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.

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.

Hermès

Carine Roitfeld finds that when shopping for gifts, Hermès is sure to be the best value. As she says whether the gift is, "A perfume, a tie or more... It's always beautiful and chic. And the window displays of the 24 Faubourg are really worth the detour." Further, when she was interviewed by Alena Doletskaya for the December issue of Vogue Russia, Carine mentioned that if she wants a good handbag for herself, she knows that the leather goods produced by Hermès will last for many years. She considers this quality the very DNA of the brand.

As you know, I attempt to follow in the footsteps of the great goddess of high fashion and this holiday season was no different. My beau received Ambre Narguile from the house's Hermessence Collection, delightfully packaged in signature Hermès perfection: crisp orange paper, festooned in brown grosgrain ribbon imprinted in white, unmistakably luxurious, assuredly Hermès. The box looked regal beneath the tree. He and I both love the rich warmth of this scent, sweet with smoky and spicy undertones—utterly irresistible. Ambre Narguile was created by Hermès nose Jean-Claude Ellena in 2004 and is meant to evoke cashmere; the notes featured include benzoin, caramel, cinnamon, coumarine, honey, labdanum, musk, rum, sesame seed, tonka bean, vanilla, and white orchid. As one critic precisely warns, it renders you mouthwatering.

Hermès' extraordinary silk scarves and ties make equally welcome gifts. If you are interested in the silkier side of the house, note this forthcoming book titled The Hermès Scarf: History & Mystique due to publish in April. The author explores the history of this classic luxury item, the treasured square of silk adored and shared by families and collectors since its debut in 1937. Perhaps you are in the market for the fine leather goods for which Hermès is known, either for yourself or for a loved one. Whatever the gift you seek, the House of Hermès is never afraid to take a fresh and frequently witty approach to its own heritage; combined with its reputation for enduring quality, this is one luxury brand that is worth your investment.

Hermès packaging photo courtesy of The PurseBlog. Ambre Narguile image courtesy of Hermès.