We’ve moved! As of last week, Seraphine has upped sticks and headed for the bright lights of London’s West End!
Our new head office & design studio on Berners Street in Fitzrovia W1 puts us right at the heart of one of the most vibrant fashion districts on the planet. Situated just off Oxford Street – London’s very own shopping Mecca – we are now part of an incredibly fashionable neighbourhood including Guess?Lipsy & Arcadia Group – the fashion giant in charge of Top Shop, Top Man, Miss Selfridge & Wallis to name but a few!
We’ve already been busy scoping out the best places for a luxury lunch break…
Seraphine is growing faster than ever, and our bright, airy new office offers plenty of space for our rapidly expanding team. We have some seriously exciting things in store for the future, and this office move marks the start of a whole new chapter of the Seraphine story. But don’t worry – you’ll still be able to shop the same stylish maternity clothes as before, just with a few more fashionable new locations to choose from…. Watch this space!
As your third trimester approaches, it’s time to start thinking about what to pack in your hospital bag.
Space at the hospital is limited, but you definitely don’t want to arrive only to realise that you’ve forgotten something essential.
Zabeena’s Hospital Bag Checklist
We caught up with third-time mama Seraphine model Zabeena, who shared her ultimate hospital bag checklist with us. These are the things she’ll be taking along for baby number three.
*Your Birth Plan: You’ll want a printed copy handy to give to your midwife.
*Comfy Maternity Nightwear: A soft button-down nightie is a must – it’s ideal for labour as well as skin to skin and breastfeeding afterwards. A matching dressing gown and supportive sleep bra are also a great idea to pack.
*Slippers: Because nobody wants to get cold feet during labour!
*A Camera: Capture those first precious moments.
* The Wash Bag: Make sure to pack all the regular overnight essentials – Toothbrush & toothpaste, lip balm, hairbrush, ties & clips, flannel, face wash, deodorant, travel size shower gel, shampoo, conditioner & towels, tissues, wet wipes, and maternity pads.
*Some Distractions: Magazines, music, phone, iPad & chargers – don’t get caught out without juice at a crucial moment.
*Snacks & Drinks: Pack plenty for you & your partner – It may be a long wait, and nobody wants a hangry birthing partner! Isotonic drinks like Lucozade are a great way to keep your energy levels up.
*Nursing Bras& Comfy Briefs: A few pairs of comfy briefs are a must for after labour. And if you plan to nurse, you’ll want to pack some comfortable nursing bras.
*Nipple Cream: To ease any soreness
*Breast Pads: An essential whether you’re nursing or not
*A Nursing Shawl: For discreet breastfeeding when visitors come to call. Our collection of stylish breastfeeding covers are a great choice and are also perfect for swaddling baby.
Baby Hospital Bag Essentials
*Diapers: Pack plenty, and make sure to bring the right size for newborns.
*Outfitsfor Baby: 3 soft newborn onesies, preferably front opening ones, and a nice outfit for going home in. Check out our beautiful gift sets for newborns featuring 100% organic cotton baby clothes.
*Accessories for Baby: a hat, socks, mittens and a baby blanket are all essentials for keeping your little one cozy for the trip home.
Leaving Hospital Outfit
Soft, Comfy Maternity Clothes: Your body will take time to settle back to normal, so your maternity leggings, tops and dresses will be your best friends for the first weeks & months with baby. Choose an outfit that’s soft, comfy and easy to wear. But don’t forget, you’ll be taking plenty of pictures of baby’s first few days, so make sure to choose an outfit you’ll be happy to look back on in years to come.
Helen Skelton is a TV presenter, best known for her work on Country File, Holiday Hit Squad, and for her stint as a Blue Peter presenter. She lives in Cheshire with her rugby player husband Richie Myler & their dog Barney (also a former Blue Peter star), and the couple are expecting their first baby in June. Helen shares how discovering Seraphine drastically altered her ideas on maternity clothes.
I swore off maternity wear until I found Seraphine. “Beautiful” and “Natural” pregnancy may well be, but sexy it is not. When I found out I was pregnant, with my hips, boobs and bump expanding by the day and constantly needing a wee I told my husband I would NOT be wearing any maternity gear! “Why?” I asked him “would I want to wear granny bras and huge rib tickling trousers when I feel this unattractive already! That’s only going to make me feel worse!?”
Then I caught sight of myself in a shop mirror, my baby bump spilling over the top of my unfastened jeans, my boobs bursting out of my ill fitting bra and my blouse straining over my bust. Not only does this look awful, I felt awful. I spend hours in a car or on a train most days and when you constantly need a wee, tight fitting waistbands aren’t the best.
