Celebrity maternity fashion and news

Baby joy for Alesha Dixon – here’s to the latest celebrity pregnancy!

We don’t know about you, but we’re really looking forward to following the celebrity pregnancy style evolution of Alesha Dixon after she recently announced she is expecting her first child. The singer’s publicist confirmed the momentous news to the press and her fans, saying: “Alesha Dixon and her partner, Azuka Ononye, are delighted to announce that they are expecting their first child later this year. Alesha and Azuka are looking forward to this happy chapter in their lives.”

Alesha followed up the revelation with a tweet to thank all of her fans and followers for their messages of support and congratulations, saying: “Would just like to say a big THANK U for all of your lovely messages and well wishes! #verysweet #veryblessed 🙂 X.”

It’s going to be a busy few months for the star, as she’ll be getting used to pregnancy, filming the next series of Britain’s Got Talent and appearing on the new ITV entertainment series, Your Face Sounds Familiar.

As if that weren’t enough, she’ll also be working on her next album. She’s making us feel tired just by looking at that list! Hopefully she finds plenty of time to pamper herself in between engagements. It’s her wardrobe that we’ll really be interested in though, as we want to see how she translates her usual look into the maternity clothes she’ll no doubt be stocking up on.

Actually, she won’t need to deviate too far from the trends she currently wears, as Alesha already has a fantastic sense of style. She isn’t afraid to express that huge personality through her clothes, which always results in a really fun and bright look. Like most women, we enjoyed seeing how she was a complete contrast to her Britain’s Got Talent co-host Amanda Holden during the live finals, favouring minidresses and bold hues over Mandy’s floor-length pastel gowns.

So, how might she make the style transition and what could she wear over the coming months? Here are Seraphine’s suggestions based on her previous great outfits.

Bright colours

We love Alesha’s totally tropical dress sense – she’s a breath of fresh air, always looking like she’s on holiday even when she’s in rainy Britain. She can definitely continue this during pregnancy, as bold hues are really on-trend for summer 2013 and beyond.

Get the look with Seraphine:

High hemlines

Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you can no longer wear minidresses, so we hope Alesha won’t lose her penchant for high hemlines and will keep showing off those perfect pins. She may have to swap her towering stilettos for something more stable – but our ballet flats will look just as good with those thigh-skimming skirts.

Get the look with Seraphine:

Sharp tailoring

When Alesha’s not in dresses, she often goes for a complete contrast by opting for smart yet feminine tailoring. Again, this will be ideal for pregnancy because a blouse and blazer combo looks so flattering – and the outer layer can be left undone when that bump gets really big. Unsurprisingly, she shies away from black and chooses bright shirts and jackets, so this is something we reckon will continue as she vets candidates for BGT this year.

Get the look with Seraphine:

Congratulations, Alesha!

Celebrity pregnancy news for Kate Winslet and Jennifer Love Hewitt!

It’s been a busy year for celebrity pregnancy news so far in 2013, but after weeks of nothing much happening, two have come along at once! Congratulations to Kate Winslet and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who have both announced they are expecting babies later this year. It will be Kate’s third child, although it is her first with new husband Ned Rocknroll, who she married last December. Mia, 12, and nine-year-old Joe are no doubt looking forward to having a little brother or sister to boss around!

“I can confirm Kate Winslet is pregnant and she and Ned Rocknroll are thrilled. The baby is due at the end of the year,” said a spokesperson for the couple.

Meanwhile, Jennifer is expecting her first baby with her Client List co-star Brian Hallisay.

“We’re so thrilled and happy to start a family,” they told Us Weekly, adding that Jen is around three months along.

It means both women will be having babies around the same time – and we can follow how their maternity style evolves this summer and autumn! So, what could be in store for their wardrobes over the coming months? Let’s take a look…

Kate Winslet

We can cheat a little with Kate, as we can speculate what she might wear based on her previous two pregnancies – although they were quite a while ago, so she’ll definitely need to update her maternity wardrobe. Last time, we spotted her in a cute white midi skirt and denim jacket, which would still work. However, we think she might translate some of the more old-school Hollywood glamour she has perfected into what she wears this time around.

Kate almost always goes for figure-hugging shapes that flatter those hourglass curves and there’s no reason why this should change just because she’s got a bump – the look definitely suits her. She also gets pictured in lace quite a lot, which would be bang on-trend for maternity wear this year.

However, she looks equally good when she’s androgynous – she has worn several flattering trouser suits for special events over the years and blazers are ideal for wearing open during pregnancy. We also like to see her in striking colours like red, black and blue to suit that peaches and cream complexion – pale pinks would only wash her out.

Seraphine’s Kate-style top tips:

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer has a very different shape to Kate, as she’s dainty as opposed to curvaceous – although she’ll obviously change a little once her tummy starts to bloom! We haven’t got a past pregnancy to go on here, but the actress has a definite style and we think she’ll stick to it as she progresses through the trimesters.

We have often seen her wearing cute tops in pastel colours, which really suit her skin tone and silhouette. She usually favours crochet and chiffon, both of which will translate well as maternity clothing, so there may be plenty more of these to come. It will be interesting to see if she takes to maternity jeans too, as we could definitely see her in a pair of skinnies, maybe in grey.

However, Jennifer can also rock a formal, fitted dress when she needs to – she looks particularly good in satin and jewel tones, although black and red suit her equally as well as they do Kate.

Seraphine’s Jennifer-style top tips:

We’ll be following these two very different women with interest, then, ahead of their new arrivals!

