I Want To Be A Roitfeld

Carine Roitfeld sat for an interview with The Gentlewoman for their fourth issue, Autumn & Winter 2011, and I was fascinated by the list of Carine's top five fashion editorials, her very favorites among her impressive body of work. Of course she chose the stunners, provocation at its chicest outer limit. My favorite line from the interview: "Even if the socks are bad, it's not a problem." Visit The Gentlewoman to see more of the issue, available on newsstands now.

1. “The Butcher”

The Face, 1997
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Eva Herzigova
Photographer: Mario Testino

“Shot during the meat crisis in Britain, this much-copied story was a turning point in my career. And I don’t even like meat!”

2. "Chic"

Visionaire #22, 1997
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Kim Iglinsky
Photographer: Mario Testino

“I’d been in a car accident and had to wear a neck brace, so Mario suggested that we use it in the shoot. We had the model on a beautiful bicycle because I think a girl on a bike is very sexy. She was in Gucci heels, a shirt, a short skirt and the neck brace with some jewelry over it — very chic.” Note also that Mario Testino served as guest editor for this issue.

3. “Corps & Lames”

Vogue Paris, February 2005
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Gemma Ward
Photographer: Mario Testino

“We had Gemma Ward playing with scissors and cutting the hair of a Barbie doll. This is something I used to do as a child — all little girls like to cut their Barbies’ hair, no?” The model turns the scissors on her own lashes as well; in marring our ideal of the perfect long lashes, her act seems quite perverse.

4. “Naughty Parisian Maid”

The Face, December 1997
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Ehrinn Cummings
Photographer: Mario Testino

“I love the contrast between the model’s very chic look and her manic behavior. We had her under a glass table, polishing it with a Louis Vuitton scarf and even cleaning the stove with a cotton bud while wearing Saint Laurent."

5. “Festin”

Vogue Paris, October 2010
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Crystal Renn
Photographer: Terry Richardson

“A very provocative shoot, this was inspired by one of my favorite films, La Grande Bouffe. The smell of the squid was so strong the hairdresser fainted.”