How Lily Rabe Is Embracing Maternity Style With Fabulous Flair

This past week, Lily Rabe embarked on her press tour for her latest movie The Tender Bar—her first run of press since the pandemic began. While the idea of dressing up again for the red carpet after more than a year away is certainly a challenge on its own, the actor is also navigating the red carpet while pregnant with her third child with partner Hamish Linklater. She tells Vogue that she’s still very much in the process of finding her maternity style stride. “I’ve worked through all my pregnancies, but I’ve never done a full press run,” Rabe says. “Dressing for two is totally new. I always love collaborating with my stylist, Jessica [Paster], but this is a new level of collaboration.”

The Tender Bar holds a special place in Rabe’s heart. Directed by George Clooney and also starring Ben Affleck, the project tells the story of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a boy growing up on Long Island who seeks out father figures among the patrons at a bar owned by his uncle (Affleck). Rabe says she was instantly drawn to the script for its touching and relatable themes. “It’s a beautiful coming-of-age story. The protagonist is searching for something that he feels he’s missing,” says Rabe. “Through the course of the movie, he realizes he has everything that he needs—and I think there’s real poignancy to that right now.” She admired the strength of her character as well. “I’ve never played anyone like her,” she says. “She’s the mother of an only child, and she has this incredible willfulness and optimism—even though her circumstances aren t great and she keeps getting knocked down.”

In Carolina HerreraPhoto: Getty Images

For the film’s press tour this past week, Rabe wanted to channel the film’s messages of hope through the clothing that she wears. She and Paster opted for joyful, exuberant dresses, which prove that embracing maternity style doesn’t have to mean shying away from bold prints and colors. “We both felt that this doesn’t mean we suddenly have to change how we feel about the clothes that we love,” says Rabe. “In no way are we looking at [my pregnancy] as a hindrance. It just feels like an opportunity to work with designers in a new capacity—with different waist measurements!” Paster adds, “We wanted feminine [dresses] with strong silhouettes. We love embracing the bump.”

Rabe kicked off her week-long tour with an appearance at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gala in California last week, where she wore a polka-dotted, off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera gown. Then, for The Tender Bar’s premiere in L.A. a few days later, she slipped into a pink, floral gown by The Vampire’s Wife—one of her favorite labels to wear. “There’s such whimsy to [The Vampire’s Wife] pieces, and so much incredible color and pattern,” Rabe says. “I love the shape of those dresses. I grew up as a ballerina, and there’s something about them that reminds me of that. There’s magic to them.” For interviews, she’s also worn vibrant frocks from Zimmermann and Khaite that are equally zingy.  “There is such warmth and joy in the movie that I have been feeling myself going in that direction [fashion-wise],” says Rabe. “The soul of the movie often influences the choices and the pieces that I m drawn to for the red carpet.”