Baftas provide great fashion inspiration for new mums

Despite the wind buffeting this year’s Baftas last night (May 12^th) and the red carpet in London getting hit by sudden gusts that wreaked havoc with some of the dresses, it didn’t stop the event from providing us with some great fashion inspiration. Lots of our favourite telly stars looked fabulous for the occasion and unlike at last week’s Met Ball, there wasn’t a theme so the dress code was much more formal. That meant we got to see plenty of gorgeous gowns on the ladies and tuxes on the men.

There was a really star-studded guest list as usual, but it was the yummy mummies that stood out for us the most – Sienna Miller, Romola Garai and Holly Willoughby in particular looked really great.

Sienna only became a mum nine months ago to baby daughter Marlowe and she recently told the Metro she’s got “much less energy” for stardom since then. Nevertheless, she looked stunning in a 1950s-style prom dress with a botanical print and showed that having a baby around the house needn’t mean an end to glamour. To get the look for yourself, see our lace maternity cocktail dress. The Hour’s Romola gave birth just two months ago, but she already looked slim and composed in a lacy dress, without even visible circles under her eyes. She did make an eye-watering joke about childbirth though – but we won’t go there! Meanwhile, Holly evoked old Hollywood in a scarlet frock with one strap and gathering at the waist to emphasise those curves. OK, so her little ones are two and four now as opposed to being babies, but she was still a great poster girl for busy mums everywhere.

You can emulate them really easily too – all you need is a little forward planning and a fantastic maternity evening dress and you can shine just as much as the Baftas girls. Luckily, we can help you with the latter as we have plenty of party-ready maternity gowns in our Seraphine Luxe collection – why not take a look ready for your next big event?

One other thing we noticed was that lots of the dresses last night seemed to be modelled on those from decades gone by – it must be the combined effect of Downton Abbey and forthcoming film The Great Gatsby! Take Tess Daly, for example. She looked stunning in a really unusual black lace and chiffon creation that was exactly like something Lady Mary might wear (except for the hint of cleavage, of course). She even had a 1920s-style beaded bag that we just loved.

This year’s biggest trends had been paid attention to by many of the invitees, with several coral outfits on show (Catherine Tyldesley from Coronation Street provided our favourite) and a lot of lace. However, some chose to do their own thing and wear something totally different. Mel Giedroyc was perhaps the best example of this, as she looked lovely in a white blazer teamed with black treggings that had a white stripe up each leg. It was androgynous yet managed to appear very feminine at the same time, so this is definitely one you could copy if you’re not really a ballgown kind of girl.

That’s not to say we didn’t love the more traditional frocks – comedy favourite Olivia Colman flattered her figure in a dazzling off-the-shoulder aubergine style and Sheridan Smith was beautiful as ever in a black dress that had structured panels over her chest. It’s worth looking out for pictures of the fashion amid all the snaps of skirts being blown askew by the gusts – there are quite a lot of those today!

The one that made us giggle the most is that of Sir Bruce Forsyth’s wife Wilnelia – as she posed for photos in a bright yellow gown, one of the floaty chiffon pieces flew up and covered her face completely. Perhaps it might be best to go for a figure-hugging frock like Olivia and Sheridan if you’re attending a special party soon, just in case that mischievous wind keeps up!

Punk & pregnant: Celebrity fashion at the Met Ball

Photographs of red carpet events are always fun to look at, but you don’t get too many Lady Gaga moments – there are usually more pretty gowns and posh hairdos than meat dresses!

Much to our delight though, all that pomp and ceremony went out of the window at this year’s Met Ball – that’s because it was themed PUNK: Chaos to Couture (based on a special exhibition at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). Even more fun was the fact that the celebrities went all out to stick to the theme, with studs and spiked tresses popping up everywhere.

However, it’s worth pointing out that while there was a lot of black and studs on accessories, the punk theme was really all about rebellion – taking what you think you should wear to a posh event and turning it on its head. With the pregnant attendees being no exception, proving maternity fashion can be fun too!

• Jaime King , who has very recently announced her first pregnancy rocked up in a tuxedo and crown. A masculine style with a feminine touch of lace and of course a punk twist with the head piece and spiked jewellery. You can rock a similar look with our luxe maternity blazer and matching trousers.

• Ivanka Trump sported a really cute black top and green skirt combo, a colour blocking look similar to our Colour Block Silk Cocktail Dress (ideal if you want to get her look for a fraction of the price!). The high waisted style is ideal for small bumps. Create her look with our maternity maxi skirt, punk accessories are optional!

• Kim Kardashian turned up looking like a Spanish senorita in a floral gown that was slit to the thigh with a huge train. It clung to her bump but flattered her figure perfectly, showing it’s a great idea to take the plunge and wear something completely different while you’re expecting a baby. We loved her confidence in trying this look out and it shows she’s really learning a lot about how to be fashionable and elegant at a time when her body’s totally changing from its usual shape.

But what about those of you who love all things rebellious but don’t get the opportunity to have a ball at themed parties like this? Well, you can still get the punk feel by toning it down a little – think rock chick as opposed to Sid Vicious.For instance, you could wear a pair of skinny jeans with Seraphine’s classic Silver Buttoned Charcoal Shift Dress, slick your hair back in a super-high ponytail and accessorise with chunky silver jewellery or a studded handbag. Check out pictures of Shakira during her pregnancy if you need some inspiration, as she was the epitome of rock chick. Nicole Richie and Malin Akerman were other good style muses you can easily emulate.

Give it a try and see if you can rebel against the establishment during your own pregnancy!