I buckled. I gave into my husband’s nagging and my mum’s “I know best” tone and ordered one pair of Seraphine “over the bump light wash skinny maternity jeans.” I can honestly say it’s a whole new world! They are comfy, they look like normal jeans, I can show off my bump by pairing them with a tight stretchy tee shirt without feeling disproportionately huge. Since then I’ve bought three more pairs in different colours and fabrics. I’ve gone for over the bump each time.
Admittedly tops and jumpers are still a bit trial and error, I like things that are fitted enough to show my bump but not too tight to look spray on. My favourite Seraphine jumper is the oatmeal woven back nursing jumper. My friends literally gawped when I said that was a “nursing” jumper. They expected me to say it was from “Sandro” or some other designer store. I joked for about twenty minutes that it came with a breast pump. (It doesn’t).
Of course I was convinced at first I could pour my curves into stretchy evening gowns for do’s and weddings! However I spent an entire evening recently re adjusting my bra to keep my chest in check. There just simply isn’t enough material in a normal evening gown to cover my “double ee” chest at the minute. So I tried on Seraphine’s “lace detail wrap maternity gown” for an awards do recently and I honestly felt amazing. Proud of my bump, confident I wasn’t going to burst out of it and glam.
As I have told my husband so many times, for me, clothes aren’t about looking good to other people, they’re about feeling good. Now I have abandoned my prejudice against maternity clothes I am actually comfortable and therefore confident. Priceless when you’re pregnant.
This week the stunning super model Coco Rocha shared a beautiful snap in one of our most popular maternity dresses. The star (who has shared shots in our Black Maternity Shift Dress before) posted the picture on Twitter & Instagram. This time she rocked a natural look in our Graphic Maternity Dress; styling it with minimal makeup and sleek simple hair, against a magical snowy backdrop. We can’t get enough of this ethereal springtime shot!
And Coco isn’t the only one to love this maternity dress – country songstress Carrie Underwood recently wore it on the Rachael Ray Show, and Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins was pictured wearing it in Hello! Magazine this month to debut her beautiful baby daughter Ella Rose – proving that the dress is perfect for post maternity too!
The Graphic Dress is a firm favourite with celebs, TV stars, fashion bloggers and real mamas alike! We always love to see how you style our maternity clothes, and love these images from fashion bloggers Lee Anne from Life in ATX, Jess from K and J Diaries, and Shrinkabump.
Here at Seraphine, all of our maternity clothes are designed in-house at our London studio. Our talented team of designers and tailors see the entire process through from start to finish, ensuring care & attention at every stage.
This week we are offering you a sneaky look behind the seams at the Seraphine design process!
It all starts with a beautiful idea, captured on paper. At this stage of the process, our designers put pencil to paper and visualise the maternity garments they want to create, from fabrics and fit, right down to the most delicate detailing.
When creating new designs for our LUXE Collection, we work with the finest silks and lace. It’s at this stage that the designers start to develop the design from a two dimensional drawing, into an actual garment that moves, drapes and flows. This is the time when the designers get to have fun with the fabrics, experimenting with the pattern to achieve a perfectly flattering drape.
Once the designers are happy with the drape and the pattern, they’ll make a mock-up also known as a toile, to see how it all translates into an actual garment. This is a really exciting stage, as the maternity dress begins to take shape.
Now the mocked up maternity gown is ready to be tried on for the first time! It’s at this stage that we bring in fit models to see how the dress works on a real pregnant woman. The designers look to see how the garment fits, drapes & moves, and ask for feedback from the model; then make any necessary amendments to the pattern.
A real labour of love; the finished garment goes into production and is ready to be worn! A beautiful option for your next glamorous occasion, direct from the Seraphine design team, to you.
It’s competition time mamas! Our SS15 catalogue is almost ready to print. We’re just missing one kind of vital thing… The front cover!
We’ve selected two fashionable front-page-worthy dresses, and now we just need you to tell us which one you like best.
Maya is a stunning summer maternity dress in a chic Aztec print. It features stylish keyhole detailing to the neckline, and a flattering front twist to highlight the empire waist.
Tanyais an equally gorgeous maternity wrap dress in a mosaic inspired purple print. The wrap style offers a flexible fit, with long sash ties to define your shape.
Let us know which stylish Seraphine maternity dress gets your vote, and you could win the dress, along with £200 to spend at Seraphine!
TV presenter Julia Bradbury is best known for co-presenting BBC’s Country File with Matt Baker. She lives in West London with her partner Gerard and their 3 year old son Zephyr, and she is expecting twins later this year. She reveals her secret to finding stylish maternity clothes while dealing with a full on schedule!
