My life and passion are so tied to the built environment — to the objects we make, the spaces we inhabit, the details we obsess over. But there is something genuinely regenerative about stepping away from all of that for a moment, an hour, a day. The coast does that for me every time.
I grew up in a beach town on the Pacific, so the ocean always feels familiar and comforting. But the Oregon Coast has the intensity turned up — cooler weather, vaster beaches, a wildness that California never quite had. It slaps you out of the day-to-day in the best possible way. A quick trip to Manzanita and Cannon Beach last weekend did exactly that.
I could walk along the beach for hours just feeling the sand and the cool water and taking everything in. I met a couple of creatures along the way that stopped me completely — a jellyfish with an ethereal translucency and otherworldly lavender blobs within, and a sea star with a nubbly exterior in the most perfect combination of rust, cream, and that purple again. Purple seems to be appearing again and again–we’ll talk more about that in a moment.
This week I’m inspired by the chill in the air, the steady movement and evolution of the sea, and the beautiful textures and colors those creatures hold. As the seasons shift and I find myself craving something richer, more layered, more textural — the coast reminded me why. This week I’m looking at a few fall trends that are bringing that same energy indoors: movement, ornament, color, and the particular joy of more.
The Silver Lake Mid-Century home of Anais Nin is awash in purple throughout. The 1962 home was designed by Eric Lloyd Wright ,the grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright. (Image by Chris Mottalini)
Purple is back — and not tiptoeing this time. We have spent the last couple of years easing into it through softer pastels, mauve and lavender, but now we have arrived at full grape, full Barney, full wizard purple. The color is confident, bold, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has regal and luxury connotations, yes — but for me it goes straight back to childhood. That perfect purple paired with teal and turquoise (another color surging in fashion right now). My first Birkenstocks were purple. I painted my room red with purple trim. And at my mother and stepfather’s wedding I was so inspired by a dress in Four Weddings and a Funeral that I had my own version made — orange with a purple sash. I have never been subtle about this color.
I’m genuinely happy to see it reach its full saturation in the trend cycle. I love the youthfulness, the spirit, the candy-colored joy of it. Purple combines the best of its parts — the energy of red and the calm of blue. I like it best mixed with other colors in unexpected ways: yellow, chartreuse, red. But it also works beautifully as a statement piece alongside caramel, olive, or chocolate brown.
Purple curtains glow in the sun creating the perfect vibrant contrast against the cozy wood paneled bedroom in this Los Angeles home by Another Human
A simple rhythmic swag of pinstripe fabric brings structure and softness to the guest bedroom of Sophia Beas’ Brooklyn apartment. (Image via Architectural Digest)
Similar to the theatricality of purple, I’ve been drawn to an exaggerated use of drapery — folds, swags, gathering — and most notably without a window in sight. Fabric as headboard, as wall treatment, as sleeping nook, as beautifully deceptive trompe l’oeil. There is something about enclosing yourself in fabric that feels at once dramatic and deeply comforting. Theater and refuge at the same time.
From left to right: A living room festooned in striped fabric with matching couch via Frederic Magazine, a decadent bed fort for Usher’s daughter from Architectural Digest, and a zesty soft shopping experience at Batsheva in New York (Image via Andre Herrero).
Overture wallpaper by Calico brings the drama with a trompe l’oeil of theater curtains (Image via Calico)
As with so many interior trends, we see them first in fashion. I am enamored with Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2027 show — its beautiful mix of tailoring, draped dresses, fringe, and tassels feels like a direct conversation with what is happening in interiors right now.
Spring 2027 Ralph Lauren Collection. I love the expanse of fabric draped and swathed into these beautiful and romantic forms. (Images via Ralph Lauren)
Fringe Benefits
A fringe skirted sofa adds to the layers of texture, sheen, pattern and richness in this Los Feliz home by Reath Design
Speaking of fringe — this trim that refuses to sit still is making a full comeback. Along with feathers, beading, embroidery, and lace, fringe is capturing a desire for movement, for the maximal, for the imperfect, for evidence of hand and artistry. I’m seeing a range from western-inspired suede fringe to flapper delicacy to formal twisted rope. I love them all, and I am not sorry about it.
Perhaps Miranda Priestly wearing this Dries Van Noten fall/winter 2025 jacket to kickoff summer in the Devil Wears Prada 2 is what reignited our tassel obsession. (Image via Getty Images)
And now we come to the tassel. Small, mighty, and surprisingly ancient.
The tassel dates back to ancient Egypt — worn on headdresses to ward off evil spirits, found in the tombs of pharaohs. In the Arab world, particularly Egypt and Mesopotamia, it carried protective power. In sixteenth century France, the craftspeople who made them were known as passementiers, and the apprenticeship to become one took seven years. Seven years. Each tassel was worth real money, purchased by the upper classes to adorn their homes, horses, carriages, and clothing. Napoleon was a devoted fan.
A detail of Menander’s Synaristosai, Dioskourides of Samos, 2nd century BC. Villa of Cicero, Pompeii. (Image courtesy The Pouf, and Christina’s great write-up on tassels)
The full history of passementerie — the French craft tradition of decorative trimmings — deserves its own newsletter entirely. For now, the short version: this is ancient, skilled, and worth taking seriously.
What I love about this history is how the tassel has always operated at the intersection of beauty and symbolism — decorative ornament and protective amulet, status marker and religious symbol, all at once. Decoration that signals something. Ornament that does work. That dual quality is exactly what makes it so appealing now.
I am captivated by the endless possibilities of tassel design. Illustration of various tassel, from A Handbook of Ornament by Franz Sales Meyer
The tassel adds texture, a little formality, and in the best cases a lot of sass. Like fringe and the swag, there is movement — but the knotted construction brings a rigor and structure that fringe alone doesn’t have. It is the combination of discipline and energy that makes it so satisfying.
I’m seeing tassels come back across contexts: as a personal charm on a bag or belt, as a way to add softness to a drawer pull or door knob, and in multiples as trim on a living room armchair or the end of a curtain swag. Here are a few ways to bring one home:
On hardware — swap a plain knob for one with a tassel or add a tassel charm to an existing pull. Instant personality, no commitment required.
On curtains — a tassel at the end of a tieback or swag brings the whole draped wall trend down to earth and into something completely doable.
Ornate tassels adorn these curtains in this richly layered space by Ash (Image via Architectural Digest)
On yourself — as a necklace, on chunky loafers, or dangling from your ears. Or hit up your fabric or trim store and add your own to a belt, a bag handle, or a zipper pull. The fashion world has been doing this for two seasons and it translates effortlessly.
Purple on purple! My original Birkenstocks are still holding on after 30 years.
I recently restocked my sock drawer thanks to my friends at American Trench. Based in Philadelphia and committed to American manufacturing — something I can genuinely stand behind. Last holiday season I bought my Schoolhouse team matching retro striped athletic socks — a unique color combination for each person — and immediately became a fan. When I saw their new embroidered collection, the bloom crew and zoo crew, I had to have some. I love the colors (purple included, naturally) and the tiny embroidered ankle detail is just right — enough personality to make you smile every time you put them on. The duck might be my favorite. Which is yours?
