Julia In Chains

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld was captured on film by photographer (and former beau) Magnus Berger in a surrealistic portrait that he titled "Julia In Chains." The work effectively blurs the lines between art and fashion, transcending clichés to create a memorable composition. Multiple images have been layered to make Julia appear to fade into the sepia tinted shadows and the intensity of her eyes sharpens the contrast. Julia is wearing the gold chains from Givenchy's Fall/Winter 2008 ready-to-wear collection.

"Julia In Chains" photograph of Julia Restoin-Roitfeld © 2009 Magnus Berger. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld As Marchesa Casati

The eccentric Italian heiress Marchesa Luisa Casati, known for wearing live snakes as jewelry and being attended by nude servants, seems like a natural for Carine Roitfeld to emulate. Karl Lagerfeld created the photograph and the sketch seen here in which Carine is costumed as Casati for the September 22, 2003, issue of The New Yorker. Lagerfeld's work illustrated an article titled “The Divine Marquise” written by Judith Thurman. Casati and her sister were acclaimed as the richest women in Italy during the Belle Epoque, spending their inheritance to collect exotic animals and often seen strolling the streets of Venice naked with their pet cheetahs on diamond-studded leashes. Mrrrrrow!

I love how Thurman describes Casati's appearance: "She was tall and cadaverous, with a little feral face swamped by incandescent eyes… She blackened her eyes with kohl, powdered her skin a fungal white, and dyed her hair to resemble a corona of flames; her mouth was a lurid gash…" Despite inheriting her considerable wealth, Casati managed to end her life several million dollars in debt and rummaging through trash bins for decorations for her outfits. If you would like to read more about this enthralling character's influence on modern fashion, pick up Casati's biography Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati or the visual feast The Marchesa Casati: Portraits of a Muse.

Carine Roitfeld as Marchesa Casati photograph and sketch by Karl Lagerfeld © 2003 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Vlad The Insurgent

It seems I am not the only one that noted Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld is taking the New York art world by storm...The New York Observer recently issued their list of "Insurgents of 2010" and included our favorite rising art maven. These "insurgents" are deemed to be the rebels that will refashion New York City in the arenas of business, style, culture, media, and politics, dismantling the old machine and creating the new energy of the city.

The selection criteria of the Observer is amusing: "Insurgents think of things we didn’t think about or were too lazy to mull over much. They have the spirits of street fighters. But whether you like them personally doesn’t really matter. That economy that flattened dreams all over? It emboldened them. The Insurgents may not know it yet, but they’re about to remake this town in ways many of us can’t even fathom... It’s going to be a hell of a show."

According to Monsieur Restoin-Roitfeld, it sounds so very simple to become an insurgent: “I was going to different exhibitions and it always had this feeling of a closed circle, and it was something very hard to enter for many so I thought if I just did it in a different way, I could capture the interest of a different crowd of people. I just decided to rent very large spaces and invite a huge crowd of people and present art that I believe to be amazing and just make it more fun and open-minded.” Of course. The print edition of the Observer contains a nifty pullout visual representation of the Insurgents in the new New York, check it out.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photograph © 2009 Getty Images

Giovanna Battaglia Illustration

The talented Judit García-Talavera has graciously permitted me to share with all of you her lovely illustration of Giovanna Battaglia. Below is a copy of the original photo upon which Judit based her illustration for comparison. I love especially the way that she captures Giovanna's eyes and that the only points of color are her dress and shoes. Be sure to visit Judit's web site to see more of her beautiful style of art.

Giovanna Battaglia illustration © 2009 Judit García-Talavera. All Rights Reserved.
Giovanna Battaglia photograph courtesy of trendycrew.com

Happy Birthday Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld!

According to his sister Julia, today is Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld's 25th birthday and what a prosperous year he celebrates. Vladimir translates from Russian as "one who owns the world" and in the New York art world he is hard at work on making good on his name. He sold a million dollars worth of art for Richard Hambleton this year as well as quite a few works for Nicolas Pol at a better price than previously fetched. Let's not forget the "Three Photographers" show that happened in February of this year, another artful success in Vladimir's favor. Probably the best gift of all is the relationship he formed with Giovanna Battaglia. Bon anniversaire, Vladi !

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and family and friends collage photographs courtesy of cobrasnake, nymag,com, papermag.com, Park Avenue Peerage/Patrick McMullen, and style.com.
Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and Carine Roitfeld photograph © 2009 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.