We were thrilled to hear Isabella Oliver has won both the ‘Iconic Brand’ award and the ‘Best Partywear’ award in Pregnancy & Birth’s Awards 2009.

On winning the Iconic brand, P&B Editor Ellie Hughes says “We love it because, whether it’s a dress, top, skirt or trench, if its IO, you won’t mistake it for anything else. Its strong shapes put showcasing your bump above showcasing the latest trend (although each season’s perfectly chosen block colours show that designers Vanessa and Baukjen are well ahead of the fashion curve. Founded six years ago, the label started with beautifully cut, bump-flattering wrap tops and dresses, and is now so popular there’s a non-maternity range for devoted customers. If you buy one investment piece this pregnancy, go for an Isabella Oliver: A true icon”.

On winning the Best Partywear award, P&B’s shopping editor Judith says “We love it because designers Vanessa and Baukjen once again triumph with a stunning, effortlessly wearable A/W collection. Evening dresses with signature wrapping and ruching detail feature heavily – perfect for flattering your growing shape throughout pregnancy.”

Thank you, we are delighted!

Hi, Vanessa here. Just thought you’d like to see some of the lovely people behind IO.

To the IO Team- we really enjoyed last night and we hope you did too!

BVG XX

B, G, and V would like to send out a BIG THANK YOU to the IO Team/Family for helping us celebrate our 6 years on the job, and for all their hard work and team spirit, which has helped us get here!

Thank you also for the card, the beautiful flowers, and the birthday cake, of course (nice touch guys!)! The 3 of us were very touched.

BVG X

Vanessa looking gorgeous in the zip dress today

... sketching away for the Autumn Winter 2010/2011 collection.

Today Isabella Oliver is 6 years old. We'll celebrate tonight with drinks and nibbles but we would also like to say a big thank you to vereyone here and also all the people who've worked here in the past, our suppliers, our partners etc. A big thank you to everyone. And of course a huge thank you to our customers (past and present) without whom, we wouldn't be here today. Thank you, Baukjen, Vanessa and Geoff.

This week we are shooting the Spring Summer collections. A few days still to go. It's been an amazing few days with great results. Shoots are always manic, filled with both laughter and panic moments. All in all, always absolutely exhausting! But also great fun.So hope you'll love the results.

Back at the office, shipment after shipment of clothes has been arriving in. Big thanks to the fulfilment and customer services team whom are sending out huge volumes of orders (the very hot days have not made life any easier!). Also a big thanks to everyone at Isabella Oliver for everyone's efforts on the launches of the AW collections. As Vanessa always says "Go Team IO!"

Hi,

the new maternity collection launched on Monday. It is always a special moment as all teams have worked on it for a long time. Much love and attention is put in to a collection by all the people here so there is always a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It has only been a few days but the response so far has been great so we are all happy. The customer services team have had an especially busy week (and the web, as in website team, too) so a big thank you to them too.

On the Isabella Oliver 365 side, the launch happens in just over a week. We had made half or so of the collection available for pre-order before the launch. The rest debuts on Monday 17th August. We so hope women will love the full collection, it has been designed with love, and we hope, worn with it too.

We are shooting the spring summer 2010 collections in a fortnight for both collections. So lots of things to organise still to pull it all together. It is always very exciting to see a collection come together.

In a nutshell, what we are doing now is: closing SS09, Opening AW10, Shooting SS10 and Designing AW10. Never a dull moment....

Have a lovely weekend, Baukjen & Vanessa

Yesterday was such a nice day.

We have been working with our friends, designer sisters Sara and Amiee of Sara Berman on a bag collaboration launching in August. Yesterday we worked on the Spring Summer 2010 collection with them. It's such fun working with them and we cant wait for the bags to launch. We think you'll love them too. As for next years collection, very very exciting...

Last night we went to a party. During the day it was very hot at the office so I suggested to Vanessa and Geoff that we go to my house before to freshen up before we go to the party. Then I thought it would actually be even nicer to go home a bit earlier and just relax together for an hour or two by watching a film together (we have a big screen at home and love watching films on it). We never ever take time off during the day so we all were up for it.

Vanessa likes scary films, I don't, so we thought we'd compromise on a thriller. We downloaded "Passengers" starring Anne Hathaway from Apple TV (my favourite gadget ever!) and all sat down to watch. What a film! At the end, Vanessa and I were both in tears, swollen eyes, red faces etc etc and then the taxi arrived! No time for showers, 1 minute for make up and off we were. We had to laugh at ourselves!

The party was thrown by More2. We have worked with them for years and they are like an extension of our IO team. They work with many of the great mail order and etailer brands (and are very very good at what they do) and every year bring us all together with their summer party. We always look forward to it as everyone comes and we exchange experiences and ideas. It's always a really friendly crowd. Last night was no exception, it was great. Thank you very much (again) to more2.

Hi,

It's Tuesday evening and it's been an extremely busy two days so far. The teams here are working very hard on all fronts; sending out back orders that have arrived in, preparing all for the big summer sales starting tomorrow on both the maternity and 365 collections, preparing for the Autumn Winter (in Australia and New Zealand: Spring Summer) launch and further development of the spring summer collections.

The pre-orders for the Autumn/Fall collection of 365 have been absolutely amazing. Prior to it coming in to stock in August, we'd had a rough idea of how many pre-orders we'd get but that has been surpassed by miles. It is fantastic to see and puts a big smile on our faces.

In August we will be launching our first ever collection of bags. We've done a collaboration with a fabulous brand and love the result and cant wait to share these. They'll be an investment but we think very much worth it.

On the lingerie front, we launched a few brands on our website that we love and they are selling like hot cakes. Apologies if your size is out of stock, they will be back in stock within a week.

Cowshed too is very popular amongst our pregnant customers, we hope you enjoy! Vanessa loves the shower products, I the bath ones.

On the 365 front, we did a survey where past customers were asked their opinion on the Isabella Oliver 365 collection. Hundreds of women responded. Vanessa and I read every response and really appreciated everyone taking the time to tell us what they think and want. The good news was that the response was very consistent and clear. There are things that we are doing well and there are things we could and should do better. We will absolutely be taking the consistent feedback in to account for the spring summer collection next year (which is being finalised now). It's been a pleasure reading everyone's feedback and a big thank you to all whom contributed!

This week, a friend and fabulous woman who, besides her work is also a fabulous blogger, wrote a lovely review about the 365 collection. Liberty London Girl, thank you! If you like real and honest blogs, you really should have a look at the life of a London fashion woman in New York. It's http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/. One of our favourite blogs and a great person. I loved her blog, one day sent her an email (she is in NYC) and it turned out she has her London flat 3 minutes walking from where I live.

On the personal front, we went to a wedding in Amsterdam the past weekend. Absolutely wonderful to see two people and their parents and siblings etc so happy. Also, one of our kids is having a birthday this week and is so excited he can hardly sleep. We remember those times and it is wonderful to see your child so excited.

So, all in all, it's busy here but in a nice way. Though I think tomorrow, with the start of the big summer sales here, there will be some teams here that are busy beyond the 'nice' factor. Please bear with us while we try to get your orders (if you place one) out to you as soon as possible.

Hope you have a great week, Baukjen

Due to severe weather, Isabella Oliver’s outbound calls are disrupted. We are responding to emails and messages – please bear with us.

Hi, Baukjen here. It's the end of the week and it has been a good one. Today, one of our team members left to fly back to his home country to get married next week. We celebrated yesterday with cakes his team members had made. Everyday at Isabella Oliver is different. However there is one thing that has become a tradition. Every Friday, a whole bunch of the team order pasta for lunch. All week they eat healthy salads (I dont think we ate as healthy as they do when we were younger), but on Fridays they order in and eat pasta together. The smell is so delicious and it's great because they sit down together and you hear their laughter through the offices. A really nice tradition that has developed.

Tonight we gave my daughter (aged 3) her first bicycle. It is bright pink. She loves everything pink. The delight in her face made my week. After her excitement, she turned to me with a serious look and asked me to to confirm that it only belonged to her and not her brothers. As the youngest of three, she was delighted it was just for her, not her brothers. Of course we confirmed. You could not have seen a bigger smile. Have a lovely weekend!

Hi,

Baukjen here. Apologies for not blogging as much recently but it has been busy here. The pre-ordering of the first part of the Autumn/Fall collection of 365 collection has been far more succesful than our expectations. The cape has such a big waiting list, we are so glad we included this piece as it's one of our favourites and obviously of our customers too. Already we have had to increase our factory orders for some pieces which is great news.

We have just finished a maternity sale which created a huge volume of orders whilst the 365 sale that is taking place now on selected pieces has created record 365 orders. So all good news.

In the meantime, Vanessa and I have been working on the Spring Summer collection of 2010. This is one of the best parts of our jobs and it is very difficult to edit down the styles and colour ways. We think they will be a big success though, as always, time will tell.

There is a tube (subway) strike here in London for two days which will cause headaches for all to commute to and from work. The weather is dreadful, we are all cold. There were pictures in the news of certain areas in the UK being covered in snow. It is supposed to be close to summer here. But the atmosphere is good, everyone seems in high spirits and that's what's important.

Hoping you are in warmer climates, Baukjen

Here in London, the warm weather has finally arrived. We’re making the most of the mild temperatures by dusting off our sandals, removing our coats, and grabbing our shades. We love these vintage-inspired Sophia sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith; a style that will stay chic year after year, and one that’s perfect for adding a touch of glamour to your daytime ensemble.

Available online from Browns at www.brownsfashion.com.

Hi, a few weeks ago we launched in to Australia. The response has been beyond what we had hoped for. Thank you to everyone whom helped spread the word! It has made an impact, thank you!

Hi, Baukjen here.

Vanessa is on a very much deserved holiday. Our marketing director and purchasing manager are also on holiday so there is a lot of work to do though the teams are doing a great job coping! The numbers came in for March and it was our second best month ever, it felt very busy so it was great to see the numbers support that.

It is nice to be back in the office after a very busy week in New York. It was a fantastic week and we always love being there but we were absolutely exhausted when we came back. We were looking forward to a quiet weekend with no kids parties, lunches, dinners or anything else. However on Saturday while taking the kids to the park, one of our kids had a serious fall off the bike and we were in hospital the rest of the day. No bones broken thankfully but it was scary. The NHS was absolutely fabulous and we can not praise them highly enough.

Just got off the phone with Vanessa who sounded tired. Taking two young kids skiing is not relaxing and while it is fun, I think she is very tired after full days out on the piste with two little ones.

It's a short week with Friday being the start of easter. The weather is good here, the teams are in good spirits, sales are great, our 365 collection has really taken off, Marie Claire has named one of our 365 dresses as one of the 5 dresses of the season (we are thrilled), our pr companies are showing Autumn Winter this week and the weeks following and easter is around the corner. Hope it's a good week for you.

On Tuesday we launched the Autumn Winter collection for 365 in New York. A fantastic evening with a great response. Thank you to everyone who came. Here are a few pictures of the NY fashion brigade. We are looking forward to sharing it with you too in a while. But first, lets hope we have a warm summer!

Hi,

we landed back in London this morning. Here are a few pictures of our shopping evening for the 365 collection on Monday in New York. Thank you to everyone who came.

If you’re like us, you will already be anticipating the warmer months ahead and looking for accessories to carry you through the season. We adore these Tory Burch Reva Pumps; the bold colour and shiny finish are perfect for livening up your everyday ensemble and guaranteed to put a spring in your step. Try with classic black for a zesty pop of colour or with comfortable jeans and a basic T for daytime chic.

Available online from Neiman Marcus.

Hi, as I write this, we are sitting on the rooftop of Soho House in NYC having a quick lunch before we carry on getting things ready for the press event tonight. Last night we had a shopping event here. Fantastic evening, we met lots of customers, the room looked fabulous, the dj played our favourite music, the soho house team was, as always, fantastic. A really great night and thank you to all the people that came. Also a big thank you to all the girls that came from London to help prepare and run the event.

Tonight we present the autumn winter collection of Isabella Oliver 365 to the press. Our PR company here have done a fabulous job and have RSVP's from all the titles and websites. It is going to be a very busy evening, we are very much looking forward to it.

For now, a quick lunch in the sun on the rooftop here. Unfortunately it's not allowed that pictures are taken but it is a gorgeous day here with a fabulous view.

We'll be back in London soon.

Hi everyone,

We will arrive in New York shortly, and we cannot wait to touch down in ‘the city that never sleeps’. It will be a busy couple of days, however we will let you know how things are going when we can. Remember to check our Twitter page for updates. It’s all very exciting... so Big Apple, here we come.

Farewell London, we’ll be back soon.

This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License Author: Rafi B

We're mid week and it's been a busy one. I think today the team sent out a record number of orders, we could not believe how many they sent. We are busy preparing for the New York trip. We are doing both a shopping evening as well as launching the Autumn Winter collection to the press so we have lots left to organise. We're looking forward to our trip as New York is one of our favourite cities and of course it is Vanessa's home too.

