Category: Featured

The Duchess wears a Seraphine maternity dress in the first family photo!

The Duchess of Cambridge is wearing Seraphine again! This morning, the first official photographs of the young royal family with new baby Prince George has been released, and Kate, cradling baby George in her arms, looks simply radiant in a signature Seraphine knotted front maternity dress! It is a beautiful smiling family shot in the sunshine, taken by proud Granddad Michael Middleton in the garden of the Middleton family home, complete with Lupo and Tilly the family dogs. The Duke and Duchess could not look happier, and it is clear that they have truly enjoyed this special time bonding with their new son.

 

 

Until this morning, the young royal family had not been seen in public since mid July, when they spirited their new born son away to Bucklebury, to spend his first few precious weeks in private with family. Regular readers of this blog may remember that the very last time Kate was seen, she was wearing our beautiful blossom maternity dress, and now she is back in Seraphine again for the official photo!

 

 

This beautiful fuchsia dress is one of our signature Seraphine knot front maternity dresses, specifically designed to flatter the female form before, during and after pregnancy. The intricate knot detailing focuses attention towards your empire line, and creates gentle gathers in the silky fabric, which drape fluidly over your pregnancy curves or post birth figure. A deep v neckline is incredibly flattering and perfect for new mums, as it provides easy access for breastfeeding. Kate chose a vibrant shade of Fuchsia which perfectly complements her skin tone, but this dress is also available in a fresh coral or regal navy blue.

 

Here at Seraphine, we are so incredibly proud to be a brand that the Duchess of Cambridge loves and trusts, and we are truly honoured that she chose our beautiful maternity dress for this special family photograph.

The first Girls Aloud baby is on its way… Bring on the maternity fashion

Former Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle is expecting a baby! She made the announcement on Instagram on Thursday with an ecstatic looking photo of herself, captioned simply: “I am having a baby. Xx”.  (We love how many different ways there are these days of announcing your amazing news to the world)!

We are so excited about the first Girls Aloud pregnancy! The 5 Girls Aloud girls have always been in the fashion spotlight and have often made very daring style choices, so we can’t wait to see how Nadine adapts her own look to suit her changing shape! Her usual style is very glamorous, with plenty of fabulous little body-con dresses that show off her fantastic figure, and on dressed down days she’ll often be seen in over-sized tops with skinny jeans.

There is always a learning curve involved with your first pregnancy as you figure out how to dress your new shape, but we believe that the secret to fabulous maternity dressing is to stay true to your own style! We think Nadine would look amazing in our black maternity shift dress, or maybe a pair of maternity skinny jeans with a gorgeous top from our LUXE collection.

We wish Nadine all the best with her exciting journey into motherhood, and can’t wait to follow her maternity style as it develops!

 

Cecile offers advice on post-maternity style in Grazia!

We are so excited to see an interview with none other than Cecile, our fabulous creative director and founder, on Graziadaily toady!  She offered some words of wisdom on post maternity style and let slip which Seraphine pieces The Duchess of Cambridge loves.

We though you might like to take a sneaky peak at the article – so here is an extract from the article!

“Cecile Reinaud of Seraphine Shares Her Top 10 Tips for Kate Middleton’s New Mum Style

We’re sure you know by now that Kate Middleton wore a Séraphine lavendar floral frock when she was spotted leaving Kensington Palace with Prince William and baby George. The Kate effect is still going strong, as the brand received a huge increase in sales and surprise surprise, the dress is now sold out.

Prince William and Catherine Duchess Of Cambridge and royal baby leaving Kensington Palace, London, Britain - 24 Jul 2013Kate is a fan of Seraphine, as back in March she was spotted browsing Seraphine’s maternity concession in Peter Jones. She was then later spotted in one of their lightweight black jersey dresses which is available for an affordable £39. For those of you who aren’t so hot on your maternity fashion, the brand was founded by French designer Cecile Reinaud and has been worn by the likes of (deep breath) Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson and Angelina Jolie.

Cecile Reinaud has shared with us her style tips for Kate Middleton, and has exclusively revealed to us some of the pieces the Duchess has purchased. How exciting is that?! ” 

Read the full article on Graziadaily.co.uk

The Duchess of Cambridge wears Seraphine

Meet Our Competition Winner – Hannah Damary-Thompson!

We had a fantastic time on Saturday when our lovely competition winner paid a visit to our Kensington store to choose pieces for her brand new Seraphine maternity wardrobe! Hannah came down with her partner Lewis to collect her prize after correctly guessing that the new royal arrival would be called George.

