New York, New York!

If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,
It’s up to you, New York, New York.” – Kander and Ebb

le•top Booth

Every August le•top debuts the new Spring collection at the New York Children’s Club Show – one of the most exciting (and anxious) times of the year for us.  After working on designs, fabric development, go-see’s (a warm thanks to all that responded to our call for ‘Cuties!’) and photo shoots we were finally ready to present the Spring 2010 collection to buyers and owners of the fabulous stores that carry le•top.

Cute as a Button Fall 2009

Ta-Da!!!

The moment had finally arrived when we were able to see reactions to the results of all our hard work.  The verdict is in and…THE SPRING 2010 COLLECTION IS THE BEST WE HAVE EVER CREATED!

Some of the comments we heard during the show:

“It’s all so cute; I don’t know what I am not going to buy!”

“I love the bright colors!”

“This is just what I dreamed you would do!”  (really!!!)

After all the hard work we were ecstatic to hear our retailer’s enthusiasm!  What brought about the smiles and excitement?  Really great groups, including classic Ducks for boys and girls, Grasshoppers that Hip Hop, bouquets of beautiful Flowers and a whole menagerie of our famous Monokinis!  Everyone can look forward to an endless summer of fun – arriving at retailers in January of 2010.

Walking with Dinosaurs Fall 2009

But don’t wait for next summer!  Fall 2009 is here!  The new le•top and rabbitmoon fashions for fall are arriving at your local boutique every day!  The phones are ringing with re-orders as our retailers sell the cutest kid’s clothes on the planet…and beyond!  Check out some of the top sellers from Walking with Dinosaurs and Cute as a Button!

We had a terrific trip to New York!  Our booth at the Children’s Club show looked great after we put up wallpaper, assembled tables and chairs and steamed and fluffed our samples.  The excitement of hearing the praise for our new creations was our reward…and the reward of experiencing New York City life for a week!  Coming to the blog next week we’ll share our experiences at some of the fabulous restaurants we visited!

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She went shopping…and bought the Entire Store!

Hop Skip N Jump's Store Front Along the Old Underground Railroad

Heidi Strimpfel loved shopping at the local children’s store in the quaint and historic town of Springboro, Ohio. When Heidi learned the owner of Hop Skip n Jump had decided to sell the store her first thought was “Where will I shop?” Her next thought was…I would love to make a change in my life – so she entered into negotiations to buy the lovely boutique! Heidi has a background in business, and with her accounting knowledge realized that the little business would be a perfect fit for her talents.

Hop Skip n Jump had been in business for 7 years when Heidi made her decision to ‘jump’ into the children’s clothing business – that was 11 years ago! Heidi has fine tuned the boutique into a desired destination for doting grandmothers and professional mothers who love the assortment and quality of Heidi’s carefully chosen selections. One of the store’s specialties is special occasion clothing. One customer declares “if you’re looking for a christening gown or First Communion gown and everything you’re finding appears to be cookie-cutter and not special, make a trip up to Hop Skip and Jump in Springboro, you won’t be disappointed.”

Heidi and Her Wears

The charming boutique is located on a lovely, tree lined street in Springboro, Ohio – a mecca for history buffs. Springboro, established in the early 1800’s and settled predominately by Quakers, was a major stop on the Underground Railroad. The building that the store occupies was built around the time of the Civil War, is on the National Historic Register and was the town’s original Dry Goods store. Tour groups regularly make a stop to visit the notable site. Heidi loves putting together eclectic merchandise groupings, using an antique display case and the fireplaces that grace every room. Integrating the beautiful merchandise while paying homage to the significant history of the area makes Hop Skip n Jump very special.

Take a stroll through the historic area, and visit Heidi at:
Hop Skip n Jump
220 S Main St
Springboro, OH 45066
(937) 748-9000

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Only the Best for Your Little Lamb

Little Lambs Children's Boutique in Pell City, AL

Heather Adams loves children…so she became a teacher!  When her daughter Anna Beth was born she made the decision to fulfill another dream, also in the children’s arena – she became the owner of a wonderful children’s boutique in town that she heard was closing.  Little Lambs Children’s Boutique in Pell City, Alabama was perfect!  Heather’s dream as a new mother was to spend as much time as possible with her darling daughter – and two years later Little Lambs has become Anna Beth’s second home with mommy.

