Though Carine Roitfeld was raised in bourgeois Paris, she is actually half Russian because her father, Jacques, was born in Russia. "My family name is Vladimirovna. My father was a film producer who worked in Berlin before he came to Paris and met my mother, who was a very classic French woman. She was the chichest mother at school. My father had a huge influence on me. He was sort of a fantasist, a very charming hero, an idol to me," says Carine and she has never put her Russian heritage on the shelf. 
Besides giving her two children names with Russian roots (Julia and Vladimir), she visits Saint Petersburg regularly to keep in touch with her history. "I love, love, love Saint Petersburg," La Roitfeld exclaims with passion. Asked to name what she loves most about Mother Russia, here is what makes this czarina smile:
- Dostoevsky
- Horseradish vodka (Polish vodka is nothing compared to it)
- Very hot black tea with no milk and some jam under the tongue to sweeten it
- The churches
- The classical ballet dancer
Carine Roitfeld in Saint Petersburg images © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.
kellina