This win couldn’t have come at a better time for Hannah, who is five months pregnant with her second baby. The couple don’t know the sex yet, though 5 year old Finn is convinced that he is getting a baby sister.

Hannah’s shopping strategy was to start with the signature Seraphine tote changing bag and to build up a wardrobe around that. After a couple of hours of hardcore shopping, we caught up with her for a quick interview.

 

1) What made you pick the name George?

I can’t honestly say what made me pick the name George. I just thought that it was a lovely, traditional name that would sound great for the next Prince. I just cannot believe that I picked correctly, it must be pregnancy intuition!

 

2) How did you feel when you found out that you had won the competition?

I was absolutely thrilled! Appearance has always been very important to me and being totally out of control of my changing body and cut off from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, I was at my wit’s end. I had only recently discovered Seraphine and instantly fell in love with most of the collection so when I found out that I had won a £1,000 shopping spree I was over the moon!

 

3) What was your overall experience of the day?

I had such a fantastic day at the Kensington store – everyone was so friendly and helpful. It’s every girl’s dream to be able to walk into a shop and pick out anything without worrying about breaking the bank. The shop is lovely and the staff are wonderful. Even my partner, Lewis, couldn’t moan too much about his 3 hour long ordeal waiting for me to try on practically the entire shop, because even he had a great time in there!

 

4) What is your favourite new Seraphine piece and why?

I genuinely can’t pick my favourite piece, it’s all so gorgeous and comfortable and great quality! The designers have clearly thought long and hard about the collections because Seraphine manages to deliver on trend styles in a classic and effortless way. The clothes are so versatile, they can be glammed up or dressed down really easily so are perfect for the playground or the board room. I got a lot of dresses in various styles, from shift dresses to maxi’s and all of them are gorgeous!

 

5) Do you have any big plans for your new wardrobe?

Juggling my  five year old, Finn, running my own recruitment business and being pregnant, my new wardrobe is going to be put well and truly through its paces! We have quite a few parties and weddings coming up so I can’t wait to show off my bump in my new dresses! Is it wrong that I am already planning my outfit for my 20 week scan on Wednesday?!

 

Natural ways to induce labour – Our favourite old wive’s tales

Your hospital bag has been packed and ready to go for weeks, you’ve read all the books, been to all the checkups, bought all the baby paraphernalia and decorated the baby’s room. After nine months of frantic preparations you finally feel ready, and cannot wait to hold your new baby in your arms. There’s just one problem: your due date has come and gone and there is no sign of baby.

According to the latest research, this is absolutely nothing to worry about, as the length of your pregnancy can vary naturally from woman to woman by as much as 5 weeks! Of course we always knew that a due date was only as good as a best guess, but we think it’s fascinating to know that we can all vary so much.

This having been said, new research is all well and good, but it won’t stop you feeling frustrated, uncomfortable and emotional when all you want is to meet your new baby, but the little one just won’t budge. At this stage, when you are more than a week overdue, you will start to hear all sorts of odd recommendations from the unlikeliest of places of ways to induce labour naturally. Now we are not saying that any of these methods necessarily work, but here are some of our favourite old wives tales…

 

1) Spicy food

Most people will have heard of this classic suggestion before, supposedly a spicy curry will stimulate your digestive system which in turn could stimulate your uterus into action. We can tell you now, there is absolutely no evidence that this works, but hey, who needs an excuse for a nice hot curry?

 

2) Pineapple

This is a bit of a strange one. Apparently fresh pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain which is thought to soften your cervix and help to bring on labour. However, each pineapple only contains a small amount of this labour inducing enzyme, so you would have to eat as many as 7 whole pineapples for it to have any affect. We definitely do not recommend that you eat 7 pineapples, but if you fancied it we’re sure it couldn’t hurt to nibble on some nice fresh pineapple as a healthy snack and if it happens to kick start your labour then that’s a bonus!

 

3) Raspberry leaf tea

Many women swear by raspberry leaf tea, however experts agree that if taken regularly from 32 weeks onward (and not before) it may help to ease your labour once it is in full swing, but unfortunately it will not induce labour, which is a shame as it sounds delicious.

 

4) Shut the bedroom door

Of course we’ve all heard that having sex can induce labour, and surprisingly this one isn’t just a story invented by men looking for a good time. It works in several different ways, and is safe for the baby as long as your waters haven’t broken yet.

 

5) Dancing

This one is our favourite. Supposedly the movement of your hips can help the baby to descend and get into the right position ready for labour. And even if it doesn’t motivate baby into action, a good boogie is guaranteed to cheer you up and make you feel more positive about the whole situation.

