From New York To Ibiza: Isabel Marant’s The Answer

Posted by Styloko

Former Sunday Times Style Features Editor Ruby Warrington recently relocated to New York, where she’s now based as a US correspondent for the paper.

In her weekly Styloko column, Ny-loko, she dissects NY style through British eyes – will she ever dress like one of them?

A reformed shopaholic, her wardrobe mantra these days is ‘quality over quantity’ (check out her Lust List), while her idea of shopping heaven is her new West Village apartment, complete with walk-in wardrobe.

Carrie Bradshaw, eat your heart out.
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So I currently find myself living la vida Ny-biza. That is, commuting from my new home in New York to edit a magazine in Ibiza for two weeks every month. Aside from the travel and the intensity of the workload (on an island that’s designed for just the opposite), I do realise this is most peoples’ idea of the perfect summer – but can you imagine the case of total wardrobe schizophrenia?

Manhattan embodies slick. The look is ‘done’. Put together. In New York, ‘boho’ is how the Olsen twins dress (outsize $2000 Helmut Lang blazer, velvet by Felder Felder), whereas Ibiza’s fashion mavens are still channelling Sienna Miller circa the Matthew Williamson years. And they look great. Whenever I set foot on the island I want to let my hair dry wavy and slip on a peacock printed kaftan. I always pack the fringed leopard print scarf I bought on Salinas a decade ago for an instant Ibiza wardrobe fix.

But there is a place where these two worlds collide – the house of Isabel Marant. In New York, her trainers are going for $1000 a pair on eBay; in Ibiza, her smock tops, tie-dye jeans and throw-on party dresses bring boho bang up to date. This season’s killer piece – the embellished tie-dye quilted denim jacket – would look equally fierce with a pair of spray on leather trousers (NYC) or over a sequinned chiffon maxi (IBZ).

So you’ll find a lot of Marant in my Ny-biza summer scrapbook. I’ve never attempted the ‘global nomad’ thing before, but at least now I know the label to do it in.