Rick Owens

Carine Roitfeld’s appearance is a study in contradiction — at once completely glamourous yet unstudied, even a bit messy to boot. Her look is luxe yet undone, detailed yet simple, edgy yet feminine. With her smudged khôl eyeliner, mysterious shroud of hair, and reckless footwear, she has elegant nonchalance down pat. And to whom does Carine Roitfeld turn for the perfect leather jacket? None other than Rick Owens, but of course. Her choice: A black wrap coat, hitting slightly above the knee, a dramatic obi self-belt gently hugging her waist, punctuated by an oversized shawl collar lined in shearling. On closer inspection one notices that the armholes are set high and that the sleeves are cut skinny and a little long, rendered in soft, supple washed leather so as to perfectly scrunch at the wrist. These subtle details make all the difference. Rick Owen’s leather concoctions are tailored to fit the body like a glove and the results are nothing short of incredible. The long sleeves, the small shoulder, the high armholes, the subtle indentation in the lower back are all crafty design tricks that make the wearer appear longer, leaner, and yes, that indentation in back does in fact make your ass look perkier. No extra lunges required.

No wonder Carine is so fond of her Rick Owens coat. But it is not only the tailoring and the incredible ass perkiness that attracts Carine to Owens' work; one cannot deny the parallels in design sensibilities between the two. Owens’ designs have been hailed as glamour-meets-grunge, avant-garde, subversive, edgy, and sexy. He makes leather jackets with rock star styling then makes them sing with couture-like sophistication. Owens himself says, "I try to make clothes the way Lou Reed does music, with minimal chord changes, and direct. It is sweet but kind of creepy. It's about giving everything I make a worn, softened feeling. It's about an elegance being tinged with a bit of the barbaric, the sloppiness of something dragging and the luxury of not caring."

Owens first attracted attention for his designs when one of his jackets appeared in Vogue Paris on Kate Moss. In 2002, he won the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis Emerging Talent Award. Born and raised in southern California, Owens made the move to Paris in 2003, where he now resides. In 2007, he won the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award. In terms of physique, the designer himself casts a striking presence with a hard, honed body, and long, straight, dark hair. Now who does that remind you of?

View a brief video of Carine wearing her Rick Owens jacket at the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week in March 2010.

Carine Roitfeld and Rick Owens photographs courtesy of fullissue.com, trendycrew.com, and Fashion Spot.

Hôtel De Crillon

What is Carine Roitfeld's favorite bar in Paris? She is often seen relaxing with family and friends in the luxurious surroundings of the Hôtel de Crillon. With the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to its right, the Jardin des Tuileries to its left, and the exclusive Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré just behind, few hotels are better located than the prestigious Hôtel de Crillon. Fashion, culture, and the hotel of dreams converge, you really cannot go wrong spending time here.

In addition to hosting a constant stream of guests amidst the luxurious splendor in the style of Louis XV, the Hôtel de Crillon is the spot for some of the hottest parties in Paris including the annual Bal des Débutantes and the Vogue Paris Covers 1920-2009 soirée. Given that the Vogue Paris offices are located just behind the Crillon, it is no surprise that as the magazine's former rédactrice en chef, La Roitfeld would take meetings there if her office was "too mess" — another indication of her strong problem solving abilities.

Clearly the relationship that formed between Vogue Paris and the Crillon during Carine's reign at the magazine has been a positive one. Fashion Week parties are hosted at Hôtel de Crillon now and include a special "Vogue Bar" created just for the week. Complete with cocktails named in honor of VP editors, lucky guests enjoy refreshment in truly fashionable style. My friends and I have scheduled an afternoon tea at Hôtel de Crillon in April; it would be nice if Carine finds time to stop by...

Carine Roitfeld and Hôtel De Crillon photographs courtesy of gourmet.com, crillon.com, and © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Alberto Marani

As a designer and creative architect of style, Alberto Marani is a favorite of Carine Roitfeld and the man behind a few of the most coveted brands in her closet. Marani was born in the picturesque coastal city of San Remo, Italy, where his primary influence and inspiration was Le Corbusier, a close friend of his father and a pioneer of the school we now call Modern architecture or the International Style. An ideal student, Marani absorbed Le Corbusier’s strong lines and structure, incorporating these characteristics into his work throughout his career at houses like Gianfranco Ferré and Christian Dior Haute Couture and Prêt-à-Porter.