 

5 ways to wear your LBD by Helen Canning

The little black dress has long been a wardrobe essential and never more so than when you’re pregnant.  Your capsule wardrobe is a lifesaver during those 9 months – and beyond – and it wouldn’t be complete without your trusty maternity LBD as your go-to staple that is guaranteed to work for every occasion.

Choose a simple shape like this classic shift that embraces your curves and works as a blank canvas to dress up or down.


1. Work

Work wear doesn’t have to be boring; lift your look with a bright tote and give those practical heels a glam make-over in a metallic sheen. Seraphine’s tie-front blazer grows with your bump and enhances your shape to allow you to look formal without being frumpy.

Blazer, Seraphine; Necklace, John Lewis; Bag, Jaeger; Shoes, Zara.

 

2. Date night

For that much-needed date night with your partner just add a bit of bling, some simple heels (because your date’s driving!) and a splash of leopard.  It’s dressed up without being too OTT for a quiet drink in your local bar.

Belt, Seraphine; Leopard bag, Dune; Necklace, Adele Marie; Boots, Steve Madden.

 

3. Girls’ lunch

Go for a relaxed and chic vibe for a date with your girlfriends.  These Shoe Therapy leopard flats are seriously comfortable (and good for your posture too) but certainly aren’t lacking in the style stakes – compliments are guaranteed!  Team with leggings and a classic leather jacket (worn open around your bump) to keep the whole look informal but stylish.

Belt, leggings, shoes, all Seraphine. Necklace, Adele Marie; Leather jacket, Whistles;

 

4. Weekend

Super-soft bamboo leggings are a treat for your bump, keeping you cool when it’s warm and warm when it’s cool.  They are also great under a jersey dress like this for a smooth, seamless finish and with ankle boots or plimsolls your look is suitably comfy and casual for the weekend.  This chunky leather belt will look great under your bump for a relaxed look and is also great with jeans.

Just throw on a chunky knit in the colder months and choose a change bag now that’ll see you through the next couple of years once baby arrives! This bag is practical but looks less like a change bag than many styles.

Scarf, belt, change bag, leggings, all Seraphine.

 

5. Party

Glam it up with metallics for party time and enhance your curves with this beaded sash belt. Opt for bump-friendly shoes if you want to break onto the dance-floor, but not only are you being kinder to your back in a low heel, you’re bang on trend too.  Just avoid ankle straps on evening shoes which could irritate swollen ankles and remember your gel insoles (that, and the number of your local minicab office!).

Beaded belt, Seraphine; Shoes and clutch bag, both Dune; Earrings, Coralee.

Helen_LBD_collage

I’ve worn my Seraphine LBD for work, date night and summer family picnics so far and it’s been perfect for all three! Here’s a snap from a rare night out with my partner where I teamed the dress with nude heels and a studded clutch and finished with Seraphine’s must-have double wrap skinny belt.

Helen writes the blog CocoMamaStyle.com offering style inspiration for mums and mums-to-be.

Royal Maternity Style – Charlotte Casiraghi is expecting!

4th in line to the throne of Monaco, Charlotte Casiraghi is the granddaughter of legendary style icon, Grace Kelly and has been more than living up to her grandmother’s formidable fashion legacy.  A true fashionista princess, she frequently tops best dressed lists, has featured on the covers of Elle magazine and French Vogue and was last year’s face of Gucci.

Here at Seraphine we are very excited about the rumours flying around that she is expecting her first child with French comic actor Gad Elmaleh! Nothing has been officially announced yet, but she was recently spotted out shopping for baby clothes in Capri looking casually stylish and unmistakably pregnant in a gorgeous sundress contrasting zigzags and stripes, teamed with a large yellow tote bag. The short hemline showed off her fabulous legs to great effect and she finished off her fashionable summer look with a pair of simple gold sandals.

Charlotte has always been a lover of designers such as Gucci, Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld and has many of her clothes made bespoke, so we are expecting to see some truly stunning designer maternity outfits in the coming months. We think that we can look forward to a very fashionable pregnancy!

We simply can’t wait to compare her developing maternity style to our own British royals. Charlotte tends to be more daring with her fashion choices than Kate who maintained her classically elegant look throughout, and Zara Phillips usually opts for a casual chic sporty look. With three very different, but equally fashionable royal maternity styles to choose from, we are utterly spoilt for choice at the moment when it comes to royal fashion inspiration!

Baby number 2 for Megan Fox!

Congratulations are in order for Megan Fox as her publicist confirms she is pregnant with her second child!

 

Megan has previously shared her desire for more children in the March 2013 issue of Marie Claire UK where she said “All I wanted to do my whole life was have a baby and, now, I’ve finally done it. I just want to give Noah as much of myself as I can. And I want to have more kids. That is where my heart is.” So this comes as no surprise really!

