Suki Waterhouse's revealing red gown at the 2023 Emmy Awards shows how bold maternity fashion has become.
“I had to hold it for fitting — it was just me, like, holding it to my body,” a pregnant Waterhouse told E! News host Laverne Cox of her custom-made red Valentino gown at the Jan. 15 event. “So they had to take it apart and ... redesign this dress to make it fit the bump. But it does and I’m really happy that it was so stunning.”
Waterhouse, who is dating "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson, looked radiant in the dress with hip cut-outs and an open back.
Even the word "pregnancy" was once a Hollywood controversy — Lucille Ball's character on the 1950s sitcom "I Love Lucy" wasn't allowed to say the word on air. It became a cover-worthy event in 1991 with Demi Moore's famous nude "Vanity Fair" issue, and now is a pillar on the red carpet, where pregnancy announcements are made and maternity moments live.
1970s-1980s: The baggy era
Celebrities like the late Diana, Princess of Wales and actor Meryl Streep rocked bright colors like red and gold at high-profile events, but their maternity looks were less conspicuous.
"When we look back at the era of women's liberation, we might expect to have seen a more dramatic approach to maternity clothing but fashion can be more about evolution than revolution," Denise N. Green, associate professor in the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design and director of the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection, tells TODAY.com.
"What we're seeing in the latter part of the 20th century is a slow progression toward revealing, celebrating and acknowledging" pregnancy, says Green.
1990s-early 2000s: The baby-doll look
During their pregnancies, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba and Angelina Jolie favored empire-waisted gowns.
The style says Green, "is perfectly suited to baby bumps" because it cinches under the bust and balloons beneath, "which can accommodate a pregnant person's changing body."
The style can also accommodate a range of looks, from a Grecian goddess silhouette to a more cute baby-doll style.
2010s-now: Bold and flashy
Pregnancy is now celebrated in fashion, more than ever before.
See Ciara's plunging neckline in 2017 when carrying daughter Sienna, Kerry Washington's strapless black number while she was pregnant with her son Caleb and Rihanna's leather and see-through dress at the 2023 Oscars while expecting her second child Riot Rose.
Fashions actually put a spotlight on the baby bump, rather than trying to hide it.
Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde glittered in green while pregnant with her son Otis in 2014 at a red carpet event and Kim Kardashian graced her first Met Gala in a floral Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci dress, with a thigh slit.
“Today, there is an empowerment and celebration of women’s bodies at all shapes and sizes,” says Green. “And with it, a larger palette of possibility with maternity wear.”
