nss G-Club Muse: Carine Roitfeld The former Vogue Paris director is still one of the key figures of contemporary fashion
A few weeks ago, Carine Roitfeld received the Founder's Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, a well-deserved award that came after more than thirty years spent shaping the aesthetics of contemporary fashion.
Stylist, editor, image maker, style consultant, fashion guru. There are many words to define this Parisian former director of Vogue Paris and all emphasize the many aspects that contribute to making Carine one of the most charismatic figures in the industry. Everyone knows her sexy and decisive style, in terms of look and editorial choices, as everyone is aware of her love for high heels, Tom Ford, Riccardo Tisci and provocation. But there are also things about her that you probably ignore. nss tells you about them.
Carine was born in Paris in 1954 and grew up in the elegant Auteuil district in the 16th arrondissement. Daughter of a "classic French woman" and of a film producer, a Russian immigrant who she has always loved so much that she has never got married "because my heart belongs to my father". In fact, despite having been together for forty years with Christian "Sisley" Restoin, founder of the brand Equipment with whom she had two kids, Julia and Vladimir, she never gave in to the charm of marriage.
Returning to her Soviet origins, Roitfeld fondly remembers her grandmother. The woman lived in front of her school and every day she waited outside with orange juice and crackers coated with pressed caviar, a gesture of affection that embarrassed her at the time, but that now she misses. Aside from her childhood, there is still a Russian ritual that Carine does daily: every evening, when she returns home, she drinks a shot of vodka.
Together with Mario Testino and Tom Ford, she has shaped the image of women in the 90s
Editor, stylist, image-maker. In over three decades of activity, Roitfeld has contributed to countless collections, fashion shows, advertising, photographic and editorial services. After a brief experience as a model at the age of eighteen (a cover for an English teen magazine, Look Now, and some collaborations with Kenzo), she began writing and styling for Elle France. After the encounter with testino and Ford, Carine's second big break came in 2001 when she was chosen to manage the French edition of Vogue. In the ten years she remained in charge, she redesigned the magazine in her own image, transforming it into a Bible of contemporary fashion. First of all, anticipating a great return of the historic French brands such as Balenciaga and Givenchy, she changed her name from French Vogue to Vogue Paris; then she published beautiful and often contradictory editorials. One of them, who had as protagonists young girls dressed in women's clothes, with heavy make-up and shot in very provocative poses, cost her the job. Following the controversy aroused by the shooting, Carine Roitfeld resigned.
In the same year, 2011, she collaborated on Chanel's advertising campaigns and published her first book, Irreverent. For the talented Parisian, it was time for a new adventure and in 2010 she became the first global fashion director of Harper's Bazaar, with reports published simultaneously in 27 international editions and over 11 million readers. Despite her many commitments, as witnessed in the documentary Mademoiselle C, Carine found time to launch a new magazine called CR Fashion Book and the creative agency CR Studio.
Strengthened by the popularity of her work and greatly amplified by the arrival of social media that have elected her as a fashion guru, Roitfeld is oriented to transform herself into a real brand. Although her various partnerships remain, such as the one with the Karl Lagerfeld label (she has been a style advisor since 2019) or with Uniqlo, the first step for the new project was the launch of a line of fragrances composed of seven genderless essences.
Her editorials are pure "erotic chic"
She's behind one of the most provocative advertising campaigns in fashion history
In the summer of 2003, Gucci upset the fashion industry with an image created by Mario Testino in collaboration with Carine Roitfeld and Tom Ford. The shot portrayed model Carmen Kass standing with her "g" shaped shaved pubic hair and a man kneeling between her legs. Published for the first time in February 2003 issue of Vogue, the advertising campaign, ironically called Pubic Enemy, was accused of vulgarity and degrading women. One of the most critical positions was that of The Daily Mail, which it wrote:
The people behind this advert are no better than pimps and those who advertise sexual services in phone boxes.
She was one of the first to believe in Kim Kardashian
While image-makers like Carine Roitfeld used to be behind the scenes working with photographers and art directors, today they have become real fashion gurus. Much of the credit goes to the spread of social media and street photography. One of the protagonists of these shots is undoubtedly Carine Roitfeld. Her image has become iconic: her hair with a tuft covering half her face, her smoky eyes, her high heels, her sheath skirts, her lingerie as outwear. Here are some secrets of her look:
- She always wears Harry Winston diamond earrings. They're a family heirloom.
- She hates sneakers, she prefers the heels of Gianvito Rossi or Alaïa, but always in black.
- She often opts for Rick Owens sunglasses or Givenchy aviators.
- Her favorite look in autumn is a Louis Vuitton sheepskin coat, Altuzarra skirt and black Alaïa sweater.
- She doesn't usually carries a bag during the fashion weeks, but when she does she chooses the Kelly by Hermès.
- Before launching her perfume, she mixed Opium by Yves Saint Laurent with Fleurs d'Oranger by Serge Lutens.
- She uses Orlando Pita's dry shampoo and when she arrives in Paris the first thing she does is going to Hervé Hérau for a facial massage in Avenue Montaigne.