 

We are used to seeing her looking beautiful in stunning designer dresses on the red carpet, but Megan Fox’s maternity style the first time around consisted of a few bump flattering bodycon dresses and plenty of boyfriend t-shirts and jeans. A woman’s maternity style will often change the second time around, so we can’t wait to see how her style will evolve with this pregnancy. Will she continue to rock the casual chic look or will she make some changes?

 

We can definitely picture her wearing our sixties style empire line pleated maternity dress or our faux leather maternity leggings. Both are fantastic casual chic styles with an edgy modern feel.

 

Did your maternity style change with your different pregnancies? Read how Linda from our wholesale team’s fashion taste changed during her second pregnancy here.

Find out our favourite apps to take you through pregnancy – and beyond

We barely go anywhere without a smartphone in tow these days, which is why an encyclopaedic library of apps is now available for us to download and interact with both at home and on the move. You no doubt already have lots of favourites, from news providers and shops to GPS locators. However, did you know that you can get scores of apps that have been designed specifically with pregnancy in mind? The reason we ask is because we’ve seen lots of them cropping up on our phones and tablets lately, so we thought you may be interested in a round-up of some of the best.

 

Some are just for fun, while others could prove really useful, so we’ll break them down into categories below.

 

Pregnancy advice and information

As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, you’ll no doubt have 1,001 questions to ask. While some of these can be fielded by friends and health visitors, it’s handy to be able to look up snippets of information too. This is where advisory apps really come into their own. They can cover everything from calculating due dates to how big your baby is week by week, meaning you’ll have the equivalent of several books in your pocket to check up on at any given time.

 

Try:

  • What to Expect – from the people behind the bestselling book What to Expect When You’re Expecting (Free)
  • BabyCentre My Pregnancy (free)

 

The name game

Coming up with lists of baby names is a fun way to pass the time on a train journey, but you might want to check the meaning of some, or have some random ones suggested for you. Enter the apps – they’re just like the books you can get, but much more portable and interactive.

 

Try:

  • Baby Name Generator
  • Baby Names
  • 50,000 Names (all free)

 

Keeping you occupied

You’ll probably find you do a lot of waiting around for appointments when you’re pregnant and it’s annoying if you’ve got nothing to do. Why not keep a couple of games on your phone or tablet to distract you and keep you occupied? They’re not just for kids and they might help prevent the dreaded baby brain if you choose puzzles.

 

Try:

Where’s My Water? (69p)

Words with Friends (free)

What’s the Phrase? (free)

 

Scoring style points

If you shop with Seraphine, we know you’ve already got great maternity style. However, it’s fun to keep on top of the trends by checking out what bloggers, fashion experts and other people are wearing too. Lots of apps provide daily updates on what to wear for certain events, which colours are in vogue and much more, so keep a few handy and you’ll never commit a faux pas again.

 

Try:

  • Guardian
  • Daily Mail (You Inspire)
  • Style Star Fashion Advice (all free)

 

During labour

Keep your smartphone handy when you go into labour, as you may find it’s really useful for things like timing contractions if you want to be sure how frequent and long-lasting they are.

 

Try:

  • Contraction Timer Lite (free)

When you’re breastfeeding

Once the baby arrives, you won’t have as much free time for playing games and looking up articles. However, that doesn’t mean apps can’t still be useful. Check out some of the great breastfeeding ones, which allow you to record how many feeds you’ve completed, alert you to when the next one is due and can even produce graphs to tell you if you’re on track with your feeding goals.

 

Try:

  • iBaby Feed (free)
  • The Breast Start App (free)

We’d love to know what you think – have you used these apps? Or do you know any others that could be useful for expectant mums? Do drop us a line in the comments section below!

 

Finding the perfect nursing clothes by Kirsty McCabe

Phew – summer is well and truly here! But after having my second child in May, my pre-baby body is still hiding under excess padding courtesy of cakes and biscuits. Not forgetting that as I’m breastfeeding my boobs are still on the mahoosive side. So none of my usual summer clothes fit and I’ve been living in the same few tops that allow easy access to feed baby Logan. Good job Seraphine do some great maxi dresses!

 

All in all, nursing clothes are a tricky business. You hope to get your old body back quickly so don’t want to buy new things. Funny how when pregnant you buy new clothes even though you know it’s only for 9 months and actually only the last few that really merit decent maternity wear. But afterwards you don’t want to spend money, even though your post baby body could stick around for longer than 9 months… Which is why I’m back at the gym despite no one having invented a nursing sports bra. I’m lucky enough to have found some classes (run by Jane Wake who you might have seen on ITV’s Lorraine programme) where you can bring your little one along and if needs be you can stop and feed them, hence my desire for a nursing sports bra!

