‘Fourth Trimester’ Fashion Comes of Age
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
When new moms head out to social functions, they face a style dilemma: For a few weeks after giving birth, nothing fits. For the time between leaving the delivery room and hitting the gym, Liz Lange has created a new maternity-wear concept: the fourth trimester. Ms. Lange, 38, founder and CEO of Liz Lange Maternity, has selected items from her current collections that can help a woman get through the transition. The selected pieces stretch and contour to a woman’s shape, and they’re identified in the shop with a tag that touts, “for that in-between time before you’re back to the real you.”
Ms. Lange, whose maternity clothes have been worn by Kate Winslet, Debra Messing, and Julianne Moore, credits her customers with the 4th Trimester Collection concept. “I kept getting emails and phone calls from celebrities and high-profile clients telling me they had nothing to wear,” Ms. Lange said. Her advice was to pull out things from their closets they had bought early on in their pregnancy. But what began as a simple answer turned into a novel approach to postpartum fashion – and a savvy marketing effort.
Ms. Lange founded her company eight years ago and made a name for herself with slim, sleek, sophisticated pieces for work or black-tie events. Her fall offerings in the 4th Trimester grouping include an above-the-knee cotton twill camel trench with leopard-print lining ($350), a below-the-hip solid stretch silk cashmere cardigan wrap in black, camel, or charcoal ($275), and a fitted knee-length black faux wrap stretch jersey dress ($125).
As she describes it, women are evolving, and it appears her brand is, too. When she noticed a vacant retail space next door to her Madison Avenue boutique, she decided to open a temporary outlet store: Upstairs at Liz Lange. With deeply discounted prices – silk dresses for $50, sweaters for $30 to $50, and knit tops for $20 to $30 – she is now targeting high-end buyers with bargain prices for last season’s still relevant clothes. The outlet will be open through September; a closing date has not been set.
Liz Lange, 958 Madison Ave., 212-879-2191; Upstairs at Liz Lange, 960 Madison Ave., second floor, 212-327-1626. The 4th Trimester is available at www.lizlange.com.
