Saint Petersburg

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:

1. Dostoevsky
2. Horseradish vodka (Polish vodka is nothing compared to it)
3. Very hot black tea with no milk and some jam under the tongue to sweeten it
4. The churches
5. The classical ballet dancer

 Carine Roitfeld in Saint Petersburg images © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Update on mardi 23 mars 2010 by kellina

Timely as ever, Derek Blasberg provides a photograph of the Restoin-Roitfeld children, Julia and Vladimir, impersonating Russian peasants!

Julia and Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photograph courtesy of style.com.

Carine's Tea Time

Vogue Paris and Hôtel de Crillon join forces to host the Vogue Bar in the spirit of Paris Fashion Week from March 4 to 13. The menu proffers delectable beverages, often nutritious in nature, and frequently named for VP insiders. After reading accounts of the opening soirée, it seems the favorite house drink is the one named in honor of Carine Roitfeld (pictured here in the most sophisticated shade of green). "Carine's Tea Time" combines Vodka Absolut 100, sirop de thé vert, jus citron vert, eau florale de menthe or in English, Absolut vodka, green tea syrup, lime juice, and mint blossom water. This concoction sounds refreshing and comforting with just the right note of tanginess. In other words, as original and tasteful as the name suggests. The unusual hue reminds me of the Roitfeld eyes, c'est sublime.

Carine's Tea Time drink at the Vogue Bar © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Update on mercredi 10 mars 2010 by kellina

Naturally ageless beauty Carine Roitfeld uses the timeless wisdom of the Orient to purify while partying; she simply adds green tea to her drink. Here she shines in her vintage gold Yves Saint Laurent lamé dress and César Compression pendant while enjoying her ephemeral namesake.

Carine Roitfeld photograph courtesy of twitter.com/VogueParisLive

Update on samedi 14 août 2010 by kellina

Cute! Here we see Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Robert Konjic enjoying the refreshing cocktail known as "Carine's Tea Time" at the Vogue Bar at Hôtel de Crillon.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Robert Konjic photograph © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Hakaan Yildirim

Carine Roitfeld is flying to London from New York tomorrow solely to see Hakaan Yildirim's show as London Fashion Week commences. This designer from Istanbul is likely a new face for most, though he has garnered major awards in the fashion world of Turkey. His show is being styled by Vogue's Edward Enninful and Natasha Poly, Anje Rubik, Lara Stone, and Natalia Vodianova will grace his runway. This 37 year old was discovered by Mert Alas on a photo shoot and — abracadabra — he makes London Fashion Week. Monsieur Yildirim is now based in London and he is represented by Relative | MO.

Hakaan Yıldırım photos © 2010 London Fashion Week, Bauer Consumer Media, Melanie Rickey. All Rights Reserved.

Update on vendredi 19 février 2010 by kellina

Here is a photograph of Carine Roitfeld at the Hakaan show today at London Fashion Week. She looks so beautiful and her hair is perfect. Why wave when you have this...

Also check out this brief video backstage at Hakaan in which Carine professes her interest in his designs, if he will make her a longer skirt she will wear it.

Carine Roitfeld photograph courtesy of betweeneveryline.blogspot.com

Update on lundi 28 juin 2010 by kellina

Hakaan Yildirim has been announced as the winner of the 2010 ANDAM Fashion Award.

Lexomil

I am in the market for a good tranquilizer and I recalled that Carine Roitfeld had shared with The Daily Telegraph that she takes a Lexomil each day to maintain her palpable calm. With good reason, as she says, "[Running Vogue Paris] is like walking on eggs, all these egos." Naturally one would want to take the edge off and the power of Pilates goes only so far. Note however that this interview was in November 2005; by February 2008, Carine admitted to New York Magazine that her anxiety persists and that she nearly vibrates due to her energy level. "I love pills. I cannot sleep, so I love pills. My doctor, he tells me that I begin to lose my vision because of the pills," she says with a shrug.

Lexomil is in the Bromazepam family of pharmaceuticals and according to Wikipedia, here are a few other negative aspects: "Bromazepam is the most common benzodiazepine involved in intentional overdoses in France.... In France car accidents involving psychotropic drugs in combination found benzodiazepines, mainly diazepam, nordiazepam, and bromazepam, to be the most common drug, almost twice that of the next most common drug cannabis.... Bromazepam has also been used for serious criminal offenses including robbery, homicide, and to carry out sexual assaults." I think I'll keep looking for a good tranquilizer. And Carine, on behalf of all your fans—trésor de votre vision, c'est la chose qui nous bouées.

Lexomil image courtesy of ecole-art-aix.fr

Bess

Carine Roitfeld is a fan of Bess, she has been spotted wearing one of their distinctive feather necklaces, a gothic concoction of lace, suede, and feathers that appear to be those of a raven. Bess was created in 2000 by Doug and Bess Abraham, by 2001 their pieces were being stocked by Harvey Nichols, Fred Segal, Bergdorf Goodman, and Barney's NY. The Abrahams opened the first Bess store in 2002. Now located at 292 Lafayette Street (between Prince and Houston), the space that Bess occupies formerly housed Keith Haring's Pop Shop.

Bess is known for bold, colorful jewelry made of precious and semiprecious stones frequently interwoven with rich, layered fabrics such as velvet and silk. For extra pleasure, they custom stud a variety of vintage apparel. In addition to working as a sculptor and jewelry designer, Doug also oversees the jewelry line produced by Ralph Lauren.

Other notable Bess fans include Alexander Wang, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Marc Jacobs, Hedi Slimane, Fabiola Beracasa, Vanessa Traina, Anna Sui, Domenico Dolce, Olivier Theyskens, and Erin Wasson. Bess Los Angeles is now open at 8166 Melrose Avenue and they plan to debut their collection at the upcoming New York Fashion Week, hopefully we will see Carine there showing her support.

Images from the Bess Autumn/Winter 2009 and  Spring/Summer 2010 collections © 2009 Bess NYC. All Rights Reserved.