When you’re pregnant you’re meant to avoid high pressure/stressful situations aren’t you? So finishing up a new television series, doing lots of press interviews and moving house are probably not what the Gyn ordered. To add to the story, I have a 3year old little boy, I’m 44 and pregnant with twins. It’s been a full-on few months and this pregnancy has affected me differently; swollen ankles, fatigue and nausea have all decided to come to the party this time round, after a near dreamy first pregnancy. Perhaps it’s my age, perhaps it’s because this bundle is a twin engine; whatever the reasons, I’ve been taking naps when I can, doing lots of breathing exercises and walking (I can’t bend over so yoga is out). My FitBit wrist band really helps keep track of my steps because I genuinely don’t feel like pushing myself, but it’s good to know I’ve passed the 5,000 (approx. 2.5 miles) step mark without too much trouble, although I’d normally aim for at least 10,000 steps a day.
My new series is called the Wonder of Britain and kicked off on ITV1 at 9pm on Tuesday 6th January 2015. It’s a celebration of the elements that make Britain stand out as an iconic island, from magnificent landscapes to incredible buildings. I explore the country on boats, planes and zip wires digging out all the good stories along the way, travelling from the Isle of Skye in Scotland all the way down to the White Cliffs of Dover. Luckily we’d done all the super-active bits of filming (like abseiling down a 500ft inland cliff at Cheddar Gorge) before I fell pregnant but we did have to scrap a helicopter sequence where I got air-lifted off a rock face right at the end of the series and that was probably for the best!
The last month has involved doing lots of press and photo shoots for the show and all I can say is thank Obi-Wan-Kenobi for Serpahine maternity clothes! It’s not easy styling multiple shoots one after the other when you’re packing a bump of this size! On top of that, I’ve had a lot of formal and black tie events to go to… Seraphine saved the day at the Katie Piper Foundation Fund Raiser in December where I spent the evening with the handsome duo Jake Humphreys and Gethin Jones. It was a great night and thanks to the support and attendance of Simon Cowell with all the X-Factor judges (including beautiful Cheryl and striking Mel B) the event raised nearly £250k to help people live with burns and scars. My Seraphine maternity maxi gown was such a success that I cheated and wore it again to the Royal Albert Hall 2 weeks later for the TV Times Christmas with The Stars night, raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. I introduced a carol with the delightful Deborah Meaden from Dragon’s Den – I did try and crouch down for a photo (she’s 5’1, I’m 5’ 9”) but I just looked a bit hunched!
At the opening night of ONCE, Ronan Keating made his West End stage debut and despite appearing to be a little bit nervous he really smashed it. I remember interviewing BoyZone when they first formed, so it was good to see them again and marvel at Shane Lynch’s enormous beard! The next day I was up to the top of the Leadenhall Building in the City for more photos for a couple of newspapers. The top floor of one of London’s tallest skyscrapers in mid-winter is not somewhere I’d recommend you hang about but the London skyline looked incredible twinkling away that evening. The building is featured in the first episode of the Wonder of Britain so it was the perfect location to wrap things up for Christmas. Next up, moving house….
Merry Christmas Mamas! The decorations are up, the mince pies are out and Michael Bublé is firmly on repeat. While we wait for the big day, we’ve scoured the web for all the best Yuletide ideas and Christmas party outfit inspiration to help get into the Christmas spirit.
To Decorate
Decorating your home for the Holidays is the perfect way to get into the spirit of the season. Crank up the Christmas music, indulge in a few mince pies & let your creative side take over! This is the perfect excuse to get crafty – we love theses DIY paper ornaments from Dinah at DIY Inspired, or if you have older kids, why not get them involved making these super cute pipe cleaner tree ornaments from Jackie at Happy Hooligans.
To Wear
What with festive catch ups with old friends, big family gatherings and the inevitable work Christmas do, this season is packed with opportunities to show off your sparkly new maternity clothes! Whether you’re after stunning red maternity dresses, a classic LBD or something extra special in silk, you’re sure to find something sensational at Seraphine. And all this week, we’re offering 20% off our hottest party wear styles. Browse our party promo category, and enter the code: PARTY20 at the checkout.
To Eat
Another highlight of the Holidays is without a doubt the food – we can’t get enough of mince pies and pigs in blankets! Putting a healthier spin on Christmas canapés, we love these adorable black olive penguins from Rebecca at the Foodie with Family blog, and Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything has definitely caught our attention with her Oreo Truffle Snowmen!
