Formes Maternity Fashion

Catrina Skepper: It used to be the case that pregnant woman had to cover up their bump or wear loose fitting clothes to disguise the fact that they were pregnant at all. Well, things have gladly changed. More and more specialist designers are making fashionable clothes especially for today's market, and one such company is Formes, Paris and Sarah Amigoni is here to join me today. Welcome Sarah. Sarah Amigoni: Hi! Catrina Skepper: It true is that things really have changed in that department. It used to be that you had to wear tents and now you can actually wear very sexy, clean clothes. Why is that? Is that just dictated by the fashion world? Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. I think it is the fashion. I think it's also lot of celebrity pregnancies where women have actually shown their bumps and it's become fashionable to show your bump and it's not something to be hidden anymore and I think that's the reason really. And now in fashion, pregnancy where is adapted to accommodate the pregnant form. Catrina Skepper: What comes first is it that the fact that somebody -- of course you got a trapping through their pregnancy and presumably you got to have make range of clothes that's going to fit woman of three months, six months, nine months, so how does the sizing? Sarah Amigoni: It doesn't work like that, I mean what we do is we design clothes that can be worn from the first to nine month of pregnancy. Basically, a pregnant woman just go for her normal size and we adapt them to accommodate the bump. Catrina Skepper: So she doesn't go into the shop and say, I was a size 12 but now I need a size 16 or it doesn't work. Sarah Amigoni: She unless of course she is put on, which sometimes does happen. But normally -- Catrina Skepper: Stick with your size. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah, you just stick with your normal size. Catrina Skepper: And is that also I would imagine because fabrics have changed so much. I mean now you can get really attractive looking clothes because of the stretchiness of the fabric. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. But to be honest, our range is to dictated more about what's on the catwalk and what is available in a high street, rather than we don't just choose a fabric because of its elasticity. We choose a fabric because it's in fashion. Catrina Skepper: When you are looking at current collections on the catwalk, obviously we are seeing beautiful slim girls parading on the catwalk in very fashionable clothes, half of them you perhaps wouldn't even be able to wear normally. So how do you adapt the collections to the pregnancy market and make them wonderful and comfortable? Sarah Amigoni: First of all, the basic design is created and then we use different adjustment systems to accommodate the growing bump, it could be zips, it can be elastic panels, it can be various different mechanisms that allow the garment to stretch. Catrina Skepper: So let's get to the first outfit. We have put Daniela in a very attractive skirt and jacket. Something which you wouldn't necessarily think of wearing when you're pregnant, but you can leave the jacket open like this, it's very attractive. Tell me about this outfit. Sarah Amigoni: This is very reminiscent of the Babushka Russian look that's on a catwalk at the moment and jackets are very, very much in as well particularly velvets which this one is. Catrina Skepper: Layering is obviously quite useful for pregnant woman because you can hide certain things and show of others. Sarah Amigoni: The layering really does cover multitude of things and it allows us to have flexibility as well with garments. Catrina Skepper: But there isn't all fabrics that you would associate necessarily, I mean the t-shirt looks as stretched and the belt -- is that something is a tie belt, so that you can obviously expand as you grow bigger. And would the skirt have an elasticated waist? Sarah Amigoni: It does. That particular one does. It has a jersey with stretch panel, very, very comfortable and obviously when we design things, comfort is priority as well as look and style and the fabric. Comfort is a priority. Catrina Skepper: And black is obviously back. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. Good time. Catrina Skepper: Let's look at the next outfit. Come on this is a fantastic outfit with trousers make you look as you are not pregnant at all, but that's because you're slim as well. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. Again cropped trousers, this eccentric English look is very much in on the catwalk. Catrina Skepper: With that tie ribbon around the waist. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. Very, very popular these ribbons. Even though you generally don't really want to associate them with pregnancy. At the moment it is fashion. So therefore -- Catrina Skepper: And the empire line too. This is rather wonderful because it shows not a waist but it emphasizes the bump in a nice way. Sarah Amigoni: Very, very feminine and it's cute, it's cute. Catrina Skepper: It's very cute and comfortable. Sarah Amigoni: Everybody wants just to be dressed in black from head to toe. I know it is fashion but it is no nice to wear something different. Catrina Skepper: And do you encourage woman when they come in to sort of try different styles on, because I remember thinking, well I want a stretch jeans and stretch trousers which I am going to wear loose t-shirts over. I wasn't though very confident bump display, what do you do for woman who still feel very quite self-conscious about being pregnant. Sarah Amigoni: Well, we do to encourage them to try different styles on. I mean it's a great time in your life to try something different, because it's probably the first time that you're not totally comfortable or not totally confident with what you'd normally purchase. So to experiment is great and when you are pregnant, it's the one time that you remember exactly what you bored. You know why you're bored, because it's so special and so important and if you buy that outfit, you remember it 20 years later. I remember I bought -- Catrina Skepper: It's going to last with you only few months. Thank you very much to see that. Can we have a look at the next outfit which is the kind of more evening look I guess, some more glamorous look for going out which again, you can do very sensibly but comfortably. Sarah Amigoni: I mean something like this beautiful dress. I mean it can be dressed up whole day and I mean at the moment we dressed the top, fitted top showing the bump, the body, the shape, and it's sexy. Catrina Skepper: This will be quite an expensive outfit, wouldn't it to buy just specially for your pregnancy? Sarah Amigoni: No, not really. I mean the top retails at retails at 45 pounds. Catrina Skepper: You could probably wear that when you're not pregnant. Sarah Amigoni: But you could also put that with jeans. It's quite easy to wear it with the jean, cardigan over the top and parade boots. The skirt you could probably, a jumper or something wearing with boots. You know versatility, I think women also want the opportunity to mix and match. Catrina Skepper: Yes. And also clothes that are going to actually -- that you can wear in winter and in the spring. That's another thing as your pregnancy changes, you don't want to be going out every couple of months to buy new outfit necessarily. So this is sort of mixed season. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah, it is. Catrina Skepper: How many collections you bring out a year? Sarah Amigoni: We bring out two collections, but we constantly get new stocks around the season. Catrina Skepper: Thank you very much. That looks terrific. I wondered whether you come across this quite a lot because once when women who have bought their first pregnancy outfits, do they tend to not comeback for the next baby or do you find people comeback because they have got frankly bored with what they wore during first pregnancy. Sarah Amigoni: I think as well because we do fashion pregnancy wear. A lot of our customers do return because they are accustomed to buying the new season's trend or the new season style, so yes our customers do return to get the next collection. It's important to them. But having said that a lot of them reuse the pieces. Catrina Skepper: What about work way? We haven't touched on that for woman who continue obviously to work during their pregnancy. Do you cater for that specifically? Sarah Amigoni: Yeah, we do. I mean obviously not everybody has to wear a structured suit to work, but the women that seriously do and there still is a demand for that and - Catrina Skepper: Let's take a look at that, we have got a good example here which is not a skirt but nonetheless a suit. This is Daniela wearing -- is it black? Sarah Amigoni: Yeah, as black stretchable -- Catrina Skepper: Quite full -- Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. Catrina Skepper: But fashionable at the same time, because you can actually dress it up with rather sort of more fun top underneath. Sarah Amigoni: And then we've just teamed it with a white, a crisp white cotton shirt and then we can tank -- and it is fun as well. Catrina Skepper: And the great thing is it's layering, because obviously you can hide the waist -- the elasticated waist of the trousers by wearing a shirt over the top and then another layer on top which is extremely fashionable and the little tie. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah, again. Catrina Skepper: It looks excellent. But would you say that fashion dictates most women's attitude when they come into the shop or is it comfort? Sarah Amigoni: The majority of our customers I would say it's fashion. Catrina Skepper: It's fashion? Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. Catrina Skepper: Really Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. Catrina Skepper: Thank you Daniella. We'll look at the next very fashionable outfits on Cecilia which is beautiful evening dress and I would describe that as evening. Sarah Amigoni: Yeah. -- Catrina Skepper: On the other hand you could swun around it in your house if you don't like it during the day. Tell me about the fabric of this. Sarah Amigoni: This is a jersey crepe and it's very simple and sexy cut. Women do want to be feminine and sexy when they're pregnant. Catrina Skepper: So the slit at the side of the leg and obviously the halter neck detailed on the neck. What about underwear do you do underwear as well? Sarah Amigoni: We don't. Catrina Skepper: No. You're specialized in -- Sarah Amigoni: That particular dress has an integrated bra in that dress. Catrina Skepper: So you wouldn't need to wear a bra? Sarah Amigoni: No. Catrina Skepper: That's another secret of good maternity wear is that fitting properly. Do you prefer - I mean I know you do mail order well, but do you prefer for women to be able to come into the shop because you have got expert people there to help them? Sarah Amigoni: The thing with the mail order is that -- thus we do mail order for those people that don't leave near to a boutique. But preferably we'd prefer customers to come in and try the goods on. I mean jeans, something like jeans, it's very hard to fit when you're not pregnant, but when you're pregnant, its even harder, you need to shop around. You need to try on many different styles to get the one that's going to suit you and fit you best. So nothing changes in pregnancy really, it's too good to try a few different styles to find your perfect fit. Catrina Skepper: Thank you for that. That looks stunning, I must say, fantastic. Talking about jeans, I know we've got some - Come and show us the jeans that you're wearing because total intense purpose is they look like a perfectly normal pair of jeans, however there is a secret thing underneath that little bump belt. Can you show us what it is? It's a stretch waist. Sarah Amigoni: That particular one does have a stretch waist. We have others that have full waistbands and -- Catrina Skepper: With the normal button holes -- Sarah Amigoni: Yes. That's just a five pockets. Catrina Skepper: The advantage of something like this pair of jeans is like this is that you can presumably grow with them and they will last your entire pregnancy. Sarah Amigoni: That's right. And the same with the ones that do have a full waistband as well they are specifically designed, but it's comfort when it comes to a jean, it's comfort and look and what feels right for the woman. Catrina Skepper: And would you say that - for instance, when you are teaming things together, do you try and encourage women to wear one color and do you get advice about patterns and not mixing too much, so as not to enhance their shape or do you --- what's the kind of advice you would give to pregnant woman if she were to come to the shop. Sarah Amigoni: I mean obviously the sales consultants in the shop, they would look at what the woman is wearing in the first place initially and try and fit or try and find suitable things or similar things to what she is wearing. That's what we are there for. And then we can experiment with color as well if the customer wants to and that depends upon what trends and colors are in fashion and what suits her. Catrina Skepper: Thank you. That looks terrific. Would you say that, because things have really changed, there is an awful lot more available in terms of maternity wear? In fact it's almost the shame to call it maternity wear because it's really more fashion wear that you wear when you're pregnant. And do you see that as an increasing trend, do you find that the shops are actually selling more and the business is increasing because women are thinking more about how they look during pregnancy? Sarah Amigoni: Yeah, I think definitely the times have gone where women wear the husband's rugby shirts, when they're pregnant and that sort of thing, they don't anyway. They want to look glamorous, beautiful, sexy when they're pregnant and they want to look normal. Catrina Skepper: And also you're catering for big age groups as well, presumably from very young mothers to slightly older mothers, with all different needs. Sarah Amigoni: That's right and that's where we have a quite a lot collection and it comes in work wear, evening wear, casual wear, leisure wear, everything really. Catrina Skepper: Fantastic. Thank you so much for coming and sharing some of that wear today with us. Thank you. Sarah Amigoni: Thank you very much.