5 Questions with MM LaFleur Founder Sarah LaFleur

All week — and especially Tuesday night at an event hosted by four local lovelies — DC ladies are revamping their work wardrobes at the new MM LaFleur pop-up shop.  This nine day event, which revolves largely around a figure flattering line of dresses — singular silhouettes and travel-friendly fabrics! — is taking place at the AIA District Architecture Center, hosted by founder Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur and her business parter Miyako Nakamura (yes, previously a lead designer for both Jason Wu and Zac Posen).Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 9.22.30 PM

We caught up with LaFleur to get her take on dressing, personal styling tips, and, of course, the dish on the duo’s latest designs:

KSM: So who is the MM woman?

Sarah LaFleur (SLF): She’s so many things. On our blog, we talk a lot about “Ampersand Women”—women who are multi-faceted and comfortable embracing their own contradictions. We celebrate the idea that women can be professional and sexy, persistent and easy-going, outspoken and good at listening, etc.

But to paint a very general picture of the MM woman: She’s a busy professional who is as smart as she is stylish. She travels, she reads, and she loves a stiff cocktail from time to time.

KSM:  Sounds good to us!  But what was it that you were looking for and not finding that encouraged the creation of this partnership in the first place?  And how did you lure Miyako Nakamura away from Wu and Posen??

SLF:  Before I started MM, I worked in management consulting and private equity and felt uninspired by my clothing options. You could look around my office, and every woman would be wearing something from the same handful of brands. On top of that, I always felt like I needed to run home after work to change into my “real” clothes before going out. With MM, I was determined to create clothes that were practical and comfortable enough for work, but that were also beautiful enough to merit being worn out at night or for special Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 9.22.12 PMoccasions. In other words, I wanted to create a professional wardrobe that felt like “me.”

When I met Miyako, she had just left her job as Head Designer at Zac Posen and was freelancing in the high-fashion world. We clicked immediately, and we talked at length about who “our woman” was—someone with a sophisticated sensibility, but also a demanding job that required a very specific (and always appropriate) uniform.

KSM:  So, to avoid hurrying home, tell us about day-to-night dressing the MM La Fleur way.  What does it mean to you? And when you are shopping for it, what pieces are you specifically searching for?

SLF:  I feel like I’ve done “day-to-night” right when I feel confident and appropriate all day, but also stylish and sexy at night—without having changed the core of my outfit. For me, the easiest way to pull this off is to build my look around a neutral colored dress. You can’t go wrong with black. I’m always on the hunt for “renaissance dresses” that are cut modestly enough for work but that can be transformed for evening with the help of a few key accessories.

Our Alex dress and our Lydia dress definitely come to mind. For day, I might pair them with my favorite metallic Ferragamo flats and the Sant Ambroeus blazer; and then at night, I kick things up with heels and tousle my hair with DryBar Triple Sec hairspray. I also throw on some bigger jewelry—I have a gold knotted bracelet that I wear with pretty much every dress. And voilà!  One dress, two completely different looks.

KSM:  It seems you’ll admit to having a few favorite pieces in this collection.  Do share!

SLF:  This is actually the first proper collection we’ve ever released, because in the past, we’ve introduced products one at a time. I’m so proud of the Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 9.21.53 PMcollection as a whole, but I absolutely love the Alex dress. It’s beautifully draped and insanely comfortable, which makes it the perfect day-to-night dress. I also love our Rachel Crêpe dress, which is a sophisticated and luxurious take on winter white. There’s something really unexpected about it, even though it’s a neutral and very versatile. Finally, we just released a pencil skirt and two dresses (the Emma and the Toi) in a gorgeous Italian Jacquard. I am crazy about this material. It’s the perfect way to wear a bit of color and texture, while still keeping your look professional and streamlined.

KSM:  We should remind everyone that you’re also debuting a line of coats for the first time at the DC pop-up.  Any special reasoning there (other than timing of their availability)?  Does DC have a coat conundrum that needs to be solved??

SLF:  Ha. I don’t know—does it? DC is definitely a place where women want to look put-together no matter what the weather. I actually think the biggest marker of someone truly stylish is that she pays just as much attention to her accessories (think shoes, bags, scarves) and outerwear as she does to her clothes. I used to pass the entire winter wearing one puffy coat, but I realized that matching my coat to my outfit made winter so much more stylish and fun. We’re so excited that we’re finally ready to provide women with a full wardrobe (including outerwear), so they can look amazing even when that out-of-nowhere blizzard hits.

The MM LaFleur pop up continues through November 23rd