Carine Roitfeld: Pirelli Calendar 2015

Carine Roitfeld: Pirelli Calendar 2015
By Bernie Rothschild

The Pirelli Calendar 2015 will be styled by the legendary Carine Roitfeld and photographed by Steven Meisel. It is the first time that the calendar will feature plus-sized models and will include Joan Smalls, Anna Ewers, Adriana Lima, Candice Huffine, Raquel Zimmermann, Gigi Hadid, Isabeli Fontana, Carolyn Murphy, Karen Elson, Natalia Vodianova, Cameron Russell, and Sasha Luss. The 2015 Pirelli theme is "FETISH" which is synonymous with the style of Carine Roitfeld. Her love of bondage fetishism is deeply associated with the way she dresses and reflected in her photo shoot styling. She even themed the 2007 Vogue Paris calendar bondage also featuring Karen Elson as photographed by David Sims which shows her love of eroticism chic.

Carine has been working with Steven Meisel a lot lately (which makes me wonder why they didn't work together during her time at Vogue Paris). It was also Roitfeld and Meisel who were responsible for the first campaign of Tom Ford for YSL Rive Gauche and I assume that it was Carine who conceptualized and styled the controversial Opium campaign featuring the naked Sophie Dahl.

Although it is the first time for Steven Meisel to photograph the prestigious Pirelli Calendar, it is the second time for Carine. She styled the 2001 edition of the calendar featuring the top models of the new millennium as photographed by Mario Testino in Naples, Italy. One thing that is noticeable is every model's silhouette looks very much like Carine Roitfeld's personal style. The high heels, the nudity, the cigarette dangling, the black dresses. Carine is really the queen of erotic and hedonist chic! She seems to be the female reincarnation of Tom Ford with a touch of Helmut Newton. I'm really very excited to see the 2015 Pirelli Calendar which is due in November and, for sure, it will be one of Carine's "greatest hits."

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Pirelli Calendar images © 2014 Pirelli. All Rights Reserved.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld Directs Rock Roll Ride

These boots are made for.. Oooo la la… In her directorial debut, Rock Roll Ride for Stuart Weitzman, Julia Restoin Roitfeld proves to be a natural behind the camera, displaying cool confidence and sexy heat all at once. Julia cast Dylan Penn and Poppy Delevingne in her short film, and the playful and seductive pair model a parade of Stuart Weitzman boots that will haunt you for weeks. To set a sultry tone, la réalisatrice chose a remix of "Ride" by Lana del Rey with the Hamptons as background.

Regarding their collaboration, Stuart Weitzman explained, “When we started the creative process for our film series this season, we wanted to work with a female director whose artistic vision was aligned with our brand aesthetic. Julia’s body of work is impressive, and we knew she would capture the spirit of Stuart Weitzman through a unique vantage point.”

When asked about her initial experience as a director, JRR shared, “As a creative director, I think secretly I always wanted to direct a movie, and when Stuart Weitzman approached me to direct their fourth short film, I immediately said yes because I’m obsessed with shoes… I was so flattered, because James Franco did one of their films right before me so I’m following in the footsteps of real professionals. I was so stressed, because I felt like I needed to be at their level… I had no idea where to start, but I had an amazing production company who guided me, and helped me to show my ideas and helped me make it work. I wanted the girls to look like my fantasy look, and I wanted them to look very sensual, very sexy, very comfortable, very confident without looking vulgar, and that there’s a certain toughness in them, and also a fragility, and a certain sensuality… I like the multiple screen because it really reminds me of the layout of vintage Playboys. I use them as references and I love when it creates a mystery where you see a little bit of that scene mixed with a little bit of that and the close-up on the lips. I just love this whole aesthetic." In addition to finding inspiration for her film in the pages of Playboy, I would suggest that perhaps Julia has taken cues also from Brigitte Bardot in "Harley Davidson" and Franck Durand for Aurelie Bidermann.

