Identifying symbols of Maternity Wear, from evolution and studying its impact in day-to-day life

The change in fashion, culture and thinking of people over a period of time. The earlier idea of maternity wear was to hide a baby bump, but now it has become a fashion or says trends to show baby bump. In which maternity wear plays an important role. Now days dresses are designed in that way so that baby bump can be seen easily at the same time person wearing it must be comfortable with that.

There was a time when apron was considered maternity wear. It covered the area from the front by tops that no longer fit around the belly or till to the pant line. Back to the13th century, pregnant women simply made due with the clothes already in their “closet.” That time dress did not follow the female form and therefore accommodated pregnancy nicely because there was no seam, just a flowing fabric. It wasn’t until the 14th century, it was the era that maternity clothes were first conceived and western women’s fashion began to hug turns a little more and reveal more of the feminine features.

During 1600-1750 (Baroque period) birthed the first recorded maternity gown called that Adrienne dress; the gown has been changed with the folds and flowing fabric which expended with growing bellies. They also wear men’s waistcoats with lace vents in the back that allowed and it is adjustable to the waste size. In the 1714-1811 (Georgian period) maternity clothes become useful. The billowing fabric got invented and the Adrienne dress again came into the fashion to accommodate changing bodies.

The design is pretty much good till now, maternity wear never considered a profitable area for any design houses. In the late 19th century, the media started showing interest in celebrity pregnancies boomed and the trend has only gained steam since. Wrap dresses, floor-scraping gowns, plunging V-necks and chic tops were popularized by famous baby-bump wearers.

Maternity clothes around the world have been undergoing significant changes. In both Eastern and Western cultures, there is greater demand for fashionable maternity clothes. In Western cultures the effect of celebrity culture means that pregnant women in the public eye are taking the lead on maternity fashion. This was due to maternity wear cloths, few styles and pattern at 20th century or earlier time was into fashion just for maternity but later with some modification it again comes in a fashion not as maternity but as fashion trends or say new style.

By this, one more thing concludes that earlier main purpose of having maternity wear to hide baby bumps, but with the change of time, development in industrial revolution or technology directly or indirectly lead people or society think that having baby bumps is nothing wrong women have equal right while she is pregnant. So they show their baby bumps with pride not because it was a fashion trend at the time of 90s as celebrities were showing it. Although this idea comes a celebrity or say by working class women to show baby bump in public.

References

Anon., 2014. Vintage Maternity Clothes History. Vintage dancer-connecting You to vintage style clothing online, 3 April.

Mannering, L., 2018. A Brief History Of Maternity Clothes. [Blog] HuffPost Lifestyle Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lindsay-mannering/a-brief-history-of-matern_b_156618.html [Accessed 06 May 2018].

Seraphine- Fashionably preganant, 2018. seraphine Blog. [Blog] seraphine Available at: https://www.seraphine.com/en-gb/life/ [Accessed 06 May 2018].