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.
The Seraphine style spotters have connected all the dots to pinpoint the hottest new trend to work into your maternity clothes this season; and it turns out, the fashion elite have gone totally dotty for polka dots! We’re seeing spots everywhere from top designer runways to celebrity red carpet looks, edgy street style blogs and the hottest maternity fashions. This timeless repeating pattern is the perfect way to flatter your pregnancy curves – the sun is out and now is the time to rock those dots!
Polka dots are one of those trends that come back year after year – a true timeless classic. But this season they’ve really come into their own, with fashion houses from Lela Rose to Marc Jacobs and Dolce & Gabbana making style statements with spots in their SS15 catwalk collections. And the dotty situation is much the same at Seraphine: Check out our Grey Polka Dot Maternity Cardigan, Polka Dot Maternity Blouse, Polka Dot Cropped Maternity Trousers and a whole host of stylish polka dot maternity dresses and you’ll see what we mean!
And it’s not just us feeling the love for polka dots; some of the most stylish expectant celebs have been showcasing their new curves in spotted ensembles. Back in the Autumn Keira Knightly rocked a number of dotty dresses including a stunning Dolce & Gabbana style, which she wore on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Duchess of Cambridge is another stylish mum with a known penchant for polka dots, and has been spotted (pun definitely intended) rocking polka dots through both of her pregnancies, wearing our Polka Dot Mock Wrap Maternity Dress towards the end of her first. New mum & Canadian model Coco Rocha looked stunning in our Silk Chiffon Polka Dot Dress during New York Fashion Week. And while we haven’t seen New Girl star Zooey Deschanel rocking any polka dot maternity dresses just yet, we’d be prepared to bet that it won’t be too long before we do – polka dots are one of the expectant actress’ signature styles!
Stock up on polka dot maternity clothes now & rock the hottest dottiest trend this spring!
The pregnant body is amazing – creative, life giving and utterly beautiful. It’s something to be celebrated with gorgeous maternity clothes, not covered up & hidden.
This week the chief weather presenter on US TV show Global BC News, Kristi Gordon spoke up about the hate mail she’s received through both of her pregnancies from people criticizing her maternity fashion choices.
Kristi explains the situation
Kristi is a successful, confident & beautiful woman, who dresses her bump in style… and we’re not the only ones who think so! Since she exposed the haters on air, support has been streaming in for Kristi, praising her bravery for speaking out & her beautiful baby bump – her twitter feed is crowded with encouraging messages from friends, strangers, fellow TV presenters and expectant mamas everywhere.
It’s not always easy dressing a bump at the best of times, but when your job is to appear live on TV every day, your style & choice of maternity clothes are put in the spotlight whether you want it or not. Here at Seraphine, our passion is to produce beautiful maternity clothes to help you look great and feel confident throughout your nine months, and it has been our privilege to dress expectant TV personalities at home in the UK and internationally.
And it’s not just the TV presenters… celebs are getting in on the action too, with stars such as Carrie Underwood, Megan Hilty & Zoe Saldana choosing Seraphine maternity dresses for their TV appearances!
So celebrate your curves & be proud mamas! Your body is doing something truly astounding – you are creating a whole new person. What could be more beautiful than that? In the end, as long as your maternity clothes help you to feel comfortable & confident, that’s all the matters.
Take a look behind the scenes at Seraphine’s latest photo shoot with expectant super model Portia Freeman! We had a great day in the studio snapping Portia in some of our best selling maternity clothes, in particular – the Bump Kit.
Portia arrived on set bright and early, and breezed straight into hair and make up. The atmosphere was fun & friendly, and Portia tucked into some mango slices (her most persistent pregnancy craving) while the hair stylist worked. Already mum to adorable 5 year old Dylan James, Portia is currently expecting her second baby with her partner, The Kooks bassist, Pete Denton. She chatted to the makeup artist, comparing this pregnancy with her first & confessing how much more relaxed she’s felt the second time around.
Portia was a natural in front of the camera – she began her modelling career at just 16 years old when fashion photography legend Mario Testino shot her for Vogue, and she’s since walked the catwalks for the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen! Portia worked fast and had a lot of fun on set, keeping the energy really high throughout and capturing some stunning images.
Afterwards Portia raved about the Bump Kit – she simply couldn’t believe how soft the leggings were, and how the little black maternity dress managed to make her feel comfortable yet sexy at the same time. The Bump Kit is our must-have style for an expectant mum – if you’re new to maternity clothes, this is the place to start. It includes 4 maternity essentials; a little black maternity dress, a white vest, a pair of black leggings, and a black bodycon skirt, and is designed to help you master the art of mix and match. Portia modelled our original Bump Kit, but there are plenty of options; the Bump Kit 2 features a wrap dress & the Bump Kit 3 comes with a soft pair of black maternity trousers instead of the skirt. Team the classic maternity staples together, or style them with key fashion pieces from your wardrobe & you’ll have endless stylish options to see you through your nine months.
Bump Kit Styling Inspiration From Top Model Zabeena
This is how Portia & Zabeena styled the bump kit – how will you style yours?
With a brand new baby on the way, you have so many reasons to celebrate! There are pregnancy announcements to send, maternity dresses for your baby shower to choose, gender reveals, birth announcements, baby’s first meet & greet and even the first birthday party to look forward to – and that’s only the first year!
With all of these party opportunities on the horizon, we think it’s high time you metGreenvelope – the coolest eco-friendly invites around. — read on for your exclusive discount code!
Greenvelope is a digital stationary company, offering a stylish eco-friendly alternative to traditional paper invitations. Their stunning paperless invites offer beautiful, fully customisable design options, along with convenient event-specific functionality, all delivered direct to your guests’ inbox – the perfect coupling of traditional design with contemporary delivery.
Guests will love the interactive visuals & easy RSVP function of these gorgeous digital invites, and you will have a clear conscience, safe in the knowledge that no trees were harmed in the sending of your mail!
Visit Greenvelope’s site to find out more, browse their range, and to see some sample invites.
And just because we love you, enjoy 20% off your first order with the code: seraphine
And don’t forget, once your party is planned, the guests are invited & the RSVPs are in; it’s time to choose your maternity party dress!
If you’re throwing a baby shower, you could even drop a hint about baby’s gender with one of our beautiful maternity dresses! Choose pink for a girl, blue for a boy, or keep them guessing with stylish a gender neutral option.
