The Moms

I went to school for fashion merchandising, but not fashion design. If only I would have known.  After graduating, I had various jobs in retail stores and buying offices until I landed my dream job at the time – Assistant to the Fashion Director at Seventeen Magazine.

It was in the late Seventies and it was such a fun, vibrating place to work. I credit working at Seventeen for honing my forecasting ability which has served me well ever since starting Les Tout Petits. When I was the Accessories Editor we had to do forecasting reports and it was always so satisfying to breeze through and be ahead of the curve.

The creative collaboration at a fashion magazine is beyond compare. From the editors, photographers, art director to models looking to make magic every month, inspiration abounds. I worked with such a great group of people, many of whom I am still in contact  with and  great friends with today.

My inspiration comes from everywhere. It can come in the shape of a leaf, in the color of a pane of glass or from observing a well put together look on the street. With that said I would have to say I get my most inspiration from travel. Opening yourself up to new experiences, cultures, colors, textures and people is a sure way to get inspired for a new collection. 

Social media has also been really inspiring.  My personal favorite, Instagram, allows you to view all these beautiful images from all around the world. As a designer, who could ask for anything more?

Unfortunately I never had a mentor, which I think is so beneficial to paving a faster, easier road to success. Because of this, I try to mentor all my employees, interns and friends’ daughters who are looking to get into the business.

My best advice, aside from finding a mentor is – always give 110%, and be genuine and true to who you are. Most importantly, be nice! To me being nice is who I am. It’s important to be authentic, have integrity and treat people with respect. In turn, you surround yourself with other like-minded people who have the same pay-it-forward mentality. I am probably one of the least judgmental people I know. Accept mistakes from yourself and especially your co-workers. Some of my best ideas have come from mistakes.

While at Seventeen I became pregnant with my first son, Justin. I returned back to work, but after a few months of babysitter problems (and realizing my son had not been properly fed all day), my mama instincts came out and I knew being a mom was my priority and the job was not to be any longer. For the next two years on a part-time basis, I started to freelance doing fashion shows and styling ads. I also enjoyed being a first time mom and feeling my way through a completely different life. Gone were the parties at Fiorucci & Studio 54 and all the perks that go with being a fashion editor. Although I had fun putting together a cool wardrobe for going to the park and mommy & me classes, I kept looking for that fashion element that was my life.

After having my second son, Jared, three years later, being a mom was so much easier because I knew the ropes and he was an easy baby.

A friend on my floor was hand painting ducks and bunnies on clothing for her son. I befriended her and started suggesting certain fashion colors & geometric designs for her to use. She wasn’t interested in fashion, only in making cute clothes for her son, but my husband said why don’t  you do what you are telling her to do and go into business for yourself. I took his advice and created a little collection of hand splattered diaper sets which he took around to some local stores. They were all well received. My husband had a formula at the time that if we can do x amount with x number of stores, we could have a million dollar business. His next advice was to enter a trade show, so we did.

The first line I did was almost 30 years ago. I did sleeveless tank tops in bright colors and hand painted with geometric designs and bike shorts. No one was doing anything like this at the time. And no one was doing fashion for kids in the early eighties. The line was the hit of the trade show and we walked away with over $50,000 in orders. We celebrated with a champagne and lobster dinner. Les Tout Petits was officially off and running. We rented a space (after working out of our apartment) and Danny quit his job to serve on the board and manage the sales and business side leaving me to do the creative and design. Fast forward almost 30 years and here we are, doing what we love. With a reputation for being the go-to fashion line for girls since our inception, we are grateful to have been featured in numerous feature films, syndicated TV shows – (The Olsen twins used to wear our clothing all the time on a Full House), commercials, major ads and favored by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, and so many others. The  Obama girls wore Les Tout Petit for the  First Kids Inaugural Ball and throughout their younger years in The White House. Fashionistas everywhere love and get the look that is Les Tout Petits, which is very satisfying to me.

Kids- Justin-age 33 & Jared-age 30

I thought I knew my children’s favorite things… but after checking with them, they both said that it wasn’t things but travel and family vacations that were their favorite.

Because we have worked ever since they were young,  we always scheduled vacations on school breaks and holidays. The Four Seasons in Maui holds many special vacation memories from kindergarten thru the present, and as well,  St. Martin & St. Barths at Christmas have been our go-to for years. We always love taking beach vacations because it allows us to relax and unwind and they are conducive to spending lots of time together.  

My husband Danny is my rock. We have always been there for each other 100%. Considering that we have worked together for the last 30 years & been together going on 36 years, if you add that up, it’s scary amounts of time together that most people could never imagine. It works for us because he takes care of the business & I take care of the creative. He’s a little crazy, with the best heart and always makes me laugh. We love and respect each other and we are so fortunate to have found each other as we are true soul mates. My boys, Justin and Jared, are everything to me and I couldn’t be more proud of the men they have turned out to be.

I am not a morning person, so my husband gets up first, showers & then draws a bath for me with lavender oil & Epsom salt to start the day. He really is the best! I then use L’Occitane verbena body lotion & in the winter I love Ligne St. Barth vanilla lotion. After that, it’s a mashup of some Kinerase & La Prairie products mixed with some drugstore brands. I try to get a in a little exercise routine, put on a little makeup, dress & out the door.

My husband drives so on the short trip to the office, I check emails, Instagram & Facebook and try to take care of as much as possible before getting in. We stop for Starbucks and once I get in have that with some fruit & yogurt,  or smoked salmon & check in with my team, all of whom have been with me a very long time.  

I value each and every member of my team for their unique talents, dedication and commitment. I could not be where I am today without them.  Each day is different, always hectic, but always enjoyable because I love what I do. I do 3 major lines a year Fall/Back to School, Cruise/Resort (my personal favorite) and Spring, as well as, work closely with stores and stylists on individual projects. We have a lot exciting things in the works – a new website, introducing Les Tout Petits to the Asian market and I would love to do a diffusion line. I am currently looking for a licensing arrangement to bring the look that is Les Tout Petits to a larger mass audience of girls who crave high fashion, after many requests.

I never know what is going to catch my eye. But on my radar, I am currently lusting after Isabel Marant fur lined booties for Fall. Love everything she does! At the moment, my fashion faves are Christopher Kane, Phoebe Philo & Peter Dundas. When in LA every couple of months, I always stop by the Rebecca Taylor store & find cool, comfy pieces perfect for work. I pretty much have a Summer uniform consisting of Rag & Bone jeans & these chiffon, silk & satin tops out of the most gorgeous prints I make.

 I keep getting requests from buyers for them & do plan to market & sell to a wider audience in the future. Everyone calls it the Lois Top. For spring, winter & fall I’m a big fan of cardigans layered with tank tops from my friend Linda’s line Skinny Tees with denim or black jeans.

As far as icons go, I really respect & admire all forward-thinking, creative women (there are too many to mention). But the one that really stands out for me at the moment is Natalie Massanet of Net-a-Porter. She is a true visionary that found a way to combine high fashion with e-commerce before anyone ever envisioned this could be done. She created this high concept fashion ecommerce site that resonated with fashionistas in all parts of the world who didn’t have access to all this amazingly curated fashion. I have such respect for her vision and accomplishments! May I suggest Net-a-Porter Kids? We could be a great fit!

To us, it would all be a great fit with you, lady. You are such a positive and enlightening voice and we love to see your spirit shine through in your superstar designs. Please keep doing what you do and give us a ring when that Lois Top goes to market. xo, TMP