Expectant moms reveal, not conceal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the old days, expectant mothers had one wardrobe mantra: camouflage, camouflage, camouflage. Bring out the oversized man's dress shirt and the borrowed, ill-fitting dress.
Today the idea is to reveal, not conceal. With Hollywood celebrities leading the way, maternity clothes skim snugly over the midsection. It's all about showcasing the tummy.
"I like the way my body looks. I want to show it off," said Laura Scobie, a Kansas City, Mo., advertising executive who is expecting her first child, a daughter, in January.
Enter entrepreneurs who are pursuing opportunities in this more glamorous aspect of the fashion industry.
Picture pretty velour, knit and silky tunics and dresses in lively prints and interesting colors. That's how Kimberly Hinkle, an Overland Park, Kan., textile artist, has fashioned her new To the Nines maternity brand, which she launched late last year and is marketing through boutiques and Web sites.
Brent Anderson, a copy writer with Bernstein-Rein advertising agency, and his wife, Wendy, parents of two young boys, are producing whimsical tunic-length T-shirts embellished with graphic designs and clever slogans under the banner Starbelly.
Even veteran designer Laura McGrew, who has presided over Crossroads design studio Tomboy for almost five years, added maternity pieces to her line last spring.
Here's a look at the three lines:
Hinkle's story evolved from a lifelong dream to design. She grew up in Massachusetts, where she was sewing by the age of 8. She studied textile design at the University of Kansas, but then she tried a few unrelated jobs, including retail sales management at J. Crew and insurance brokering.In summer 2006, she was brainstorming ideas for a partnership in a maternity clothing line with a pregnant friend who complained she couldn't find clothes.The more they talked, the clearer Hinkle's vision became."I didn't want to be part of a huge major corporation, and I wanted to show a steady growth. And I wanted control," she said.Eventually her friend moved on to other work, and Hinkle, who started with $100, looked at fabric and chose a brand name.Her next challenge was mastering the construction and sizing."I bought some maternity things and took them apart. And then I just started experimenting," she said.Her first silhouette is a shapely, long-sleeved wrap tunic that flows softly over the stomach. The fall group is in solid velour with print or contrasting sashes. The spring line involves mostly mixing print insets with solids, all the better to underscore the middle. Retail prices are from about $70 and up.Hinkle has found the business overwhelming but rewarding. Her time is consumed by trade shows and design, and to her relief she now has a factory in Iowa that reproduces her samples.As with many people in the fashion business, her ideal scenario is to see her clothes on pregnant celebrities."I sent the zebra tops to Nicole Richie and Halle Berry," she said. "We'll see what happens."
For Brent Anderson, the new business was much like many branding challenges."All of a sudden I saw an opportunity like I work with every day," he said.The designs and words splashed across the tummy of his shirts were submitted by other advertising writers who are credited in the label.While maternity T-shirts are nothing new, the Andersons believe access to creative wordsmiths give them an edge. The project is in the baby-step stage, but the Andersons have merchandise in two Kansas City, Mo., children's boutiques, Lillibelle and Marshmallow Kisses.The slogans are meant to be "feminine and sweet but not sappy" and include phrases such as "My best feature," "Can't touch this" and "I'm officially over this."For now, they aren't sure where this project will lead. They plan to introduce a long-sleeve hoodie soon.But they are convinced they have the right idea. "Your belly is the star of the show," Wendy Anderson said.
Laura McGrew said she has long had a maternity dress form in the shop and toyed with dressing her occasionally. But with the return of the empire dress, bubble skirt and profusion of stretch fabrics, she grew serious about offering choices for her pregnant customers.She now has three formal wrap dresses and other pieces such as low, under-the-tummy leggings that mix with other designs, including oversized cowl sweaters. The stretch fabrics make it especially easy."We try to give women something to wear in the last months and go back to shortly after," she said.Dress prices are about $200.
