Maternity wear to feel Kate effect
After the royal engagement and wedding last year, the wheels were already turning at London, England-based Séraphine, a high-end maternitywear label.
In short order, Séraphine produced a maternity dress inspired by Kate Middleton’s Issa engagement dress.
Séraphine, which already had a line of special occasion dresses, recently launched its “Luxe” collection of silk evening gowns.
Kate is one of the world’s première fashion influencers, rocking both young and classic styles, and is demure without being prim or fussy. Count on it that Kate will also affect maternity wear.
Kate’s clothes have been described as “high street,” which means they will be accessible to most women with an upper-middle income. Her go-to colours are black, navy and offwhite, with the occasional pop of red or royal blue.
While she prefers monochromatic colours, Kate likes lace and the judicious use of pattern.
Kate’s style is on-trend when it comes to maternity fashion, says Tracey Blasioli, who owns Queen Mother Maternity in Ottawa. She carries Séraphine and other lines including Queen Mum and Ripe Maternity.
Blasioli notes that her clients were delighted to find Séraphine was producing gowns in silk. High-quality cotton jersey is another favourite. Many maternity lines are made in North America or Europe, she points out.
Today’s maternity clothes are better-designed to last beyond the pregnancy. The tummy is more likely to be disguised with pleats or draping, and belts are worn empire-style just under the bust.
Blasioli says there’s a lot of maternity fashion that is Kate-able, including double-breasted coats made with a little extra room and slim skirts than can be worn either above or under the tummy.
And then there are Spanx for the mother-to-be, from a fulllength version to biker shorts. These have no compression on the tummy, but smoothe out the thighs and rear.
Sue Smith, who founded the Ottawa area’s Haute Mama (hautemama.ca) almost seven years ago, carries lines from Europe and jeans from Italy in the shop in her home. Mothers-to-be shop by appointment.
Among Smith’s favourites are the jersey dresses of the Vanessa Knox line from the U.K., which will probably be getting some exposure during Kate’s pregnancy.
Although maternity clothes tend to feature darker shades, which have a slimming effect, Smith says the retrovibe graphic prints currently popular in womenswear are also a hit with mothers-to-be.
Kate liked these kinds of prints before her pregnancy and Smith believes she won’t shy away from them now.
“She’s very slim. I think she’ll want to show the bump,” Smith says.