Well hey there!
This is my first blog post back since baby Damian arrived and it feels good to be using my creative and thinking brain again! Especially since I have been dying to post this blog for at least a month, and now we are already in November and some of these pieces won't apply if you live in a cold climate like we do here in Montreal lol #mompreneurlife
The transition for us has been fairly smooth, although like any big life change there are always bumps along the way (case and point: 3hr witching hour last night which meant a whole lotta java today!). But I feel like we are slowly finding our rhythm and so nap times will be when content gets done (if I don't feel desperate for a nap myself ha!)
Last year I created my first ever Capsule Wardrobe, and I LOVED it! It came from a desire to use pieces in my closet that I already loved, to buy minimal new items to fill the gaps, and to be able to create countless permutations of outfits with these staple pieces.
Especially since consumerism is at an all-time high with the global pandemic, I've really tried to be conscious of my environmental impact around fast fashion, and it doesn't hurt that it also saves your wallet some moolah too $$.
There are some basic "rules" when it comes to creating your capsule wardrobe, so if you want all the details on the how-tos, head over to Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2020 to check these out. Having a newborn means I get to be efficient with my time, so today I'm just going to show you all the pieces and outfits I put together!
And this year this project was even more challenging as I was VERY pregnant, going into postpartum phase, so many of the pieces I chose to buy new had to be pieces that could also easily work in the postpartum period as my body continues to change/shrink.
I found an online shop called Pink Blush Maternity, which was AMAZING because they have a huge section and when you hover over an item it shows you if it's also "post bump friendly" - SO brilliant!
Each item also shows you a detailed size/fit, and the stats of the model wearing the piece, so you can confidently choose the right size for you. Hats off to this site, because it made my shopping experience easy-peasy!
All the new pieces came from Pink Blush Maternity, Old Navy & Gap Maternity, everything else was already in my closet/pre-owned.
So I started with choosing my base colours: I chose BLACK + BROWN this year, since I had a lot of pieces in these colours already
Then for my neutral essentials I chose items in tan, grey, white, and chambray, with sage green as the accent color. This colour is a theme this year because it's also one of the accent colours in Damian's room, and I am just in LOVE with all the pieces in this colour and coordinating with new new little bestie :)
I chose 6 warm tops:
Black long cardigan (Old Navy, size S), grey and black striped maternity/nursing top (borrowed from a friend - Thyme Maternity), beige knit v-neck pullover (Pink Blush Maternity, size M, $35), green waffle pullover (Gap Maternity, size M, $55), tan long cardigan (Old Navy, size S), and a textured knit v-neck sweater (Pink Blush Maternity, size S/M, $42).
Next I chose base layers and tees to go under the sweaters and pullovers:
Green button tie front shirt (Pink Blush Maternity, size M, $35), white flutter sleeved tee (Gap Maternity, size M, $40), light olive knot front cami (Pink Blush Maternity, size M, $32), white nursing tank top (H&M Maternity, size M, $10-15 each). I picked up a bunch of these tanks in white/grey/black from H&M Maternity since they were on sale and you always need base layers!
Bottoms were most challenging for me given the preggo state. I looked at a lot of sites and ended up going with 3 basic bottoms:
Black high waisted athletic compression leggings (GapFit, size M, $75), Medium wash full coverage denim (Old Navy, size 8, $55 ), and white full coverage jeans (Old Navy, size 6R, $55 ). The great thing about these items is that in th postpartum state when you still look pregnant (for many weeks!) these totally give you coverage and compression. Afterwards, I have alternate leggings and jeans already in my closet that are in these colours that I can swap to once my weight/shape goes down and I can fit into them again (whenever that is!).
This fall it's been incredibly warm here in Montreal, and I got so much use out of these coats. And the great thing is, being pregnant had no effect as I was always wearing these open anyways. These will also easily transition into the Spring capsule wardrobe (can't go wrong with classic denim!):
Medium wash Icon denim jacket (Gap $80, size S); white wash Icon denim jacket (Gap, size M).
Lastly were shoes and accessories. I reused boots from last year, finally fixed the zippers on my knee high boots, and got a super comfy loafer for warm, casual days:
Knee high brown boots (Timberland, size 9); black ankle booties (Old Navy, size 9); tan ankle booties (Old Navy, size 9); black faux snake skin loafers (Dr. Scholls, $75, size 9).
For accessories I have been so obsessed with layered stacks of bracelets, particularly made from small biz owners that I could support! Ashley from Ashwood Co Jewelry makes personalized beaded bracelets and I fell in LOVE!!
I ordered a stack for myself and have already had her make 2 additional ones for special friends (haven't sent them in the mail yet, so I won't say who they're going to ;) ). These go with pretty much every outfit I put together and it makes me feel lovely and girly when I wear them. I definitely plan to order more and gift more to family and friends :D
Lastly, I purchased this awesome brown fedora from Amazon ($29), and for whatever reason still haven't worn it beyond the house lol. I think I was looking for a reason/event to wear it out to, but I realize that now with a newborn that may not happen for a while, so I just gotta get over myself and wear it. Because its a gorgeous find! What do you think?
Here are some of the ways I'm styling these pieces that make me feel fashionable and fab! Hope this inspires you and let me know in the comments below:
Which one is your favourite outfit?? 👇🏼 👇🏼 👇🏼
