fab find: saurette spring dresses

Whimsical.

One word describes all of the dresses in Saurette's spring collection.

Well, add in 'beautifully constructed' and 'gorgeous.' But if you're Saurette lovers like we are, that's a given.

Saurette designer Lisa Kanouse seems to have modern little girls --and quite honestly, their mothers who buy the clothes -- pegged. Each season, she designs a slightly sassy line that feels NY runway but is romantically inspired and ready for play. You might remember that Lisa is mom to two adorable boys from our interview with her last fall. Given that she spends her mornings pulling together the t-shirt and khakis look for her kids, it always amazes me that she knows moms and little girls (at least this mom and her little girl) so darn well.

Saurette has just released their brilliant spring line. Although each piece in the line is fabulous, the spring dresses particularly caught my eye. Hence why they are this week's fab find.

In today's post, Lisa kindly answers a few questions about her spring collection. She shares her inspiration, creative process and why she loves spotting little girls wearing her clothes on the streets of NYC.

What inspired your spring dresses?
Spring is inspired by fruits & flowers. All of our colors are named after juicy, vibrant flavors that translate into deliciously irresistible colors: Grape, Blueberry, Raspberry, Lemon, Limon, Tangerine, and Strawberry all tie back to white, grey and black. Even our black and white striped pieces offer a surprise pop of color to make that item extra special. Our prints include a Raspberry heart, and a Mosaic Print in Blueberry & Grape. I wanted this sophisticated angelic mood to the Spring collection. Little girls are so angelic to me. I designed all of the hair accessories from flowers, vine and raw fabric scraps as a sort of angelic halo look to accentuate their beauty while being tied to a earthen theme.

Can you describe your design process? How do you go from idea to sketch to fabric selection?
I start with color selection. Some sort of pink and purple is always included, because it sells! It’s just plain silly, to avoid them. The trick is selecting unique hues of the colors that cause excitement when you spot them. Nothing is better than seeing a little girl’s eyes light up when she spots something she loves! After color, I work on prints. I shop all of the local print shows in NYC and research what the upcoming trends are, but mostly, I just select what I like and what I think is a bit unexpected for the childrenswear market. I don’t like seeing little girls in the typical soft pink ditzy print dress. I want to give them something more modern, more fun, sometimes sassy, definitely stylish. Then I start working on silhouettes. Keeping in mind what little girls like, what mom will be happy with and tying that together with the contemporary influences that is playing out in womenswear. It has to be fashionable, but appropriate for a little girl at the same time.

Can you describe the fabric selections for each dress?
I believe in 100% cotton as a staple where ever possible. It’s a natural fiber, wears well, is comfortable and easy to care for. Most of our dresses are made with 100% cotton voile that has a fine yarn size which offers a really soft hand feel which feels great next to the skin. We also use cotton/spandex for and 100% Pima Cotton for our basics and 100% viscose for our pieces that require more fluidity or drape.

Where are you hoping you spot one of your dresses this spring?
Honestly, I take pleasure in seeing the local girls wearing Saurette. It’s nice to walk down the street in New York City and spot one of my designs on a little girl. I really love if I have the opportunity to talk to them and get to ask them what they like about the dress, and if it is comfortable. I like to learn from them and continue to evolve the collection based on what they like.

Love Lisa and Saurette? "Like" Saurette on facebook. Go ahead. Do it. You'll thank me later.

(cool) tip: check out Saurette's dresses (and other items!) at Wee Chic - A Baby Boutique. They are the exclusive boutique on our area to offer the line.