NEW YORK — For those who thought pregnancy ended with the third trimester, think again.
Liz Lange, creator of the designer maternity collection bearing her name, has created a line extension she calls the 4th Trimester Collection that was tested last fall in her own boutiques and on her Web site, lizlange.com. Lange has fully launched the extension for the spring-summer season. To create the collection each season, Lange chooses selected items within her maternity line and makes them into her 4th Trimester Collection, which includes simple, streamlined clothing made to fit a woman for that in-between time before her body is back to pre-baby shape.
“Pregnant women usually like clothes to hug their bodies so they can show their curves,” Lange said. “But after the baby comes, she would rather be a bit more covered up until she gets her body back.”
Lange, who started her business nine years ago, said some of her celebrity clients asked for the collection.
“I dressed Jon Stewart’s wife, Tracy, and Caroline Baron [producer of ‘Capote’] for the Oscars,” she said. “They both just had babies and were considering wearing other designer dresses, but found they didn’t feel right in them. They called me to make something for them and were so grateful to have dresses that fit them and looked great even though their bodies weren’t yet back to normal. It shows you what a need there is for a line like this.”
Some pieces include a stretch cotton sleeveless top with wooden beading, stretch cotton sateen cropped pants, a stretch washed cotton cargo skirt and a cotton voile top with lace trim. The line retails from $55 to $295.
“Depending on the woman, her body may not get back to the way it was for a while, maybe even up to a year,” Lange said. “So these clothes will help her feel and look great during that time.”