Monique Lhuillier designs her Pottery Barn Kids collection to invite children to dream
Having started her self-named brand in 1996 as a bridal line, Los Angeles fashion designer Monique Lhuillier may be best known for dressing Reese Witherspoon and Carrie Underwood on their wedding days, but her lifestyle empire has expanded to include ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, jewelry, candles and tabletop selections as well as giftware pieces through a collaboration with Waterford.
Now Lhuillier is moving into children’s home furnishings and accessories with the March 17 debut of Monique Lhuillier for Pottery Barn Kids at www.potterybarnkids.com.
The 120-plus-piece collection of furniture, bedding, rugs, lighting, wall art, toys, tutus and decorative accents for babies and children, ranging from $8 for ornamental letters to $3,999 for a canopied metal bed frame, also will be available in Pottery Barn Kids stores starting March 18. This is Pottery Barn Kids’ second and largest designer collaboration, following a line with L.A. fashion designer Jenni Kayne introduced in June 2015.
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FOR THE RECORD
March, 14, 2:55 p.m.: This article states that Monique Lhuillier’s collection for Pottery Barn Kids’ is the company’s second such collaboration. It is its third such collaboration.
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“The theme of my collection is very ethereal and serene with all these subtle colors that I love, dusty rose, blush pinks with grays and minty shades, to create an environment that’s calming and really invites you to dream,” Lhuillier says. “A lot of the girls’ [decor] is inspired by my bridal collections, the whole fantasy of the dress.”
That translates into frothy, layered tulle canopies and tutus, delicate embroidery, appliqués and beaded detailing, and bedding in floral and lace overlay patterns derived from Lhuillier’s gowns.
Lhuillier’s nautical-themed boys’ decor, anchored in navy blue with sea gull patterns, was inspired by the bedroom of her 10-year-old son Jack as well as family weekends spent in Malibu. Other themes in the collection include butterflies and paper airplanes.
“Key motifs all center on movement, which is really important in Monique’s fashion line,” says Allison Spampanato, senior vice president of design for Pottery Barn Kids. “If you look at the sheeting, there is a very engineered pattern of light and movement. And every layer of tulle in the canopies is a different color to create volume and depth. Monique does that in her dresses as well. Everything is whimsical but grounded.”