Besides working on 2010's spring summer collection, we have been working on a collaberation with another designer in a new product group that to date we havent featured yet. In a few months we can tell you more but needless to say we are very excited about it and can't wait to launch it.

On another note, Isabella Oliver 365 stock is now nearly all in but some styles went straight to sold out status as the waiting list was as big as the incoming stock level. Where we are sold out, stock will come back in and is listed on the website. Without a doubt, the best seller so far has been the Striped Tank Dress which received lots of press and sold out almost immediately. Next shipment is due in May.

During the shopping evening we did in London on Monday, the absolute favourite was the Sevilla dress in berry. Followed by the Butterfly dress. And the belts.. It will be interesting to see how the shopping evening goes in New York and whether the favourites are different there.

I am not sure whether we'll be posting a blog before we go but we'll send updates via our facebook pages and twitter (if the team explain to us how to do that before we leave....)

Have a great week, Baukjen and Vanessa

Last night we had a shopping event at Soho House in London for Isabella Oliver 365. It was a fantastic evening and everyone had a great time. Thank you to everyone who came. The Isabella Oliver team that was there did an amazing job and kept their cool when it got very busy (Thank you!). Here's a picture of the team that Vanessa and I took last night. Next week we're doing the same event in New York and we're very much looking forward to it. we have a few spaces left so if you'd like to come, email us at Baukjen and Vanessa@IsabellaOliver.com.

Hi, Baukjen here.

Last week was a massively busy week. We were running around getting things sorted for our evening tonight at Soho House in London and preparing things for our New York trip later this week. Also we had an enormous amount of orders, perhaps record amounts and the teams worked very hard to fulfil them all. People from all departments went to help (thank you) and people came in on Saturday to try to help get everything back under control. This week most of the remaining stock of the Isabella Oliver 365 collection is coming in though the bad news is that some styles completely sold out so the production and purchasing teams have been working hard to get more in asap.

Spring has arrived in London and yesterday was Mother's day here in London. Both Vanessa's mother and mine were out of the country so we couldn't celebrate with them however we were spoilt by our own kids with gorgeous drawings and cards. I know it's all quite commercial but you cant help but melt when you see all the cards they made.

Have a lovely week.

Hi, Baukjen here.

Vanessa and I are holding a soiree in London in Soho House on Monday 23rd of March from 8pm.

We will be having drinks and canapes and you will have the chance to see the Isabella Oliver 365 collection in real life. We would love to have a few of our regular blog readers there if you are free and fancy coming along.

If you and a friend would like to come, please email BaukjenandVanessa@IsabellaOliver.com as soon as possible as unfortunately there are only a few spaces left.

Hi, Baukjen here.

Vanessa and I are holding a soiree in New York in Soho House on Monday 30th of March from 7.30-9.30. We'll be having drinks, canapes and you will have the chance to see the Isabella Oliver 365 collection in real life. The guest list is limited but we would love to have a few of our regular blog readers there.

If you and a friend would like to come, please email BaukjenandVanessa@IsabellaOliver.com as soon as possible as unfortunately there are only a few spaces left.

Hi, Baukjen here. Today is a special day as Isabella Oliver has launched in to Australia and New Zealand! It happened a few hours ago and the first orders have come in. We have a lot of team members (past and present) who are from Australia and New Zealand so it makes it extra special. When we came in to the office today the Australians and New Zealanders had decorated the walls with images and from their home countries. Below is a photo of one of the walls. And we've also received an email asking everyone here to come at 1pm to one of the floors for a surprise and that ideally we don't eat beforehand. We're all looking forward to that.

To our Australian and New Zealand customers, team members and friends, we hope you'll love the collection and help us spread the word!

Hi, Baukjen here. When we launched the outlet store a few days ago, it went totally crazy here. I dont think we have ever had so many orders coming in so quickly. It was hard to keep up but the teams did a fabulous job at getting as many orders out as they could. People from lots of departments stopped their work to help out. We thought it would go well but did not realise how well. The stock levels are updated on the website every 15 minutes and unfortunately this was too slow in this case with styles selling much quicker. Unfortunately that meant that some stock was showing as being available while actually a few minutes before it had sold out. Very frustrating for some of our customers and also the customer services team whom had the horrible task of calling the customers to explain.

Hi, Baukjen here.

Today we have launched the Outlet store for Isabella Oliver Maternity. The designs sold in this store are either discontinued or have a slight flaw, all at 60-70% off. We hope that the designs sell well and we get more space in the warehouse for the clothes that are arriving in.

Other news, the teams are working hard on the launch in to Australia which is only weeks away. Very exciting for us all. Next week we have another shoot coming up which is always fun. Isabella Oliver 365 is going very well, the styles will be arriving shortly and we are looking forward to women wearing the collection.

Hi, Baukjen here.

Today, Geoff and Becky were at lunch at a fashion company we meet up with every so often to exchange experiences and learnings. They are a fantastic company with a well established brand, excellent business practices and a great attitude to business.

Anyway, during lunch, their marketing director asked "Who is BdSA?" He was referring to the blog entries authored by BdSA. Well, that's me, Baukjen. My author name used to be simply "Baukjen". However at some point, I think I had been on maternity leave or on holiday, I simply could not remember for the life of me what my password was for blogging. Becky had to set up a new author name and password for me and so BdSA was created (the initials of my first and last name). We never realised that the name makes no sense to anyone else, so from now on, if its me, I'll start with "Hi, Baukjen here".

Sorry for the confusion and thank you to Mr B.

Hi,

a week ago today we launched Isabella Oliver 365. Most items are due in early March so reserving the clothes is only possible at this stage. It has been a great week with lots of great pr coverage, lovely emails from customers and friends and family (to all - thank you!) and also lots of pre-orders. The Striped Tank Dress, which was featured in Grazia magazine here in the UK has so many pre-orders that there are only a few pieces left. Fantastic news and of course a challenge for us to see if we can source more of this fabric in time to stock again during the season. Thank you everyone for all the support.

At 6am (UK time) Isabella Oliver 365 went live. The first orders have come in!

Today we'll use the day to triple check that all the bugs are sorted and then tomorrow we will be emailing everyone signed up to our newsletters.

A huge thank you to everyone at Isabella Oliver for all your hard work!

Hi All,

Another exciting piece of coverage this week - a lovely personal feature on Baukjen is currently available to read on the SheerLuxe website. Focusing on Baukjen’s likes, loves and places to shop; it’s a great read. To take a look, go to http://www.sheerluxe.com/coffee-with/baukjen-de-swaan-arons.htm Enjoy.

Hi, there are severe weather conditions here in London resulting in few people being able to come in to work. We had put up a notice on the website that all orders may have a day or two delay in being dispatched due to the high volume of orders during the sale. Unfortunately this will definately be the case with the combination of the weather conditions now. We will dispatch your orders as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience!

Hi, this week there have been a few people ill in the Customer Services team at the same time that some were off. Therefore there were very few people working in the CS team. They worked very hard but struggled to stay on top of the emails and calls. Sara, the new customer services manager, Geoff and I went in today to try to answer as many emails as possible so that we get more on top of the emails. We use a system called ICE by MNP. I haven't personally used it for years so I had to relearn it. It was great to be back on the front line. I spoke to many customers and as I haven't been on the phone with customers for years, I loved it. I think I will do this more regularly as it is really nice to actually talk with the people whom are wearing our clothes. Baukjen

Hi,

Isabella Oliver maternity and 365 is since recently on Facebook. Vanessa and I are still complete novices with regards to Facebook but we spent time today together looking at the friends and their comments. We absolutely loved it and feel we may become addicted. The girls at the office laughed a bit at us as they are all, of course, already years in the whole facebook world. I think we may just catch up soon.

Yesterday was a super emotional day as Susan (head of customer services) was saying goodbye to everyone at the office and in her personal life. Today she and her husband fly to Hong Kong to start a new life there.

Susan has been with us practically from the beginning. We've experienced so much together, it will be very strange to not have her here. Susan is also a very close friend and we will miss her very much.

Susan, thank you for everything, we love you and wish you and Matt much happiness. x

It's been a strange week here at Isabella Oliver. We've had fun things to work on (the spring summer maternity collection launch and the first ever launch of 365, not to forget the further development of the collections for autumn winter), it has also been a difficult week with this being Susan's last week here at Isabella Oliver. Susan joined us just under five years ago and is the head of customer services. We have been through the whole learning curve together with her and are very sad she is leaving us. However it is also very exciting for her, Susan and her husband are moving to Hong Kong and we hope they have a fabulous time together. Tomorrow are their goodbye drinks and I dont think there will be a dry eye in the house. Susan has been trying to do a thorough handover this week but it has been difficult due to very busy sales. We really appreciate everything she has done here at Isabella Oliver and wish her and Matt the best of luck! We will miss her!!

Other news, Isabella Oliver is now on Facebook, so if you'd like, please have a look. Just click here to visit the maternity fan page and click here for the new collection fan page (where you can also have a sneak peek of a few of the pieces coming up).

Last but not least, I had my in-laws staying last weekend and my mother in law said she always read the blog, so here's a Hello to you! Liefs Baukjen

First day back at the office. It was great to see everyone. We had not seen Vanessa for three weeks which must be a record! There is so much going on in preparation of the Spring Summer launch of maternity and our new 365 collection. All very exciting. Also, it was great to come back to a whole bunch of xmas cards and presents (one partner had sent us a few jumbo bags of Jelly Beans which was very very popular). Another gift that we received that we especially liked was a donation so that, for six months, a girl in Benin would receive education and tutoring. We've never received a gift like this before but must say it made us feel very good, thank you to our US pr company - d2.

This week the focus is on the rest of the activities for the SS09 launches and also the selection of the styles we have developed for AW09 for maternity and 365. As always, we have designed far too much, have brought them down, have made samples of the remaining styles and this week we will have to edit them down further. I look forward to when we can test them by wearing them ourselves.

As a christmas present for Vanessa and Geoff, I had the blog printed out from when we started it in 2005 to now and had it bound in an orange book with our logo on the front. They both loved it, I am going to read it soon too.

Have a good week, Baukjen

Happy New Year! We hope you have had a relaxing holiday and a good start to 2009. Most of us have been on holiday and are now back in the freezing London weather though a few of us are still abroad (myself - Baukjen - being one of them). The maternity sale is now on and so it has been very busy. Also, its only a few weeks until the spring summer maternity collection launches followed by the launch of our first ever non maternity collection. So exciing weeks ahead. The blog has been rather quiet these past few weeks so we'll try and pick things up a bit again. Once again, happy new year and we hope it will be a happy and healthy one for you.

It has been an eventful week at Isabella Oliver. Our head of customer services, Susan, is getting married next week and Becky has been promoted to Marketing Director. Of course there were celebrations. Also for quite a few of the team, it was hard work with projects having to be finished before they headed off on holiday. At the end of the day today there were quite a few farewells with people flying back to their family homes. Isabella Oliver will be open during the festive period but will be closed on the 25th and 26th. We wish everyone a happy holiday and a wonderful start to 2009, Geoff, Vanessa and Baukjen

On Monday we launched in to France. We celebrated yesterday with a French breakfast for the office. The first orders have been coming in and we are all very excited to finally be in one of our favourite countries!

It's the natural assumption that Isabella Oliver is a person. We are always asked about her. It has created some funny situations in the past and still to this day creates confusing calls ("I was at a dinner party with Isabella Oliver last week...."). Isabella is in fact a gorgeous 6 year old daughter of Vanessa. Oliver, also a fantastic 6 year old, is the son of Baukjen and Geoff. The company was named after our eldest children. Since Isabella and Oliver, Sebastian, Piers and Pippa have joined the families.

Hi, we had a good start to the week today. We made lots of progress on the Autumn Winter collections for 2009/2010. We are very happy with the edit we made and would love to wear the designs now (as we do everytime we are at this stage).

Not long to go until we launch in to France. We are excited about it. France is an enormously special place for us on a personal level. A home away from home. We hope France will welcome Isabella Oliver.

Other news, unfortunately quite a few of the knitwear pieces are practically sold out. Our apologies, we had not expected the demand to be as high as it has been. Very frustrating for you and we hope to estimate this better going forwards.

It's wednesday evening and it's been a busy week so far (And I only came back on Tuesday). Vanessa and I have edited down the Autumn Winter collection for 2009/2010 down but there are still way too many pieces. If money did not play a role, we'd be launching over 100 new designs in the two collections. However, as that makes no sense, we have quite a way to go. Internally the teams are working hard on getting the snags out of the new back end systems, preparing the launch in to France and of course working on the launches of the Spring Summer collections for maternity and 365. Not to forget our launch in to Australia. Everyone has a lot going on with little time so it's quite a challenge. But the determination to do the various projects is strong and we are very proud of the team (this is an understatement). In two months time we will have two lines, one maternity, one non. Very exciting. The Autumn Winter collections for next year are looking absolutey fabulous, we cant wait to photograph them.

