final Thoughts

One last note – if you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you’ll know that I generally prefer sustainable or ethical brands. I cut myself some slack these past few months, as the reality is that many brands don’t carry maternity silhouettes. And financially, I did not want to spend $100+ on items that I know will only fit for a few months. I still tried my best to use my existing closet, and when possible purchase items that can work for pregnancy and postpartum.

I hope you found this helpful! For more pregnancy fashion guides, I loved @divineeprovidence’s Menswear Guide to Pregnancy Fashion. While focused on a more androgynous / masc style, they have a lot of tips (ex. looking for inseam measurements) that could apply to anyone.

Partnership Disclosure: This blog post was not sponsored by any of the brands listed above. As always, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, in which I earn a commission on purchases.