Here at Seraphine we are delighted to introduce our brand new maternity store in Leeds.
Set in the glamorous gilded surroundings of Leeds’ Victoria Quarter, our newest maternity store is located at 10 / 12 Cross Arcade, slotting in alongside other high end retailers including Reiss, Bravado, Sweaty Betty, Space NK and Harvey Nichols – they don’t call it the Knightsbridge of the North for nothing!
The latest addition to the Seraphine family joins our 3 London boutiques & our flagship New York maternity store, bringing stylish Seraphine maternity clothes to the North.
A must visit maternity fashion destination; the Leeds store offers a wide range of Seraphine maternity clothes. Whether you’re after stunning maternity dresses, smart work wear, comfy nursing clothes or the perfect pair of maternity jeans, you’re sure to find something fabulous at the Leeds store.
If you’re in the area, pay us a visit & our team of expert maternity advisers, headed up by store manager Sophie, will be on hand to help, offering tips on anything from fit & fabrics to fashion & styling.
We are delighted to become a part of this historic shopping haven, and can’t wait to welcome you in store soon.
What do Claudia Schiffer, January Jones, Doutzen Kroes, Kimberly Wyatt & Gwen Stefani all have in common? Well, aside from glamorous good looks… it’s Seraphine maternity clothes of course – in particular our maternity leggings! These stylish celebrity mamas all wore & loved our maternity leggings throughout their pregnancies, and it’s easy to see why…
January Jones & Doutzen Kroes
A great pair of maternity leggings is vital if you plan on staying active through your pregnancy. Mad Men actress January Jones practiced yoga while she was expecting her son Xander, and wore our Black Bamboo Active Maternity Leggings for her classes. And another yummy mummy, super model Doutzen Kroes looked picture perfect in our Grey Bamboo Active Maternity Leggings for her private Ballet Baby sessions with Ballet Beautiful’s Mary Helen Bowers. Made in ultra soft bamboo fabric, these super leggings allow your skin to breathe & help to regulate your temperature by wicking away moisture faster than cotton or synthetic fibres – they are a must-have for an active mama.
Claudia Schiffer
During her 3rd pregnancy in spring 2010, super model Claudia Schiffer often rocked her maternity leggings on the school run. She layered up our Seamless Maternity Leggings with an array of stylish maternity dresses, tunics and cardigans, absolutely nailing her bohemian chic maternity style. The seamless leggings are ultra soft, and work to shape & smooth your silhouette, providing the perfect all day support & coverage.
If you’re looking to add a touch of glamour to your look, you can’t go wrong with our Faux Leather Panel Maternity Leggings. Former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt couldn’t get enough of her pair when she was expecting her daughter Willow. She teamed them with one of our Bamboo Nursing Shawls and a pair of stilettos for a stylish London premier. Another fan of these ultra glamorous leather leggings is rock star, fashion designer and all round style icon Gwen Stefani. She wore them several times throughout her pregnancy, styling them with a statement checked blanket wrap, and later teaming them with our Cowl Neck Maternity Glitter Dress to pose for a sexy pregnancy selfie in her bathroom mirror! And Holly Branson, daughter of Virgin billionaire Richard Branson, carried on rocking hers 4 months after her twins were born!
This week, Seraphine founder Cecile Reinaud attended Richard Branson’s Fast Track 100 party, and was honoured to meet Richard’s daughter Holly Branson, who just happened to be wearing her favourite pair of Seraphine maternity leggings!
Cecile accepted the coveted Fast Track 100 award on behalf of Seraphine, and later chatted to Holly, who paired our Faux Leather Panel Maternity Leggings with a stylish loose knit black jumper & pumps. Holly welcomed her adorable twins Etta & Artie in December last year, but you’d never guess from looking at her – she’s snapped back to her regular figure, and is looking fabulous as ever. Holly loved Seraphine through her pregnancy & it’s great to see that the new mum is still rocking her maternity clothesafter the birth – she confessed to Cecile:
“I loved wearing Seraphine. There are some pieces I just can’t give up – these leggings are my absolute favourite. They’re so comfortable!”