Little Lambs Children’s Boutique, now open for a total of 14 years, is a fun and happy place.  Heather loved the name of the boutique, and decided not to change it because as she says,

“Children are God’s Little Lambs.”

One of the benefits that Heather loves the most about owning her store, other than spending most days there with her daughter, is the interaction with her customers and the community.  It is exciting to help choose new outfits for special babies or birthday gifts for grandchildren.  She loves being involved with that momentous decision by a new mom-to-be, when they choose their baby’s “coming home” outfit – a truly special day!

Heather’s involvement extends beyond just selling clothing to her customers – she delights in creating special events in the store that brings her community closer.  She hosts pottery parties twice per year – creating ‘priceless’ art – like the impressions of tiny hands and feet that will be cherished for years to come.  During the Christmas and Easter holiday seasons a photographer is in the store to capture wonderful moments with Santa and the Easter Bunny.

Anna Beth and Kaylie wearing le●top Flower Power courduroy print dresses from Fall 2008

Heather makes shopping for the special items at Little Lambs even easier – she has created an online store as well!  You can visit the website at www.shoplittlelambs.com .When visiting this charming website you might want to sign up for the email list; the recipients receive emails regarding preview sales and special events.  Tech savvy customers also receive special offers on Facebook!  Complimentary gift wrapping is just one of the many perks when buying that special gift from Little Lambs – and makes gifting so much easier!

“We feel very blessed to be able to have this business and are so thankful for our customers.  I have been able to make my dream a reality” – Heather Adams

Little Lambs Children’s Boutique
2247 Martin Street South
Pell City, AL 35128

Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday:  10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Preschool “Grajuration” Day! (Part 2)

Wearing Popsicle Buddies from le•top's 2009 Spring Collection

I forgot to mention…as Big Sister was graduating from Preschool, Little Brother was so elated that the only way he could show his excitement was by sleeping through the entire program! Is that the sweetest? He’s the best little brother EVER! 😉

Here is Little Brother wearing the cutest shorts and shirt set from le•top’s 2009 Spring Collection: Popsicle Buddies. I absolutely adore this line! The moment I saw it, I really, really hoped I would have a boy (I didn’t know the gender of my baby while I was pregnant). I love the subtle candy color palette and the embroidered zoo animals. And the best part of this shorts set is the monkey on the tush! (There is also a matching girls line, Ice Cream Kitty, which comes in pink.)

Don’t miss out! Check our store locator to find these sweet collections at a store near you, or click on either collection to shop!

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Fashion and Hope in Stowe Vermont

Lucy and Monelle in le•top's Strawberry Fields collection preparing for the runway

I was so surprised to hear from J. at Yellow Turtle the other day. I mean, not only was it a Sunday, but it was Mother’s Day! J. has two gorgeous, wonderful children, Jessie and Alec, who (along with Liana Hunt) were the very early le•top child “models”, so I know they were all celebrating together. But J. was thinking beyond Mother’s Day and sending me emails about the wonderful event Yellow Turtle had taken part: the 9th Annual Stowe Weekend of Hope. This event, held in Stowe, Vermont “is an annual forum for education, enlightenment, and recreation for cancer patients and survivors with any type of cancer…and their families.”

One of the events was a fashion show, and Yellow Turtle had two adorable girls modeling le•top! Lucy (3) and Monelle (19mos) are both devoted Yellow Turtle customers. 😉 The outfits they modeled were received with many “oooohs and ahhhhhs”, according to J.! Sounds like the fashion show was an enormous success and a wonderful event for cancer patients and survivors, taking place in beautiful and restorative Stowe. As a cancer survivor myself, I can see why this event would be a joyful and hope-filled experience, given the venue. Stowe is a wonderful place, the people welcoming and warm. I hope this event continues to grow and inspire many. Congratulations, Yellow Turtle for contributing to this great event and giving back to your community and beyond.