To Give
Christmas is the season of giving, and we love the idea of this homemade peppermint sugar scrub from Jess at Mom 4 Real – what a great gift for a mum-to-be! If you’re not the crafty type, and are looking for a gift for a fellow preggo, one of our Bamboo Nursing Shawls could be the perfect choice. Or if you’re looking for a stylish gift that’s good for more than just your wardrobe, profits from our charity t-shirt the Love Tee go directly to Tommy’s the baby charity, aiming to help them prevent early miscarriage.
To Dress Baby
And if your little bundle of joy will be joining you for Christmas, then it’s not just you you’ll have to dress! Browse The Diana Collection, our brand new range of designer baby wear to discover everything from tiny hats, booties and blankets for newborns to pretty coats, baby dresses and rompers for little ones up to 18 months.
Whether you’re looking forward to baby’s first Christmas, making the most of time off to relax before baby arrives, or gearing up for your very own Christmas miracle, this Christmas is sure to be extra magical.
Christmas is always a magical time of year, but if you’re celebrating with a brand new addition to the family, then this year is sure to be extra special.
Browse The Diana Collection, a beautiful new range of designer baby clothes, available exclusively at Seraphine, to discover the perfect gifts for your new little one. Then check out the stunning maternity clothes on offer at Seraphine.com to find a few special treats for yourself – go ahead, you deserve it!
For Baby
Treat your little lady to a beautiful new baby dress for the Christmas season, and make sure that she’s party ready with all the matching accessories; the bonnet, the head band, the fleece-lined booties and an ultra-soft cashmere cardigan!
Your little man will look adorable all dressed up in a Navy Velvet Quilted Baby Jacket with the matching Fleece-Lined Booties and Bonnet. It’s the perfect ensemble for keeping cosy on chilly Winter outings.
And if you’re expecting a little Christmas miracle, put together the perfect gift set for a newborn with an ultra-soft baby blanket with the matching hat and booties in natural cotton with 5% cashmere.
12% of the price of all the pieces in the Diana Collection goes to the Diana Award – a charity set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Our Cable Knit Nursing Shawl is a must-have accessory for a new mum. Or why not opt for our gorgeous charity tee the Love T-Shirt – All profits from this super cute grey marl tee go directly to Tommy’s the baby charity – helping them to build the UK’s first medical research centre dedicated to the prevention of early miscarriage – a great gift that benefits a great cause!
Charlotte Pearl is the designer behind, and co-founder of Pink Lining, a multi award winning, international label specialising in the Mother & Baby market – Just recently they were over the moon to win brand of the year inthe Little London Magazine awards as voted for by the public.
As a mother of 4, the youngest being only just one year old, I know only too well the highs and lows of juggling family life and my own business. And yet my family is the inspiration for our Pink Lining products – I design for my own family and therefore hopefully for yours too.
Originally, I designed and made fashion bags, spurred on by a challenge from my then boyfriend, now husband, and co-founder of Pink Lining, Rufus. Upon spotting a bag that I liked but couldn’t afford at the time, I declared that I could make it myself… and thus Rufus challenged me to do so! Subsequently I received commissions from friends and colleagues, which encouraged me to take photos with a disposable camera of my hand-made creations, hung from my front door handle, which I then posted off, along with my press release – to Vogue, Tatler, Harrods, Selfridges and Liberty!…Aim for the stars!… Within a couple of weeks I had an order from Harrods, swiftly followed by confirmation that the product would be featured in Vogue and Tatler! After finding a manufacturer and fulfilling the order (a rather challenging task!) the bags sold out from Harrods within 3 weeks and Liberty and Selfridges also subsequently placed orders….
A few years and numerous fashion weeks later, I was overjoyed to find myself pregnant with our first child. My first experience of the rather precarious juggling act of balancing ensuing family life with running my business occurred before she had even entered the world. I was 10 days overdue, and Rufus and I were in Saint Mary’s Paddington for my induction appointment. Being ever so slightly headstrong and rather inexperienced in giving birth I insisted that I could walk from St Mary’s Paddington to the local post office to post a bag to a customer… after having had my waters broken…. Let’s just say that I didn’t make it to the front of the queue before I realised that children come first and Amelia arrived 3 ¾ hours later – thankfully back in the hospital. So as for the question I’m often asked; how did motherhood impact my business – well, it actually BECAME my business…I’ve heard it said that this is getting to plan B…in my case B was for Baby.