Holly revealed to Cecile that Richard Branson is taking to his new role as granddad like a duck to water. The billionaire businessman behind the Virgin group was recently spotted taking the twins out for a stroll in their pram near his home in Notting Hill. And it’s just as well that he’s enjoying it, as not long after Etta & Artie arrived, Holly’s brother Sam & his wife Isabella welcomed their own bundle of joy, a little girl called Eva-Deia – It’s been a busy year for the Bransons!
We are so pleased to see that Holly is still styling out her Seraphine maternity clothes; 4 months on and she is looking incredibly glamorous!
This week we were honoured that Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden chose Seraphine maternity clothes for her audience with the Pope.
Including three generations of Swedish royals, the visit was a real family affair: The Princess travelled to the Vatican along with her mother Queen Silvia of Sweden, her husband American businessman Chris O’Neill, and their adorable 14 month old daughter Leonore.
Both Queen Silvia & Princess Madeleine wore traditional black, covering their heads with black lace veils to meet the Pope. Princess Madeleine opted for a classically glamorous look, styling her gorgeous lace dress with heels, pearls and our Cropped Peplum Maternity Jacket.
And this isn’t the first time Princess Madeleine has worn Seraphine maternity clothes – Madeleine, who is expecting her second baby in June, has been a fan of our lace maternity dresses throughout this pregnancy, and wore our Blush Wool & Cashmere Maternity Coat to the official celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf’s birthday at the royal palace in Stockholm.
As graceful & glamorous as her mother was, it was little Leonore who successfully charmed the head of the Catholic Church, dressed in a pretty cream dress with a fabulous pair of gold shoes – she clearly has her mother’s eye for style!
We would like to wish the Princess all the best for the exciting months to come!
This week we were delighted to dress editors from not one, but two of the most glamorous fashion and lifestyle magazines on the planet: Tatler & Vanity Fair!
Over the weekend Vanity Fair’s online editor Katherine Goldstein looking stunning rubbing shoulders with President Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in one of our most glamorous Seraphine LUXE maternity dresses. Meanwhile, here in the UK Tatler editor Lisa Williams attended Tatler’s Best of British Party at the Ritz, dressed as the Duchess of Cambridge!
The annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner is a chance for the President to entertain some of the most glamorous and influential people in US politics & culture, with a guest list covering celebrities, journalists, editors, politicians and public figures. Vanity Fair’s Katherine Goldstein looked utterly gorgeous in our Navy Silk & Lace Maternity Evening Gown, styling the full length silk maternity dress with a pair of classic pearl earrings & heels – perfect for meeting the president.
This particular maternity dress is becoming quite a fixture on the international red carpet circuit: In the past year alone it has been worn at the Cannes Film Festival in France, Katherine Parkinson wore it to pick up her BAFTA in London, and now it’s proved a fashion hit in Washington too.
The Tatler Best of British party was a brilliantly eccentric celebration of all things Brit, complete with an aristocrat-packed guest list, Marmalade tasting with the WI & more strawberries, cream & scones than you can shake a morris dancing stick at! Fancy dress inspiration ranged from black cabs to George & the dragon, but our money for the best cosume is on Tatler’s online editor Lisa Williams (currently expecting herself) who wore our Floral Silk Maternity Cocktail Dress in a cheeky homage to the Duchess of Cambridge!
Next time you have a glamorous event coming up, why not channel a touch of red carpet glitz with one of the beautiful maternity dresses & ball gowns in the Seraphine LUXE collection.
At a time when champagne and sushi are out, and even coffee is limited, chocolate remains one of the precious little luxuries still safe through pregnancy (thank goodness!) Paul A Young is a Master Chocolatier revolutionising London’s chocolate scene with his stunning range of fresh artisanal chocolates. We caught up with him for a chat about all things chocolate…
1) We can’t get enough of your chocolates! What’s your secret?
Thank you!
There’s no secret! We pride ourselves on using the finest quality ingredients at every stage of making the chocolates. We’re also one of the only chocolateries in the UK who make everything by hand. This attention to detail ensures our chocolates reach the highest standards. We also use fresh ingredients, which means our chocolates do have a short shelf life but they contain no artificial flavourings. I like to think our chocolates are a blend of science and art.
We’re also not afraid to be a little bit different. I like to experiment, taking what inspires me and coming up with something that surprises and delights.
