A Q&A with Lambillotte

Lindsey and Suzan Lambillotte’s love of fashion began at a young age. During a childhood summer spent at their grandparents in Ohio, Lindsey made a swimsuit adorned with rose petals glued on for Suzan. While the swimsuit didn’t quite survive the sprinkler as Suzan ran through it – their passion for design didn’t stop there. Today they have a successful, thriving brand called Lambillotte that can be found in major retailers such as Anthropologie and can also be seen on a variety of celebrity clientele.

I recently was beyond thrilled to discover that Suzan is currently residing in San Antonio and jumped at the opportunity to style a design from their newest collection as well as interview these two talented sisters. Be sure and scroll to the bottom of this post to shop this amazing look! And GOOD NEWS – this dress is currently 25% off on Anthropologie!

Q. When did you and your sister decide to create Lambillotte and why?

We began Lambillotte in 2010, creating a few capsule collections that we sold to private clients, made to order. The collection really began as a creative outlet – making pieces we wanted to wear – the fabrics and designs that we loved. The feedback was so positive that we decided to open the collection to the public on a broad scale with two seasonal collections a year. We began offering wholesale to small boutiques in the NY area and then expanded into the Bay Area of California. Now our styles are available nationwide and in England with Anthropologie.

Q. Midland, Texas wouldn’t normally be considered a fashion capital. How did your upbringing there influence you and your collections?

A. I (Lindsey) live in NY now but Texas is where our roots are. We have created two collections inspired by the south: Desert Rock and Fear & Loathing. Both are very colorful. The south is known for the use of color​ and I think it kept me from being afraid of using it​. In NY most people don’t want to use color because its more difficult to put smart looks together, black is an easy go-to. With color, everything has to be very thought-out, to be well done.

Midland is such a small town and Julian Gold was the only fine retailer we had. But we did have many wonderful small local boutiques and shops that brought highly curated brands to their stores. Independent brands, high quality, at a variety of price points. I really enjoyed shopping at these type of stores because the variety was excellent and you saw so many different point of views through different designers’ collections. So, I believe in a lot of ways growing up in that type of shopping environment influenced our collections – having the freedom to offer specialty items.

Q. Tell me about the roles you each play in the company and what is it like working with your sister?

A. Ha! This makes me laugh because the holiday planning phone conversation we had yesterday went from “when are you coming here for Christmas and are we going to Santa Fe?” to…”wait are we sending that hammered satin dress to Beyonce’s stylist?” It’s pretty seamless how business just flows into personal life and back and forth. So, in a way its great because we have a lot of fun while we are working…but then you realize that you are working allllllll the time. I guess if you love what you do…it doesn’t feel like work. And we love what we do. It’s the absolute best!

Sorry, back to the question.  I (Suzan) do a lot of the boring business stuff and some production work. I have been known to carry a few bolts​ of fabric through the NY Garment District…but honestly I’m mostly behind the computer screen. We make all decisions together but our roles are still pretty separate. ​Lindsey​ does​ all the design and pre-production, and we both have a hand in production and marketing.

Q. Tell me about your current collection and your customer.

The current collection, Sailboats, is ​inspired by a love for sailing. Abstract prints, sail-shaped necklines and the fluid movement of each fabric embody a nautical theme. A sense of freedom, like floating in the ocean. This ​collection offers dresses and separates in a wide variety of natural fibers and I feel the most exciting part is the many custom prints we are offering this season. Our customer definitely leans toward the artsy side, she is on trend but not trendy, she’s an individual. Our customer is smart, a traveler, and attracted to all things unusual. She is ​25​-55, has great style but isn’t trendy and loves pieces she can keep forever.

Q. What is the inspiration behind the Dichotomy dress (featured in this post) and what it felt like getting picked up by Anthropologie?

A. WE LOVE Anthropologie. Always have. So to get to be a part of the Anthropologie story, among so many great designers, and work with a company that supports independent designers on a massive scale – is a dream come true.

​We have been working with them for a few seasons now and our styles have performed very well. My favorite part is to read the reviews from customers. Our dresses have found homes with people all over the U.S. from ages 18-60+, all different body types, but they all describe the Lambillotte style as being perfect for day-to-night.

The dichotomy dress​ is basically a shift dress, we use them a lot. We wanted something fun but also for the fit to ​have ease. The angular lines of the dress work perfectly for us to play with our print and the solid together. Because it’s cotton jersey, it super comfortable too! We like looks that are put together but that aren’t overworked.

Q. Suzan, you currently reside in San Antonio. How do you believe the fashion industry is growing here?

A. San Antonio is growing in general. Downtown is being revitalized before our eyes. The restaurant scene is exciting. This is a vibrant city and I feel fashion feeds off that. ​I feel the art scene has always been big here and I love the culture so fashion is just the next layer. I see the fashion industry ​growing in a healthy way​ in the next few years.

Q. Where do you see the future of Lambillotte going?

A. It’s awesome to see our custom prints on so many different fabrics that then become styles that you can wear! That still excites me – to see the process. Honestly, I see our prints being taken into a more stationary environment…read homewares…yeeessss!

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Disclaimer: I received the dress featured in this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.