stylish traveler
| on the road
Globetrotting Chic Clockwise from far left: Tia Cibani, creative director of Ports 1961; Cibani at the Bahá’í temple in New Delhi; Ports 1961’s flagship store in New York City; colorful Indian fabric; nan bread; the Taj Mahal.
U.S.A.
BEYOND BORDERS NY FASHION DESIGNER can claim some exotic locale—say, Marrakech or the Masai Highlands—as inspiration. But few can tout roots as truly cosmopolitan as Tia Cibani’s. The creative director of Ports 1961 was born in Libya to Libyan–Italian parents, raised in Canada, educated in New York and cut her designing teeth in Xiamen, China, where her brotherin-law had moved the operations for parent company Ports International in 1994. Though Cibani now counts New York City as her home, she still maintains a worldly outlook, both in her clothes and her life. We asked her recently to give us the lowdown on her most recent travels and current favorites.
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DREAM DESTINATION “I had wanted to go to India for a very long time and this March my dreams finally came true! I couldn’t wait to experience the vivid colors, food and culture, the music, architecture and fabrics. I could have bought a million saris.”
● FAVORITE
DESTINATION “My favorite holiday
destination of the moment is Brittany in the west coast of France. I have recently fallen in love with sailing and the sailing there is so romantic and exhilarating. I have a dear friend who keeps a boat there and the escape to the sea has been such a refreshing way to vacation!” ● MUST-PACK ITEMS “When I travel I always make sure to bring my jetset kit: robe, slippers, eye mask, scented
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Tia Cibani, the perpatetic creative director of Ports 1961, reveals her global hit list of hotels, restaurants and more. By JENNIFER CHEN