Francophiles? You may want to be taking notes. As Lola Rykiel welcomed us into her place in the Meatpacking District (box of Ladurée macarons waiting, bien sûr), her demure demeanor made us feel instantly comfortable. As you may have guessed, Lola Rykiel is the granddaughter of Sonia Rykiel, the ultimate arbiter of that slightly offbeat, signature French style, but that's not all—her father is CEO of Brown's, a chain of luxury department stores in London. Not bad, right? But Rykiel is much more than a pretty face. The ballerina-turned-PR guru has both the brains and beauty to take her grandmother’s heritage brand into a new generation with a fresh and innovative perspectice.

Rykiel had obviously done her Coveteur homework and had taken the steps to pre-arrange thoughtful vignettes with treasured pieces around her home. After showing us her set of worry dolls, Rykiel introduced us to some of her talented friends. Cue: Linn Lomo; the genius behind Rykiel’s arm cuff and “Lola” ring.

Rykiel is really the ultimate Parisienne transplant. After a stint in New York in her early 20's studying dance ("I still love doing classes now and then"), Rykiel returned to Manhattan to take on her current post, where she's the director of public relations of her family's historied brand. Growing up around her grandmother and her father’s biz proved to be beneficial in many ways: "I have the retailer side and the pure art, pure genius of the other side," she explained. But Rykiel's not only partial to pieces that carry her heritage; her extensive collection of fantastical Charlotte Olympia shoes certainly proved otherwise. Plus, like us, Rykiel has a serious taste for emoticon jewelry. (See: her Lorraine Schwartz smiley face bracelet.) ☺

After giving us a run-through of a few of her current fixations — nail polish from Butter London, GIRLS, The Big Bang Theory (hear that, Kaley Cuoco?) and Astier de Villatte candles — we bid adieu to Rykiel, grabbing a few macarons to go (can you blame us?)