Have you ever seen glamorous, pregnant celebs such as Holly Willoughby on screen and thought 'Where does she find such amazing maternity wear?' I know I have and a few weeks ago I was offered a very special opportunity to find out the answer. I love to dabble with fabrics and taught myself to follow a pattern when I made my seven (yes, seven!) bridesmaid's dresses. So when I was invited to visit the design studio at Tiffany Rose special occasion maternity wear I jumped at the chance to see how the groundbreaking professionals work.
Tiffany Rose was established ten years ago by mum Tiffany London who spotted a huge gap in the market for high quality, stylish yet classic, maternity occasion wear. Juggling a fledgling business with looking after her two children full time, she made it her mission to make sure mums-to-be had the opportunity to look and feel stunning be it at a wedding, Christmas party or date night in their own front room.
Tiffany London
Initially running the business single handed from home, dashing to the post office to send out orders between the school run and tea time, Tiffany has smashed through all the obstacles typically thrown at a start up business and grown to become an international success, leading the category in luxury ready-to-wear maternity occasion wear. One word: inspirational.
The design studio in Surbiton, Surrey is a thriving hub of design, dispatch and sales. Tiffany still oversees all aspects of the business from her team of designers to her pristine organised packing and shipping area. It is this hands on approach which keeps her brand ethos so strong and is reflected across the collection.
My visit to the design studio
The design team create each season's collection from scratch drawing inspiration from style icons of the 50's and 60's. Using the finest quality jersey, silks and lace sourced from across the world they create, hone and refine each piece with meticulous detail before they begin working with British manufacturers to create the ready-to-wear garments you can buy online.
My visit to the design studio
The quality of the dresses speak for themselves. The cut is impeccable, designed to skim the growing bump, accent the neckline and flatter the waist using complementary sashes. Bestsellers from the current collection include the romantic cap sleeved lace Eden gown (available in short and full length) and their range of ready-to-wear maternity wedding dresses.
The short Eden dress and the Helena wedding gown
Many of the dresses also work well during nursing. Being close to my due date I was particularly interested in the Cocoon and Willow dresses which allow for discreet breastfeeding. The fabrics are sumptuous and, really importantly, fully lined to further streamline the shape and avoid any hideous static cling! I can see how the cut of these dresses will look great for months after baby has arrived.
The Cocoon dress in Velvet blue and Willow dress in Blackberry
It is easy to understand why so many celebrities (and even international royalty) choose to wear Tiffany Rose during their pregnancy. Recently the design studio was contacted to make a bespoke gown for Naiyana Garth, pregnant girlfriend of actor and star of Mandela Idris Elba, for the Golden Globes ceremony. The team had just four days to design, create and fit the gown. It was all hands on deck to make sure she looked stunning and confident on the red carpet.
I was treated to a sneaky peak at the Spring/Summer 2014 collection launching soon and there are some stunning new pieces perfect for summer weddings, christenings and garden parties. I left the studio clutching a beautifully wrapped box containing the nursing dresses I loved and a sample from the new collection. I can't wait to wear them, especially with two weddings and Bump's christening this year, so watch this space for pictures of the dresses in action!
Meeting Tiffany, the Spring/Summer catalogue and the immaculately packed dresses ready for shipping.
You can find the extensive range of Tiffany Rose special occasion maternity wear and maternity bridal wear online at www.tiffanyrose.com
I was given a selection of Tiffany Rose dresses after my visit for review purposes but all opinions are my own.
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