August 2010 - UPTOWN MAGAZINE

Naomi Campbell

December 2016 - As seen in WILL. I. AM. Apple Video 

Kendall Jenner wearing the Everdean Dress in White. 

Photographed by: Kwaku Alston

December 2016 - As seen in WILL. I. AM. Apple Video

Naomi Campbell wearing the LIT PARKA in Gold

Photographed by: Kwaku Alston

InStyle Magazine

Kourtney Kardashion in Laura Smalls Copper Pleated Faux Leather Dress

VOGUE.COM
S/S 2012

André Leon Talley on Laura Smalls Spring 2012

“It was polished, elegant,” said Valerie Simpson of Laura Smalls’s fifth show, which was held in a penthouse on West Fifty-sixth Street. Smalls is an emerging talent whose technique and aesthetic evolution was evident in her latest collection. Everything looked soigné and sophisticated, opening with a great asymmetrically draped coral wool dress with an Asian print silk back like a Chinese screen. Smalls, whose clothes have been worn by First Lady Michelle Obama, reined in her creative exuberance to come up with 29 wow looks. Steeped in family roots, the collection was inspired by the photo albums her mother kept as a model and dancer in fifties New York. Its nostalgic feel suggested a time when women dressed as if they had been fitted by Hubert de Givenchy, even if they had really just gone around the corner to a local dressmaker interpreting Paris high fashion. If the designer was living in another age, she would have been friends with women like Dorothy Dandridge or Eartha Kitt, though her clothes still connect to modern times. Like Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein, she had one of the best LBDs in town, fitted with a deep cowl neckline. Kathleen Battle and Grace Hightower sat front row at the beautiful presentation Smalls and her husband, Willis, pulled off with “Make It Work for You,” which Simpson wrote for Nina Simone, playing in the background.

Manolo Blahnik’s BB stiletto court pump, which I call the Sarah Jessica Parker pump, was the shoe of the show (and Blahnik’s fall season—1,000 pairs have just been reordered). Smalls’s celadon satin strapless with a grand hem of embroidered roses would have pleased her great friend Nick Ashford, to whom she dedicated the show. His daughters, Asia and Nicole, were seated in the audience next to their mother, Simpson, who wore Missoni and gold-lamé Manolo stilettos fringed with a curtain of black suede.

December 2016 - FashionShift Magazine

Lucy Walters wears Laura Smalls Evening Black Satin and Embroidered Gown.

December 2016 - VOGUE

Michelle Obama 

December 2016 at The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology

WRITTEN UP: 

WWD
The Museum at FIT Debuts Black Fashion Designers Exhibit

NEW YORK TIMES
Black Designers in Focus at Fashion Institute of Technology

THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE
New exhibition explores legacy of Black fashion designers

November 2009 - VOGUE

Michelle Obama - "Smalls World" 

December 2016 - FashionShift Magazine

Lucy Walters wears Laura Smalls Metallic Gunmetal Grey Jersey Dress.

2012 - Lionesquestyle Magazine

THE FIRST LADY SHOWS STYLE AND GRACE WEARING DESIGNER LAURA SMALLS DRESSES

Dress: Collection S/S 2013

Michelle Obama took to the stage at the DNC with ladylike style this September 2012 choosing Laura Smalls as her go to designer.

Mrs. O was a beautiful blue belle on Wednesday in a soft turquoise water colored print sheath dress, followed by eggplant hues in a sleeveless dress with a draped boatneck, fitted waist and full skirt on Tuesday. 

We first saw her embrace Smalls' work as she held a Cinco de Mayo reception in the East Room of the White House wearing one of her Fall 2010 dresses accessorized by Alexander McQueen belt and it's clear her admiration of the brand continues. 

Tamron Hall wears Laura Smalls gown collaborated with André Leon Talley in Pewter Grey silk duchess satin and Silver Printed Organza to the last State Dinner of the Obama Administration in October of 2016. 

A GRAND FINALE 

The first lady is in the audience for the final night of the DNC, with the president due to speak later this evening. For the occasion Mrs. O is wearing full-skirt, bateau neckline dress in a perfect-for-fall Eggplant hue print. An Alexis Bittar lucite dogwood pin at the neckline completes the look.

UPDATE: Mrs. O wears a dress by Laura Smalls earlier this week, seen here. What a wonderful moment for the rising designer! Smalls says "I could not believe my eyes that Michelle Obama wore our dress to this historic event. Words cannot describe how my team and I feel."

First Lady Michelle Obama wears a Laura Smalls printed cotton, rayon Print Dress in the Carpool Karaoke Episode with James Corden in August 2016. 

Michelle Obama wearing Laura Smalls in US Weekly. 

November 2012 

By Charlotte Cowles

In Appreciation of the Obama Ladies’ DNC Outfits

The first family took the stage in their DNC best last night, with Michelle wearing a violet dress by relatively little-known designer Laura Smalls. (Giving credit where it's due, Maureen Dowd totally called this years ago.) While slightly more subdued than the pink brocade outfit Michelle wore earlier this week, the sleeveless dress was both striking and ladylike, with a draped boatneck, fitted waist, and full skirt. She also wore a purple daisy pin on her shoulder, which blended in with the fabric pattern. While Michelle looked nice, the first daughters really stole the show, partially because they rarely make public appearances but also because they looked great. Ages 11 and 14 respectively, Sasha and Malia wore similar silhouettes with trim waists, A-line skirts, conservative necklines, and hems that fell just above the knee; both wore ballet flats. Malia's jewel-toned purple dress was a $59.99 garment from H&M, according to a press release from the brand; Sasha wore a gray and black patterned dress with small sleeves and a shiny yellow belt. They looked polished and pretty, but best of all, they looked like healthy, happy kids.

Visionaire Magazine

Featured photographed by Eric Williams with Laura Smalls' Metallic Gunmetal Grey Jersey Dress. Shot in a working sample room.

September 11, 2012 - WWD

Laura Smalls’ Big Moment

First Lady Michelle Obama rocketed the little-known designer's name into the national news by wearing two of her dresses at the DNC.

ABC's Amy Robach wears Laura Smalls on Good Morning America.

September 7, 2012 - Hollywood Life

Michelle Obama: Exquisite In Laura Smalls At Democratic National Convention

ABC's Amy Robach wears Laura Smalls on Good Morning America.

May 6, 2011 - Mrs. O

The President and First Lady held a Cinco de Mayo reception in the East Room of the White House yesterday. On the fashion front, Mrs. O paired and Fall 2010 dress by Laura Smalls with a belt from Alexander McQueen. 

Laura Smalls is an exciting new addition to Mrs. O's style repertoire. The African American designer and mother of three debuted her line in 2009 after years spent as a designer at Amerex Group. What's funny is that the writer Gioia Diliberto for the Huffington Post saw this coming all along. She penned a piece called "Laura Smalls: Michelle Obama's next favorite designer?" back in September 2009. Amazing!