Resort 2014: Carine Roitfeld’s Romeo And Juliet

Resort 2014: Carine Roitfeld’s Romeo and Juliet
By Sarra Salib

It’s no news by now that Carine Roitfeld is the Global Fashion Director for Harper’s Bazaar, and for the Resort 2014 Collection, she interpreted the most famous of Shakespeare’s work, Romeo and Juliet. Carine was undoubtedly inspired by the fact that there were “three major productions of Romeo and Juliet debuting for fall.”

The first thing I noticed about the editorial was the diversity of the cast. Carine’s strong point is her cultural awareness and always diverse cast — she demonstrates time and time again that love has no boundaries and does not distinguish between races. We all know that the prevalent theme of Romeo and Juliet was the “ancient grudge” of the Capulets and the Montagues, but in the editorial, she clearly shows that we are one big family bounded by love. The models’ ethnicities range from Japanese, Angolan, Brazilian, to African American. This is a definite statement of rebuttal to the idea that if we come from different families or background, then we cannot be together.

For this Resort 2014 story, Harper’s Bazaar gave us a bonus backstage video, which are always not long enough, but some of the most fun things to watch because they give you a glimpse of the action it takes to create these images. I believe one of the questions the models were asked was what does love mean to them, which I dare say is a rather difficult question to answer. I noticed that several of the answers were along the lines of waiting — “You should wait for love,” “It’s better to wait for love.” This made me happy because it reminded me of one of my favorite songs by Radiohead, "True Love Waits." In fact, I have a Pinterest board dedicated to it.

I found it ironic that one of Adriana Lima’s statements was “I don’t think you have to sacrifice much for love,” when in fact, the most important motif of Romeo and Juliet is sacrifice. But is that not what love is? It’s to sacrifice something — or in today’s terminology, to compromise — in order to be with the other person, in order to make it last for however long both parties want it to. It’s equivalent to saying “I would do anything for you,” or more befitting for Romeo and Juliet, “I would die for you.”

In terms of the editorial, kudos to Carine Roitfeld for modernizing Shakespeare’s tragedy; however, it did fail to capture the essence of Romeo and Juliet — the insurmountable passion, the “violent delights,” and the love that will have you comparing the object of your affection to the sun. Unfortunately, the passion is clearly missing here — the Juliets seem rather indifferent to their Romeos. I believe the backstage video reveals much more passion, understandably. Several moving images and voices will paint truer colors than one still shot could ever portray.

My favorite shot of the editorial is the one featuring the Dutch beauty Stef Van Der Laan and Phillip Witts. Their shot has the most natural chemistry, and it evokes the idea of being truly in love. Moreover, Witts’ Saint Laurent leather pants are what we call a statement. The opening image of the editorial featuring Adriana Lima and Tyson Ritter is also one of my favorites. Lima looks like the classic image of Juliet we all imagine when we think of Juliet — beautiful, innocent, yet knowing. In fact, she very much resembles Olivia Hussey in that shot. Ritter looked rather familiar to me, so I conducted a simple search and learned that he is indeed the lead singer of The All-American Rejects. I do not listen to them, but I am not surprised that Carine chose him to be one of the Romeos, because he does have the most beautiful cheekbones.

All in all, does the editorial make me immediately think of Romeo and Juliet when I see it? No. But it does convey a much more important message that love has no boundaries. I hope no one has to wait much for their true love, and most of all, I hope no one reading is out of love.

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Carine Roitfeld Romeo and Juliet images © 2013 Hearst Communications, Inc. Other images courtesy of deviantart.com All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld For MaxMara Spring/Summer 2014

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MaxMara images © 2014 MaxMara. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: The Russian Connection

Carine Roitfeld: The Russian Connection
By Bernie Rothschild

As we all know, Carine Roitfeld, a typical bourgeois Parisian woman, is proud of her Russian heritage. It comes as no surprise that her father, Jacques Roitfeld, was a Russian émigré to Paris, which was a very typical route for Russians during the Revolution of 1917. Carine celebrates her Russian roots as much as she can. She prefers a vodka shot over a glass of vintage French wine. It is even said that she speaks fluent Russian. And she loves Saint Petersburg. Her style is very Parisian, but it has some darkness and toughness in it, which is the Russian in her. Carine Roitfeld is the perfect definition of the French-Russian woman.

The connection between France and Russia is nothing new. French is the language of the nobility and was the official language of the Imperial Court of Russia which was known as the Romanov Court.  The Russian Empire was a very powerful state and once occupied nearly half of the world like the Balkans, some parts of Asia, the Middle East, and even Alaska. The German born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, or historically known as Catherine the Great, ruler of Russia, was very remarkable. Catherine was a Francophile and believed that everything French was superior. Her court was modeled after that of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Catherine admired the works of many French writers and regularly corresponded with Voltaire.