Hi,

as you may have noticed, we recently launched our new website. At the same time, we launched a new warehousing system which has created some problems for the various teams including the Customer services team. These two major changes, together with the high volume of sales, have meant that the Customer Services team have been and are working extremely hard to deliver the high standard of service they usually give. Please bear with us while we solve the final snags of the systems and soon our service will be better than ever. In the meantime thank you for your patience and also thank you to the Customer Services team for the exceptionally hard work they are putting in, Vanessa, Geoff and Baukjen

Today we received a card from a customer with a thank you and photos of her on her wedding day wearing the Belle Epoque dress. She looked absolutely beautiful. We were so flattered that she took the time to send us a card and photos, we were very touched. Thank you Mrs A, we very much appreciated it, Vanessa and Baukjen

Our lovely Zoe has just come back from a romantic weekend in New York with a (GORGEOUS) new sparkling ring on her finger!

Yes, he popped the question and though, in our excitement we forgot to ask, we are pretty sure she said yes!

Congratulations Zoe from all of us. We are so happy for you and well done Chris!

BVG and the IO Team xxx

Last week we launched an exciting new feature on the Isabella Oliver website, customer reviews. With the help of Bazaarvoice we are now asking customers to tell each other what they think of their purchases. We hope that it’ll make shopping more enjoyable for future customers as they’ll benefit from past customers' experience. It’s also great for us to get feedback (good or bad) on our styles directly from our customers.

There was much excitement in the office when we got out first review and we’re very proud to say it was a five out of five rating for the Ruffle Wrap Dress. Here’s what cat770 said:

Perfect Party Purchase
"I bought this dress for the Christmas season and to see me through the odd wedding early next year. I simply can't wait to wear it. The plum colour is perfect and the ruffles seem to fall in all the right places, however I wrap the dress around me. It was so beautifully wrapped - it was like receiving a present!"

Thank you Cat770.

We'd love to hear more feedback, to write a review, simply click onto the individual product you recently purchased and click the “write a review” or the “Be the first to write a review” link on the right hand side of the page.

And after all, it's lovely to express yourself.

Hi,

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone here at Isabella Oliver for all the work that has gone in to the new website and the updated back end system. We know it has been lots of work and we think it was absolutely worth it. It has been a tough week with all these technical launches and very busy sales so a big thank you to everyone,

Vanessa, Baukjen and Geoff

Hi, Baukjen and Vanessa tend to be the face of Isabella Oliver but there are actually three co-founders. Geoff van Sonsbeeck is the third (and Baukjen’s husband). Today an article came out in Drapers which is the retail magazine of the UK. He did an interview for it. If you’re interested in the business story behind our company, please click here.

It's wednesday but it's been so busy for everyone that it feels like it should be Saturday tomorrow. Claire, head of brand, is off on honeymoon after a beautiful wedding. Lots of people at Isabella Oliver have colds or are off ill. And then there are, of course, the major lists of to do's in preparation for the launches of the maternity and 365 collections in February, The good news is that they are exciting to work on, the not so good news is that we still have so much to do. The teams are busy with the preparations for the launch of our new website, our launch in to France, our launch in to other countries (soon to be revealed), and of course the launch of a new business (the non maternity collection). Vanessa and I have also been working on the Autumn Winter collection for 09/10 and we get lost in what season we are living in, launching, or designing for. The one thing about working in this industry is that you are working on at least 3 seasons at once and always feel excited about the future. Life at Isabella Oliver is busy, but never boring. Isabella turned 6 years a few weeks ago, tomorrow Oliver turns 6. Time flies, it was not that long ago that Vanessa and I were pregnant with Isabella and Oliver and the thought of launching this company started.

We are so excited about our first IO weddings, which took place this Autumn - Sarg in September and Claire, this past weekend - and we just wanted to take the opportunity to wish our Brides and their new husbands a very happy and healthy life of wedded bliss. We are all so happy for you!

Love, BVG and the IO team xxx

Last week we launched the new non maternity collection, Isabella Oliver 365, to the press in New York. The evening was fantastic and we really enjoyed it. This week the reviews are coming in and Vanessa and I are thrilled to read them. Only a few months to go and still lots to do. If you'd like to receive an email and brochure when it launches in February, you can sign up here.

Hi, most of the girls here at Isabella Oliver own The Pocket Tunic. It's great to see the different ways they are wearing it. Here are some examples:
Amy - over bright Orange opaque tights with flats
Baukjen - over black opaque tights and patent shoe boots or ballets
Susan - over leggings with UGG boots
And a woman we saw wearing it in New York - over jeans tucked in to boots.

Hi,

We have received many presents for our 5th birthday from people we work with and are enjoying them all! A fantastic cake with our logo on it, gorgeous flowers, a huge box of chocolates, Tiffany champagne glasses and champagne. We really have been spoilt. Thank you to everyone - we are sharing nicely so everyone is enjoying them here at Isabella Oliver. Thank you!

Hi,

Vanessa, Geoff and I have been in New York this past week where we previewed the Spring Summer 09 maternity and 365 collections to the press. For the maternity line we did a breakfast at Soho House with pregnant models. It was a lovely event with very nice feedback. For the new ready to wear collection - Isabella Oliver 365 - we threw a cocktail party at Soho House. As a non maternity line is new for us, we were very excited to see how the press responded to it. Lots of press came and they were very enthusiastic about the line. It was a great evening. A big thank you to our US pr company and our in house pr Lucy for organising such great events!

This morning we landed back in London. We're exhausted but very happy. And in a few hours, we see our kids again!

In August, we were in LA for the Clothes Off Our Back charity event. There we met Anne Dudek who was absolutely lovely (and her agent Ivy too). Anne was wearing the Bandeau Wrap Top and looked stunning. Ivy emailed us a picture last night of Anne wearing the Audrey Dress to the TV Guide party in the US. We think she looks absolutely fabulous!

In a week today, Isabella Oliver will be 5 years old. It only seems yesterday that we started the company but then also it seems like decades ago. We started off just the three of us: Vanessa, Geoff and myself (Baukjen). The company and the team have grown so quickly, every year seems busier than the one before. Now, on the verge of turning five, we are working on the launch of a completely new line with a non maternity collection. It is so much fun, nerve wrecking, exciting, exhausting, all wrapped up into one. Vanessa, Geoff and I started off as new friends and over the years and the experiences we have gone through together, we are more like family. I was on the phone with Vanessa a few evenings ago and we talked for a long time about various things outside of work. The next day at the office Vanessa said that she felt we could have gone on for hours, it is funny how you can see each other every day but still have lots to 'catch up' on. Absolutely, one of my personal highlights of these past 5 years, has been to go through everything together with Vanessa and Geoff. The highs but also the lows. I hope we have many more years together to come.

Hi,

unfortunately some of the styles are running very low on stock. Sales are always difficult to predict and certain styles have been flying out the door three times as fast as we had anticipated. Our apologies for if the style you want to order is sold out. The purchasing team has been working very hard on getting new stock in asap. Hopefully the wait is not too long.

Hi, it's been an eventful week here at Isabella Oliver.

The week started with a photoshoot on Monday for the new collection, which went very well. The team (both internal and external) did a fabulous job. We ended the day, as we always do after shoots, selecting our favourite images while drinking some wine.

The new season has had a great start and the new styles are selling very well. As last season, some are selling a lot faster than we had anticipated so the purchasing team is in overdrive to get new stock asap. Despite a looming out of stock situation on some styles, Vanessa and I are happy the new styles are popular as you never really are 100% sure our customers will love them as much as we do.

This week we're also meeting potential PR agencies in the UK for the new non maternity collection that is launching early 2009. It's going to be a tough decision as we are talking with some great PR agencies. A luxury to have this situation.

Also we've been working hard on the new website which we hope you will love. There are some fun new features coming that are giving the teams a chance to be extra creative. And the website should improve the customer experience. A month or so to go and you can see for yourself whether you agree. Fingers crossed, you do.

Another project we are working on is "Bonjour La France". We will be launching in one of our favourite countries, France. We have many customers there but need to set up a local buying experience for them so they can order more easily from us. Easier said than done but the teams are getting closer to making it a reality. It will be a proud day here at Isabella Oliver for all of us.

On another note, we received a really lovely comment from Mel C (from the Spice Girls) this week who is expecting her first child. We saw her at a party a few months ago and she looked beautiful. I always remember her as Sporty Spice, but the woman I saw at the party was not so much a sporty girl but instead a beautiful woman, dressed gorgeously with absolutely stunning eyes. Her comments this week showed her also to be a very nice person.

Also this week Vanessa and I did an interview for a magazine. We were interviewed at different times, so I can't speak for Vanessa. During the interview, the questions at one point turned towards the working/stay at home mother discussion. We are always being asked about this. Normally we are as diplomatic as we can be but this interview took place at a time when I was far from relaxed. Perhaps not a good time to do this but the time was scheduled so I went ahead. Anyway, as always, the question came about how I felt about working as a mother versus staying at home. As I wasn't in my most diplomatic mood, I said exactly what I thought and probably in not the most eloquent manner. It irritates me that "stay at home mother" sounds, just by the name, like they are at home having a bath, watching daytime tv etc etc. In my experience, days at home are hugely noisy, chaotic and you have to be the uber multi tasker, diplomat etc etc to make sure the kids and you get through the day. It's hardly "not working". So that was one of my first points. Also, most of my friends feel like they have to defend their decision whether they work at home or at an office. I don't know any mother whom feels no guilt with whatever choice she has made. In addition, some mothers have to work for financial reasons while others cannot work for financial reasons. And also there are mothers whom choose to not work. So, all in all, my main comment was that what I believe in is that everyone should choose for themselves and then not feel guilty about their decision. This is probably a very short summary of what I said, the poor journalist caught me at a moment where I just went for it. I don't think the journalist was expecting the rant. Vanessa and I are working mothers and just try to do the best we can but we don't want to glorify working or say that stay at home mothers are having an easy time. You should see how open armed my nanny is welcomed on a Monday morning, "staying at home" is not an easy ride.

Back to Isabella Oliver, in the next few weeks we will be celebrating the 5th birthday of Isabella Oliver with a team party and a thank you party for people whom have helped us during the past years, launching in to France, launching our new website, off to New York to launch the new collections and we're off to fabric fairs to see new fabrics for the Winter season of 2009/2010. As always, exciting.

Sorry it's been so long since we've written. Vanessa is back from holiday and I am back in London after several trips in August. As Geoff says, it's nice to all be together again in one space. The teams are working hard on the projects that will launch this season - a new website, a launch in to other countries, and of course the preparations for the new collections. The new Isabella Oliver maternity collection is selling well, some styles are flying out the door at a much faster rate than we had anticipated so the purchasing team has been working hard on getting additional stock in asap. Canada, in which we launched a few months ago, has very much taken off and we are extremely appreciative of all the word of mouth and the press we've received.

All in all, everything is good. In the next 6 months, we will be launching a lot of new ventures that the teams are currently working hard on. Vanessa, Geoff and I are very thankful for the dedication of the IO team and we hope you will love the results.

Yesterday evening the Isabella Oliver Brand Team hosted International Night, a fun evening for all of the nationalities at Isabella Oliver to bring in delicious delicacies from each of their home countries.

We would like to thank everybody for the fantastic effort which made International Night a success. We dined on gorgeous curry, goulash, scrumptious puddings, and a variety of different cuisines from across the globe thanks to everybody’s tremendous input. It was a lovely evening and a chance for all of the company to get to know one another.

A big thank you to everybody that took part. We hope you had a nice time and enjoyed yourselves,

Holly and Lucy

Vanessa, Geoff and I (Baukjen) met today six years ago at Babington House. Vanessa was pregnant with Isabella and I with Oliver. Every year we celebrate with a glass of champagne but today we are far apart as Vanessa is having a much deserved holiday in the Maldives. Geoff and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by going to Babington House for 4 nights. The kids are at their grandparents so we gave relaxation a new meaning by reading lots of books and watching films in the middle of the day with a pot of tea in bed. It was raining most of the time so we didnt really venture out. Bliss.

..launched today. Very exciting to see the new styles be packed in the orders. We hope you'll enjoy wearing them.

It was such an exciting week where we were shooting the collections for the spring summer maternity collection as well as our first womenswear collection. Long days but very much worth it. It is always, and especially this time around, difficult to have to wait 5 or 6 months before we can share the new collections as we are so excited about them. Tomorrow, we are launching our Autumn Winter collection for maternity. We're very excited to see how the new collection does.

