Be a stylish tourist.

As all of our busy summer travel comes to an end, and we are focused now on fresh beginnings with a new school year and holiday season, we couldn't help pay a little tribute to our fellow tourists who may have missed some of the important fashion "no no's".

Although, if any of those persons who may not realize that wearing socks with sandals is a touring fashion mistake, one might have picked up on the clue if they happened to be shopping in Barcelona, Spain this summer. There we found a rather large billboard sign directly placed at the entrance of the lovely outdoor shopping complex. It reminded everyone, especially tourists however, to be stylish as they travel! We found this to be quite humorous and of course pretty close to the truth!

Around the world...

Check out our new album on our Facebook page profiling just a few of our favorite places we have visited around the world. It is our love for different cultures and designs that formed the vision of our Unique French Design company, Couleurs de Saison. Become a fan of our Facebook page for special offers and updates!

A Lovely Miracle - 140 Rue du Bac in Paris

French designer Meresine creates unique and sweetly enchanting jewelry pieces for a fun fashion effect. However, each of the three themes that her charmed collections come in, have a slight deeper story behind them.

Her Miraculous collection begins with a story in the late 1830 on the street of Rue du Bac in Paris. For the traveler who does not know what's behind door 140 of the Rue du Bac, the steady stream of pilgrims from around the world must seem very mysterious. Often, hundreds of visitors enter the building and emerge minutes later with a smile and sometimes with eyes reddened by tears. This is where the Virgin appeared.

On 27 November 1830, the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Catherine Laboure. As a young peasant girl who had just joined the Daughters of Charity, was praying in the chapel. Suddenly she saw a woman, "dressed in a gown of white silk dawn. St. Catherine then heard a voice telling her: "Have a medal struck upon this model, people who wear it will receive great graces, the graces will be abundant for those who wear it with confidence."

Suddenly, it seemed to St. Catherine the table turned and she saw on the reverse of it the letter M surmounted by a small cross and under the M, the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Two years later, the medal was struck with the approval of Bishop Quelen, Archbishop of Paris. Its spread was accompanied by many healings and conversions ringing. The apparitions ceased in 1830, but by 1876 one billion of the medallions had been sold! Catherine Laboure was beatified in 1947.

Today, the chapel known as the Miraculous Medal has been considerably enlarged and enriched.

To get a better view of Meresine's Miracle Drop Earrings, check them out on our site here.

Artists in Marrakech

We recently just returned from a little work trip that included stays in Marrakech, Barcelona, the South of France and Los Angeles. Our time in each place was unique and memorable, just as one would expect it. But more over, we feel so fortunate having the opportunity to not just visit these places, but to actually immerse ourselves in each respective culture. Having very close contacts in each city and the ability to avoid the tourist map/hotel life, enabled us to make true connections with each place.

It was in Marrakech that we began our visit. We were sad to have just missed the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit which ended the day before we arrived, as we heard it was spectacular. But we did make it in time for another exhibition of local artisans in the area. A friend of ours, Hicham El Madi, was displaying some of his recent furniture and home accessory designs, along with a young artist who uses old tires to create artistic recycled sculptures.

The young artist working with old tires additionally started working with our friend to decorate some of his furniture line. We loved the marriage of the two. We have both his rhino and elephant that are entirely made of recycled tires, and a mirror that has also been made from the rubber wheels.

We have also for a long time admired the quirkiness of Icham's teapots! Morocco's famous mint tea is delicious and often served many times throughout the day. The teapots are deeply integrated into every day life, yet we love this teapot even if simply showcased as art!

We were saddened to hear of the recent bombing in Marrakech, and hate that violence plagues the world. We really find the people of Marrakesh to be centered, open and friendly and feel that their traditional artisan skills are very worthy of modern worldly celebration.

Walk with us - A day exploring Marrakech

The best part of our job is being able to travel when designing or searching out new and creative products. For a couple of weeks now we have been in the city of Marrakech. We just love this city and country as it has so much to offer! The people here are warm and friendly, many coming from families of artisans who have shared their practice with each new generation. Most of the products here are made by hand and with careful thought and attention. There are many French designers that have followed those like Yves Saint Laurent, settling in the area to infuse their modern ideas into ancient artisan practices. This has created a melange of old and new that is quite impressionable.

We took the day off today to explore more as a leisurely tourist and walked through Le Souk (the old medina), exploring little shops, visiting designers, eating delicious tangine and drinking mint tea. A little time by the pool and some walking by night...it was the perfect day. A glimpse of our day and photos can be viewed on our Facebook page, check it out!

We are getting excited for our upcoming buying and designing trip to Marrakech! Soon we will be unveiling our new home decorating designs, of which many items are inspired by and handmade from this exotic destination.

Of course, we are not the only ones that feel inspired by Marrakech, here are a few recent publications on design and fashion from this magical city. The first being an inside look at fashion designer Liza Bruce's Marrakech home in Elle Decor. What we love most about this spread is all of the traditional Moroccan patterns, like the moucharabieh design, that is applied in new and exciting ways.






We loved the natural beauty and style portrayed in Harper's Bazar spread, which was taken in the heart of the city's artisan walk. The beautiful tile designs, the easy look of a hand woven basket it lieu of a traditional purse, tastefully patterned prints, forever-loved scarves, the signature architecture of doorways...it has such a relaxed feeling to it.




Lastly, a feature in marie claire, they did a great style spread...of course inspired by Marrakech!

Sex in the City 2 in Marrakech!

We have been working with local artisans and designers in Marrackech for over 7 years. On a recent trip, we were sharing the city with the entire production crew and actresses for the movie Sex in the City 2, to be released in May 2010. The girls in high heels shut down the famous medieval shopping center, the Souk. It was rumored that each shop owner was given a couple thousand Euros in order to close their shops for three days while the crew filmed a scene for the new movie.

As an ever-growing destination for Americans and retired wealthy Europeans, this city is a definite hot spot and trendy destination for shopping, art and design.