Photo Courtesy of: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic; Jordan Strauss/WireImage

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Rachel Zoe, she’s the celebrity stylist known for creating the looks of Nicole Richie, Keira Knightly, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale, Demi Moore, Debra Messing, Liv Tyler, Molly Sims, Eva Mendes and Anne Hathaway to name just a few.

Now she is dressing Jennifer Garner who is currently pregnant with her third child and Rachel has made it clear that she doesn’t intend to dress Jennifer in maternity clothes.  With only about four months to go before her due date, Garner looks radiant in this dress by Lavin, but is it realistic to dress an A-list celebrity in non-maternity clothes through the last few months of her pregnancy?

As a stylist, dressing a woman is obviously about style, but also about understanding how to accentuate the attributes of each woman's figure to create an alluring feminine silhouette.   When a woman is pregnant her shape changes dramatically and becomes much more curvy, and for women who weren't already blessed with a few curves it's a time to celebrate! 

As with any designer piece, a stylist needs to consider the cut, colour, fabric, detail and its shape on a particular woman's body.  Many pieces just won't do, and then there will be that one killer piece that is just right.  It says everything it needs to say, it makes a statement, it's a must have.  The issue with being pregnant is that designer clothes just aren't designed for a pregnant woman's body.  They're designed for tall thin women, typically with narrow hips.  The last time I checked, this doesn't describe most pregnant woman and is a primary reason why we have maternity wear.

When I speak to women who had children in the 60's, 70's and 80's their primary complaint was that either there weren't any maternity clothes available or if there were, they were the equivalent of dressing in a tent.  Many women were too embarrassed to leave their homes because they didn't feel good about themselves dressed in maternity clothing that was less than desirable.  

So when I see Rachel Zoe dress a woman as naturally beautiful as Jennifer Garner I wonder why this world renowned fashionista is dressing Jennifer in a designer tent when there are so many truly beautiful maternity dresses, made in gorgeous fabrics, to a high standard, and that were created to compliment and accentuate a pregnant woman's features to create a beautiful sexy feminine figure.  Women need to know that they are beautiful during their maternities and they need to realize that they do not need to compromise on the quality or the style of their clothing either.  It will be interesting to see if Rachel decides on a gorgeous maternity dress for one of Jennifer's A-list evenings out on the town.  As Jennifer herself stated, "I think she was so little when she was pregnant, she didn't wear them. Sooner or later, she is going to have to put me in them!"  "Eventually that's going to happen, but so far she's gotten her way!" Garner laughed.