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<