For the Stuart Weitzman launch party at Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, Julia Restoin Roitfeld appeared in Mugler fresh off the runway with thigh-high boots by Stuart Weitzman, bien sûr. Among the many fabulous guests celebrating the launch were Carine Roitfeld, Daphne Groeneveld, Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Daisy Lowe, Cara Delevingne, Hannah Bronfman, Atlanta de Cadenet, Harley Viera-Newton, Leigh Lezark, Mario Sorrenti, David Koma, and Virginie Courtin-Clarins.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld talks about her inspiration for Rock Roll Ride

Dylan Penn discusses her work with director Julia Restoin Roitfeld for Stuart Weitzman

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Julia Restoin Roitfeld and Rock Roll Ride photographs courtesy of Stuart Weitzman, fashionweekdaily.com, and secondcitystyle.com.

The Roitfelds In Alaïa: Qui Porte Le Mieux ?

When I saw this photograph of Julia and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld posted on her Instagram account, I immediately remembered this shot of Carine wearing the same dress by Azzedine Alaïa. Now I have to ask: which Roitfeld wears it better? Please feel free to express your opinion in the comments below… Bonus points if you can identify in which Alaïa collection the dress appeared originally….

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Carine Roitfeld and Julia Restoin Roitfeld In Alaïa photos courtesy of instagram.com and thesartorialist.com.

Happy 60th Birthday Carine Roitfeld!

Happiest of birthdays to the queen of our hearts, Carine Roitfeld! Though it is impossible to believe, this incredibly chic woman turns 60 today, an inspiration to all that sexy has nothing whatsoever to do with age. In celebration of Carine's extraordinary ability to defy the passing of time, let us examine five of her basic principles for living. All of these hints work to "preserve the freshness," the Parisian approach to caring for oneself; the typical French woman wisely believes that it is better to take care of her assets along the way rather than trying to retrieve her youth with surgery or expensive creams later in life. Note that these ideas have nothing to do with fashion, other than providing for a beautiful frame on which to display the art of the garment. Joyeux anniversaire Carine xxx

1. Ballet

Over the years, Carine Roitfeld has kept active with Pilates, a personal trainer, and other forms of fitness. Her current passion is ballet and she practices with a teacher regularly at home. Of course she has chosen the best ballet clothes: cashmere tank top, leggings, and cardigan in nude or khaki by Rick Owens. She likes to layer her pieces so that she can remove them as she sweats.

2. Green tea

Carine begins her day with matcha green tea, whipping the powder into froth with a handheld electric food processor. Noted for its antioxidant properties, green tea makes the skin glow among many other benefits. I found it interesting that when the Vogue Bar began, they selected a drink befitting CR, then editor-in-chief, that included green tea… "Carine's Tea Time" composed of 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.)

3. Massage

Carine Roitfeld prefers Joëlle Ciocco for her facial massage, a thorough treatment which covers even the inside of the mouth, reducing stress and freshening the skin. Parisian women swear that treatments with Ciocco can stop the process of aging. For body treatments, Carine has been spotted at L'appartement 217, the peaceful haven created by Stéphane Jaulin.

4. Sunscreen

Sun damage is the leading cause of premature aging in women and men. The sun's UVA light accounts for 90 percent of all wrinkles. This means that with care, damage to the skin can be avoided and aging can be prevented. An effective sunscreen can help to protect against skin cancer as well. If you consider only one of these ideas to counter the effects of aging, I hope you will choose the regular application of a quality sunscreen. As Julia Restoin-Roitfeld explains, "It’s a daily routine for French women of eating healthy and being very careful about going out in the sun. They work to keep up the freshness as long as possible... For me, beauty is more about prevention than anything. Especially now that I’ve hit 30, it’s more about being careful and maintaining my skin. I want to keep my youth and freshness and be wrinkle-free as long as possible because I don’t want to have to cheat — that’s what I call any cosmetic surgeries, cheating. I don’t mind having a little glow, but now when I go to the beach, I put SPF 50 everywhere — either Avène or La Roche-Posay Anthelios."

