Of course, this was during the dark ages of maternity fashions, when the clothes' true purpose appeared to be to infantilize the woman wearing them.

And this from a company that is otherwise on the front lines of maternity fashion, with suggested outfits like black leather bootleg pants (marked down from $56 to $39) with a red glitter plaid blouse (marked down from $64 to $39).

In Western cultures the influence of celebrity culture means that pregnant women in the public eye are taking the lead on maternity fashion.

Loulu - Re the maternity fashion and women always having to look good - agreed, in so many ways.

Also, photo essays cover the boom in multiple births (triplets, quads, etc.--many cute babies) and the new maternity fashions.

While stylish maternity fashions were once scarce, today there are scores.

As recently as five years ago, the dominant, some would say solitary, force in maternity fashion was Liz Lange, the design pioneer who dressed Manhattan's gilded set.

"The way that pregnant women view themselves has altered dramatically over the last five years," said Liz Lange, who designs form-fitting maternity fashions for high-profile clients like Ms. Parker, Aerin Lauder Zinterhoffer and Uma Thurman.

But, the bride said, "I want to change my lifestyle a bit," hinting that she hopes to model maternity fashions by this time next year.

When Melania Trump appeared in American Vogue, she held in esteem as a model of maternity fashion by Anna Wintour.