Polly Cocilobo, The Alchemist of Style

From Buenos Aires to Hawaii to Seattle, New Face Magazine’s new Fashion Director steps into her destiny.

Polly Cocilobo photographed by Zero Five Photography; styled by herself

When you meet Polly Cocilobo, you meet a woman shaped by cities and stories. Buenos Aires elegance, Hawaiian ease, global runways, poetry, and a heart that sees beauty in both people and fabric. Her journey isn’t just a résumé; it’s a lived-in tapestry woven with culture, intuition, and almost magical creative instinct.

If fashion had a heartbeat, Polly Cocilobo would be one of its rhythms.

There’s something instantly magnetic about her. An energy that blends old-world elegance, island soul, PNW grit, and the imagination of someone who sees the world not as it is, but as it could be. She’s the stylist who can turn a single accessory into a story. The poet who feels everything deeply. The director who sees the potential in people before they see it in themselves.

Polly isn’t just a creative. She’s a curator of confidence. A translator of identity. A woman who—quietly, consistently—turns vision into reality.

The Making of a Global Eye

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Polly grew up in a city where fashion, art, architecture, romance, and rebellion all exist in one breath. European influence shaped her eye early: clean tailoring, storytelling silhouettes, drama softened with delicacy.

Then came Hawaii, a chapter that rewired her tempo.

“Buenos Aires is called the Paris of Latin America,” Polly says with a smile, “so European culture has always been in my bloodstream.”Eighteen years in Hawaii brought the opposite rhythm... slow, chill, sun-washed serenity." Now in Seattle, she blends them: fast-paced creativity with island ease. A duality that shows up in every look she builds.

That tension (drive + softness, urgency + serenity) is what makes her creative direction so mesmerizing. Her work carries the sensuality of Latin America, the sun-kissed poetry of the islands, and the modern cool of the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle didn’t change her. It activated her.

Lessons From Fashion Legends

Her career reads like a masterclass: styling beside Lara Jade during workshops in Maui, working under Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, during Hawaii’s first fashion week in history.

You don’t style beside Lara Jade without impeccable taste. You don’t learn backstage from Fern Mallis without grit.

Polly has both.

From Lara, she absorbed the power of femininity that’s bold without losing softness. From Fern, she learned the discipline of a thousand moving parts from the high-speed choreography of fashion shows, the urgency, the precision, to the structure required to make beauty feel effortless.

“Lara taught me the power of feminine boldness,” she says. “Fern taught me urgency and detail. Backstage is go-go-go... think fast, move fast.”

That combination—softness + precision—is now her signature. This is what makes Polly lethal in the best way. She has both artistry and athleticism.

She’s delicate without being fragile. Fierce without being hardened. A dreamer with colorful receipts.

Forever Evolving

Nearly two decades in, her creativity is still fresh. “I find inspiration everywhere (from) runway past and present, art, cultures, even a piece of fabric or something thrifted. One detail sparks the story, and then the whole look starts flowing.”

Twenty years and she still finds magic everywhere.

“Inspiration comes from old and new fashion shows, people’s styles, art, cultures… sometimes a single thrifted piece sparks a whole concept.”

This is why New Face hired her. Polly doesn’t follow trends. She channels energy.

The Story She Wants to Tell Now

Right now? She’s obsessed with preppy-meets-street. Polished rebellion if you will.

“I’m obsessed with preppy looks mixed with formal and casual. Like a tie, a leather jacket, skater jeans.” Her mission? “To show I can be diverse while still delivering a cohesive vision.”

And seamlessly, she does.

A New Chapter at New Face Magazine

Ask Polly what excites her most about joining New Face and her eyes light up: “The opportunities! And working with a woman I admire, Miss Chele (editor in chief and founder of New Face). I finally have a place to expose my work and creativity on a global stage. I want to show the world what's coming.”

It’s clear that this chapter was written in the stars.

Transforming People Through Style

Fashion, to Polly, is therapy in motion.

She listens. Deeply. To dreams, insecurities, body language, goals. She interprets who a person is, not just what they want to wear.

Her process is rooted in empathy: “I listen (to) what 'clients' love, what they want, what makes them feel confident. My job is to help them feel seen.”

Women come naturally to her.

Styling NFL players?

She lights up talking about it.

“It’s so much fun! They’re big athletes so sizing is a challenge, but fashion in sports is huge right now. They deserve to feel stylish, strong. Like Superman,” she laughs.

More recently, you can find her styling the likes of AJ Barner of the Seattle Seahawks from McDonalds commercials to tunnel looks.

There’s joy in the way she says it. A creative seeing possibility everywhere.

Instant Style Tips From the Director Herself

“People don’t realize how powerful clothing psychology is," she admits. "Fix your hair, add lipstick, choose an outfit you’d compliment someone else for and suddenly, nothing can stop you. Try jeans, heels, a white shirt, an oversized blazer, and your favorite scarf. Simple, but powerful.”

We love an optimistic queen with great tips! Simple. Iconic. Transformative.

Why Seattle Could Become the Next Fashion Hub

Polly doesn’t hesitate. “Sports! And Seattle’s grunge history can be elevated into something unique and modern. Plus, we have one of the biggest retailers in the world here. The potential is limitless.”

Most people see Seattle and think coffee, tech, rain, grunge. Polly sees an underdeveloped powerhouse. She sees what others overlook, and that’s exactly her gift.

She sees the crack in the door.

NFM is kicking it open.

And she’s at the forefront.

The Poet Behind the Producer

Ask people about Polly and you’ll hear the same words:magical, nurturing, romantic, empathetic.

But she also has fire. A quiet, intentional fire.

“In a cold, superficial world like fashion can be, my sensitivity helps me connect. I feel a lot," she says, "and that emotion fuels my creativity.”

She’s Tinkerbell with a sketchbook, fire in her chest, fairy dust in her bag.

Her creativity doesn’t come from ego.

It comes from emotion.

Authenticity.

Soul.

Failures, Highs, and Becoming a Boss

Success didn’t come easy.

Her biggest high? “Becoming Fashion Director of NFM and styling an NFL player. Two dreams come true.”

Her biggest struggle? “Connecting with creatives who have good intentions. Finding my tribe was hard. Seattle can be competitive. But once I found my people, everything changed.”

Most people would have quit before getting here. Polly didn’t.

Because deep down, she knew something:

Seattle didn’t need another stylist. It needed her.

And now, she’s home. Is it permenant for this fiery-hearted creative? Time will tell, but one thing is for certain. She's not afraid to solo travel. Back in September, she globtrotted to Paris Fashion Week for some behind the scenes featured on New Face's socials. The Pink Mic series was born.

A Few Fun Ones

If she could style anyone: Tyrese Haliburton in a bold, tailored, colorful fit.

Unlimited budget, anywhere in the world: “Gucci, Valentino, Supreme, Zara, and I’m taking Chele and my NFL client with me!” (Girl, what about me?)

Dream creative director job:“Gucci, Valentino, Dior... for their legacy, craft, and history.” Polly is a woman shaped by continents. A stylist who speaks in silhouettes and fabric. A poet who feels deeply. A director who sees what others miss. A creative force building Seattle’s fashion future one look, one player, one editorial at a time.

She didn’t just join New Face Magazine. She became part of our family.

And now? The world gets to see what we already know...

Polly isn’t just part of the story. She is the story.