STYLEThink You Can't Be Stylish In Maternity Wear? Rosie Pope Says Think Again!
May 31 2013, Published 3:14 p.m. ET
Full Disclosure: I absolutely love Bravo's Pregnant in Heels. So when I was invited to interview series star Rosie Pope I was thrilled. I appreciate the way she educates and advises moms and moms-to-be on her show and the fact that she designs maternity styles that preggo women actually want to wear. On hand to celebrate National 529 College Savings Day at The Grove in LA, in collaboration with ScholarShare, California's 529 college savings program, Rosie doled out both style advice and words of wisdom for planning for the future to attendees.
Photos: Sweet Moments Between Celeb Parents And Their Kids
"I believe in the 'look good, feel good' philosophy," says Rosie. "Through my own pregnancies and working with my clients, I have found that it can just take a few fashion tips and tricks to keep you feeling positive about your changing body. I also urge mothers to be prepared. Part of being prepared includes planning for your child’s future college expenses.”
When I sat down with the maternity guru, we kicked off the convo with fashion. Looking for a few maternity style rules to live by? Look no further!
OK! News: Get Brooke Burke-Charvet's Braided Chignon
OK!: What advice would you give first-time pregnant women who are nervous about maternity wear?
Rosie Pope: First of all, I think things have changed a lot. There’s a misconception about maternity clothing being so ugly and, yes, there are still styles out there that aren’t good, but we do have a lot more choice. They always come into our stores completely insecure. It doesn’t matter who you are, how confident you are in your style, they come in and say, “I don’t know what I’m doing, what I’m wearing.” I just tell people to look at the clothes on the rack and ask themselves, “Would I have worn this before I got pregnant?” If the answer is no, do not go there. Don’t experiment with style when you’re pregnant because it’s just going to make you feel uncomfortable. Look for things that are in your wardrobe currently but fit better for pregnancy.
Watch: Kim Kardashian Reacts To Finding Out Her Baby's Gender
OK!: When you were developing your line, what voids were you looking to fill?
RP: Really that—the biggest compliment for me is when people walk into our store and say, “This doesn’t look like maternity.” That’s the whole point. I want a woman to walk into the store and feel like they’re in another really energized, great, fun, women’s apparel environment. The way we look at our clothes is we follow trends just as much as most everyone in fashion does. We follow runway shows, we follow fashion and then we take the styles we really like and adapt them. For example, kelly green is a huge color this season. Most people would think not to do kelly green in maternity. It’s our best-selling color. I just don’t believe in that notion that if you’re pregnant you don’t want to be as fashionable as everyone else.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
OK!: Often pregnant women will stick with black because they think it’s slimming.
RP: And I think sometimes it can be, but overall sometimes having a print or even stripes, which sounds crazy, gives more of an optical illusion and makes you look smaller because it distracts from the big bump. If you’re just wearing a huge black maxi, it’s not making you look slimmer.
OK!: Is there one trend that’s popular now that doesn’t translate well into maternity?
RP: Peplum—that I can’t make work. It just hits the wrong way. Even if you’re not pregnant, you’ve definitely got to be a certain shape anyway. If you have to be 100 lbs and 5’10, it’s not going to look good on most people anyway and it’s certainly not going to look good in maternity. Clothes that look good on most people you can adapt to look good in maternity.
Which trend would you like to see more of in maternity wear? Tell me in the comments below or tweet @OKMagazine.