Hi,

this week we are shooting 09 SS for both maternity as well as the new women's clothing collection. It means that quite a few of us are away from the offices. Yesterday (monday) was a record day at Isabella Oliver and this meant that the CS team was swamped. They did a fantastic job! We hear that today was very busy too so wish them all the best of luck. After all the months of designing the styles for the 09 SS collections and choosing the colours, we are thrilled with how the collections look so far. We have a few more days of shooting, very exciting for the team. Photoshoots are absolutely exhausting though we never can explain why they are more tiring than other activities. They just are. Perhaps because there is so much dependent on it. Tomorrow, it's an early start so we're having an early night. We so hope that you will love the collections whether you are pregnant or not.

Everyday, the customer services team receive emails from happy customers and they always bring a smile to our faces. This week,one customer actually brought in a huge bowl of strawberries and a box of chocolates with a card for the cs team. I think it was the only time we have seen them speechless! How absolutely lovely of this woman to do this!

Today, an email came in that was especially sweet and we've asked her permission to include an excerpt on the blog. Thank you Victoria. And thank you too to everyone else who takes the time to write to us - it really is very much appreciated!

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... I have had the most brilliant experience with your company. I am not usually one to send adoring emails to companies, but you are the exception. I am in the early stages of pregnancy and feeling like a bloated blimp. I placed an order via the website, and got the credit card number wrong. Your lovely assistant called right away and sorted the problem out. Less that three days later, the most beautifully packaged parcel arrived. I tried on everything, and every item is beautifully cut. Every item fits really well, and most of all, I am so comfortable. Thank you so much for making this exhausted, morning-sickness ridden, first time pregnant woman, feel stylish and lovely again. Victoria x"

Everyday, the customer services team receive emails from happy customers and they always bring a smile to our faces. This week,one customer actually brought in a huge bowl of strawberries and a box of chocolates with a card for the cs team. I think it was the only time we have seen them speechless! How absolutely lovely of this woman to do this!

Today, an email came in that was especially sweet and we've asked her permission to include an excerpt on the blog. Thank you Victoria. And thank you too to everyone else who takes the time to write to us - it really is very much appreciated!

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... I have had the most brilliant experience with your company. I am not usually one to send adoring emails to companies, but you are the exception. I am in the early stages of pregnancy and feeling like a bloated blimp. I placed an order via the website, and got the credit card number wrong. Your lovely assistant called right away and sorted the problem out. Less that three days later, the most beautifully packaged parcel arrived. I tried on everything, and every item is beautifully cut. Every item fits really well, and most of all, I am so comfortable. Thank you so much for making this exhausted, morning-sickness ridden, first time pregnant woman, feel stylish and lovely again. Victoria x"

Apologies for not writing for a while. It has been busy here with the best week of sales we've ever had (well done Customer Services for coping so well). The teams are working on the final preparations for the launch of the Autumn Winter maternity collection. An exclusive online preview of this collection will take place on 21st July and will be by invitation only. To receive yours, just sign up to the Isabella Oliver Newsletter. We hope our customers will love the collection as much as we do.

Other News:
- Since we launched in Canada, we've had a fabulous response from Canadian customers. Thank you for all your kind emails and we hope the word will spread.
- Vanessa and I are making the final edits for the Spring Summer collection for both the (new) ready to wear collection (non maternity) as well as the maternity collection. Very exciting.
- the sun has finally come through in London!

Yesterday was a record sales day here at Isabella Oliver. We love it when our sales record is broken and we would like to say a big thank you to the Customer Services team who did a fantastic job.

Today we launched in to Canada and to celebrate we have started our summer sale where everything in the collection is on sale with up to 40% off.

Canada has been a project that has been going for months and months and everyone here has helped make this happen. However we'd like to say a special thank you to Becky, Susan, Amy, Claire and MNP who have put an enormous effort in to making this happen! Thank You.

Vanessa, Geoff and I have a lovely PA called Kirsten who is an absolute gem. I just received an email from her asking if we could "pretty please" put up a few pictures of the Mojito night that a few of the girls here held at Isabella Oliver a few weeks ago. Of course we want Kirsten to be happy, so Kirsten this one is for you...

Here are a few pictures of the evening (thanks Sarg and Ania) and a few of the faces behind Isabella Oliver.

It's friday morning and it's been a crazy busy week here. The marketing, brand, design and purchasing teams have been working hard on the final preparations for the launch of the Autumn Winter collection. In August it will go live. For the Autumn Winter season we also have a few new categories that we are launching in to, more details will follow when we can share this.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and I have been making progress on the SS 09 collections (for the maternity line and for the non maternity ready to wear line). It is double the work we usually face as there are now two collections. But also double the fun. Making decisions on designs, colours and fabrics is one of the most exciting parts of this business. Before going in to this business I had absolutely no idea how technical design is. Vanessa has been a fantastic mentor and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning.

Our launch in to Canada looks imminent, it is now solely dependent on all internal and external systems doing the job. Sounds easy, but it probably is the most complicated project (technically) we have done ever. Far more complex than our launch in to the US. I will spare you the details but there are quite a few people here who have gotten grey hairs in the process but the end is in sight and then finally our Canadian customers can have a seamless local service. We are very excited about it here and we are very grateful to the team.

The next few weeks are busy with the finalisation of the SS 09 collections followed by shoots and international travel. Vanessa and I try to keep the travel to a minimum as we miss our children and they miss us. In August we will be in LA for an exciting event which we will let you know about when we can.

All is well here at Isabella Oliver, exciting times as always.

Have a nice weekend, Baukjen and Vanessa

... to all the women who have emailed us good luck messages for our non maternity collection. The Customer Services team have forwarded them all on to us and we are very appreciative of the kind words! Thank you.

Four and a half years ago we launched Isabella Oliver. The journey we have gone through has been wonderful. It has not always been easy but it has been absolutely amazing and the support we have received from our customers, family and friends has been fantastic. And not to forget the fantastic team that we have here at IO (as we call the company in short) whom have worked extremely hard and with whom it has been an absolute pleasure to learn from and work with.

With great pride we can finally share the news that early next year, Isabella Oliver will launch our first collection for non pregnant women. We have been working hard on this the past few months and we still have a lot to do, but it's finally something we can share. Of course we will share further details as and when we can.

Vanessa, Geoff and Baukjen

We have had an eventful few days here with all kinds of good news.

(1) One of our team members is pregnant which we are all thrilled about. The bad news is she will soon be moving abroad and we will all miss her.
(2) Susan who is head of Customer Services and has been with us from practically the beginning, became engaged over the weekend. Everyone was so happy for her! She also celebrated her birthday this week. So Susan has had a great week!
(3) And for Isabella Oliver as a company, we have some exciting news that we can finally announce... in the next weeks we will be launching in to Canada!

All the best from all of us.

Hi,

here at Isabella Oliver we have been on a big recruitment drive. The business has been growing fast and we really needed to expand the team. In the past few weeks we have recruited nine new people to join the various departments and everyone of them is female! Nine new women when men are already by far the minority here. Of course this was never the intent but it is what has happened. Much to all the single women's annoyance! Have a lovely weekend.

Hi,

last week Geoff (our third business partner) was in the US speaking at a conference. One of the sessions he participated in was a panel that included other speakers. During this particular session there was a question and answers section after his presentation. During this, one of the other panel speakers said something that, when Geoff told us about it, brought a smile to our faces. The other speaker, a woman, mentioned that she had worn Isabella Oliver during her pregnancy and that whenever she had an important day at work, she would always wear Isabella Oliver as it made her feel more confident. Lovely to hear.

Hi,

today we did another shoot. We can't reveal too much as this blog is not just read by our customers and friends, but it went really well and the models and team did a fabulous job. We are now in the final stages of preparation of our autumn winter collection and while we hope to have some kind of decent summer here in the UK, we are looking forward to wearing the new styles when it gets colder (though most of us still find it cold here now).

Other news, while the 20% off dress sale is going on, the customer services team is coping with an enormous amount of orders. They are doing a wonderful job but it has not been easy. Elsewhere in the business, new team members are joining us which we are all excited about. And next week we have exciting news which we will share as soon as we can.

Warm regards, Baukjen

Rothschild hosted their annual Rothschild Women in Business Conference, which was held in London these past few days. There were 60 women from Europe, the USA, Asia and the Far East. Rothschild very kindly invited Vanessa and myself to attend. It was a fantastic experience. We met very interesting women who work in all kind of different industries, many that we knew nothing about. We spent a few days together and learnt a lot and met many inspiring women. Rothschild organised a super event and spoiled us all with wonderful lunches and dinners at the Dorchester and The Serpentine Gallery (where we had dinner surrounded by Maria Lassnig's amazing paintings). It was wonderful to be away from our world for a few days and learn about others'.

about our Denim Palazzos:

"The wide length is perfectly appropriate and comfortable. Flowing fabric, not too tight and not too restrictive but still gives that chic elegant look".

We have had record sales here for the past few weeks and are so appreciative of everyone spreading the word and or shopping with us. A big thank you from Vanessa, Geoff and myself to our customers, the Isabella Oliver team and our friends and supporters.

Yesterday we did a shoot with two pregnant models. It went really well and the models were real troopers. When it was finished, a few of us stayed on to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate Vanessa's birthday. Vanessa then headed off to Cecconis for a celebration dinner with her husband. Geoff and I headed off to Shoreditch House to have dinner with friends whom have been staying at our house this past week. I was exhausted and unfortunately they were over an hour late due to problems with getting a taxi. This morning they left and my cousins and their kids arrived to come and stay for a couple of days. We're heading off to the countryside for a long weekend so from tomorrow onwards they will have the house to themselves. Vanessa and her husband headed off to a secret location today. Barrie (Vanessa's husband) had organised a surprise weekend away and for weeks I have had to keep it secret. It wasn't always easy as we spend so much time together that I was worried I'd say something wrong. Anyway, it was a complete surprise for her and they have just landed in Venice! We all hope they have a wonderful few days away together, I just hope she comes back!

We love the way the Drop Waist Dress and the Audrey Dress have been styled by US title Pregnancy & Newborn

Hi, Baukjen here.

Our new soft denim shorts are coming in soon and we've just received one ahead of the shipment in a few weeks. They are looking good - thank you everyone for your patience. We want them to be perfect so it's taken a bit longer. Here's how they looked on Vanessa this morning.

We have just added a new Sale section to the site for clearance items. Here you will find some gorgeous essential pieces for your maternity wardrobe such as the Off The Shoulder Top which is sleek, flattering and ideal for work, the Serfontaine for IO maternity jeans which will become a staple item for casual wear, plus some chic lingerie basics.

As the weather is finally creeping towards Spring, you might also want to consider the Smooth Line Capri pants which will take you smoothly from day to evening.

Hi, Baukjen here.

It's only Tuesday evening but it feels like it is Thursday. On Monday we had an emormous amount of sales which of course is wonderful. However the Customer Services team is always under immense pressure on days like those. For them, those days are exhausting. Today, we had an upgrade to our back end system which meant that for approx 5 hours, we had no access to the customer services systems. Therefore everyone who telephoned with an enquiry was politely asked if we could call back in a few hours (orders were taken manually). All our customers were fine with it but we felt for the team as of course this is not the service they like to provide. Then, a few hours before the cut off time for the pick up of the couriers and Royal Mail, the system went back up and they had the enormous task of dispatching all the orders of the day in minimal time. I thought it was close to hopeless but they pulled it off! It always amazes me how well the team works under pressure.I think it's only fair that lunch is on us tomorrow. Hats off and thank you CS!

Hello, vanessa here. Sorry for falling so behind on my blogging (Bauk- looks like that second home may come sooner with all the £5 notes I owe you!). Not to make excuses, BUT I have been away on holiday (next blog), and then to Turkey with Sarg and Richard, and then I came back to my long awaited new snazzy computer (thanks guys), that I still cannot figure out!

Anyway, here we are..

Like I said, Sarg (our Senior Garment Tech) and Richard (our Purchasing Manager and former child star) and myself went on a great adventure in Istanbul, visiting our factories, and as a surprise at the end, we even made a stop to see the Sultanahmet Mosque and the ancient underground water cisterns in the old city, which was amazing, it is just a shame we had to catch a plane and couldn't stay longer. Richard, who was feeling a bit under the weather, (to say the least- we will spare you with the details) was such a sport and a very brave boy!!! Well done Archie. What a trooper!. Apologies for all the jokes made at your expense- once you are up to it, we owe you a drink! A few!

This was definitely a trip that will be difficult to forget! It is quite amazing to think how short a trip it actually was with all the drama that happened! We even unknowingly crashed a really good private private party for a film crew and cast of a German film that was to start filming the next day- or you can say, THEY crashed ours. That was fun. The movie, which will wrap up in 5 weeks, was aptly titled (in translation) To Live and Die in Istanbul. Sarg and I kindly offered up our friend to play the lead as he was really feeling the part that night!

At least we have some great stories- it is too bad no one else finds them as hilarious as we do...? I guess you had to be there...

Here is a picture of us from our last day.

Get well soon Richie. xx

Looking gorgeous with her pregnancy curves, Minnie Driver chose to wear the Isabella Oliver Wrap Dress at an event to promote her TV series at the weekend.