More recently Marani’s own label released a limited edition knitwear collection that has gained somewhat of a cult following. The relaunch of his collection included large tasseled skirts inspired by hyena trainers in Nigeria, very tribal, combining the complexity of the tassel and the ethnic look with the simplicity of form and function. These are sensual designs to be worn with a fitted or cropped sleeveless tshirt and sure to be acquired by the most fashion conscious women in the world. It is no wonder that Alberto Marani is one of Carine’s favorites, like minds seem to find one another. Who knows what the future holds for either of them but perhaps collaboration is in the works for these two visionary forces.

Alberto Marani image © 2010 Alberto Marani. All Rights Reserved.

Mary Katrantzou

Carine Roitfeld recently professed her love for London fashion and the brilliant young designers at work in the city, singling out the talent of Mary Katrantzou in particular: "She is one of my favorites, her clothes are incredible!" La Roitfeld's taste is on target as usual — Katrantzou just won the Swiss Textile Award for 2010, a prize valued at €100,000 and widely considered one of the most prestigious awards in the world of fashion. Past winners include Alexander Wang, Laura and Kate Mulleavy, Marios Schwab, and Raf Simons. Katrantzou was also nominated for this year's British Fashion Award.

Known informally as the "princess of prints," Katrantzou was born in Athens, Greece in 1983, and studied architecture at Rhode Island School of Design before transferring to Central Saint Martins where she attained her degrees in textile design. She gained valuable experience working for Sophia Kokosalaki and Bill Blass among other designers before creating her own label. When asked why she chose London, the designer replied, "It's a constant source of energy and inspiration to live and work in London. It has a reputation for great fashion, influential museums, and strong education. That all becomes part of your formation.”

Katrantzou's bold surrealist collection for Spring/Summer 2011 is titled "Ceci n'est pas une chambre" and draws upon inspiration from sources such as René Magritte, Helmut Newton, Architectural Digest, and Guy Bourdin in achieving an exquisite trompe l'œil effect. Carine plans to spotlight Katrantzou and her fantastic creations in an upcoming issue of Vogue Paris featuring ten of the best designers in London.

Mary Katrantzou photographs © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Xavier Romatet

Perhaps you have noticed this dashing gentleman at various Vogue Paris events and he has aroused your curiosity — introducing Xavier Romatet, president of Condé Nast Publications and one of the bosses of Carine Roitfeld. Prior to joining Condé Nast, Romatet worked for twenty years in the world of advertising, including thirteen at Omnicom Group's DDB France. He earned his MBA at HEC in Paris.

Romatet holds a high opinion of Carine, extolling her as a savvy woman of business with an acute sense for what stimulates her readers: "Carine is probably the most creative person I've met in my life." Under the leadership of La Roitfeld, Vogue Paris advertising revenues are up nearly 10 percent and circulation has increased by 27 percent despite economic conditions. Romatet notes that Vogue Paris is the world's most profitable magazine and refers to this as the "Carine effect," no faint praise from a man in his position.

How does Romatet envision the future of Vogue Paris and magazines in general? Realistically he admits that return on investment is never guaranteed but remains optimistic, steadily working to launch new titles in niche markets around the world and exploring the digital frontier. Romatet believes that the strong personalities running his brands and the influence they wield are key to the success of his product which he views as a luxury object. The reputation of the product itself is desired by discerning consumers (coincidentally most of whom are cozy in the upper income bracket) who buy Vogue Paris for the unique perspective. Call it The Carine Effect.™

Carine Roitfeld and Xavier Romatet photograph courtesy of doloresfancy.blogspot.com. Carine Roitfeld, Xavier Romatet, and Emmanuelle Alt photograph © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Update on samedi 30 octobre 2010 by kellina

I like his voice as well, check out this video in which Xavier Romatet talks about Vogue Paris' Fashion Celebration Night. Note that Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt are also interviewed at length.