Maternity Wear Revolution: How Rihanna And Other A-Listers Have Changed Pregnancy Dressing

by Kate FormanJuly 12, 2022July 12, 2022

Several fashion-savvy icons have paved the way for a more experimental approach to pregnancy dressing that proudly embraces self-expression, body positivity and style

Blame it on RiRi. At a time when female empowerment and a woman’s right to control and celebrate her body has never been more important, baring a baby bump and showcasing it with a parade of experimental looks is the way to go for a new generation of style influencers pushing the boundaries of maternity dressing.

Seizing the moment, the Diamonds singer’s daring choice of outfit for her pregnancy announcement in January set the tone. Snapped strolling through Harlem hand in hand with A$AP Rocky, the unborn child’s father, the Barbadian star broke the internet dressed in ripped blue jeans rigged with a Chanel chain belt, their destroyed cuffs dragging on the ground. Meanwhile, her vintage bubblegum pink Chanel puffer coat was artfully parted to frame her bare baby bump, draped in a vintage Lacroix Byzantine-style jewelled cross and a Chanel pearl necklace.

The equivalent of a Big Bang in the tame world of maternity dressing, the audacious look triggered a spike in fashion searches for similar items, a trend that has outlasted her pregnancy.

“The pop star has absolutely changed the common perception of what a pregnancy outfit should look like, wearing more daring choices that have been well received by fashion fans,” confirms Liam Solomon, Head of Data at fashion aggregator LovetheSales.com, who shared some stats. A goth-tinged, lingerie-inspired ensemble Rihanna wore to Dior’s Autumn-Winter 2022-2023 ready-to-wear show in Paris sparked a 149 per cent increase in fashion searches for ‘pregnancy chemise,’ for instance. While the spray-on red lace Alaïa catsuit and matching opera gloves she donned for a cover shoot in May 2022 – the same month she gave birth – generated a 191 per cent uptick in searches for ‘lace bodysuits’ on the site.

Other noteworthy ensembles sported by the heavily pregnant singer included an Autumn 2022 Miu Miu crystal set and Louboutin heels. That fashion moment was picked up by Diet Prada, which posted a shot of the star alongside a picture of the look on the runway, accompanied by the hashtags #diamonds, #highheels, #bikini, #pregnancystyle, #diva. As usual, the Instagram jury was split, with comments that ranged from “Get the girl some flats! This outfit even went down the runway in flats!” to “Queen,” “AND SHE IS STILL ROCKING STILETTOS” and “Just have the baby, already.”

How times have changed since 1991, when Demi Moore drew a firestorm of controversy for posing nude at seven months pregnant, wearing nothing but diamonds and a serene glow, on the cover of Vanity Fair. But, just as belly-flaunting cover stars have become the norm – among them Britney Spears for Harper’s Bazaar and Cindy Crawford for W Magazine – a wave of expectant personalities are following in Rihanna’s Louboutin clad footsteps, pointing to an all-out rebellion against traditional maternity wear in favour of ‘real’ clothes.

If their feet are swollen, it sure doesn’t show. They’re making the most of a fashion moment. Take second-time mother-to-be Susie Lau (aka Susie Bubble) who posted a picture of herself on the beach in Monte-Carlo for the Chanel Resort 2023 show, dressed in a tweed minidress by the house. She captioned the photo saying, “Thought I would have to find a tweed sack. Somehow made it into a “real” dress (resolutely not buying/wearing any maternity wear, obvs)”. The jet-setting fashion influencer, in a subsequent post, appeared in a midriff-baring pink Miu Miu look, accompanied by the caption, “Squidge squidge with the new @ miumiu #MiuWander.” Susie’s front-row neighbours at the Gucci Cruise 2023 show, meanwhile, included fellow second-time mother-to-be Lou Doillon, her black Gucci jacket buttoned at the collar and flaring open to reveal her naked bump.

And just as sharing one’s daily fashion looks on social media has become the norm, expectant fashionistas are documenting their individual style while playfully navigating the shifting perimeters of their bodies and the respective challenges and highs of this special moment in their life. “Fashion is all about wearing clothes that make you feel confident. While pregnancy has long been a time of sartorial restrictions, it is now a field of creation and fashion experimentation,” observes Clara Cornet, Head of Fashion and Beauty Strategic Partnerships at Meta for Southern Europe, citing Ashley Graham, Aimee Song, Camila Coelho, Adriana Lima, Bettina Looney, Monikh, Pernille Teisbæk, Leia Sfez and Anne Laure Mais among prime examples of personalities “who have truly embraced motherhood on the platform and are making a path for women to finally live their pregnancy with serenity.”

