Isabel Marant takes elle team on an antiquing adventure in Paris
The sudden influx of effortlessly-chic women appearing on our shores isn't just the result of Europeans taking advantage of the weak dollar. Isabel Marant, the quintessentially Parisian designer who has outfitted It Girls from Lou Doillon to Rachel Bilson, can also be credited for elevating Stateside style with her elegant-but-edgy pieces. Marant took ELLE.com on a tour of Paris, showing us her favorite neighborhoods, discussing her style icons, and explaining why every well-dressed woman should own a travel dictionary.
Marant, who got her start designing basics for herself and friends while she was still a teen, has barely changed her aesthetic; "For me, the most important thing is more about the attitude and having a kind of elegance that is natural."
Being dubbed the designer for chic Parisian women isn't something that Marant dismisses. "People often speak about me as being the representative of the French girl on the street," explains Marant. "It's true that my aim was to dress up everyday girls who want to feel pretty, but don't want to feel overly sexy or over-dressed—a girl who's a bit casual, cozy chic."
For her spring 2008 collection, Marant found inspiration in the loose and carefree looks favored by hippies from a bygone era, creating modern pieces that are as elegant as they are relaxed. "The '60s Boho people were symbols of freedom. That really belongs to my style."
Marant's laid back-chic style isn't limited to just the French; the designer points to Kirsten Dunst as one of her favorite A-List clients. "She's a very Isabel Marant girl in her way of thinking and behaving. I hope she brings back my style and spreads it around the US."
Marant, who speaks six languages and has visited a handful of countries, also frequently finds inspiration in her travels. "I've got some really strong clothes that I really love from foreign cultures. If there were a theme, it would be Sahara, nomads in the desert—a mix of the military-safari style with ethnic things."
Like any upstanding French citizen, Marant can't help but philosophize on fashion and the state of consumerism today. "When I start on a collection, I ask myself a lot of questions. I get very philosophic. I'm against consumption so doing my job—which is about fashion—is always a bit hard for me," explains Marant.
Although she now has three boutiques in Paris, Marant hasn't outgrown her family. Her husband, handbag designer Jerome Dreyfuss, just opened his first store in Paris next door to one of her storefronts. "We eat and sit together. It's very cute," says Marant, before joking, "But now I'm not going to sell any bags. I have to sue him!"
Although she calls Paris home, Marant's upbringing was far more global; the designer has a German mother, a French father, and a Caribbean stepmother. This combination could be the reason why the designer is constantly fighting wanderlust—“I always like the look of people in movement," she says.
Marant, whose designs are carried by just a handful of boutiques in the US, sees a marked difference between the way American and French women dress, but believes that change is underway. "For girls all over the world, there is the realization and interpretation of all cultures," explains Marant. "I think there's a kind of uniformity that is coming up more and more because we're all sharing the same images; It's like this in China, Japan, Germany, and England."
Marant's advice to fellow explorers? Bring a dictionary. "Each time I travel in a country, I carry a lesson book on the language. I hate not being able to have tiny conversations in the country, because then you're missing out."
That Marant cites mid-century furniture designer Charlotte Perriand as one of her icons is no surprise, considering that both share an interest in creating beautiful—but utilitarian—design. "[Her designs] were the simplest things but very efficient, and that's what I really like," Marant says.
“I think Paris is still a beautiful city," effuses Marant. "I live in a very typical area of Paris called Belleville—it’s the most mixed area of Paris. You really feel like there are people living here." Marant also loves the St. Germain area, where she has a boutique. "There's an eclectic mix of people and a relaxed attitude. The tiny streets are beautiful—I hate areas where there are only shops or only banks."
As for the future, Marant can't see herself designing clothing forever. "I've always had a space in my head for retiring from fashion—I won't for the next 10 years, but I have crazy and precise ideas of things to do." But Marant is keeping mum on her future projects: "I can't speak about them because someone will take my idea!"
source:
http://www.elle.com/Life-Love/Travel/Style-Scout-Isabel-Marant
, Id never seen a pic of her before, she wears her own designs very well, great style, I want all her clothes
and thank you for all the pics you're posting 
