Not so long ago, it was unusual to see a pregnant celebrity wearing anything other than a floaty dress or empire waist on the red carpet. Now, though, women in Hollywood are embracing their pregnant bodies as never before, with Anne Hathaway becoming the latest poster girl for the movement (other acolytes have included Rihanna, Sienna Miller, Adwoa Aboah and Blake Lively).
The 43-year-old star is pregnant with her third child with husband Adam Shulman, and the happy news has coincided with one of her busiest years on the red carpet to date. She has been out and about promoting four films: The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mother Mary, The Odyssey and now The End of Oak Street.
While she cleverly disguised the early stages of her pregnancy at the beginning of the year in diaphanous gowns for The Devil Wears Prada 2 promotion, she has embraced her baby bump in the latter stages. Case in point: the low-slung jeans and crop top she wore for Sunday night’s The End of Oak Street premiere, which showed off her bare bump in full view.
Though drawing criticism from some, the look is just the latest example of a celebrity literally letting it all hang out. Kickstarted by Rihanna, the trend has since been adopted by other A-listers who have bared their bump include Ellie Goulding at last year’s British Fashion Awards, as well as Sienna Miller at the Vogue World event in 2023. It is perhaps no coincidence that three out of four of the aforementioned women are pregnant later in life – with Goulding being 39, and Miller aged 41. After all, there’s a sartorial confidence and devil-may-care attitude that comes with growing older.
Here’s how Hathaway is rewriting the pregnancy style rules on her own terms.
Putting it all on show in low-slung jeans
Now she’s had a taste for showing a flash of her pregnant midriff, Hathaway is clearly more comfortable showcasing it on the red carpet too, as evidenced by this look. For the The End of Oak Street premiere, the 43-year-old wore a custom Atelier Prabal Gurung look, which featured a daring cropped top with a sculptural hemline that swept to the floor in an elegant train at the back. She teamed the baby blue top with low-slung, wide-leg jeans, pointed red heels and red lipstick, which both reflected the red lining of her statement-making top. In many ways, it was a natural evolution for the actress: from the visible popped belly button in a skin-tight bodysuit, to the sheer or netted tops she’d worn of late while out and about, to this.
Channeling a Greek goddess in Prada
Hathaway and Erin Walsh, her stylist, worked with Prada on this custom-made look for The Odyssey premiere in New York City. Featuring a sparkling silver criss-cross bodice plus a pale-gold pleated skirt, the design accentuated Hathaway’s curves without drowning them. The look was in keeping with the rest of the actress’s The Odyssey press tour looks, which have honed in on the film’s Greek myth plot with Graecian goddess styles. Happily, it’s a silhouette that is perfect for pregnancy, with fabrics gently sculpting and caressing the body rather than emphasising it too tightly.
A modern take on the empire line
While empire lines are often employed by pregnant women as a way of drawing the eye upwards and away from their baby bumps, this custom-made brown leather look from Louis Vuitton is a modern twist on the classic style. Featuring a scoop-neck brown leather bodice with pleating detail around the neckline, plus a floor-length, gently pleated sheer skirt, it is a flatteringly feminine look that feels powerful at the same time. Arguably exactly how cosplaying as Greek mythology’s most patient and strong-willed wife, Penelope, should look.
The chicest way to dress comfortably
Proving you don’t always have to break the mould with your fashion choices, Hathaway stuck to a tried-and-tested formula used by many pregnant women: the draped jersey dress. Of course, Hathaway being a bona fide Hollywood star, hers was by Alaïa, and she accessorised it with an array of Bulgari jewels, including Serpenti earrings, a bracelet and a watch. Featuring a flattering scoop neck, slight ruching under the bust and a floor-length cut, it’s the perfect comfortable look for a busy day promoting The Odyssey in 30C New York.
Embracing the ‘she’s popped’ moment
Proving you don’t need to buy specific trousers for pregnancy, Hathaway turned to fashion-editor favourite La Ligne for its wide-leg Colby style (she also has them in navy and red). Featuring an elasticated waist, she wore them low underneath her bump, with a bodysuit tucked into them to avoid any mishaps, and a pretty Chloé blouse layered on top. She finished the look with open-toe kitten heels (perfect for swollen feet), plus a healthy amount of Bulgari diamonds (she is an ambassador for the jewellery house, after all). The most surprising part of her outfit for some is that you can see her protruding belly button – the so-called “she’s popped” moment of pregnancy – which many have typically disguised.
Making a mini dress work
Mini dresses are often seen as dangerous territory when you’re pregnant, particularly if they aren’t body-con, with a risk that they might end up revealing a little too much. Despite this, Hathaway braved this Blumarine resort look, which consisted of a floaty, ruffled mini dress featuring an elegant train, plus over-the-knee tan suede boots. It’s easy to see why the ethereal, floaty design was on her The Odyssey fashion moodboard, and we love the rock ’n’ roll feel it brings.
Turning maternitywear on its head
So overalls and dungarees have long been associated with maternity style, but this bright-red jumpsuit from New York-based brand Ashlyn Bowes feels anything but a run-of-the-mill choice. With a body-con fit and voluminous draped legs, it features a drop-waist peplum with a ruffle skirt, a feature that is accidentally great at emphasising a baby bump, despite the fact that the brand is not one specifically designed for pregnant women. Hathaway caused something of a stir when she stepped out in this earlier this summer, as she wore it backwards to achieve a scoop neck – a flattering cut on a growing bust – rather than sticking to the original boat neck.