Last week I was invited to the launch of maternity and nursing brand, Seraphine’s beautiful new boutique in Marylebone, London so I took the opportunity to throw on a frock (by Seraphine, of course) and carry my 37 week baby bump ‘up West’ for the evening.
Founder and designer Cecile Reinaud has built up an award-winning brand over the past 10 years and not only has this year seen the launch of their third boutique but the press – and us ladies with bumps – went mad for their maternity and nursing dresses as seen on the Duchess of Cambridge in the summer.
Regular readers will know I have written guest posts for Seraphine over on their blog during my pregnancy and I’m a big fan of the brand, wearing many of their pieces over the past few (well, 9-ish!) months. So it was great to meet Cecile at the launch event and hear more about her inspiration as well as her top picks for the season and get a sneak peek at what’s in store for spring/summer 2014.
Seraphine founder Cecile Reinaud and Helen of CocoMamaStyle
The new boutique is situated on Marylebone High Street just a short walk (7 minutes to be precise!) from Selfridges so it makes for an easy stop off if you’re shopping in the West End and there are plenty of places to relax with a bite to eat on this gorgeous street. And if you’re not near London you can of course buy online and in selected John Lewis stores.
The wonderful thing about visiting the store is that you get to feel the quality and cut first hand and I was reminded just what great value the collections are. A lot of the pieces can be worn after pregnancy as they are simply great designs which will flatter your figure and don’t shout maternity wear, so much so that I hear top (non-pregnant) Fashion Editors snapped up some of the key knits earlier in the day for themselves, purely because they are fab!
Luxe stretch belts, ideal with or without a bump
The accessories and Shoe Therapy shoes (featured here) are designed to take pregnancy into consideration (stretch belts and posture-perfecting pumps) but you’ll find yourself wearing them for years and lusting after the new additions each season. I’ve had my grey leopard print Seraphine scarf for over a year now (pre-pregnancy!) and it probably gets an outing at least once a week, so if you’re not pregnant or planning on popping another bun in the oven anytime soon Seraphine is still worth a visit.
Designer picks
Cecile’s must-have for the party season is a stunning sapphire dress with black lace overlay and if you’re used to wearing all black it’s an easy way to add colour to an evening look without feeling too bright – unlike my neon blazer at the event!
Cecile talks AW13 fashion
Mum of two, Cecile still wears Seraphine herself and perhaps this is why the collections are designed in such a way that they are not so obviously maternity wear yet details are worked into the designs to make them pregnancy and nursing-friendly (take a look at their nursing wear for original easy-access methods).
Here Cecile has picked out her personal favourites for Autumn…
All Seraphine
And the CocoMamaStyle must-haves…
What CocoMama wore:
Making the most of what was probably my last chances to dress up with a bump I went for my black Seraphine ruched side dress (similar here), teamed with a Matalan neon yellow blazer (similar here at Topshop), emerald green Accessorize necklace and my new zip detail ankle boots from Aldo,
