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.

Olivier Lalanne

I am not sure why it took so long but permit me the pleasure of sharing with you Carine Roitfeld's second in command, Olivier Lalanne. This hot Frenchman has fabulous hair and an intense gaze, two of my favorite qualities in a man. Okay, let's not intellectualize this for another minute, Olivier Lalanne is hot. Seriously.

When asked who the next most important person on her team is at Vogue Paris, Carine replied: "Olivier Lalanne, definitely. He’s my features editor-in-chief and my continuity. He’s a hard worker with a great sense of humor and he’s good looking, charming, and sweet. He was actually an intern and then he became an assistant and now I have given him this position already. I want all my team to be young very hard working people. A lot of Vogue Paris now is very young girls with great energy. Olivier is only 33, so you see I really am the old person of my magazine. And I’m the shortest of the girls too." This was in 2005; in 2006, Lalanne took over as editor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes International. Driven and intelligent, two of my favorite qualities in a man.

Carine Roitfeld and Olivier Lalanne photographs courtesy of style.com, Getty Images, and Fashion Spot.

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.

Emmanuelle Alt

Emmanuelle Alt has worked as fashion director for Vogue Paris with Carine Roitfeld since 2001; prior to that she was styling editorials for publications like Mixte and 20 Ans, where she spent five years as editor-in-chief. Alt was educated at Lubeck School, a stylish private Catholic academy in Paris with alumnae such as former first lady Cécilia Sarkozy, Caroline Deroche of Givenchy, Mathilde Agostinelli of Prada, Victoire de Castellane of Dior, Vanessa Seward of Azzaro, and Camille Miceli of Louis Vuitton. This school for 11- to 18-year-olds was founded in 1882 and is run by the Little Sisters of the Assumption. As would be expected, the navy uniforms prompted creative expression through extra efforts with hair and accessories, a natural route to a passion for fashion. Alt's personal style embodies androgynous French cool and encompasses her obsessions with Saturday Night Fever, Michael Jackson, and the 1965-1975 era. In addition to her work for Vogue Paris, Alt currently helps firms like Isabel Marant, Balmain, and Giuseppe Zanotti create their statement looks. Alt's husband Franck Durand is artistic director for Isabel Marant; they have a son, Antonin, and a daughter, Françoise, who is pictured here with her chic maman.

Visit I Want To Be An Alt to learn more about Emmanuelle Alt.

Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt photographs courtesy of Facebook and Fashion Spot

Juergen Teller

Carine Roitfeld and Juergen Teller have combined their talents innumerable times over the last few years to create memorable fashion images for Vogue Paris, such as the editorial pictured above, "Strip-Jean." Model Raquel Zimmerman teases us via her denim outifts styled by Carine and shot by Juergen for the May 2009 issue of Vogue Paris.

Widely considered to be one of the most influential fashion photographers shooting today, Teller achieves his raw, overexposed style wielding a Contax G2 camera with onboard flash. Born in 1964 in Erlangen, Germany, Teller studied at the Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Photograhie in Munich and developed his interest in portraiture. He began snapping photos of celebrities, mostly musical, including then unknown Nirvana. In 1986, he moved to London where he now lives and works. From shooting the rising stars of grunge music Teller went on to help shape grunge fashion via his lens' perspective. His partner and mother of his daughter is art director Venetia Scott. If you are interested in exploring his work further, I definitely recommend Juergen Teller Go-Sees.

For those in the New York area, don't miss Juergen Teller's Fashion Week talk with Cathy Horyn of The New York Times. The free discussion of his work is open to the public at the Visual Arts Theater at 333 W. 23rd Street on September 12 at 7 p.m. Additionally, a new exhibition of Teller's work will be on display beginning September 10 at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery and his photographs will be showcased at the New Museum for the launch of Shoot, along with the work of Nan Goldin and Wolfgang Tillmans.

Raquel Zimmerman in "Strip-Jean" editorial from Vogue Paris May 2009 © 2009 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.
Juergen Teller "ME 1, selfportrait, 2000" image courtesy of Fotomuseum Im Stadtmuseum, Munich.