Natalie Portman's Cape Coat Reveals She's Styling Her Pregnancy Like a French Girl

Only Portman would conceal her baby bump with vintage Hermès.

Natalie Portman announced she's pregnant, then wore a cape coat with straight-leg jeans
(Image credit: Backgrid)

Celebrity moms-to-be are at giving me all the spring style inspiration this week, and I'm not even expecting. First, Aubrey Plaza wore not one, but two shoe trends with her growing baby bump. Then on April 17, Natalie Portman draped a chic cape coat over hers, two hours after revealing she's pregnant with her third child.

The exciting news broke while Portman and her partner, Tanguy Destable, were in Paris, where they'll be spending her pregnancy: "In France, they consider full-term to be 41 weeks rather than 40, so I guess I get an extra week to be pregnant this time around," she exclusively told Harper's Bazaar. The Oscar winner wasted no time declaring herself a maternity muse to watch in an army green jacket and straight-leg jeans.

Natalie Portman announced she's pregnant, then wore a cape coat with straight-leg jeans

Natalie Portman styled her growing baby bump with a cape coat while pregnant in Paris.

(Image credit: Backgrid)

The base layer had all the makings of a pea coat, including a flat collar, cascading buttons, and a thigh-length hem. However, an additional, high-low cape made it a lot more Parisian than your average layer. (Marie Claire fashion director Sara Holzman called capes like this a "a symbol of Parisian chic" as early as Sept. 2024.) Gusts of wind revealed the top layer's houndstooth lining, which confirmed it's a vintage, circa-1970s Hermès cape. A secondhand store called Fallon just listed it two weeks ago.

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It seems living in Paris has left a mark on Portman's denim drawer. The wide-leg enthusiast entered her straight, stovepipe jeans era with a mid-wash pair. (Perhaps the American in Paris got her hands on Holzman's two-year-old report, where she also suggested wearing capes over jeans.) Portman still brought a piece of American dressing with her, though, as proven by her black cowboy boots.

It's been a minute since Portman joined the maternity-wear scene. For some perspective, Rihanna had all three of her children since Portman welcomed her second child (daughter Amalia Millepied) in 2017. While she was, well, not pregnant, Rihanna changed maternity closets everywhere by styling her pre-baby staples, just a few sizes larger.

Last time around, an off-duty Portman preferred traditional maternity pieces like leggings, skinny jeans, or tunics, all with extra room for her bump. On red carpets, however, the Black Swan star wasn't afraid of bump-forward fashion. See: Her little black or white dresses at the 2016 Hollywood Film Awards and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

natalie portman wore a black midi dress while pregnant in 2016

Back in 2016, Portman cradled her baby bump with a long-sleeve LBD.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Natalie Portman went on the Tonight Show Starring JImmy Fallon in a pregnancy-friendly white dress

She adored LWDs while pregnant, too.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Portman kept her maternity style plans under wraps, but she did reveal she's feeling great. "I have more energy than I thought I might,” the mom of soon-to-be three told Harper's Bazaar. "There’s a calm [in] knowing myself: who I want to spend time with, what kind of energy I want around me that makes the experience so beautiful every day."

Portman spent her first pregnancies in L.A., winning Oscars, Golden Globes, and more. It seems living in Paris right now is only impacting Portman positively—especially on the pregnancy style front.

Shop Cape Coat Outfits Inspired by Natalie Portman

Meguire Hennes
Staff Writer, Fashion

Meguire Hennes is the fashion staff writer at Marie Claire, where she breaks down the celebrity looks living rent-free in her head (and yours). Whether a star is walking the red carpet or posing on Instagram, Meguire will tell you who they're wearing and why. When she's not gushing about A-listers from J.Law to Rihanna, Meguire also covers breaking industry news.

Previously, Meguire was the fashion news writer at The Zoe Report. She received a bachelor's degree in fashion studies at Montclair State University, and has freelanced at Bustle, Women's Health, Well+Good, and more. You can find her words across the fashion, beauty, health, and wellness verticals, because her Libra moon wouldn't let her settle on one beat. Follow her on Instagram for BTS moments from her Marie Claire era.