5. Sleep

Even with her busy schedule, Carine knows the importance of sleep for health and she aims for seven hours per night. A true French fantasy, she wears to bed her black silk slip dress by Olatz with a spritz of Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. Notice how clean and calm her bedroom is, conducive to clearing the mind for a restful night of sleep.

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Carine Roitfeld photographs courtesy of Twitter, Instagram, Art + Commerce, Net-a-porter.

IWTB Interview: Antje Winter

IWTB Interview: Antje Winter
By Heather Dunhill

It is a rare opportunity that we get to hear from the person behind a fashion icon like Carine Roitfeld. But, here at I Want To Be A Roitfeld we’ve had an exclusive inside chat with German-born Antje Winter who served as Carine’s right-hand woman for nearly two years then worked with her as a fashion editor for Vogue Paris for two more years.

Not only does Antje have an oh-so-enviable résumé as a stylist — working with names like Mario Testino, Karl Lagerfeld, Paco Rabanne, Louis Vuitton, Max Mara, Shiseido, and Costume National — she also has launched her own fashion collection, which is divinely simple in design. You must check it out. But, first… some insight from Antje on Queen Carine….

However did you land the coveted role as Carine Roitfeld's assistant?

I was an intern at Vogue Paris in the right time. Benjamin Gallopin had just left and Carine and I got along really well so she asked me to become her assistant. Later on, Vogue Paris asked me to become a fashion editor — three months later Carine became editor-in-chief and was my boss again.

Dying to know, what was it like to work with the queen of fashion as she ruled the Vogue Paris headquarters?  

It was a great pleasure every day. Carine is funny and cool and generous and we shared so many unforgettable moments. In the time before Vogue Paris, Carine was very rock 'n' roll, she picked the exciting jobs, which came with a great trip or an incredible styling story where we had the freedom to do what we wanted. So working with her was never boring.

Vogue Paris team: Anastasia Barbieri, Antje Winter, Claire Dhelens, Emmanuelle Alt, Carine Roitfeld. Photography by Terry Richardson for Self Service.

What’s the Roitfeld process while putting together a feature?

I would say Carine’s way of putting a story together is very intuitive. She has a vision of what she wants and an incredible memory of the collections. So she picks the right pieces and turns them into a new silhouette, makes them her own language.

Any memorable pieces on which you collaborated?

To mention some: Gisele Bündchen mod fighting for The Face. Or Eva Herzigova for Vogue Paris all in white, “blanc absolu," or Gisele wiping the floor in Naples for the Pirelli calendar.

What did you learn about style and styling from CR?

Carine Roitfeld is not afraid to share, so working with her you are part of every process, you get to learn everything about fashion. But one of the most important lessons was to stay authentic and treat people well and keep a smile on the face.

It’s my feeling (#wishhopedream) that Queen Carine can make anything happen. Tell us about a time that she pulled a rabbit out of a hat…

I watched her once transforming a random Brazilian jeans line into something hot and edgy and desirable. She does it so easy and natural and all of a sudden every silhouette looks like her.

Okay, enough about CR. What have you been up to since your days at Vogue Paris…

I have had a wonderful styling career so far and I am a very thankful for all the great opportunities I’ve had working with inspiring people and traveling to the most incredible places. I had a small break, as I am a mother of three girls now but back to work and excited for all the upcoming jobs and projects. I started a small capsule collection on my own called AWINTER. Lets see how that works. :)

How about a no-fail signature styling trick for those of us who love French fashion tips?

Do not be scared, use your scissors, pull your imagination, transform if needed, and build your own silhouette. But always keep it simple and respect the designer’s work.

For more of the stylings of Antje Winter at Vogue Paris, see the editorial "Bande A Part" from the April 2001 issue.

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Antje Winter and Carine Roitfeld photos courtesy of Antje Winter, Art Partner, Self Service, Miguel Reveriego, and Condé Nast.