Isabella Oliver

Bump it Up with Amy Tara Koch

2010-06-17T16:08:25Z

We love Amy Tara Koch’s delightfully witty book Bump it Up, where the fashion guru and writer gives invaluable style advice to pregnant women the world over. Featuring Isabella Oliver as one of her style solutions, Amy reveals her hints and tips for stage-by-stage chic, and we’d like to thank her for all her kind words. Tonight she’ll be hosting the Bump it Up event in The Big Apple, an evening of pampering and style for pregnant women. We wish her the very best for this evening and the future – thanks again Amy.

The Asymmetrical Dress featured in Grazia

2010-06-15T11:13:50Z

A jewel-toned dress makes a fabulous alternative to your favourite LBD this season, and UK Grazia couldn’t agree more. Featuring our Asymmetrical Dress in their Get It or Regret It article, the publication selected the key looks from the latest sales rails. Thank you Grazia.

A Royal Invitation

2010-06-11T14:48:07Z

We were awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise earlier this year, which is a fabulous recognition of what we do here at Isabella Oliver. Winners of the awards are invited to a celebratory reception by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace – and Baukjen was extremely excited to receive her invite this week.

Drinks with The Queen – who’d have thought it?

The Ruched Cami Swimsuit in American Baby

2010-06-07T11:07:53Z

A relaxing swim is perfect for a little exercise during your pregnancy, and our Ruched Cami Swimsuit will ensure that you feel stylish by the poolside. Featured in the June issue of US publication American Baby, our flattering maternity design is available in Crimson Red, Deep Pink and Blueberry, plus you can also purchase our Tankini version too. Thank you American Baby.

The Glamour Maxi featured in LA Times

2010-06-03T16:03:50Z

LA Times showed an easy way to wear a statement shade whilst pregnant. Choosing The Glamour Maxi in Emerald, the publication teamed our maternity design with chunky gold bangles for their ‘The Birth of Fashionable Maternity Wear’ article. Floor-sweeping style with a relaxed twist… we love it.

The Ruched Cami Tankini featured in Neuf Mois

2010-06-03T15:59:05Z

Why not treat yourself to our maternity Ruched Cami Tankini? Perfect for your daily swim or to pack in your suitcase, this swimwear essential is finished in luxe fabric that won’t fade from the sun or sea. Featured in the latest issue of Neuf Mois magazine, our Tankini was styled with bold wedges by the French publication. Thank you Neuf Mois.

Bethenny Frankel’s Red Carpet Style

2010-05-19T09:02:44Z

French publication Neuf Mois revealed how to steal Bethenny Frankel’s style in their recent issue. Pictured wearing our Ruched One Shoulder Dress at New York Fashion Week, the US TV Chef added statement gold heels and a matching cuff for a glamorous evening look. Thank you Neuf Mois.

The Upcoming Move

2010-05-16T16:49:17Z

Hi,

Baukjen here. It's Sunday afternoon and Geoff and I are in the office to carry on sorting through things. The office move of Isabella Oliver is coming closer. It's turning out to be quite a big mountain with us having to sort through 15,000 sq foot of things. It has meant endless trips to the recycling, boxes and boxes to charity, lots of shredding, finding a new home for things we don't need anymore etc.

Luckily we have a wonderful project manager (Karen) who has come on board to manage the move and this is a great help but there's still lots to do. Quite a few people here have taken this opportunity to go through the piles of things they've accumulated over the years.

Other Isabella Oliver news, the 365 Spring Sale went live this week and orders are flying in. Also, lots of best sellers in our maternity collection that were sold out came back in to stock last Friday with another shipment due soon for the remaining out of stock styles. So good news all round.

I'd better stop writing and get back to sorting so we can go home soon. We have old friends staying with us this weekend. He works in the wine business and brought a fantastic selection of wines from around the world (he is the only person I know who has a Wine MBA - I didnt know it existed until he started the MBA). She is French and loves cheese, so last night we had the fireplace on and lots of candles while we enjoyed wines and cheeses. Our iPod is broken and the radio isnt working properly and only tunes in to Classic FM, so the classical music in the background gave it a very fine finish.

Our friends had also brought a selection of organic jams. After their jog this morning, they came back with fresh croissants and baguettes, so we had a lovely breakfast with the delicious jams (our kids loved it). The plan for tonight is a light supper, some good wine and a good film. There's not much that beats spending time with good friends. Now I really have to carry on packing so we can go home soon. Have a great week, Baukjen

Get Dannii Minogue’s Look

2010-05-14T08:53:09Z

Love Dannii Minogue’s style? Then follow Mother & Baby’s outfit guide for an easy way to imitate the glamorous X Factor judge. Featuring our Ruched One Shoulder Dress, the publication showed how to get Dannii’s look with the help of a few chic accessories. Thank you Mother & Baby.