2) Master chocolatier has got to be pretty high up there on our list of dream job titles. Tell us how you got into chocolate.
Throughout my childhood, I always had a natural interest in food. I loved baking and cooking with my mum and grandma, so it was no surprise when I began studying at a catering college.
During my time as a pastry chef, I worked my way up through the ranks with Marco Pierre White and his team until I became Head Pastry Chef at Quo Vadis in Soho. It was a great learning environment for me and I gained so much experience from my time there. I also fell in love with chocolate.
I was introduced to Chantal Coady, founder of Rococo Chocolates after using her chocolate in my chef demonstrations at food shows. She asked me to design two fresh handmade chocolates for the first Chocolate Week and that helped seal my career plan for the coming years… I then decided to specialise and teach myself everything I could and create a style of fresh chocolates that wasn’t available in London 10 years ago.
3) Indulging in chocolate through pregnancy is scientifically proven to be beneficial for both mum and baby! With this in mind, which of your chocolates would you recommend for a mum-to-be?
There is a huge misconception about chocolate being unhealthy. In fact, high quality chocolate, whether milk or dark, can be very beneficial as well as satisfying (especially if you have a craving for it whilst pregnant). In terms of my recommendations, I would suggest my 72% Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Bar which is robust but it’s full of flavour with a light acidity and being dark chocolate, a square or two will be nutritious as well as satisfying any sweet tooth. We also use a 72% Venezuelan chocolate in my classic water ganache truffle, which has just a touch of unrefined golden caster sugar. It’s a really popular chocolate as it has such purity in taste as well as ingredients.
4) Pregnancy is well known for inducing odd cravings, and you are known for your flair for interesting flavours – what are some of your weirdest combos to date?
Chocolate is such a versatile ingredient and I never tire of finding new ways to reinvent what people expect from a truffle or a ganache. Exploring new chocolate pairings is one of the most exciting parts of my job; I can spend hours in my kitchen developing new recipes. In the past, I’ve explored flavours such as black pudding, Stilton, Absinthe and a citrus fruit called Kalamansi but perhaps it is my Marmite Truffle that is most famous. The journalist Lydia Slater dared me to create it and she swore it would be impossible. After much trial and error, I was able to create a delicious dark chocolate filling laced with Marmite. It remains one of our bestsellers to this day.
Some combinations can take more time than others, but I persevere until I get it right. For the most part, it’s about not limiting yourself and not thinking that you can’t do it.
5) So where can we buy your wonderful creations?
I opened up my first shop in Camden Passage in 2006; I’ve now expanded to my flagship shop on Wardour Street in Soho and opened another at the Royal Exchange in Bank. They each have their own personalities – our Royal Exchange store used to be an old apothecary!
6) Quick fire chocolate round
Childhood favourite: Cadbury’s Swirl
Guilty pleasure: Kit Kat
Cheap & Cheerful: Mini Eggs at Easter
Ultimate indulgence: My sea-salted caramel – I have at least one a day. I have to! Just to make sure they are up to my exacting standards, of course…
Learn to Make Paul’s Real Hot Chocolate…
7) What’s next for you? Any exciting plans you can share?
My latest book, published in October, has 60 chocolate recipes from celebrity friends and myself. All the profits will go to The Children’s Air Ambulance – I’m one of their Ambassadors.
It’s also the 10 year anniversary of my first shop opening this year so we’ll definitely be celebrating! I’m also launching my own Youtube channel so I’ll finally be able to share all my tips, tricks and recipes all in one place.
Happy Earth Week Mamas! With events taking place all over the world this week, we’re feeling inspired to get a little more green into our lives – and we’re not just talking about styling it out in one of our Green Knot Front Maternity Maxi Dresses. In honor of World Earth Day, we’ve put together a few of our eco-friendly favourites for mamas & babies – enjoy!
Eco Mama
A great way to go green through pregnancy is to opt for maternity clothes made in natural fabrics like our White Cotton Maternity Dress or our Linen Striped Nursing Jumper. Not only are these great for the environment, but they’re also kind against sensitive skin – a must during pregnancy.
