The White Ibiza Blogs

Ibiza and bohemianism go hand in hand. There are many artists, musicians and writers who have moved to the island because of its acceptance of all things different, yet in many ways the modern use of the word bohemian has become exactly what it is not supposed to be – a description of a certain ‘look’ rather than an unconventional way of living. In other words, people these days want to look bohemian but not act it. It’s not a criticism – let’s face it, there would be nothing fun about living with no air con or eating lentils all day – but what is important is not to forget the bohemian spirit.

One person who had such a spirit, was Gaby Aghion, the founder of French fashion label Chloé. Before Chloé was launched in 1952, luxury fashion houses had only ever produced Haute Couture (made-to-measure) clothing. This meant that anyone who wanted to look different (and like most regular folk, couldn’t afford Haute Couture) went to the local dressmaker with a drawing or idea and got something made up. Fast-forward to today and it’s the kind of thing we might try on a holiday to Thailand… but they never quite get it right do they?

Aghion developed a range of ‘off the rack’ high quality clothing, rejecting the very stiff, formal look of the 50s and creating one that was feminine and flattering. She called it ‘luxury prêt-à-porter’ which was the start of the prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) market as we know it. Many other French fashion houses were quick to follow suit.

Chloé today is synonymous with Parisian chic and has most of us drooling at its gorgeous ultra-feminine pieces. And ironically, given its accessibly priced beginnings, drooling at the cost too. Which is where the diffusion line, See By Chloé comes in.

See By Chloé was launched in 2000 (when Stella McCartney – a true bohemian at heart – was in charge). It is a younger, more rock ‘n’ roll chic line, with sexy tailoring, fun colours and often cheeky prints. The silhouettes are very much Chloé, but fortunately for those of us on a bohemian budget, the prices aren’t.

While Chloé suits a bustling city like Paris, the younger offshoot is perfect for Ibiza. The current collection includes an amazing sleeveless black leather jacket (sadly it rarely gets cold enough here for the long sleeved version – though you could come for a winter weekend to try it out!), and a gold sequinned dress which will shimmer beautifully at the last of the closing parties. Don’t worry that you didn’t have it last week – it’s way too gorgeous to have worn to Space in the rain! Speaking of last week, Ibiza boutique reVOLVER had a special promotion for White Ibiza readers of 20 per cent off See By Chloé pieces. To tie in with this week’s blog they’ll be extending the offier until the end of this week – just mention it at the counter.

Saving money – now that’s what we call bohemian!