Following her fairytale wedding last year in the south of France, Sophia Richie Grainge has once again set the internet ablaze with her pregnancy announcement. Prior to sharing the news with Vogue, the ‘It’ girl and quiet luxury enthusiast was making a deliberate effort to conceal that she was expecting, using a tried and true approach: Enter the celebrity pregnancy wardrobe.
Lately, Richie Grainge has leaned on boxy coats and well-placed bags, á là actors hiding their bumps on TV shows. “I’ve bought a few pairs of pants in bigger sizes, but I’m wearing my same jackets, and sweaters, and trenches,” she told Vogue. And she’s not the only mother-to-be we’ve clocked taking this considered approach.
Though Rihanna—with her penchant for lingerie, baggy jeans, and furry coats—emerged as a queen of maternity style when she began expanding her family with A$AP Rocky, she also opted to conceal her belly at one point. The day she announced her pregnancy with son Riot Rose during her Super Bowl halftime performance, she attended a press conference wearing a patterned asymmetrical dress. As not to spoil the surprise, she covered with an oversized shearling-lined leather jacket.
Kali Uchis, who is due at any minute, wore a roomy jacket while attending the Dion Lee spring 2024 presentation in September, and turned to a strategic waistline in October for the TIME100 gala, covering her stomach with a dress featuring a billowing, full-length skirt.
Similarly, Halle Bailey, who welcomed her son Halo in late 2023, took to ultra-feminine ruffles while promoting The Color Purple. The actor attended the Los Angeles premiere of the film in a custom Off-White gown that pulled out all the stops: an empire waist, tiers of ruffles, and a flared skirt. A few days prior, she wore a furry black coat dress for the Renaissance premiere. Texture was a running theme for Bailey as she kept her pregnancy under wraps.
Some stars, however, run away from all of the classic maternity style signifiers. Suki Waterhouse, who is expecting her first child with Robert Pattinson, has been a music festival stalwart as of late, rocking crop tops, bodycon sets, and waist belts. At Austin City Limits in October, the model and actor dressed the part of a rock star in a pink mock neck with matching briefs and thigh-high silver boots. Rather than shy away from any attention on her midriff, she cinched her waist with a rhinestone coated belt. The next weekend she continued to highlight her midsection in a white pantsuit. Though she hadn’t confirmed her pregnancy yet, she left her blazer open, showing her sparkly bralette and stomach.
As the stars have shown us, pregnancy fashion is a chance to have fun—even when keeping a secret. Keke Palmer adopted a fabulous, over-the-top sense of style befitting such an exciting time in life. At the 2023 Governors Awards, she donned a red hot dress featuring an architectural peplum over her stomach. At the CFDA Awards in November 2022, she used a busy floral pattern to her advantage, and made it into a high-fashion moment with matching boots. And perhaps the cheekiest of all was her adorable TIME100 look: a hot pink minidress that enveloped her like a loofah.
In the case of Richie Grainge, now that the cat’s out of the bag, she’s excited for some bump-forward maternity style. “I’m about to have some fun with it now that I can spread my wings and fly,” she told Vogue. We’ll be watching.