Bamboo is the ultimate eco-friendly fabric: It grows quickly so is easily renewable, takes only 1/3 of the water that cotton does, and has no natural pests which means no nasty pesticides. And it’s not just the environment that benefits from bamboo – it’s one of the very softest fabrics on the market, is hypoallergenic, wicks away moisture faster than cotton, and even offers natural antibacterial properties. Why not try one of our ultra soft Bamboo Nursing Shawls or a pair of our Grey Bamboo Active Under-Bump Maternity Leggings.
Eco Baby
If you want to keep up the eco-friendly momentum after baby is born, you could consider reusable cloth nappies – all those disposables build up in our landfills, and cloth is a great eco-friendly alternative. This is definitely a lifestyle choice & it may not be for everyone, but it’s a lot easier than you may think. If you’re interested in finding out more, check out Wendy’s Reusable Nappies 101 on her blog Moral Fibres.
Eco Home
Looking for environmentally friendly, non-toxic household products to keep you and your little ones healthy? We love Ecover cleaning products – harnessing the power of nature for a healthier kind of clean, Ecover products are all natural with no harsh chemicals, and are produced with a focus on sustainability. These products are a must for a greener, healthier life.
A wise frog once said “It’s not that easy being green” – but with a little help from these eco-friendly lovelies, it doesn’t have to be difficult!
We were delighted to see Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington rocking one of our summer maternity dresses in the Sunday Mirror last week.
At almost 8 months pregnant, the 26 year old swimming star simply glowed in our Fuchsia Pink Knot Front Maternity Dress as she talked to the press about pregnancy and waiting to meet her baby. With 7 gold medals, 2 Olympic games’, an OBE & even a stint in the jungle on I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here under her belt; Rebecca is now gearing up for motherhood – her most exciting challenge yet!
Rebecca isn’t the only inspirational athlete to love Seraphine maternity clothes: Back in 2013 British equestrian star & granddaughter of The Queen, Zara Phillips wore one of our LUXE maternity dresses to the Boodles Boxing Ball. And last year Olympic Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill looked gorgeous in our Black Knot Front Maternity Top for an interview on Sky Sports.
Rebecca married her partner, fellow swimmer Harry Needs last year & the couple are now thrilled to be expecting their first baby – a little girl. Becky told The Mirror: “I love my relationship with my mum and wanted a girl so I could plait her hair, take her shopping and take her for afternoon tea when she’s older.”
We are loving your choice of maternity dresses Rebecca – wishing you all the best for the exciting weeks ahead!
Here at Seraphine we are proud to have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade. The Queen’s Awards, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, is the highest accolade for businesses in the UK, and we are delighted to have been recognised with such a prestigious prize.
This award comes in recognition of our outstanding international business growth over the past three years. We are proud to ship our maternity clothes internationally to over 30 countries, and to work with distributors worldwide including Nordstrom & A Pea in the Pod. We opened the doors to our flagship US maternity store in New York last year, and have exciting plans for more on the horizon… watch this space.
The winners of the Queen’s Awards are chosen by Her Majesty The Queen herself, based on recommendations from the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee, as well as a panel of industry experts, so it’s a great privilege to be chosen.
Seraphine founder Cecile said:
“It is a huge honour to receive this award and a tribute to how Britain nurtures and encourages entrepreneurship and international trade. I was born and raised in France, but the United Kingdom is where I chose to build my business because it’s the European country that has the most international outlook and a unique open minded business culture.“
This has been an incredible year for us here at Seraphine; back in December Richard Branson named us as the ones to watch in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list, and we won the Paypal award for the Best Multi Channel Retailer.
Of course we couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our wonderful pregnant customers, both at home & overseas over the past 12 years.
So this award is dedicated to you and celebrates the wonderful journey of pregnancy!
TV & radio presenter & all round fashion aficionado Fearne Cotton rocked her bump in a pair of our ripped maternity Jeans this week!
It was the warmest day of the year so far, and the Radio 1 DJ welcomed in the sun, styling our Over-Bump Ripped Skinny Maternity Jeans with a monochrome animal print top and a relaxed blue blazer. The artfully ripped jeans added the perfect fashion edge to her smart casual ensemble, and she accessorised the look with a black Aspinal tote, tortoiseshell sunglasses and a fabulous pair of Stella McCartney wedges in hot pink.
