In the spring of 2020, when Savannah Egan was seven months pregnant, she came across a baby gear listing that she could not resist.
Her taste had always been classic — she’s a historian by trade and has a penchant for heirloom sewing and hand embroidery — and she wanted to purchase a stroller that fit that aesthetic. So when she found a woman selling a limited edition vintage Balmoral pram from the British brand Silver Cross, she knew she had to have it.
Ms. Egan drove to Los Angeles from her home in San Diego and loaded the 80-pound stroller into the back of her car. She paid $900, which could be seen as a bargain, since Balmorals — one of the most exclusive and expensive strollers on the resale market — regularly retail for upward of $3,000.
“They call it the Rolls-Royce of strollers, and they’re not kidding — it’s massive,” Ms. Egan, who now lives in North Carolina, said in a recent phone interview. “And it’s definitely not user-friendly, but it’s beautiful.”
Silver Cross Balmoral-style strollers, which have long been a favorite of the British royal family, crossed over to influencers and luxury fans in the United States with the help of social media. When the podcaster Jackie Oshry had a baby two years ago, she posted a photo of the status stroller in her living room. And on TikTok, some users frequently post videos showing off their Balmorals.
Restored Balmorals are on the high end of a booming market for luxury strollers that includes offerings from the typical baby gear powerhouses, but also from collaborations with fashion houses, car companies and more.
The Balmoral is its own animal, as it is no longer manufactured by Silver Cross, meaning that interested buyers need to consult someone like Scott Frew, the manager of Prams With Pizazz, a vintage stroller restoration business based in Britain that is owned by his wife, Carolyn. The business started 10 years ago when the Frews customized a miniature Balmoral, hand-painting the hood to look like a ladybug. Since then, Mr. Frew said he had restored “thousands” of prams, including a six-figure family heirloom stroller for one client so private they required an N.D.A.
Mr. Frew said that he kept a stock of about 300 in his warehouse in Scotland and that he shipped internationally, including to the United States. Prices start at around $3,300 (2,500 pounds), but Mr. Frew said their durability made the price worth it. “You get a lot more use out of them,” he said. “They look a lot nicer than the strollers that you get nowadays that, if you’re lucky, last for one baby.”
For those looking for high-end options without the complications of having one restored, fashion houses like Dior and Fendi are capitalizing on the status stroller moment by collaborating with companies on their own designs. Loro Piana sells a “thermoregulating” stroller in a not very baby friendly cream color for around $5,800 (5,000 euros).
Silver Cross recently partnered with Lamborghini to create a $5,500 stroller, while the British brand Egg announced last month that it was collaborating with Aston Martin on a bespoke stroller that would hit the market later this year. Cybex, a brand best known for its stylish collaborations, currently offers a 1950s nostalgia-inspired stroller designed by Jeremy Scott for $2,499.95.
Rebekah Kimminau, a baby gear expert and professional registry consultant, said that beyond imports like Silver Cross, many of the popular luxury stroller brands in the United States remained the same as they did two decades ago, when “Sex and the City” helped put the Bugaboo Frog on the map. She often recommends a Bugaboo, like the $1,500 Kangaroo, or a Cybex, like the $2,250 e-Priam, which includes a built-in motor to make pushing uphill easier, both of which have proved to be both luxurious and durable.
Ms. Kimminau added that many of her clients wanted a luxury option that could be easily converted and customized with different fabrics and accessories. The Uppababy Vista V3, a favorite of luxury influencers like Campbell Puckett (better known as Pookie), offers more than 30 configurations as well as extra canopy and seat fabric kits in different colors, so you can change your stroller’s aesthetic any time.
Those options may be more practical than a Balmoral, no matter how classic its design is.
After purchasing her Silver Cross, Ms. Egan said she had used it only once or twice. It does not fold up, and its weight makes it difficult to transport in a car. Instead, like most of her friends, she uses a Vista for her everyday stroller. But she does not regret buying the Balmoral.
“We ended up just kind of having it in the house and we used it for photos and I keep my kids’ stuffed animals in it, and they like to climb up in there and play with it,” she said. “But, yeah, I just think they’re beautiful.”
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