Born in Brittany,[2] Gilbert started her career in 1975 as first assistant to the famous hairstylist Bruno Pittini, in his salon and studio.
In 1982, she moved to New York and started working for fashion and beauty editorials in famous fashion magazines with well-known photographers such as Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Irving Penn, Steven Klein, Peter Lindbergh, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and Paolo Roversi, among others.
[4] She styled the hair of models in advertising campaigns for fashion and perfume houses, such as Calvin Klein, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani and Jean-Paul Gaultier.
[6] In 2005, Sofia Coppola hired her as stylist for the eponymous main character of her film Marie-Antoinette, played by Kirsten Dunst.
In 2007, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of New York bought for their permanent collection one of the top hats made of natural hair she created for Jean Paul Gaultier's Haute-Couture AW 2006 show.