On Isabella Oliver she said “Since I’ve been pregnant it’s my very favorite store"

Minnie looks wonderful in the crimson red dress and we wish her all the best.





This image is courtesy of People.com

We launched the Belle Epoque dress a few months ago and we are thrilled that it has been selected by InStyle Weddings. To see the airing on Access Hollywood last Friday, just click here

Someone kindly sent us an article with pictures showing Marcia Cross and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon when they were pregnant and wearing Isabella Oliver. It's lovely to hear about how they are doing after the birth of their twins.

Marcia was wearing the Ruffle Wrap Dress and Garcelle was wearing the Satin Bow Dress.

Good morning.

Since the coverage of Jessica Alba wearing the Audrey dress for her baby shower went around the internet, the sales of the dress have gone crazy. It's been really nice to see pieces written on websites such as Marie Claire, OSoYou.com and US Magazine.com (US weekly's website). If you'd like to see a selection of these, just click on the links.

Hi, Baukjen here.

The maxi dress is one of my favourites with flats, so I was especially happy to see US Pregnancy magazine feature it on the cover. If you like a breezy, loose fitting long length dress, have a look at this one. Vanessa and I wear it even though we aren't pregnant at the moment - though not in the current cold London weather. It actually comes with a sash though it's photographed here without one. I wear it with the sash but some friends prefer without as photographed above. Below is a full length picture (with the sash). Have a nice evening.

We were extremely flattered that Jessica Alba chose the Isabella Oliver Audrey dress for her Baby Shower yesterday. Many congratulations to Jessica and her fiancé Cash Warren on the pregnancy.

Tiffany Fallon is wearing the Isabella Oliver Ruffle Wrap Dress in Plum here. Tiffany just starred in the US Celebrity Apprentice and is expecting her first child with her musician husband Joe Don Rooney. We wish her all the best!

To all our customers, some of the phone lines are not working for a reason we don't understand at this point. We are working hard on resolving this. Our apologies for the inconvenience and please do email us so we can call you back. Once again, our sincere apologies.

Hi,

we are recruiting for a variety of roles, based in the London office. If you are interested in working here at Isabella Oliver, please drop us an email and tell us a bit about yourself and your background. Please send your email to KirstenB@IsabellaOliver.com

Hi, Baukjen here.

We always absolutely LOVE it when we are out and about and see women wearing Isabella Oliver. Absolutely L-O-V-E it! Whenever that happens, Geoff always nudges me in their direction and says "Go and say Hello". I find this rather embarrassing as I have no idea what I should say. So when Geoff's not there I just smile and that's it. However when Geoff is there, he strides right up to the woman and starts up a whole conversation with them. To be honest, everyone is always so nice and chatty that I am always glad he went up to them.

What happened one day in New York last week was a new experience for me/us. Geoff and I were strolling through New York, I saw a nail bar and decided to get a manicure and a pedicure done. Whilst sitting there waiting for my nails to dry, in walks a group of 3 girlfriends. They take their coats off and sit down in those chairs for pedicures lined up next to each other. They are chatting away when Geoff says to me that one of the ladies is pregnant and wearing one of our tops. Geoff walks up to them and says "Hi, I see you are wearing an Isabella Oliver top." He couldn't say anything else as the women started to enthusiastically tell him that they loved Isabella Oliver, had worn it for their pregnancies, loved everything about the styles, the delivery service etc etc. They said they loved it so much that one woman had named her daughter Isabella and another woman had named her son Oliver! Even Geoff was speechless at this point. After a moment he tells them that we are 2 of the 3 founders of Isabella Oliver at which point it was their turn to be surprised. They picked up the phones to call their husbands and friends. They were absolutely lovely and Geoff and I felt two feet taller when we finally left. Once around the corner, I took my phone out and rang my mother and then Vanessa to tell them the story.

Now lets just hope that years later, their children Isabella and Oliver fall in love and have a baby - the clothes are then on us! Hello to the ladies if you are reading this!!

It's early morning in New York, everything is closed but I am wide awake with jetlag. So just going through my emails and see I've received wonderful news from one of our models from the Spring Summer collection (she's on the homepage today). She has just had a beautiful baby girl. She emailed a picture of herself and her daughter and she looks so happy, Many many congratulations from us! A perfect way to start the day.

It's early morning in New York, everything is closed but I am wide awake with jetlag. So just going through my emails and see I've received wonderful news from one of our models from the Spring Summer collection (she's on the homepage today). She has just had a beautiful baby girl. She emailed a picture of herself and her daughter and she looks so happy, Many many congratulations from us! A perfect way to start the day.

Hi,

Every few months we run focus groups to find out more about what people think about Isabella Oliver, from our collection through to our customer service and everything in between. We're looking for volunteers to join in our next session. If you are based in London, have an evening to spare next Wednesday (19th March) and would like to participate (you can bring a pregnant friend if you wish) at our offices in Kentish Town, please email ClaireB@IsabellaOliver.com with your name and contact details.

We'll provide food and drinks and you provide the feedback! The focus group evenings will start at 6 and last approx 2 hours. Thank You!

It seems that bows are big this season for both day and evening wear. We spotted this article in last week's Grazia and loved Kate Winslet's chic strapless little black dress.

If you're looking for something similar, the shape of the Satin Bow Dress will flatter pregnancy curves, whilst the sumptuous black satin bow ensures you are right on trend.

We love this article that's just come out on Modern Mom. To put any rumours to rest, there is no Belle Epoque dress on the way to her.

If Angelina Decides to Tie the Knot, We’ve Got the Dress!
By Natasha Burton

"Rumors were circulating that Angelina and Brad were going to make their union official through marriage...so we at Mommywood decided to find her the perfect designer for her wedding dress. Since Angie is pregnant, we thought that London-based maternity designer Isabella Oliver would be the ideal choice for a gown. Isabella Oliver is a favorite of many other celebs moms, including Amanda Peet, Marcia Cross, Heidi Klum, Tori Spelling, Julianne Margulies, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Now, the super chic—and forward-thinking!—maternity line has introduced a bridal collection. It features three signature styles: Belle Époque (a fantasy wedding gown with a Grecian-style twist), the Audrey (a sexy-chic, Old-Hollywood dress), and the Maxi (a more beachy, relaxed gown). I think Angie would love the Audrey style, with its wide gathered straps over the shoulders and flowy silken pleats, it would float perfectly over her figure. It also has a knee-baring split in the front for that sexy edge she’s know for. If she and Brad don’t end up taking a trip down the aisle, perhaps Angie could get a gown made in her favorite red-carpet color, black, so she could recycle the dress for a black-tie fete."

We've teamed up with our friends at Cowshed to offer one lucky winner a gorgeous wooden trug full of £200 worth of indulgent pregnancy-friendly pampering products, plus a £100 voucher for a luxurious maternity spa treatment at Cowshed Clarendon Cross, London.

Cowshed is a range of naturally-based bath and body products originally formulated for the Cowshed spa at Babington House in Somerset, which is renowned and loved amongst Isabella Oliver staff and followers as being the location where co-founders Vanessa and Baukjen first met.

10 runners up will receive gift bags containing £50 worth of Cowshed treats.

To enter, simply visit our competition page.

Beautiful celebrity chef Giada Di Laurentiis is pictured here at Fettuccine and Fiorentina wearing the Isabella Oliver Wrap Dress in black. The exclusive Food and Wine festival evening event was held in Miami, FL on 23rd February and hosted by Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver and David Manero, with support from Danny DeVito.

At eight months pregnant, Giada is looking fabulous, choosing to layer her Wrap Dress with white for a monochrome look.



Image courtesy of Celebrity Baby Blog.

Today, Lucia van der Post, one of Baukjen's favourite fashion journalists (who has just brought out a wonderful book), has an article in today's The Times featuring Isabella Oliver.

She recommends the Isabella Oliver Grace Coat, in response to a reader’s dilemma over what to wear as a pregnant wedding guest. The article also features a gorgeous sketch of the Grace Coat by David Downton.

See our Wedding category for more stylish ideas.

Thank you to Maternity & Style for selecting our new Belle Epoque wedding gown to feature as this weeks editor's pick. We are so delighted with the dress and how well it has already been received, as this is the first maternity dress we have designed intended to be worn solely as a wedding gown.

The dresses only recently arrived and the team were so excited to send the first ones out to customers. We are so pleased to know that women will be wearing this on their special day and we hope it makes them feel very beautiful.

Appearances from celebrities Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman at Sundays Academy Awards inspired an article in the Los Angeles Times Blog speculating the dresses chosen by the pregnant stars for the prestigious awards evening. We think Cate and Nicole look absolutely glowing in gowns by Dries Van Noten and Balenciaga respectively.

It is always fascinating and inspiring to see how celebrities dress whilst pregnant, especially when it comes to red carpet events.

Looking glamorous whilst pregnant is achievable without having Hollywood star sized budgets. To flatter your pregnant form, the blog recommends The Wrap Column Dress for any black tie, plus we would also suggest The Audrey Dress in Oyster for Summer events and the Satin Bow Dress or Drop Waist Dress for anything less ‘red carpet’.

We are so pleased with how well-received the new SS08 collection has been. Our latest maternity wear has been created in soft, easy-to-wear fabrics and styles which look and feel fabulous and are versatile enough to wear throughout and after pregnancy.

If you are unsure what to choose for SS08, why not have a look through Our Favourites for a great selection of key pieces for a capsule wardrobe, along with tips on how to wear.

Today was the first day of our Autumn Winter shoot. It was a good day but, as always during shoots, rather exhausting. I wanted to wear everything we shot today, I absolutely love the collection. The model was a joy to work with, in her third trimester and she had a happy easy going attitude. Remembering my pregnancies, I had a lot of respect for the energy she had today. By coincidence, whilst at the shoot I received an email from one of the models that we worked with for our current spring summer collection. She is due in a few days and doesnt know whether she is having a boy or a girl and is very excited. I can hardly believe she hasnt had her baby yet as it seems absolutely ages ago when we shot the SS collection and she was then 6 months or so pregnant. An image of her has been used on buses here in London and she wants to print it on wallpaper for her baby's nursery. Tomorrow is another shoot day. Off to bed as I was up before 5am, normally the reason for this would be the kids or a heavy workload but today it was just simply that i was awake and couldnt sleep. I spent the hours in which everyone was asleep reading a book Vanessa and I are featured in which has interviews with female entrepreneurs: Inspiring Women: How real women succeed in business: 25 Top Female Entrepreneurs Reveal How They Succeeded. I really enjoyed reading other women's stories. Off to bed now to read a few more chapters.

Hi, me again!

I have been a bit Blog shy, so apologies for being away for so long. Just to catch you up with IO world behind the scenes...

We are all very excited, busy, scared (me!!) about our next photo shoot which takes place on Monday and will go all of the week. The "scared " part is just because most of our samples are still being made as I write this and some are still in transit from the sample rooms which are all over the place and I won't be able to relax until they are in our hot little hands!! Timings are a little tight, yes, but it will all come together in the end as it always does, and it will all be fine on the day. I'm sure.... Breathe..............

It's going to be great. Stay tuned and watch this space!

V x

Hi,

Recently we did a survey and one of the questions we asked our customers was whether they read our blog. The majority answered that they weren't aware that we had a blog. This puzzled us as it is a popular section on our site. On closer inspection, it turns out that some customers do read the blog but that many visitors are family members, friends, family members neighbours, employees' family and friends, hairdressers, dentists, ex-boyfriends (don't ask) etc etc. And not to forget the people that used to work at Isabella Oliver (hello!). While it is of course a pity that many of our customers aren't aware of the blog's existence (we will work on that), it is lovely that family, friends etc like to keep up to date on the isabella oliver news.

We sometimes receive emails asking why we did not publish a person's comment on one of our entries. It's simple, we receive an enormous amount of spam comments that have nothing to do with us but instead are sex, insurance etc related. Probably 99% of the comments are not at all related to Isabella Oliver or its' customers or the collection. With several hundred a day, it is difficult to find the real comments, so our apologies for not publishing your comments. We still have a desperately old version of blog software and need to update it - one of the things we plan to do in the coming months. But we will, so please bear with us.

Hi,

On Monday we launched our Spring Summer collection. It was an exciting day and the response was wonderful - thank you. We did feel for the Customer Services team who had an enormous amount of orders to send. But they coped very well and we appreciate all the hard work they put in. At times it felt like it was a bridge too far but they kept their spirits up and did a great job.

Every season, to launch the collection, every team in the company has lots of work to do. The brand team, the marketing team, the customer services team etc and... Vanessa and I get the credit. While we love to receive the lovely emails and reviews, lets be honest, this is a huge team effort. We (Vanessa, Baukjen and Geoff - our third business partner) are extremely grateful and proud of the team. As Vanessa always says "Go team IO!".

Thank you everyone.

