Isabel Marant Looks Back to the Birth of Boho-Chic for Spring 2023

Many pieces could’ve been from Spring 2003.

Photo: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

In the 2000s, back when our favorite suffix was -chic instead of -core, Isabel Marant practically invented an aesthetic — Parisian-chic, effortless-chic and boho-chic would all have been accurate descriptors — that captivated stylish women the world over, including “It girls” like Erin Wasson, Alexa Chung and Caroline de Maigret, who all sat front row. Marant also appealed to a certain group of in-the-know Hollywood starlets — Rachel Bilson, Kate Bosworth, Kirsten Dunst, etc. — who were repeatedly photographed in the brand’s breezy dresses, jackets, sweaters and shoes.

In the years since, Marant has never strayed too far from her signature aesthetic, but rather only expanded and updated her offering to meet the moment. But for Spring 2023, the beloved designer went, as stated in the show notes, “back to the roots.” Flow-y chiffon tops and mini dresses with floral prints, metallic embroidery and handkerchief hemlines looked like they could’ve come from Spring 2003 — recognizable from the designer’s early collections, knockoffs of which dominated the Urban Outfitters sale section for the next decade.

Erin Wasson, Alexa Chung and Caroline de Maigret
Photo: Courtesy of Isabel Marant

“The Isabel Marant silhouette and codes, imbued with the spirit of the house’s inception in the ’90s, resurface through remastered styles; reissued wardrobe staples manifesting the brand’s timelessness and its ability to constantly reinvent itself,” the show notes continued.

The collection also includes low-waisted shorts and cropped skinny pants with cargo pockets. Some of the latter were styled under strapless umpire-waist dresses for a major early-aughts flashback. A ruffly dress styled under a sparkly bolero looked like something “The O.C.”‘s Marissa Cooper would’ve casually worn to school. Crochet details on clothes and accessories added to the boho-chic feel. Thankfully, Marant eschewed wedge sneakers for delicate heeled sandals.

See every look from Isabel Marant’s Spring 2023 collection in the gallery below.