Isabella Oliver in the press

2010-05-12T16:46:03Z

It was fabulous to see both Isabella Oliver Maternity and Isabella Oliver 365 in the Australian press recently both featuring actress Alex Davies.

Australian OK! chose to dress Alex in our Grecian Maxi Dress, whilst DIVA magazine opted for a Isabella Oliver 365 favourite for the pregnant actress. Teaming our non-maternity Asymmetrical Dress with statement bangles and metallic heels, the publication revealed how to wear this Isabella Oliver 365 design during pregnancy too. We think Alex looks great, and we wish her the very best for the future.

Photoshoots and moving offices

2010-05-01T17:30:59Z

Hi, Baukjen here,

This week more photoshoots took place, ending late last night with the editing of the shots with our photographer. A big thank you to everyone who helped, it was a great team effort. We're excited about our Autumn Winter collections and hope you'll love them.

After 6 years at our current address, we are moving offices in the next month. One of the many things involved is going through everything we have here. Keep, store, give away or throw away... Quite a few of us here are hoarders so it's going to be tough. As the working weeks are really busy, we have had to make a start this weekend. I've already found a few things I'd totally forgotten about and was glad to rediscover.

Have a lovely weekend.

Bethenny Frankel wears The Wrap Dress on The Today Show

2010-04-29T10:25:31Z

A reliable wrap dress is a stage-by-stage essential, and it was lovely to see Bethenny Frankel wearing our Wrap Dress in Ocean on The Today Show recently. Teaming our design with a fail-safe white cami and a men’s-style silver watch, we think she looked great - you can view the show here.

3 Ways to Wear The Tank Dress

2010-04-26T13:47:52Z

It’s always great when you can re-work a design and wear it endlessly, and stylish blogger Tala Elle Samman shows how to work our Tank Dress for different occasions in her recent MyFashDiary blog entry. Clearly a fan of the timeless maxi dress, Tala styles our Isabella Oliver 365 design with a slouchy cardigan, a denim jacket, and an array of accessories to create versatile looks for everyday. We think she looks great, and we love reading her regular fashion musings – Thank you Tala.

Jennifer Lopez Talks Pregnancy and Isabella Oliver

2010-04-23T11:39:27Z

Being both a stylish mum and international superstar, Jennifer Lopez is never far from the limelight or the red carpet. The actress, singer, businesswoman, and mother to twins, recently discussed motherhood with MSN’s Wonderwall page and mentioned her love for Isabella Oliver by saying “I lived in Isabella Oliver wrap tops that give a little support on your belly.” Thank you Jennifer Lopez.

Image courtesy of www.zimbio.com

Today

2010-04-21T21:28:51Z

Hi, Baukjen here. What a day today has been.

This morning we announced that Isabella Oliver has been awarded the Queens Award for Enterprise by Her Majesty The Queen on her 84th Birthday. We are very thankful of this award and very proud of the team and this achievement. To make sure the team shared in the celebrations, we gave everyone a bottle of champagne. Throughout the day the congratulations emails and calls came in from friends, family, customers and suppliers. It was one of the best days (if not the best) of 2010 for us. Thank you for everyone's kind emails and calls. It was the icing on the cake, thank you.

There was another celebration today, and in our Isabella Oliver world, it was an important one. Amy, our fantastic web manager, has today been with Isabella Oliver for 5 years. Amy is getting married in 2011, so we gave her a Smythson wedding book in which she can keep her wedding notes. As Amy loves Tiffany, and has a Tiffany engagement ring, we gave her a key necklace from Tiffany. There were cuddles and tears. Amy thank you for 5 fabulous years!

To share the celebrations with our customers, we decided to host a one day 20% off sale. We always like to share big moments and this was certainly one. Then as the orders went mad, one of the team members suggested to do a sweepstake where people put in 50p and guessed how many orders we would take today. The person closest to the end result would win the pot. The numbers everyone guessed varied from the slightly ambitious to the rather outrageous. The number I put in was ambitious but not outrageous. Hours ago I was out of the running as the order quantity surpassed what I had put in. Becky laughed, "I think it's the only time you're happy to lose".

Today was a really lovely day.