Gabbriette Tells Us How Isabel Marant Girls Prepare for Coachella

On Wednesday night, Modern Vitruvius (wo)man Gabbriette Bechtel—baker, model, former Nasty Cherry lead singer, girlfriend of The 1975’s Matty Healy, and turbo trend-setter—dined with a sparkly cast of Isabel Marant guys and dolls. The evening was a celebration of the brand’s 30th anniversary and return to Los Angeles; fittingly, the Chateau Marmont played host to a star-studded lists of attendees, Aminé, Kate Bosworth, and Ashley Graham among them. “Get one tequila and soda in me and I will tell you everything” Gabbriette told us the morning after the dinner. As the trend-setter and California native made herself a turkey sandwich, she told us what makes a classic Isabel Marant girl and why she and Healy picked the wrong weekend to go to Coachella.

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ELOISE KING-CLEMENTS: You said you’re making a sandwich?

GABBRIETTE BECHTEL: I went to the beach yesterday and we just had a lunch of turkey and provolone sandwiches, the best things of all time.

KING-CLEMENTS: What beach did you go to?

BECHTEL: I was in Malibu. I held monkeys yesterday, and they’re illegal to hold in the city of Los Angeles, so we found a house in Malibu.

KING-CLEMENTS: Oh my god.

BECHTEL: I know. It was great. I touched a baboon and a little capuchin. Capuchin, the tiny one from Friends?

KING-CLEMENTS: Were they super loving, trying to eat your earrings or something?

BECHTEL: The tiny one, her name was Christina. And she was in a little diaper. She was 10 years old, but she was basically a baby and she knew how to flip pages in this book and drink out of a bottle. It was just so interesting to see the human characteristics of her. It was very Hollywood. I feel like in the sixties, they had parties with giraffes and monkeys.

KING-CLEMENTS: Speaking of Hollywood, you went to the Isabel Marant dinner last night at the Chateau Marmont, right?

BECHTEL: A dinner with the longest table I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It was stretched out the entirety of the pool.

KING-CLEMENTS: Wow. Who were you sitting next to?

BECHTEL: I was sitting next to Myles Hendrik, Ashley Graham, Dree Hemingway. It was a good vibe, because halfway through the dinner everyone just got up and started sitting in other seats, which I love.

KING-CLEMENTS: Yes, yes.

BECHTEL: I was really cute. The food was great. We had a little salad and some chicken and salmon. And there were red candles all down the table. It was a good width table, so I was able to talk to more than three people at once.

KING-CLEMENTS: Tell me about the dinner conversation. Who’s ruling the room?

BECHTEL: Well, Ashley Graham was the first to serve everyone the salad, so that got it going. But the margaritas were flowing before we got there. I always get nervous going to things alone and then I realized that I know more people in L.A. than I think I do. Then one of my favorite bands, The Marías, played a few songs by the pool. I know they have a new record coming out, so it was good to see them. And Isabel Marant is just the chicest woman to ever live. I feel like she’s never not smiling.

KING-CLEMENTS: What was she wearing?

BECHTEL: She was wearing shorts. She is really tan, she’s tanner than I am and I live here. Black shorts with little rivets on them. They were rolled, I think, like linen. She had a really big silver buckle on her wrist and a sheer, sparkly turtleneck and these silver heels. She looked so good. I think I took a picture of Isabel.

KING-CLEMENTS: I love that. What were you wearing?

BECHTEL: I was wearing this knit sheer tank dress that I forgot to get tailored so my boob was coming out. But I did have a really sexy leather jacket. It was a double-layered zip leather jacket on top, that snapped at the neck. And some leather heels with big eyes around the ankles, and a big, big bag, with stuff all over the top. I love it. I want to steal the bag, but I’ve never taken anything from a brand, so I don’t know if I’ll start now. But I might ask them.

KING-CLEMENTS: I’m sure it would be fine. What do you think makes an Isabel Marant girl? What is she wearing? What does she do on the weekends?