We have just launched the Isabella Oliver Weekly Widget – a stylish little application you can download to your desktop, which automatically updates weekly, giving you hints and tips throughout your entire pregnancy. To get the latest maternity style secrets, must-reads and more, get the Isabella Oliver Weekly Widget here.

We are very excited to announce the launch of our chic Spring Summer collection. All the latest trends and gorgeous designs are now available on the website to help you create a fabulous maternity wardrobe for the new season.

Hi everyone, this morning I came across a post on another blog site about a mother’s Monday morning and it inspired me to ask co-owner of Isabella Oliver and mother of 3, Baukjen, how her morning went. Here’s what she had to report...

2.30am - I had difficulty sleeping - Pippa has an earache and slept in our bed snoring away.
3.00am - Pippa is convinced its playtime. It takes me 30 minutes to convince her otherwise.
6.00am - My boys are in full play mode, I creep out of bed and tell them it’s too early and they should try to get some more sleep.
6.30am - I'm up, run downstairs to lay the table, run back up to dress the boys, run down to feed them.
7.00am - Pippa finally wakes up and needs to be dressed and given breakfast. Then I practice reading with the eldest who now gets homework.
8.00am – Our nanny arrives and together we brush the kids teeth, get fruit for school, put shoes and coats on and then they are off.
8.20am - Run upstairs for a quick shower. I'm late for work and Geoff is pacing around downstairs. In 10 minutes I'm showered and dressed, no time for make up (promise I will do it when I arrive at work, haven't though).
8.35am - Pack my bags with tear sheets I want to show Vanessa, work I took home over the weekend and various forms for the kids' schools and nurseries.
8.50am - Off to work where we head straight in to a meeting. The beginning of the work day.

We were delighted to discover a recent blog post which describes the Isabella Oliver collection as ‘maternity clothes to fall in love with’. The blog is by a mother living in Paris with her husband and two daughters and we are so pleased when we hear these genuine word of mouth recommendations.

A few of our customers today received an email from us twice. This was due to a mistake on our side. Apologies for the inconvenience! Have a nice weekend.

Hi,

It's a busy Friday, where normally Friday is the calm day of the week where we play catch up. Today the new brochures havearrived (and look wonderful!), some of the styles of the new Spring Summer materniy collection are arriving, we are casting models for the Autumn Winter shoot and we are selecting fabrics for many of the Autumn Winter designs. We are making final adjustments to the website launch of our Spring Summer collection and the sale that was due to end last night has been continued until we launch the new collection on February 4th. Customer Services have a record amount of orders to pick and gift wrap and ship today. All in all its so busy here, it feels more like a Monday. But it's all good. Have a lovely weekend.

Hi, Vanessa and Baukjen here. Yesterday was an exciting day for us as we launched a preview of the spring summer maternity collection to our customers who are signed up to the Isabella Oliver newsletter. Thousands of women watched the preview all around the world and it was wonderful to read the emails people sent. Thank you to everyone who joined us and thank you to everyone who emailed us (it is very much appreciated). The collection will be available on IsabellaOliver.com from the 4th of February. We hope you will all love it.

The exclusive Isabella Oliver spring summer 08 Collection Preview launches next week. This online event is by invite only, so make sure you're on the guest list by signing up to our e-newsletter.

Join us next week and be the first to view and pre-order items from the new collection, see footage from behind the scenes and interviews with Vanessa & Baukjen. Plus discover the secrets of the Isabella Oliver signature style.

See you there...

Sign up for email news now

The Cowshed has kindly given us delicious products from their bath range to give to our UK customers on any orders above £200. Unfortunately, at this time, this offer is only limited to the UK but we have other products soon becoming available for our other customers.

At Isabella Oliver we are huge fans of the Cowshed (they sent us lots of products for Christmas which we have been enjoying since). They have naturally based bath and body products which were originally formulated for the Cowshed spa at Babington House in Somerset, England, the contemporary country house hotel and rural outpost of London's Soho House. Babington House is where Baukjen and her husband, Geoff, married and later met Vanessa when they were both pregnant with their first children Isabella and Oliver. So, quite obviously, Babington House and the Cowshed are special to us. Enjoy the offer while stocks last.

Celebrity-babies.com have again been out spotting the best dressed pregnant stars. They recently noticed Jennifer Lopez wearing a fabulous empire-waisted coat that is not dissimilar from our very own maternity Grace Coat.

If you love IsabellaOliver.com you can vote for us in USMagazine.com's pole which features Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon looking fabulous in our Satin Bow Dress (now with 20% Off until 24/01/08!)

Best known for starring in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart is now expecting her second child. We think she looks gorgeous in the pictures for US Weekly. She is wearing the IsabellaOliver.com Wrap Around Top in Sea and The Wrap Dress in Crimson Red.

Hello, in February we will be launching the SS08 maternity collection. I know we say it everytime, but again we feel its our best collection to date and hope you will agree. For our email subscribers we have an exclusive on 21st January where our subscribers around the world will watch an exclusive online preview featuring behind the scenes footage of the new collection, interviews with us on what styles we love (most) and the option of reserving the styles ahead of the rest. The exclusive preview will only be available to our email subscribers, so if you would like to join us behind the scenes and you are not yet subscribed, just click here to ensure you receive your invitation.

Celebrity-babies.com have spotted these famous mums-to-be wearing Isabella Oliver designs.

Julianna Margulies wearing the Funnel Neck Jacket, Gabrielle Reese in the Ruched Tank Vest and Smooth Line Trousers and Elizabeth Hasselbeck wearing the signature wrap top



For more celebrities wearing IsabellaOliver.com designs, go to Celebrity-Babies.com. Alternatively, view the whole Isabella Oliver collection.

If you live in London or have been visiting recently, you may have noticed Isabella Oliver featured on the side of the infamous red double-decker buses.

The photo is a real head-turner and features our ever-popular IO Jeans.

This picture was taken by a friend of Baukjen a day or so ago, so keep an eye out for us when you’re out and about in London. And, if you would like to own a pair, the IO jeans are currently on sale with 10% off.

It may be cold in London, but not so in Miami. The Miami Herald recently featured Isabella Oliver on their front cover for an article called 'How to look holiday hip with a baby on board'. The cover features the Empire Wrap Dress in Charteuse and the Wrap Dress in Crimson Red.

We just spotted the Fall/Winter issue of US Plum Magazine. The actress Jeri Ryan is featured and we think she looks fabulous in the Isabella Oliver Wrap Column Dress and the Sweater Tunic.

With temperatures hovering around 0 in London we’re in definite agreement with pregnancyfashion.com who suggest to wrap yourself in warmth with our maternity wrap cardi.

They say...“Wrap yourself in warmth this winter in a wrap cardigan that is as stylish as it is comfortable. Whether you wear it open or wrapped around your shoulders, this beautiful wrap can be worn at your dressiest occasion or for a trip to the grocery store…This Isabella Oliver wrap cardigan is a splurge, but you will find yourself reaching for it day after day to keep you toasty warm. This cardigan’s stylish cut means it will fit your bump up until the end and beyond. This wrap will be perfect for you post-baby bod and will even allow you to nurse your baby in privacy.”

Also, if you’re lucky enough to be getting a dose of winter sun, this is great as a cover up for the evenings. I’m sure there was one in Baukjen’s case when she left for Egypt last week!

One of our favorite blogs - designers block (frequently clicked on our virtual rolodex!) has put up a lovely post:

"Isabella Oliver do the best maternity wear, so good in fact that they almost, I repeat almost make you wish you were pregnant. I have said this before and I will say it again you can still wear this stuff even if you aren't pregnant. It hides a multitude of sins."

Thanks so much! here in the office we’re all fans of the clothes pregnant or not especially at this time of year!

This week’s Momfinds.com newsletter highlights the best maternity party dresses. Their Editor's Pick for little black maternity dress is the Isabella Oliver Ruffle Wrap Dress.

They say…”Sexy without being too revealing, this wrap dress hugs at all the right places and plunges at the right spot to highlight your fabulous pregnancy cleavage. Your friends will be envious.”

Always a bestseller and a celebrity favourite, we recently added an additional colour option, Indigo as a fabulous alternative you want an alternative to black

Click here to see momfinds other party highlights
Click here for our full selection of maternity dresses

Calling All Pregnant Moms: Go Ultra-Glam in Gorgeous Holiday Clothes exclaims modernmom.com today. This latest online article showcases great ideas on how to celebrate your sexy pregnant shape this party season. Vanessa and Baukjen are part of the panel offering tips on dressing for parties this season. Read on for their answers to modern mom’s questions…

What are your favorite silhouettes for moms-to-be this holiday?
"It's the perfect time to be stylishly pregnant, as there's just so much out there to suit every body shape and budget. Always wear styles that suit and flatter your shape. You will feel more comfortable, which ultimately makes you look good and ooze confidence. Let's face it, there's nothing sexier than a confident woman -- pregnant, or not.
"Style-wise there are no rules. It depends on the mood and the occasion. If you're a Glamourista, go for strapless, column silhouettes that are both elegant and timeless. For a more feminine, flirty attitude, empire line dresses and tops look amazing. And with curves so on trend right now, women wanting to show off their newly enhanced cleavage should opt for figure hugging, Jessica Rabbit-style dresses that feel truly voluptuous. Just add dramatic statement jewelry or accents of colour and gold with patent shoes or a metallic clutch. And don't forget how a flash of luscious red lipstick creates the perfectly groomed look of the season."

What dresses from your collection do you love for the season?
"One of our winter favorites is our Wrap Column Dress, both during and after pregnancy. It's effortlessly glamorous, blissfully comfortable and you can wear it different ways. We love to dress it up for the party season with chandelier earrings or a jewel encrusted cuff. Then top the look with a marabou cropped jacket.
If it's a cocktail look you crave, try our Satin Bow Dress. It's very Audrey Hepburn with a satin tie to accent the bust -- simply the perfect look that literally works every time with flats or heels and minimal accessories."

How can moms-to-be get through the holidays style-wise without breaking the bank?
"Keep it simple. If you opt for streamline and flattering shapes, then the possibilities are endless. If you introduce accessories like jewelry, shoes, handbags, clutches, and even coloured, opaque or patterned tights, you can create lots of different looks with a single item. For example, take a simple little black dress like our Wrap Dress for your office Christmas party - wear with opaque tights and platform satin heels, sweep up your hair and add a stunning cocktail ring or dramatic necklace. Same dress, different party: go bare legged with glistening moisturiser, pick out a pair of jewel toned sling backs and a neat clutch, wear your hair sexily loose and finish the look with a fabulous beaded cuff. And the great thing about investing in a few key accessories is that you can wear them way beyond pregnancy. "

Just Stepping Out With a Newborn?
If you've recently had your baby and are wondering how to pull off nursing and partying, never fear. Mothers of newborns can seamlessly enjoy socializing without worrying about how to feed their little ones discreetly.
Isabella Oliver's Wrap Dress, Side-Tie Top and Wrap Cardigan, which can also be worn throughout pregnancy, all pull open easily to accommodate a nursing baby. "These practical fashions also hug in all the right places," says Vanessa and Baukjen. "They make it effortless for new mothers look chic and feel sexy. And with pieces like these that work for the fourth trimester, women can get more wear out of their maternity wardrobe."

To read the rest of the piece click here.

For more maternity style secrets click here.

Here at Isabella Oliver everyone has been working very hard on the final preparations for the Spring Summer launch next year. We are going to be doing some very exciting things which we will announce in January. If you would like to be one of the first to hear about them, do sign up to our email newsletter. Have a lovely weekend.

When we wrote about the Funnel Neck Jacket being a huge maternity favourite I hadn't realised the most recent issue of fit pregnancy was featuring it too. This is one of our favourite US pregnancy titles and they've shot the jacket in a really interesting way....

They also featured the Turtleneck on the facing page...

The look they've captured is very similar to the iconic Isabella Oliver catalogue cover. This maternity look teams the Turtleneck with the Garbo Trousers for a smart, classic look for Winter. If you haven't seen our most recent catalogue click here to request yours

iVillage in the UK launched it’s Baby’s First Christmas picture gallery today and they feature a great tip from Vanessa and Baukjen:

“Treat yourself to something gorgeous. Baukjen and Vanessa from Isabella Oliver advise new mums to invest in at least one very special dress.
'An essential time-saver, dresses instantly deliver a pulled-together look, and can really flatter your post-baby shape, with feminine styling and empire lines that cleverly skim your least favourite bits.
'Black is always classic, but rich tones such as red and plum really key into the festive atmosphere. Make your final choice by neckline. Sexy and plunging will show off your fabulous cleavage.'”

To choose your special Christmas dress visit our maternity dresses department. Happy Shopping!

