In fashion terms, 2005 is a good year to be pregnant. The empire line is shaping up to be a key silhouette this spring – and will last well into next autumn, too. Designers have played around with proportions and high waists, creating dresses, tops, and even coats that are cut around the bust and flow gently downward. For women who aren’t blessed with the slimmest of waists, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief.

At Miu Miu, designer Miuccia Prada gave preppy sweater dresses a feminine twist by cinching them just under the bust with a ribbon belt. The silhouette was echoed throughout the collection in wallpaper-print shirt-dresses, belted in a similar way, and in empire-line mini-dresses with mirrored bodices and liquid gold silk skirts. At sister label Prada, she continued the theme with silk print minidresses.

Other designers created a similar effect by tying otherwise shapeless pieces with belts just below the bust. At Marni, Consuelo Castiglione fastened belts around coats and jackets the colors of fondant fancies, and on roomy cotton or silk dresses.

Dries Van Noten, whose spring collection includes some fabulous floor-length printed gowns, emphasized their cut by tying striped canvas belts just below models’ busts.

Proenza Schouler ended its show with a parade of gorgeous tropical print empire-line gowns, some of which incorporated their signature corseted bodices. Narciso Rodriguez added mini-corsets to short silk dresses, and layered cropped satin bra tops over flowing tops.

But not everyone benefits from the look. Empire-line dresses and tops may seem like the perfect cover-up but, as the supermodel Gisele Bundchen illustrated when she wore John Galliano’s beautiful white empire line gown to this year’s Oscars, the leanest of creatures can look pregnant in this silhouette. Steer clear of too many layers, which can create a voluminous effect; streamlined pieces are far more flattering.