Kate and Pippa Middleton's Maternity Designer Reveals Her Plans for Meghan Markle

The owner of Seraphine reveals what goes into designing for royal baby bumps

By Alanah Joseph Oct 19, 2018 8:50 PMTags
ESC: Meghan MarkleKarwai Tang/WireImage

Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced the pregnancy, what is she going to wear?

As of this week, her growing baby bump is visible (See: Her bump in the navy blue Dion Lee dress she wore to a reception during the royal tour) and, behind-the-scenes, her team is prepping for her pregnancy and planning her wardrobe.

Of all of the designers that create maternity looks, the royals have one favorite: Séraphine, based in Notting Hill. And, according to the owner of the brand, Cecile Reinaud, her fashion brand is in the process of submitting a combination of custom and ready-to-wear designs to the castle, in hopes that they will be chosen to dress a pregnant royal once again. Most likely, they will, considering that the owner's problem-solving, women-loving brand has garnered a large number of famous fans, including Kate Middleton, Pippa Middleton, Princess Victoria of Sweden, Gwen Stefani, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba and Mila Kunis. Plus, the brand's affordability and professional wear align to Meghan's style, which also includes pieces from J. Crew and Club Monaco.

"When I started the brand, I was in my 30s and I wanted it to be affordable because I felt that's what I needed," Cecile told E! News. "I felt like you do have to rebuild your wardrobe when you're pregnant...You want to be able to have a big variety in your wardrobe and I also wanted the pieces to be really versatile, that they could be worn post pregnancy, you know so that you could nurse in them. It was really the ethos of the brand to keep that affordability...It's been great to see that [royals and celebrities] endorse the brand not because of the price point, but because of the actual high quality of the product and the design."

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Meghan Markle's Best Looks From Her Royal Tour

The brand made its entrance onto the global stage after the Duchess of Cambridge's first pregnancy with Prince George in 2013, when she wore the Fuchsia Knot Front Maternity Dress in their first official photo together. After it was reported that the royal's dress in the official photos was only $89, fashionable moms-to-be flocked to the site.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

"That was kind of the start of the relationship between Séraphine and Kate Middleton maternity," the designer stated. "And then in her second pregnancy, you know, she started to show a little bit earlier and we worked with her and we worked on pieces for her official occasions, which is not something that we had done in her first pregnancy."

After that, it was pretty much downhill. Séraphine became a household name for royals and celebs. 

Now with so much experience, she's prepping for Meghan. Although Cecile read the pregnancy announcement at the same time as everyone else, she's been thinking about dressing the American-born royal for a long time.

She continued, "We learned with everybody, But, you know, everybody was expecting it, right? After the royal wedding, we thought it's going to come sooner than later, so I think we were already thinking about some ideas. And anyway, because she is a style icon, she is an inspiration to designers. So in our design journey, we are taking an account of Meghan's style...So for sure, her influence had started in our collection before her pregnancy."

According to Cecile, Kate, Pippa and Meghan have different styles, but together represent the wide variety of looks available through the maternity brand. For the first time in the USA, the designer revealed what went into designing and curating looks for each royal, plus what she's planning for Meghan.

Kate's Maternity Style

"Kate, typically, is photographed in public occasions, so all of the pieces she has worn from us are kind of from this more formal look. You know, she is a dress person, so she is very rarely seen in trousers. I mean, she did wear one of our black denim, but other than that, it is quite rare to see her in anything else than a dress."

SHOP: Séraphine Natasha Cashmere Blend Maternity Coat, $299; Phaedra Woven Maternity Dress, $199

Kate's Maternity Style

"Yeah, I mean she is the future queen, so she really has to look very kind of proper. She tends to cover her arms and not have too short dresses and look rather formal."

SHOP: Royal Blue Tailored Maternity Dress, $165

Pippa's Maternity Style

"In the case of her sister, Pippa is like a renowned super sporty type of person and, actually, when she chose to wear our clothes she's been out and about in the street."

 

Pippa's Maternity Style

"And in a way, it's been a great because she's been showcasing a different side to our brand, which is kind of more the comfortable, chic pieces that you can wear out and about. I think she was pictured wearing one of our jumpers and trousers while on a bicycle—you wouldn't see Kate riding a bicycle. So, it's kind of a different approach. They also have, you know, a different lifestyle."

SHOP: White Cotton Embroidered Maternity Sundress (Worn by Pippa), $89

Meghan's Maternity Predictions

"We are super excited at the prospect that we could work with Meghan and dress her. I love the fact that she has a very modern look. She wears a lot of trousers, but in a very chic way. So to me, she exemplifies more that kind of sharp, office look that you can take from day to night—very versatile and aligned to what a lot of our customers' lifestyle is."

Meghan's Maternity Predictions

"Obviously since she's been married, she's starting to do a lot more of these kind of really formal events but still she is doing some more casual events and so we are really excited for that kind of different look. And I think she does want to be a little more on the high fashion side, rather than too classical. She's looking for that fashion with a twist, and that's also something we offer at Séraphine."