Click here to view the complete guide

Here at Isabella Oliver we are very lucky to have a wonderful customer service team who receive many compliments from happy customers. They always put a smile on our faces and today we received a message that’s made us even more proud of the girls! It’s from the actress Courtney Thorne Smith:
“Thanks so much for your extraordinary customer service. I couldn't be more impressed.”
As fans of Melrose Place and Ally McBeal we’re feeling a bit star struck!

pregnancyfashion.com came up with a fabulous suggestion this week after seeing Jennifer Lopez making her arrival at an LA premier on Saturday. You can be the dark angel to Jennifer’s white dress and steal her radiant look with the Isabella Oliver Wrap Column Dress. This sexy maternity dress has the same dramatic one shoulder drape and flattering cut.

We have an alternative suggestion if you want to recreate the winter white. Try the Maxi Dress. A romantic maternity dress for enchanted evenings in warm places. Floating from a sexy empire line to the ankle in voluminous cotton and silk crinkle with halter straps and soft sash to twist and tie. Definitely more LA than London at this time of year but gorgeous nonetheless!

Another day, another great holiday gift guide for pregnancy and once more featuring Isabella Oliver. We’re really proud that we’re part of the Baby Centre maternity shortlist.

They selected the Hepburn Jacket with the headline "Ready for your close-up". They say: “you will feel like a Hollywood legend in this tailored, open-collar jacket. The stretchy, sensual wrap around the belly is perfect for a night at the theater or a holiday party. Pair it with tailored pants or a long pencil skirt.”

We suggest trying the Garbo Trousers or the Pencil Skirt to achieve that classic Hollywood look.

Click here to see the full pregnancy gift guide

Here at Isabella Oliver we’re advocates of stylish and indulgent gifts and we’re pleased that parents.com agrees with us. They’ve put together a slide show of luxurious gifts just for you this Christmas. Don’t be tempted to selflessly fill your own holiday wish list with sensible gifts for the baby, they advise and we couldn’t agree more! One of the items they feature is the Funnel Neck Jacket:

Winter preggos face a big fashion challenge -- how much do you want to fork out for a coat you'll wear just one season? This ultra-mod jacket from Isabella Oliver (for those who are too preg-clumsy to wear white, it comes in black too) is technically maternity, but because of its wrap styling and trapeze cut, it can be worn when you're not pregnant too (no one will ever guess). We love it when splurges become sensible!

For other gift ideas you can point loved ones to our maternity gift section. It doesn’t hurt to drop a few subtle hints. You’ll be glad you did come Christmas morning!

Since winning the award last week, we have received lots of calls and emails with kind words. Today an absolutely HUGE box arrived full of chocolates from the company that run our back end system MNP Media. I think there may be 20 different boxes of chocolates within this huge box. The office is absolutely thrilled of course. A big thank you to MNP!

It has been an absolutely wonderful week for us at Isabella Oliver. One of our 'oldest' employees (in terms of how long she has been with us) became engaged, we won the etailer of the year award in the uk and tonight we broke our US sales record. It really has been wonderful on all levels, personal and business. It is absolutely due to our customers that we exist and we so enjoy what we do. What a luxury to be able to dress pregnant women at one of the most special times in their lives. It is an absolute pleasure to work in our business in the good times such as these but also at the less good times. Thank you.

Last night Isabella Oliver won etailer of the year at the Drapers Awards 2007 - the oscars of the fashion retail industry. We are over the moon and very proud of everybody. We celebrated in to the early hours of the morning. It was a very special moment for everybody, one we will always remember.

Following the slight technical hitch our phone lines are back up now. We don’t want to disappoint anyone on our 24/7 availability! If there’s anything you need to ask we’re available now

Susan
Head of Customer Services

Our apologies, for some unknown reason all our phone lines have just gone down. We are working hard on restoring them. Our apologies for the inconvenience this causes you. Our emails are working so if you wish, please email us in the meantime on TheGirls@IsabellaOliver.com

Once again, our apologies and hopefully all will be working again soon.

Susan
Head of Customer Services

Kristina Stewart Ward wears the Tie Knot Dress in the US Vogue december issue. She looks absolutely fabulous in it at eight months pregnant. Thank you to Kristina and Vogue for featuring Isabella Oliver.

It's celebrations here at Isabella Oliver. This morning, Claire, who has been here for nearly two years, announced she became engaged last night! She is very happy and we are all absolutely thrilled for her and her fiance. She adores chocolate so we will be celebrating with chocolate cake this afternoon. There's nothing like news such as this to put a smile on everyone's faces. From Geoff, Vanessa and myself (Baukjen) we all wish them both a very very happy life together.

Bumper time to be a new mummy asserts yesterday’s London Lite and we couldn’t agree more. The feature talks about how being pregnant doesn’t mean loosing site of fashion nous. It singles out Isabella Oliver as an “essential stop for red-carpet glamour” suggesting the wrap column dress and wrap around top. We’re expecting a rush from Londoners today!

Hi, today we sent out an email with some of the celebrity favourites from the maternity collection. If you haven't signed up to our emails and you'd like to receive emails like these and also have access to exclusive promotions, just click here to sign up. Of course you can unsubscribe easily whenever you want.

Samantha Harris may be best-known for co-hosting the ABC hit series, Dancing With The Stars (which averages more than 30 million viewers weekly), but this month she features on the front cover of Pregnancy and Newborn wearing the Isabella Oliver Mini Wrap Dress. This maternity dress has become an instant hit with celebrities and Isabella Oliver customers.

Julianna Margulies was pictured last week wearing the Isabella Oliver Funnel Neck Jacket at the New York City premiere of Before the Devil Knows You're Dying. This is the first red carpet appearance for this maternity coat but has proved to be a hit with celebrities, editors and customers too – we’re really pleased you all have such great taste but we knew you would! Click here to see the pictures on the celebrity baby blog

Hi,

A customer sent us this nice piece of coverage on our ruched cami by Pregnancy Fashionista. Thank you!

"During pregnancy, I have found that the fitted maternity camisole has become an undergarment staple. I wear one under everything, whether I’m in a T-shirt, a blouse, or even a sweater. I find that having the camisole on prevents unwanted displays of my flesh, both from the top of my shirt and from the bottom. Much like wearing a slip underneath your maternity dress or lining in your maternity bathing suits (see relevant postings below), a camisole adds one more smoothing, protective layer between your strange, unfamiliar body and the outside world. Who can argue with that?

My favorite maternity camisole is the Isabella Oliver Ruched Cami, which sells for US $50, or two for US $85. It comes in black, white, pink, and grey and you cannot go wrong in buying a few of these. IO’s camisole has a built-in shelf bra and adjustable straps, as well as ruching on the side so they really expand and will last you your whole pregnancy. The fabric is 90% viscose and 10% elastic, so it is fitted everywhere. And it is very long, so there are no issues with it riding up. I can put this camisole on, pull it over my belly and it will actually stay there all day–a very, very comforting feeling.

I wore this IO camisole in a size 2 throughout my last pregnancy and have purchased new ones for this pregnancy, also in size 2. So far, they still fit great (although, this time around, I am definitely making better use of that trademark Isabella Oliver ruching). I not only wear them underneath all of my tops, I also wear them to bed just about every night–the shelf bra gives extra support while you sleep, without your having to wear a bra. And I also wore them after I gave birth, while I was nursing. The adjustable straps made it easy to breastfeed while wearing one."

The week since we've been back from New York has been busy as usual. Unfortunately a few of the team members from the Customer Services team are leaving today and you would not believe how many cakes, biscuits and sweets there are in that department! Vanessa and I have been busy on the SS collection and also working on the Autumn Winter maternity collection for 08/09 which is exciting and fun to work on. There are also lots of exciting projects that will be launching in the next few months which we hope everyone will love. Oliver, my eldest son and the "Oliver" part of "Isabella Oliver" celebrated his 5th birthday yesterday, Vanessa's Isabella had hers a few weeks ago. Geoff is away from the office today speaking at a mail order and etailer conference here in London and tonight we are hosting a big dinner party for some of our UK and US suppliers who are over for that conference. We are also planning a trip to Los Angeles in the new year which we are excited about. All exciting things to be involved in.

By Pregnancyfashion.com

Steal her look: Elisabeth Hasselbeck

The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck was featured in the November issue of Pregnancy magazine. Hasselbeck, 30, is expecting her second child in November with her husband Tim Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck says she feels like being pregnant and dealing with her changing body actually improves her self confidence and she has less “bad” days. “I feel like I have more of those times when I’m not pregnant than when I am pregnant. I feel as though I’m a little less hard on myself when I’m pregnant. I’m just happy that I can be there and not feel nauseous anymore. Also, there is a confidence and a sense of self that comes when you’re pregnant more so than when you’re not.”

Elizabeth kept her look hip and casual in the Isabella Oliver wrap around top in Plum.

Hi,

Vanessa and Baukjen here. US Weekly this week features a picture of Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon wearing the Satin Bow Dress. Hats off to her for looking so fabulous at 8 months pregnant with twins.

Hi,

ePregnancy selected two of the Isabella Oliver evening dresses for their article on dresses for the party season.

"Thank goodness designers have finally started realizing that preggos have to party, too! And honestly, I'd wear most of these dresses in my current un-pregnant form (especially that gorgeous Isabella Oliver column dress). I've rounded up a few of my fave dresses for the season -- they are all dressy enough for an evening mocktail party, but would work just as well for an office function or family dinner. The Isabella Oliver Satin Bow Dress dresses up a classic silk charmeuse, making this one a perfect multi-tasking dress."

Vanessa wore the wrap column dress to a party in the summer and lots of people asked her where she had bought it and couldn't believe it was maternity!

This month’s American Baby has a style feature profiling products that give back to their favourite charities. One of the items chosen was the Isabella Oliver Raspberry Empire Wrap Dress as all this month we’re donating 25% of all US sales to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. So not only will you get a fabulous new maternity dress you’ll also be donating money to a good cause. Here’s the article….

Hi everyone, Claire here.

I was just sent this link to one of my favourite websites, celebrity-babies.com. They've featured a picture of Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon at the 'Gone Baby Gone' premiere in Westwood last night, wearing the Isabella Oliver Satin Bow Dress and looking amazing. It must be the perfect LBD for a premiere - or for us mere mortals, any party will do!

Click here to see the pictures

Isabella Oliver has many celebrity admirers including Marcia Cross who plays the tightly-wound mother Bree Van DeKamp in Desperate housewives.

On a recent red carpet appearance Marcia Cross wore the Ruffle Wrap Dress in Plum. PregancyFashion.com featured this story and kindly suggested that The Wrap Cardigan would be a great item to snuggle up with. A good recommendation with summer slowly being replaced with autumn chills.

Today started off not so good. Tomorrow we have a shoot and the pregnant model's agency called in to say she wasn't feeling well so wanted to cancel. A bit of a panic on our end... photographer, hair & make up artist, studio etc were all booked. Normally it takes weeks to find a pregnant model that suits our brand, so with less than 24 hours to go we were in trouble. And so we were extremely lucky when we found a fabulous pregnant model who is available to shoot tomorrow! What a relief. And then shortly after more good news followed. It's just been announced that for the second year running Isabella Oliver has been shortlisted for "etailer of the year" by Drapers which is the UK fashion industry bible. To all of us here this is a HUGE achievement and we are absolutely thrilled and honored. There will be champagne after work today! Vanessa & Baukjen x

It's only tuesday but it feels like later in the week. We've had a lot of shipments come in in the past two days which is always time consuming for the people involved. We're busy preparing for a pr event in New York next week and today we're filming a show for a tv programme. Royal Mail have announced another strike starting tomorrow (ending the 9th) and so we are upgrading all UK orders to express delivery and US and international orders to Fedex to try to get the orders to our customers as quickly as possible. In additon we are doing a shoot later this week and so we have our hands full. But it's nice to be busy.

On another note September was a record month for us in the US and we are extremely grateful for all the people who are helping spread the word. Thank you!!

Big day for us! today we are 4 years old!!! YAAY, We made it!

HUGE thank you's to everyone who has helped us get here and for those of you who take the time write in with your feedback every week- the positive and also the not so positive, the words of ecncouragement and advice. These things make us feel good about what we do and help us to improve to make shopping with us a happy, positive experience at this special time in your life. PLease keep it coming!

So what are we going to do to celebrate...?? We had better think of something!

Thanks again for your support and spreading the word!

Vanessa and Baukjen and the IO Team xx

Love these pictures of Elisabeth wearing
(1) the Wrap Around Top in one of my favourite colours of the season - plum
(2) Ruched Tank and The Shrug

Fashionjunkie.com did a great profile on Isabella Oliver's maternity collection today. A big thank you to them!

Yummy Mummies
September 24, 2007

Much to my mother's chagrin, I've never felt the burning desire to bear children. Call me shallow or selfish, but to tell you the truth, I'm petrified of acquiring saggy, post-pregnancy boobs and stomach rolls. Plus, I'm a total bitch without my requisite 10 hours of beauty sleep (just ask my hubbie). That said, after recently bumping into a friend swathed in Isabella Oliver - a chic London-based line of maternity wear, I just might have to reconsider (hey, Mom - are you reading this?).

