Fashion Designers Create Maternity Looks for Kate & Is Maternitywear A Necessity for Kate or Anyone Else?

Fashion trade publication Women’s Wear Daily (often referred to as WWD in this space) has two stories today related to Kate’s maternity style: one article looks at the changing use of maternity wear, and what defines maternity wear.

We’ll begin with the second WWD piece. It features a series of maternity styles sketches by noted designers, offering their visions of looks they might create for Kate if given the opportunity. Our first three designs begin with a Kate favorite, Amanda Wakeley, followed by looks from Huishan Zhang (center) and Vera Wang (right).

All three looks are more-than-wearable, and very flattering. Amanda Wakeley describes her design for the WWD story:

“… a softly draped cocktail dress from our spring collection, but in an exclusive made-to-order mallard green… a shade I think would be amazing on her coloring…It is youthful yet demure with a beautiful embellished shoulder.”

The Huishan Zhang has a floaty, ethereal look in a color we know is lovely on the Duchess, the designer’s notes explain “The bottom and back are embroidered in eyelet in a Chinese flower shape.” He clearly knows that Kate is fond of that element in a frock. The Vera Wang is a classic, elegant style incorporating another oft-seen Duchess design element, lace.

Following are three more designs, all of them a little kicky, for lack of a better descriptor. The Nanette Lepore sketch notes that dress would be of “fadeaway printed organza,” while the salmon Chloé has a tailored look with its ruffled neckline and detail above the hem. The Lela Rose dress showcases ornate beadwork on the bodice, a very pretty design.

Following are three more designs, the first is by Lorry Newhouse in a pretty blue, it appears to have cascading blue ruffles and three-quarter sleeves. Andrew Gn’s design is a “black and white egg shaped dress with our own ‘Duchess’ bag in white croc”. The Nina Ricci dress would be crafted of a stretch silk crepe material with black detailing at the bodice and neckline.

Below are three actual dresses by Lorry Newhouse. While it is difficult to see from the Newhouse sketch, some design elements are similar to those found in these three dresses from the Newhouse spring 2013 collection. (Hopefully the less exuberant parts of the center design.)

Back to the drawings, Alexis Mabille offers a dress with a knotted bodice detail above a cutout, Nicole Miller’s design also has a point of interest at the bodice as well as the hem.

Two designers submitted evening wear sketches.  Below left is the Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel design. You can see from the notes of the drawing that the dress would have a waist in the front, jersey fabric would be used and there would also be voluminous lace. Mr. Lagerfeld added that “I think this design is very much in her taste.”

On the right is Donna Karan’s creation, her comments from the story:

Kate Middleton is elegant, sensual, timeless. This is a dress she could wear forever, at any age, at any stage, during and after her pregnancy.”

There are a number of designs I liked a great deal. For some reason, I am drawn to the Andrew Gn, perhaps because I am so fond of his design aesthetic. (His spring and fall collections were both filled with stunning pieces.)  Of course, I would prefer it to be longer than shown in the sketch. The Vera Wang was appealing, as was the Chloé, the latter an odd choice because I am not generally fond of ruffles.  And I also liked the Lela Rose and Nanette Lepore.

As referenced in the introduction to the post, Women’s Wear Daily also has a piece examining maternity clothing in general, Maternity Clothes: Yea or Nay?  The story talks about Kate’s decision to wear ‘standard’ or ‘regular’ womenswear for the duration of her pregnancy thus far, with the exception of one garment, the polka dot Topshop dress.

The article is written by Samantha Conti, WWD’s London Bureau Chief.

Few department and specialty stores offer maternity clothing anymore, because even those women who are not living in palaces — or penthouses — are shopping their closets, adapting their existing wardrobes and choosing to spend their money on pieces that will last long after they have a baby.

Perhaps it is the interviews with fashion insiders, those who work at the department stores where many mothers-to-be shop, that shed the most light on the status of maternity clothing.

“We do not carry maternitywear anymore at Bloomingdale’s, but we have a young customer base — mothers who shop here regularly for maternity clothes,” said Stephanie Solomon, the store’s fashion director. “Emily Gerne, our manager of business development, has never once bought maternitywear. She is on her second child, and is currently in her eighth month of pregnancy,” she said.

The story also quotes designers who have created pieces for the Duchess.

Emilia Wickstead, whose clients include the Duchess of Cambridge and Britain’s First Lady Samantha Cameron, gave birth to her first child in December. Rather than maternity clothes, she said she “used existing styles out of my own collection, things I would have normally worn belted I wore loose.”

Wickstead noted that she’s no different from her customers. “I think modern women want quality, investment pieces that they can wear again and again.” She added that her alterations for mothers-to-be are minimal — she’ll raise a waistline and level a hem to accommodate a growing belly, if needed. “It’s pretty straightforward,” she said.

Below we see Kate in the Emilia Wickstead dress worn to the National Portrait Gallery in April.

Ms. Conti’s story was enlightening, discussing the cost factor as a determinant in making purchasing decisions for many expectant mothers. It also covers the much buzzed-about Topshop and ASOS maternity collections, as well as other factors impacting maternity designs, like advanced textiles, and new philosophies about maternity practices in general.

Readers may also be interested in a very brief look at the topic as it relates to Kate’s fashion choices, Kate’s Non-Maternity Maternity Wardrobe, was a theme covered in one of my weekly columns for Parade.com, it dates to April 24.

Tangentially, The Telegraph also has a story on the topic, Time for the Duchess of Cambridge to dress for the royal baby in waiting.  We’ll be looking at this story and the topic in greater depth in a future post, but here is a snippet from the story:

Kate’s apparent aversion to maternity clothes is said to stem from a desire to avoid shrouding her bump in baggy, tent-like fabrics. “Kate doesn’t want a frump bump,” a friend told journalists last week.

But Lisa Armstrong, the Telegraph’s fashion editor, says Kate may find it hard to shed her thrifty ways and upscale her maternity wardrobe. “She’s innately frugal and those habits die hard,” she insists.

To see the Telegraph story in its entirety, click here.  For those interested in the two Women’s Wear Daily stories, I am afraid both are behind the paywall (from the portion of the site requiring a subscription). Most local libraries carry the publication, and many also have access to it via their research databases for library card holders. It’s also possible you can see more on the WWD Facebook page, I don’t believe either of these stories are in the no subscription required category.)

We leave you with a fun image. Remember the Kate doll shown to the Duchess during her April visit to Scotland with Prince William? Well, Harry was also given a doll today while in New Jersey, his own lookalike. Our thanks to Rebecca English of the Daily Mail for sharing both photos on Twitter.