 

Choosing a capsule post-baby wardrobe is even harder in the UK where the weather switches from jumpers to bikinis (Ha!) and back again. I like tops and dresses that let me feed Logan discreetly; having had one hungry boy already I know their talent for making mummy get her baps out at inappropriate moments – weddings, christenings and other family gatherings a favourite. Not on TV thankfully, though I did make sure my firstborn Ethan was filled to the gunnels with milk before we went on Daybreak when he was 4 weeks old!

 

Talking of TV, this week I found myself presenting the weather on Channel 5, despite telling myself I would take at least 6 months off work to make the most of maternity leave. But such is the life of a freelance weather presenter that when a job comes up you don’t want to say no in case they don’t ask you again! Plus it’s not often you get to say hot and sunny on the UK forecast… So my toddler Ethan has enjoyed some extra nursery sessions while my husband Renato gets extra time to bond with baby Logan. And I keep busy expressing extra milk! Choosing what to wear for work this week has been pretty challenging. On the plus side I could wear a proper underwired bra and not a nursing one for a few hours. On the other hand, I can’t yet fit into a lot of my pre-baby work clothes and I didn’t want to wear maternity ones. Thankfully some of my dresses did fit, with the aid of decent Lycra undies of course.

 

Ethan been quite amusing watching me feed his little brother. At first he was incredulous that Mummy made milk and even looked down his own top. Now it’s commonplace and he will borrow my breastfeeding pillow (I got an amazing one at thrupennybits.co.uk) and pretend to feed Pingu, his cuddly toy penguin. So far he doesn’t seem too jealous of Logan, instead he almost smothers him with love and cuddles and is forever talking to him (thus waking him up mid nap!). Because Logan doesn’t talk back, Ethan tries to talk even louder until he ends up shouting at him. But if Logan cries Ethan is first to comfort him, even offering some of his favourite toys. I can’t wait until Logan is older and the two can start playing together properly and having little chats.

 

In the meantime the logistics of looking after two wee ones is something I’m still getting to grips with. Second babies have a reputation for being better sleepers but I think it’s more they get less attention than number one, who as I type is trying to climb the shelves of the freezer (having now got the strength to open the freezer door) to reach the ice cream even though mummy said no. Hmm, maybe I’ll join him and not worry too much about getting back into my smaller clothes just yet.

 

Winner of the £1000 maternity wardrobe announced!

We have been waiting and waiting to find a winner for our £1000 maternity wardrobe prize, and after 3 weeks of guessing and almost 2000 entrants, the question on everybody’s lips has finally got an answer. It is a boy! And his name is George Alexander Louis!

 

Officially to be known as: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge

 

It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think! George has long been a bookie’s favourite – Ladbrokes had the odds at 5-2. And no wonder – It’s a good solid royal name, the last King George was The Queen’s father and when this little one ascends the throne some time in the distant future he will be King George VII, a fact that we are sure the Queen approves of.

 

We would like to thank everyone who entered our guess the royal baby name competition, we are so pleased that it has been such a success. But with the name of the future monarch settled, the competition has now come to a close and we have our winner!

 

Congratulations to Hannah Damary-Thompson who has been chosen at random out of those who correctly guessed the baby’s name. She is now the lucky winner of a brand new maternity wardrobe from Seraphine worth an amazing £1000! Keep an eye on our blog to see what happens when Hannah visits our London boutique and selects her brand new maternity wardrobe!

 

 

The Duchess of Cambridge wears Seraphine for baby’s first day out!

Beautiful Baby Cambridge has been a busy boy since being welcomed into the world just a short time ago. He has already made his royal debut on the steps of St Mary’s Hospital, spent a night at Kensington Palace, and met various members of his family including the Queen! But today, he has had his first afternoon out. He and his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were driven from Kensington Palace to Berkshire to visit his Grandparents – Carole and Michael Middleton.

 

Your new born baby’s first day out is such a special occasion and here at Seraphine, we couldn’t be more proud to report that The Duchess of Cambridge wore our beautiful short sleeved knot front lavender dress on her gorgeous new son’s first trip out! This lovely summer dress is simply perfect for such a hot sunny day, with short capped sleeves and a feminine floral print she looked calm cool and had the radiant glow of a proud new mother. The first visit to the grandparents’ house is a great excuse to take plenty of photos for the private family album, and in our breezy summer dress Kate is sure to look stunning in them!

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