Drape yourself in Isabella Oliver maternity designs and instantly transform those nine months of hell into swell. An expansive 65-piece collection of comfy and yes, fashionable frocks for every occasion, Isabella Oliver will want to be worn well after your little one is born. Conceived by Vanessa Knox-Brien and Baukjen de Swaan Arons, two European mums who noticed a dearth of modern maternity gear when they themselves were preggers, Isabella Oliver has become the go-to label for expecting fashionistas who refuse to compromise their sense of style. In fact, even hot mamas like Heidi Klum and Amanda Peet have proudly pranced around Tinseltown sporting Isabella Oliver's trademark wrap dresses and ruched tops. Touted for their tailored fit and top quality fabrics (from soft jersey to elastic woven), Isabella Oliver's silhouettes won't stretch out, even when your stomach does.

This season's luxe lineup includes cuffed wide-legged trousers, sexy ruched shirts with slouchy sleeves, curve-hugging dresses, over-sized cowl-neck sweaters, kimono-inspired tops, racy off-the-shoulder gowns and swimwear (perfect for playing-up up that new-found cleavage). Plus, everything's available in an earthy color palette (from charcoal grey, ivory to black) that perfectly complements every skin tone.

Why waste your time waddling around town looking for an entire maternity wardrobe, when with the click of a mouse, you can buy everything you need at Isabella Oliver's online store. And if your purchases don't fit at first, trust me - you'll grow into 'em.

This Autumn Winter we launched a Funnel Neck Jacket and the Grace Coat. We've been hesitant in the past to launch outerwear as they are expensive and we felt we should not launch these until we have developed styles that are not just fabulous during but also after pregnancy. So this year we were excited to launch these two new styles which are perfect for whether you are pregnant or not. We're delighted they are both popular with our customers as well as the fashion editors (most not pregnant).

Some magazines have featured it on their cover. Below is an example.

By PregnancyFashion.com

"Faded Youth gives us a sneak peak of The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the cover of Pregnancy magazine. Hasselbeck, 30, is expecting her second child in November. I am a fan of the “all black” look—it is slimming and it makes you look taller. You can copy Elisabeth’s chic monochrome look in a black Ruched Tank dress by Isabella Oliver. The side ruching beautifully showcases your changing curves. Pair this dress with the black Isabella Oliver Wrap Jacket and you are ready for your close up."

The Wrap Cardigan is a firm favourite with Isabella Oliver customers and is very much in vogue for the Autumn/Winter (fall for our American friends) season.

In the Fall edition of Pregnancy’s Buyer’s Guide (P83) The Wrap Cardigan features in a 'What to Wear'. You can see the article below.

We're on the cover! Isabella Oliver and Charlotte Church feature on the front cover of this month's Cosmopolitan. Charlotte wears the chartreuse Empire Wrap Dress. The colour looks really great on her and though we don't get a glimpse of her bump we're sure the empire line maternity design is incredibly flattering.

This dress is one of our maternity best sellers and has been for several seasons. It's a great design, highlighting pregnant curves and the colours (chartreuse and raspberry) are great for summer occasions or for when you want a splash of vibrancy, and then there's chic black for classic glamour.

We're glad Charlotte chose to wear Isabella Oliver - diolch yn fawr Charlotte (that's thank you very much in Welsh if you were wondering!)

We received an email this morning from a customer in reference to a quote made by Hollywood actress Charlize Theron (it had us all laughing in the office). Charlize commented that having children is something she feels quite excited about. However, she wasn't so keen on looking like a "whale". Her words not ours.

The quote was posted on the Blue Fashionista blog. The next post Proving Charlize wrong did exactly that, proved Charlize wrong. Ursula Laura, the author of the article, showcases a number of chic and sexy Isabella Oliver designs that highlight gorgeous dressing when pregnant.

Bumpology, the weekly maternity newsletter from URBANBABY.COM has showcased Isabella Oliver in a how and what to wear feature. See below for the full article.

Bumpology

So long, comfy beach cover-ups. Farewell, empire sundresses. Yup, summer's almost over. As the autumn air blows in, how does one dress that burgeoning belly?

This season, fashion is becoming even more sophisticated and clean, and maternity will follow suit. We got the scoop from style experts at Chaiken, Cadeau, Isabella Oliver and Babystyle – who have dressed some of the most fashionable moms-to-be – on the top maternity trends for fall:

What to wear
Color: Think rich, warm colors like chocolate, hunter green, eggplant and grey. And you can't go wrong with classics like ivory, camel and navy.

Silhouette: Look for skimming silhouettes, like knee-length peg skirts, wide-leg trousers, T-shirts with great draping or detail, swing tops and dresses that flaunt curves.

Must haves: Make sure your closet is stocked with a sweater coat, a great fitting pair of pants and an easy-to-wear dress.

How to wear it
Play up your curves. Pregnancy can create great cleavage. Maximize your assets by drawing attention with a plunging neckline, scoop or V.

Keep it simple. Choose clean lines and quality fabrics. Work your look around sleek shapes, good cuts, solid colors and pregnancy-friendly fabrics like jersey.

Stay true to size. Do not be tempted to buy bigger. The extra fabric in non-maternity clothes may cover your bump, but it will hide your body's sexy new curves.

Remember who you are. Pregnant women have more choices than ever in keeping up with trends. Maintain your personal style both while you're pregnant and after the baby comes.

The Wrap Column Dress has just received a lovely review from Hero Brown at SHE magazine:

"The sexiest evening dress I've seen this season is a black strapless Grecian column dress by Isabella Oliver. Wear it with a chiffon wrap or short cardigan if you're conscious of your arms."

Hello again,

another feature for you to have a look at. Charlotte Church, celebrity presenter, pictured in full flow wearing the Isabella Oliver Wrap Dress in crimson.

The Isabella Oliver Wrap Dress is a staple maternity dress in the closet of many celebrities and television personalilties. It's also a favourite with Isabella Oliver customers and barely gets a chance to sit on our shelves before flying out the door.

You can view the article here...

Isabella Oliver has been featured in September's issue of the USA InStyle magazine. Featured are the Hepburn Jacket and the Garbo Trousers. We love inStyle so thank you for featuring us!

It's been a few days since we launched our AW collection and we've been working through the activities that are linked to every new collection launch. This time round we had such a high number of brochure requests that we had difficulty coping but we are nearly there. Vanessa is off on holiday in New York for 2 weeks and quite a few people are taking a few days off after all the work put in prior to launch. Right now, besides the final launch activities, we are finalising everything for summer next year. Today, I had a nice quick trip away from the office. A friend who works at Donna Karan invited me to a sale and as she is one of my favourite designers (and Vanessa's) I went. It was difficult as I loved practically everything but I eventually narrowed it down to a few. The summer weather has finally arrived in London and we hope to enjoy for a few weeks. Have a nice week.

A few hours after planned, our new AW maternity collection is live! The collection is our favourite to date (we do say that every time I admit but it is always the case, and now again). The team have also been working hard at launching a new website featuring loads of new elements we hope you will love. As always, there will be glitches in the site just after launch but we are working on finding them and fixing them, so hope you can bear with us. P.s. dont forget to check out the Maternity Magazine which will be updated monthly. Baukjen & Vanessa

Hi,
It's late here at Isabella Oliver and there are a few of us still here working on the preparations for the launch tomorrow. When you read this we've probably launched the new collection and website. We hope you will like all the changes and the new styles in the collection. Vanessa, Geoff and I would just like to take a moment to say a massive thank you to everyone here at Isabella Oliver for all the weeks and, for some, months of hard work they've put in. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Also we would like to say thank you to the various people outside of Isabella Oliver who have helped us with this launch - we are extremely appreciative.

Baukjen, Vanessa and Geoff

Isabella Oliver was proud to participate in Super Saturday in the Hamptons last weekend. This is a fundraising event underwritten by one of our favourite designers, Donna Karan, for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Designers donate clothing, beauty products and accessories which are then sold at 30-50% off retail.

It was a huge success which was totally sold out. The Isabella Oliver booth was buzzing all day long with both pregnant and non pregnant women and it was great to receive wonderful comments. Celebrities in attendance were Donna Karan, Christy Turlington, Petra Nemancova, Kelly Ripa and many more.

If you are in the area next year around the same time, it is absolutely worth going to.

Hi, Claire here

Earlier this week we showed you a lovely picture of Kim Raver in the Isabella Oliver Ruched Tank Dress. Since then one of our favourite pregnancy websites, Celebrity-Babies.com, also spotted the celebrity.

CBB said, 'When it came time for Kim to dress for the event, she looked no further than maternity designer Isabella Oliver, and her 'absolutely favorite' piece from the collection -- the ruched tank dress (on sale for $112.50) in black. With side ruching that can accommodate you from trimester to trimester, and built-in support so you can go bra-less if you choose, the dress is extremely versatile.'

To read the full article click here.

Someone just sent us this link of a nice picture of Kim Raver wearing the Isabella Oliver Ruched Tank Dress. Click here to see it.

Hi everybody. Sorry for not having written for so long- just feeling a bit shy these days. This weird weather here in the UK has just been a bit uninspiring and confusing. Is it sunny? Is it raining? Is it Hailing?!! Summer clothes or winter clothes? Sandals or Boots?? BLAAH..You get the picture...

Until today...

We are working furiously on the Spring collection and so far it has been going well. Shopped for fabrics today to tie things up and I am just BESIDES myself with the gorgeous stuff I found.! NOW I am excited!!! I love it when that happens.

Wish I could tell you more, but I can't! You'll just have to stay tuned and maybe start planning a Spring/ Summer pregnancy! I personally, will not be pregnant ( I'm done, thanks) but I am still planning my wardrobe for next year as I write this!

Now back to work. More later!

V x

Hi,

in a few weeks we will be launching the AW 07 collection. It's an exciting time as we have all been working hard for months on this. It is my favourite collection to date and I think Vanessa's too. Besides the new collection we are introducing some new things on the website and in the brochure which we hope you'll enjoy. In the past month many people here at Isabella Oliver (if not all) have worked very hard on the preparations. The Customer Services team have had a busy time too. In the past month we have had weeks of record sales which of course makes us happy but means they have volumes of orders to deal with that were enormous. Sometimes we have gone in to help and I am always amazed at how positive and fun the atmosphere is when it is obviously rather stressful. Hats off to them! Vanessa always says she loves the buzz of energy there and I agree.

We are working on the SS 08 collection and it feels strange to do so when we have hardly had a summer season here in the UK with the weather being as poor as it was. I've lost count on the amount of friends who have told me that their maxi dresses they had bought early on havent seen the daylight.

Tomorrow an email goes out with the opportunity to reserve your copy of the AW brochure. As soon as it comes in, it will be sent to you. So many people have been involved at various stages in the creation of it and to them a massive thank you. I hope you will like it as much as we do.

Hi, Vanessa and Baukjen here.

Yesterday was a busy day. In the morning we had a shoot at Baukjen's house for a magazine which was fun. In the afternoon we had a PR event at Soho House to show our AW collection in depth to the press. It was a great afternoon with many of our favourite magazines turning up and loving the new collection - quite a few were pregnant and are borrowing designs. Thank you to everyone who came! Afterwards we popped in to the restaurant and had dinner with our husbands. All in all a really nice day.

Hi, Baukjen here. Someone just sent us this featuring the Isabella Oliver Ruched Tank Dress.

Hi, Baukjen here. Am working late tonight with Claire and we just received this nice picture of our Twist Dress from our US pr company. It is being featured in the June issue of Pregnancy & Newborn. It's a great maternity dress for summer, or in black for evening. Unfortunately we have had dreadful weather here in the UK so there havent been lots of opportunities to wear it yet but fingers crossed we may see a bit of summer here.

Hi Graham here,

Isabella Oliver featured in pregnancyfashion.com this week. The feature titled Summer style: Think fresh, airy & white focuses on our new crinkle selection and features a picture of Marcia Cross wearing the Ruffle Wrap Dress.

You can read the article here (pregnancy fashion) where you'll also be able to pick up one or two maternity style tips.

Hi everyone, it's me Vanessa.

very exciting week- end of line sale has been a big success and we already have sold out of 5 styles!! One style we do still have left is the halter nightie, who's name is very misleading because it is not just perfect for bedtime but in black it also works as a great summer day or even evening dress. We really should've called this "The Perfect Everyday Dress". it is also really comfortable. I MUST run upstairs and get one for myself!

I will be back shortly- I have some fabulous new shoes I have to tell you about! And you WON'T believe where I got them!
Stay tunes.

X

A nice piece on us today in the New York Sun. It reads:

These days, New York City mothers are just not willing to compromise on style while pregnant. At Isabella Oliver, an online maternity apparel store, there are plenty of options for women who aren't prepared to give up their shopping jones. From the company's signature wrap tops ($100) to its hipster trousers ($110), the clothes go easily from work evenings out. The London-based range also features a variety of tops, bottoms, lingerie, an