The first Pink Lining changing bag – the Yummy Mummy bag was born and instantly captured the imaginations of an exciting and rapidly growing mother and baby market. This bag didn’t mean you had to be a certain dress size or look a certain way in order to wear it – for, as we believe at Pink Lining, even down to the internal components of our products; it is what is on the inside that truly counts. Our customers have a shared outlook, not a shared look, and here was a product that was both practical, and fulfilled a very justifiable purpose, moreover it brought a smile to the face of the wearer. Our Pink Lining changing bags seemed to strike a chord.
It sounds like a cliché but 12 years ago before my first (of four) arrived, there wasn’t the proliferation of bags that we have for mothers today – so I made one, and it became our best seller and we morphed from a fashion accessories business, into a family brand. And thus the business has sprung up, evolved and grown alongside our family.
Family has and always will come first for me – even though that means working late into the night and early in the morning. Rufus and I run and co-own the company together which can help when it comes to juggling work and family commitments between us, and although I often work crazy hours I can mostly arrange to be there for the important occasions such as school plays and netball or football matches. However, it also means that sometimes there is no off button in terms of taking work home with us! So for us, a family business really means all six of us…in fact seven if you include the dog who appears in most of our marketing photos!
I think it’s exciting and educational for the children to witness the process of running one’s own business – allowing them to feel and actually be part of it. They play such an important part in the company, testing out the Pink Lining Child products, and giving advice on their favourite themes and colours; they love sitting alongside me coming up with their own fabric designs, some rather outlandish ideas for magic bags which I may pare down a little (a lot).
They get very excited about spotting the bags out and about, (we all do!), and as tiny babies they accompanied us to important meetings and charmed buyers, (running your own business doesn’t give you much in the way of maternity leave!!). Even the company name, Pink Lining, stems from an amalgamation of childhood sentiments & family nostalgia – derived from stories my mother would weave about a make believe land called Pink cloud and the belief that every cloud has a silver lining, which she now recounts to her grandchildren – our children.
Last Easter really summed up what a family business Pink Lining is as we undertook a 5 ½ weeks trip to see our suppliers in China, distributors in Seoul and new partners in Australia… Rufus and I, Amelia-Rose (11), Lucas (8), Arthur (6) and Henrietta (1)! Pink lining really is a family adventure!
This Sunday, we were thrilled to watch tennis champ Andy Murray lead the British team to their first Davis Cup Victory in almost 80 years! We were glued to our screens throughout the exciting competition, and no one could be prouder than his beautiful wife Kim, who cheered him on looking stunning in a classic white Seraphine maternity shirt.
Watching from the stands, Kim lived every shot along with her husband, cheering and even hiding behind her Union Jack flag when the match got too tense! Our stylish Ivory Maternity Blouse was the perfect choice for this history-making day of tennis. The breezy shirt is cut long to flatter a growing bump, and Kim styled it smart casual, rolled up at the elbows with natural makeup and loose flowing hair – perfect for showing off her stunning wedding ring.
The couple tied the knot back in the spring and are now expecting their first child together in February 2016. We are thrilled to see Kim looking so stylish in Seraphine maternity clothes, and can’t wait to watch as her pregnancy style evolves.
Congratulations Team GB, and best of luck to parents-to-be Kim and Andy!
We’d be lost without our smartphones these days – and not just because we’d miss our GPS! There’s an app for everything now, and motherhood, maternity & pregnancy are no exceptions. From pregnancy tracker apps to baby names, contraction timing and real time advice from other local mums – we’ve rounded up our favourite pregnancy apps to help you make the most of your nine months.
Peanut has got to be our favourite mum-friendly app right now – it’s like Tinder for mum friends! Clean and intuitive, it allows you to connect with other mamas in your area with similarly aged children, shared interests and even common languages. You can connect and chat with like-minded mums, sharing advice on everything from maternity clothes to local hidden gems. Peanut is all about making connections that you can take out into the real world – organising coffee dates and playdates directly in the app.
Watch the Video
Pregnancy Tracker Apps
Enter your due date into these clever tracking apps, and you can keep tabs on exactly how and when your baby is developing!
The minute you get that positive pregnancy test you’re bound to have a million and 1 questions. With these clever apps, you’ll have instant access wherever you are, to a wealth of trusted pregnancy wisdom.
While you’re waiting for your check up, why not have a play with some of these great baby-focused apps. You could build up your baby name list by swiping yes or no & matching names with your partner, or monitor baby’s movements with your phone.
Started contracting, but not sure whether to go into hospital just yet? Take the hassle out of timing your contractions with an app. Simply hit start and stop as your contractions come and go, and the app will measure their duration and frequency. As an added bonus, when you get to the hospital you can hand over the phone to the midwife and they’ll have a clear idea of how you’re getting on!
