Last week we snuck off to Paris for a quick ideas/inspiration trip and returned with fall fashion on the brain.  We always take a moment in the afternoon to sip on a glass of wine and watch all the passers-by from the café because we love to see what they’re wearing and how they’re wearing it -- so this time we decided to document (maybe it has something to do with our newfound love of The Sartorialist?).  Of course we found some new goodies for the store (stay tuned!), but a trip to the City of Lights just wouldn’t be complete without hitting all of our favorite boutiques -- especially not after all the time spent streetwalker-watching !  So, without further ado… here’s our very own “best of” with the latest Parisian trends and all of our go-to shops in the Marais...

Our list of must-stop shops:

• Abou d'Abi Bazar, Rue Soufflot.
• Le Bon Marché, often considered the world's first department store and housed in (its original) building, designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1852.  Noted for carrying great labels like Stella, Chloe and Celine. Rue de Sèvres.
• Collette, Rue Saint-Honoré.
• Garrice (for shoes!), Rue Rivoli.
• H&M (just opened a 3-story flagship store the beginning of this month on the Champs-Elysées).
• Maje, Rue Saint-Honoré.
• Nocollection, Rue Vieille du Temple.
• Les Petites, Rue Francs Bourgeois.
• Sandro, Rue Saint-Honoré.
• Shine, Rue Poitou.

We were over the moon when Cassandra LaValle of Coco+Kelley agreed to interview with us since it’s no secret that she was our gateway into the blogging world.  When we first learned about her site, we were true addicts.  That’s not to say we no longer visit regularly (in fact, we’re all devoted email subscribers); we’ve just toned it down a bit so our days can be productive again!  We love Coco+Kelley because Cassandra, who is first and foremost an interior designer, never fails to bring us meaningful content (yes, and plenty of pretty pictures, too).  Always ahead of the trend, she has a knack for taking a timeless approach that makes the “new” relative and palatable.  Read our interview then head on over to Coco+Kelley and you’ll see what we mean.

1.  What’s the meaning behind Coco + Kelley, the name of your interior design/event planning business and (of course!) your blog?

Coco+Kelley really evolved from a few different places - the most important being two very influential and inspirational women. The fabulous Coco Chanel, and my good friend and mentor, Kelley Moore. The name really stuck because, for me personally, it represents the worlds of fashion, interiors, and entertaining, which is what coco+kelley is all about.  I also wanted to sneak in my signature favorite color - kelly green - so the name was sheer perfection!

2.  You’ve been a go-to resource for interiors, lifestyle, fashion and more for  quite a while.  When did you decide to go “virtual” and what inspired you to do so?

In 2007, a good friend of mine kept sending me links to these things called "blogs."  I didn't know what they were or understand how they were used. I saw blogging as a way to catalogue my favorite things in a much more searchable way than my bursting file folders full of tear sheets, so I jumped into it. Coming from a marketing background and being a designer I instinctively wanted to build myself a space that was nice to visit and easy to read, so I suppose that set me up for a little more success than I expected. I also knew that I wanted to move in the direction of having my own interior design business, and I felt like blogging would motivate me to immerse myself more in that world. Little did I know!  Best move I ever made. 

3.  What is your current obsession?

I don't even know where to start answering that question! I have so many little obsessions. I think one 'trend' that I'm most picking up on and loving right now is this return to ladylike fashion.  A much more refined taste in the home and the wardrobe. Beautiful detailing, classic shapes, and things that make a woman feel good about being a woman... sexy but not flashy.  It's fabulous. 

4.  Favorite book?

There are a few books that were fairly influential to me back in the day.  I remember being so drawn to the imagery and era of The Great Gatsby the first time I read it in high school.  I also always loved reading Little Women growing up - Jo was such a wonderful character.  Strong and stubborn, proud and determined, but the way the book allowed us in to see the softer sides of her character made her so relatable.  She was definitely a role model for me - albeit a fictitious one! 

5.  Who is your design (in the broadest sense) hero?

I suppose it's the designers who are so ahead of their time that it can literally takes decades before their genius is truly appreciated that I love most. Obviously Coco Chanel would be included in there, but others like Dorothy Draper or even David Hicks also come to mind. 

6. What’s your guilty pleasure?

My obsession with pillows should probably be listed as one of them. I think they're the easiest way to switch up the mood of a room, and because of that I always seem to justify purchasing just one more... I'll also say dark chocolate and anything sparkly could fall into that category as well. 

7. We love your color trend posts and Rooms from the Runway.  What kind of palettes are you predicting for fall in both fashion and interior design?

I think there's this return to retro that's happening right now in colors, but in the best possible way.  I've been loving caramel and bronze based tones for a while, and I think in interiors we've already seen that starting to take shape in the mainstream acceptance of brass materials back into the home.  In fashion, it's the camel coat. In both worlds, purple hues have also stayed hot.  We saw the rise of amethyst and lilac a while ago, but now we're heading more into deep plums and really rich saturated fuchsias too. Combining these colors with mustards, teals and olives is what's bringing about this really retro influence. Personally for my interiors right now I've been really drawn to citron and in the wardrobe, a classic saturated red. 

Finally, we asked Cassandra to choose some of her favorite SOM pieces to dress the room below.  These are her picks!

We’ve mentioned before that we love working with lots of texture during the fall and winter months; the season simply calls for that mix of elements (color is reserved for spring and summer!).  When we first caught a glimpse of Gretchen Edwards’ Lake Oconee project in AH&L’s October issue we felt it was a perfect example of that sentiment (the article is even titled, “A Masterful Mix”).  Various types of wood, like the reclaimed barn wood that was used for the exposed framework in the family room, is tossed in with linens and other woven fabrics, stone and even metal.  You name it – it’s there.  The result is an interior whose parts are just as interesting on their own as they are in whole.  Also noteworthy is Gretchen’s seamless fusion of old and new.  We spotted a few items from SOM while pouring over this spread:

We can't believe it's already the first of October!  Autumn calls for a new state of mind and we needed a little inspiration, so who better to look to than the ever-talented Mr.Vervoordt?!  See how even the simplest things can inspire an entire room -- wiith that said, we recommend that you invest in a copy of his book,  Axel Verevoordt, the Story of a Style, and spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon soaking up page after page of his "art" as an interior designer.  The inspiration above is only one example of many.  We interpreted it with the following:

Ring:  One of a kind, Belgium.

Sofa:  Chester in Erin Chocolate, Mitchell Gold  (20% off now through Oct. 11th).

Light:  SOM, custom.

Vases:  Handmade, Germany.

Backdrop:  Old Theatre Screen from French Playhouse.