BECHTEL: The Isabel Marant girl? I feel like the Isabel Marant girl never wears makeup but somehow looks flawless all the time. She definitely gets coffee by herself but then will run into a bunch of people that she knows at the coffee shop, whether she’s in Paris or New York or L.A. She doesn’t own a hairbrush. Doesn’t need to. The Isabel Marant girl is just effortlessly chic. Definitely wears one bag for three months and then switches bags and gives their mom the previous Isabel Marant bag. I feel like that’s the vibe. 

KING-CLEMENTS: Do you identify with that?

BECHTEL: A hundred percent. I mean, I think that’s who I think I want to be, and I might be a little more disheveled at times. Because as an Isabel Marant girl, things may look really put together, but it looks like she doesn’t give a shit. I think I’m a little more manic than that, but in my dreams.

KING-CLEMENTS: So, what do you do if you go to a dinner like this and they don’t serve food that you can eat?

BECHTEL: I mean, I cook grain-free and everything at home, but when I go out I have fun. If the food looks really good, if the bread makes sense, if the ice cream is homemade or whatever, I’ll go for it. I’m not hard on myself.

KING-CLEMENTS: You’re down to have a good time.

BECHTEL: I don’t have any allergies either, thank god. So I ate everything last night. There was chicken, there was mashed potatoes, there was a fabulous brownie. It was fun. Also, I just managed to talk way too much. Get one tequila and soda in me and I will tell you everything. By the end of the dinner I had only touched half my plate and then we had the dessert. So it was good.

KING-CLEMENTS: [Laughs] What did you tell people? 

BECHTEL: [Laughs] It was just about growing up on the beach, and how I just came from the beach. I showed everybody at the table photos of the monkeys and they were like, “Gabby, you need to stop. Nobody cares.”

KING-CLEMENTS: How’s your sandwich coming, by the way?

BECHTEL: It’s done. I put cucumbers on it, some herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper, and it’s on a gluten-free bun.

KING-CLEMENTS: I’m starving.

BECHTEL: I’m taking it to the stove right now and I have to think about packing for Coachella. I was asking everybody last night, “Is no one here leaving tomorrow morning, or tomorrow day?” And honestly, nobody’s going to Coachella from the party last night. I asked like, 10 people.

KING-CLEMENTS: That’s so surprising. They’re going the next weekend?

BECHTEL: I think the next weekend is the cool weekend to go. I totally screwed up my plans and all my friends are going next weekend. So now I’m just going with my boyfriend, which will be great, but… I guess maybe the second weekend is the cool weekend.

KING-CLEMENTS: Is he playing this weekend?

BECHTEL: No, he’s not playing at all. I think some of them on his label are, so we’re going to go support. But I don’t think either of us are festival people. I thought that I was going to be able to wear sandals and my heels and my friends were like, “What are you thinking? You can’t bring heels to Coachella.” It’s going to be my first time.

KING-CLEMENTS: Oh my gosh.

BECHTEL: I know. I’m kind of terrified. I’m excited to see No Doubt. That’s literally the only person I know who’s playing. I didn’t even check the line-up. I’ve got an old No Doubt varsity jacket from the 2003 tour. I found it on eBay. So, I’m going to wear that during the set. I’ll be a superfan.

KING-CLEMENTS: Fabulous. And you’ll have some tequila and soda?

BECHTEL: Maybe. I’m scared I’m going to get dehydrated. I’m not cool. I thought I was cool. I thought I’d be like a chill, cool girl going to a festival. But I’m freaking out and I need a fanny pack with bandaids in it, probably. 

KING-CLEMENTS: [Laughs] Are you going to be in the mosh pit?

BECHTEL: No, absolutely not. I’m going to start crying. An Isabel Marant girl would never.

KING-CLEMENTS: Never. No hairbrush.

BECHTEL: Exactly.

KING-CLEMENTS: No makeup.

BECHTEL: Except for sunscreen.