And Fearne isn’t the only stylish celebrity mama to fall for Seraphine maternity jeans: Our denim has a celebrity fan club to rival the hottest Hollywood party, including Isla Fisher, Alicia Keys, Jessica Alba, Mila Kunis & Olivia Wilde to name but a few. Kate Winslet loved our Black Slim Leg Maternity Jeans so much she even wore them to walk the red carpet!
Fearne and her rocker husband Jessie Wood (son of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood) are already parents to Arthur & Lola, Jessie’s children from a previous marriage, and two year old Rex. And Fearne is expecting her second baby later this year. As with Rex, the couple won’t know the sex until their little bundle of joy arrives.
Fearne told Hello! Magazine:“I think it’s amazing how much you forget what it’s like. You get to the point where you think ‘oh God I forgot this happens and this happens’ but then you remember to take it easy and rest as much as you can.The most important thing is your baby’s health so I’m taking it day by day.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Take it easy Fearne – you are doing great & looking fabulous!
Spring cleaning isn’t just about dusting the top shelves & turning the mattresses you know… Spring is the perfect time to spruce up your look with some gorgeous new season maternity clothes, some fresh new makeup styles & even a brand new do!
Here’s our roundup of the hottest new hair trends to try for SS15 and some fabulous maternity styles to match.
The Long Bob
The style sensation sweeping Hollywood right now is the long bob aka: “the lob”. Everyone from Jessica Alba to Nicole Kidman & Orange is the New Black star Taylor Schilling are opting for the chop this spring – and we are loving their new looks. The lob is a versatile style that puts your hair at a gorgeous shoulder length, which is easy, manageable & incredibly versatile. You get all the benefit of having a choppy shorter style, with the added bonus that you can still tie it back – perfect for a new mum!
Another hairstyle making waves this spring is the pixie cut. Actress & Model Lily Collins and international super model Tyra Banks both debuted sexy new pixie cuts this season, and while new mama & model Coco Rocha is currently sporting a stylish long bob, she has spent the past few years rocking a pixie cut. A short pixie crop is a super cute & sexy look which, when done right can look spectacular. And of course the major bonus that comes with this do: you wouldn’t believe how quick it is to wash, dry & style!
When it comes to your maternity clothes you can take your pixie crop in one of two directions: Either embrace the sexy tomboy look with Ripped Maternity Jeans and a chic top, or juxtapose your androgynous hair with an ultra feminine style like our White Lace Maternity Dress.
Pastel Shades
The last style on our list is a little bit wacky, but it’s a trend that’s gaining serious traction this season – it’s all about the pastel shades! A whole host of celebrity mums have taken the plunge this spring, and dyed their hair all kinds of colours. Hilary Duff is channelling her inner mermaid with long aqua locks, Kim Kardashian debuted a new ice blonde style for Paris fashion week (before promptly dying it back to her regular brunette – you can’t win them all!), while January Jones has opted for a more subtle approach, streaking her signature blonde locks with sugar pink highlights. Now we’re not suggesting you ought to be running out to dye your hair blue, but if you’re brave enough, a few stylish coloured highlights could be a fun way to welcome in the sunshine!
It’s no secret: pregnancy can be tough on your skin. But with a little dedication, and the right tools in your cosmetics arsenal, you can minimise the damage, and in many cases avoid stretch marks altogether. So you can feel just as fabulous out of your maternity dresses as in them!
Read on for your chance to win a fabulous selection of skin firming Mama Mio products…
Why do we get stretch marks?
Stretch marks appear when your skin is put under pressure. During pregnancy you are growing faster than ever before and, just like your maternity dresses, your skin has to stretch to keep up. The problem is, that all of the essential fatty acids you need to sustain your skin’s elasticity are being hot-wired direct to your baby. And of course that’s where they should go, we’re glad to give them – but it means that your skin is going through its toughest ever challenge, while at its weakest point.
What can we do to avoid them?
This is where Mama Mio comes in… They’ve developed a fantastic range of skin firming & elasticity increasing products designed specifically for mums during pregnancy, breastfeeding & afterwards, when you’re thinking about getting your body back to normal.
Prevention & protection is the name of the game; by applying those essential fatty acids omega 3, 6 and 9 directly to the skin, you can bypass the rest of your system, and feel the benefits exactly where you want them.
