Applying Interior Design to Fashion

Corey Grayhorse

Lisa Newman Paratore is an interior decorator and owner of Homestyle.

What’s your personal style philosophy?
To have a core wardrobe that I love season after season: For instance, a great leather jacket or little black dress that I mix up with accessories as trends change. I prefer simple, well-made garments that have an interesting, somewhat architectural design and can be reinvented with different accessories.

Tell us about what you’re wearing.
I’m wearing a pair of jeans and a knit top. It’s a simple outfit and a backdrop for fun accessory pieces. I’m a shoe collector and often wear heels six days a week. These particular wedges have a fun sculptural detail in the heel and a delicate modern bow detail on the front. I’m not a girly girl, but I love subtle feminine details. The necklace and bracelet are both from Homestyle. They’re a real expression of my personality. The necklace is a perfect blend of modern and vintage and the bracelet is made entirely of Barbie shoes!

Where do fahion and interior design meet?
It’s my job as a designer to draw out my client’s personal style and bring it to life. In my opinion, there’s no difference between fashion and interior décor. Good classic design is timeless and will always be appreciated for its integrity and beauty. Beauty transcends time. I don’t subscribe to fads in fashion or interiors. Trends yes, fads no. Trends that are worth following are those that are an innovation or reinterpretation of good classic design.

You sell unique, statement pieces at Homestyle. How important is it to be unique when it comes to fashion?
As the daughter of an artist, I grew up in a house where I came home one day to find my father painting clouds on the ceiling “just because it was too white up there.” Needless to say, I was raised in a think-outside-the-box environment. It’s important to acknowledge that a good sense of humor walks hand-in-hand with good style. Often, people feel as though they have to be somewhat reserved so that they’re not judged as being in poor taste. Take this Barbie shoe bracelet. It has the ability to transcend the plastic, juvenile, over-the-top realm, and find itself firmly on the side of fashion because it’s constructed thoughtfully and paired with the right outfit.