“Women don’t want to lock themselves in diktats and conform to the will of society when it comes to their body. Instagram is supporting this evolution by highlighting different personalities, trends, and ways of embracing motherhood, from accepting your evolving body to talking about postpartum [depression] and now the way of dressing during a pregnancy,” adds Clara, who applauds personalities like Rihanna who are “showing that it’s time to feel ok to be yourself while being pregnant, that it’s not an illness and that you can wear what you want to and still be fashionable.”

Clara herself can relate. After all, for the style expert – who prior to joining Meta held top buying and merchandising positions at stores including Galeries Lafayette, The Webster and Opening Ceremony – dressing up has been part of the job. And for her own recent pregnancy, she found she didn’t want to hide behind maternity clothes.

“I wanted to stay inspired and continue to use fashion as a reflection of my true self during this specific period of time,” she says, recalling attending the Jacquemus show in a field at eight and a half months pregnant wearing a flowy yellow dress – “And it felt great!”

The style maven shares a selection of other high fashion staples in her pregnancy wardrobe, with a focus on women-owned businesses. “I love the draping work by Dimitra Petsa, who is actually inspired by motherhood. For next level fashion, Louisa Ballou has the perfect mesh dresses for summer. Voluminous works well by Molly Goddard, Simone Rocha or Cecilie Bahnsen. It’s fun to mix and match with an oversized tailored jacket from Bianca Saunders,” she says. “And if you are feeling more adventurous, a crop top, to show the belly. I love the ones from Rui Zhou!”

At a time when there are more style icons than ever, “Individuals including Rihanna and Susie Lau have the gift that they can control their own pregnancy narrative, and invite their audience into their journeys through their clothes. It just feels so personal,” echoes Poppy Lomax, Womenswear Buying Manager at Harrods. “There has been a noticeable shift in how women celebrate the way their body is changing, and Rihanna is a perfect example of this, celebrating and showing off their bump for the beauty that it is, rather than having to hide it under layers and long tunics – it’s really fun to see.”

Au revoir sloppy joggers: for those looking to experiment with maternity dressing, she recommends keeping shapes simple, pared back and clean. “Then, when you have an understated base, play around with statement, eye-catching pieces like Mach & Mach’s iconic crystal-embellished heels or jewelled bags from L’Alingi.”

Favour versatile shapes that will fit you “from nine months in to nine months out,” adds the buyer, whose top picks include Valentino’s latest shirt dresses and kaftan styles, which “are incredibly easy to wear,” and even Miu Miu’s recent denim, which is forgiving and low-waisted – “perfect for maternity comfort, while staying on trend.”

“For pregnant women there is a new playground to compose looks that bring out their belly without depreciating their own style,” says Paris-based accessories designer Amélie Pichard who, during her own recent pregnancy, eschewed maternity brands in favour of bigger sizes from her favourite labels, also shifting from high-waist to low-waist fits.

The designer spent the first three months of her pregnancy in comfortable outfits located somewhere between jogging duds and pyjamas, but then switched to “really wanting to dress in a style that I had never experienced before. I wanted comfort as always and even more so, but not at the expense of style,” says Amélie who also cast her heavily pregnant self in the campaign for a travel capsule she’s just designed for Baserange, a French-Danish label specialising in clean-lined, minimalist basics with an edge, made of natural and recycled materials.

Looks range from a Canadian tuxedo in brushed denim to a grey terry set and reversible swimwear. “I really wanted to be the model of the campaign because this collection is made for all bodies, weathers, and moods. It shouldn’t be the clothes that dictate, it’s the body and the soul that will inhabit it,” says Amélie, whose other go-to, self-styled maternity looks included half tracksuit bottoms, half-denim trousers from Jean Paul Gaultier; a crop-top blouse from Maison Cléo; and patterned leggings by her designer pal Tiphaine Guiran, cut from a pattern based on elevated pregnancy yoga pants.

Buying comfy, trompe l’oeil denim trousers at Acne that she would be able to wear long after the baby’s birth made more sartorial sense than “going for the horrible jersey waistband jeans for pregnant women,” she says.

At Harrods, Poppy likewise flags a growing trend for versatile investment pieces that can be worn “from bump to beyond.” “Women no longer want to buy a piece (or an entire wardrobe) that will fit them for only five or six months, so sustainability and investment plays a huge role in modern maternity style,” she says.

Ultimately, it’s all about embracing your body shape as it changes and expressing yourself through clothing choices, she adds, noting that nearly half the customers shopping Bumpsuit – the store’s buzzy new brand of maternity-focused pieces like bodysuits, dresses and shapewear designed to stretch with the body – are not noticeably pregnant.

“It’s all about dressing for your style, rather than a moment in time, so look for fabric that moves with you” she suggests. “Whether you’re pregnant or not, fashion in 2022 is all about body positivity.