Lucy and Monelle off the fashion runway with Lisa Hunt of Yellow Turtle

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HEY TEX! Where are You?!!! Secret Contest Winner Stays a Secret!

Our most recent Secret Contest winner, Amber, took a bit of work to get a hold of, but she finally gave us a ring the other day from Texas…much to my surprise since her mobile phone number has a California area code! The Texas native, (who went St. Mary’s in Moraga, CA – hence the area code) had moved out here for college, met her husband, had a couple of babies and then, two years ago, decided that Texas is where they would like to raise their family.

SunnyHill Farm shirt and short set available for boys in sizes 3 months to 4 toddler. E-I-E-I OH BOY!

Amber was telling me all about her two little gentlemen and how she can’t wait to get her hands on the le•top Sunnyhill Farm shirt and short set. Her two year old loves farms and farm animals (hello! they live in Texas — what a perfect place for a boy who loves farms!), so she is sure that he is just going to go wild for the short set, and so are we! I guess he will really have mommy to thank for this one, and we thank you, too, Amber, for your delicious Chocolate Cake-in-a-Cup recipe. I tried it myself, and it was nothing short of delightful, not to mention easy!

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Le Top Tips: Fashion “Stretched” with Leggings

 

Kira and Alyssa feeding the ducks

…submitted by: Robyn S.

My girls are wearing the dot beach dresses from the le•top Strawberry Fields collection. It was a little too short for Kira (she’s wearing size 6x, the largest size le•top offers, and she’s 9 years old), but I liked the dress so much, I had her wear it as a short dress with some leggings…and it turned out really cute! I couldn’t get any photos with the two of them facing me because they were too busy paying attention to the ducks instead of the photographer their mom! (Editor’s note: to see the front of their dresses, click on the photo)

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It’s an Ice Cream Kind of Day

The weather’s getting warm, and it’s finally sunny enough to pull out the summer clothes—even though it’s not quite summer yet. I’ve been waiting to have my daughter wear this ensemble from le•top’s Sunnyday Garden collection. Colorful sunflower blossoms and comfortable denim shorts with lace trim. Boys can wear coordinating outfits from le•top’s Sunnyhill Farm adorned with tractors and friendly farm animals. It’s the perfect thing to wear on an ice cream kind of day!

Click here to find a le•top retailer near you. Here are a few more peeks from the Sunnyday Garden and Sunnyhill Farm collections:

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MOTHER’S DAY CONTEST: Most “Memorable” Present

Jamee’s post of her very first Mother’s Day bling-of-gynormous-gems-present made us want to hear your stories! le•top blog would LOVE to see photos and hear about your own stories of the most creative, special, funny or otherwise memorable Mother’s Day present. Click here to submit your photo and story for a chance at some fun retail therapy: Win $250 worth (retail value) of le•top baby and kids clothes from our latest spring and summer collections!

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Moms’ Double Trouble

Miranda in Flamingo Bay (left) and Sophia in Strawberry Fields

A couple of weekends ago, we drove down to Southern California to attend a baby shower I’d been invited to. Knowing that the weather there is always much warmer than the San Francisco, I packed summer wear—mostly le•top outfits—since it’ll be awhile before we really get to wear them here in the Bay Area. We met up with my cousin and her kids at a park so that my daughter (Miranda) and her daughter (Sophia) could get some play time. They’re like sisters, these two. We call them “Double Trouble.” They’re both bossy and like to pick on the boys.

I was delighted to see Sophia in the le•top Strawberry Fields dress that I sent to her as a birthday gift. Meanwhile, Miranda was decked out in my favorite le•top collection, Flamingo Bay. What’s fabulous is, that although these outfits are from two different collections, they complement each other very well! Perfect for sisters, twins, cousins, friends — who like to dress alike but not exactly the same.

Visit our store locator to find these lovely collections near you.

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