Though it was Peter the Great who introduced Francophilia to Russia, it was Catherine who made it popular by the use of French influence that extended not just to the language but also to the art and the architecture. Also, the official painter to the French royal court, Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun, was once exiled in Russia and painted the Romanovs. The Rococo structure of many Russian palaces,  especially the Peterhof Palace, was modeled after the splendid Palais de Versailles. The French and the Russians share a similar aesthetic but the Russian art is mixed with a Germanic influence that has some coldness and darkness to it.

Carine Roitfeld has tried to influence her work with her Russian descent like how the Russians admire the French. Carine was involved in the debut issue of Russian Vogue starring models Kate Moss and Amber Valletta that explored the beauty and the treasures of Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet government. Carine also dedicated the October 2006 issue of Vogue Paris to Russia, the spread titled "Tsarines" was inspired by the Russian Grand Duchess, the wealthiest women in the world during her time. The atmosphere of the photography, especially the white dresses, captures the innocent and angelic style of the daughters of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II.

The second editorial from that issue, "Poupées Russes," evokes the dark days of Russia during the communist rule. Especially with the Givenchy blouse with red embroidery which screams blood and goth. While the models look like angelic Grand Duchesses in "Tsarines," in "Poupées Russes" they look as if they're Russian spies disguised as dolls. I love how Carine "Russianizes" the atmosphere of their style.

Lastly, the editorial "Princesse Natalia" presents the model Natalia Vodianova as if she were a Russian princess especially with the Kokoshnik and a Russian babushka. I love how Carine flirts with balancing the fantasy of the modern and the historical Russian style, especially with the jewel tone colors that make Natalia look like the Russian paintings from the 18th century.

Overall, Russia is really a great country; with its rich heritage, it is truly one of the inspiring places on earth.

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Vogue Paris editorial images © 2006 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld: Coach New York Stories

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld: Coach Collaboration and Hometown Glory
By Sarra Salib

For the Fall/Winter 2013 campaign, Coach came up with a wonderful list of individuals to film for their “Coach New York Stories,” and who more befitting to add to the list than Julia Restoin-Roitfeld? The concept is that “Everyone in New York has a story,” and Julia’s story goes back when she was thirteen years old, dreaming of coming to the melting pot, where it’s less conventional and judgment-free.

Coach dubbed Julia “The Visionary” and for good reason. Not only is she an art director, an editor, and an in-demand model, but most importantly, she is also a mother. She states that her greatest inspiration is her daughter, Romy, the catalyst for romyandthebunnies.com, a not-your-typical-mommy blog that is an outlet for Julia to “connect with other mothers.”

My favorite thing that Julia said in her story is that New York “is the place where I can really be myself.” This piece was very inspirational because you not only need to be in a place that motivates and teaches you, but you also need to be in a place where your best character shines. I think Julia chose well when she decided to make New York her home.

[Editor's note: Gia Coppola is also among the stylish personages that shared their own New York Story for Coach.]

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Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs © 2013 Coach, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rap Ode To Carine Roitfeld

Remember The Little Black Jacket Contest we sponsored way back when? One of the winning entries was a rap ode to Carine Roitfeld by Morgan Von Steen, and while  I had long hoped that she would have time to produce a video of her rap for the site, alas time does not permit. Her CR rap is too fabulous not to share with all of you and so with no further ado, I am pleased to present…

Rap Ode To Carine Roitfeld
By Morgan Von Steen

Carine Roitfeld is one bad bitch.
When it comes to creating beauty, she gets off without a hitch.

I miss her at French Vogue. Team Carine all the way.
But it's nice to have her in New York. That's all I have to say.

I've spent my summer internship here walking down the streets.
I've kept my eyes out. She's the one I'd like to meet.

I want my hands on a copy of CR at this moment.
It's going to be killer. It's Carine. You know it!

I'm already applying to be part of her team.
To work in her presence would be a serious dream.

When I saw her at the CFDA Awards, I could only bow down.
When we watched her walk the carpet, I swear no one could frown.

We waved furiously like morons, and she gave us a smile.
It's a story I will pass down, when I have a child.

She is incredible, and inspiring, and it's news to no one.
I've seen almost every image of the things she has done.

Those Chanel ads are always stuck on my mind.
I want pink eyebrows, cat ears, with a tail in behind.

From black leather, to an infusion of color,
I'll always be a fan of her styling. Call me Carine Lover.

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Carine Roitfeld photographs courtesy of Fashion Spot. Collage by Kellina de Boer.