CR Fashion Book Issue 6: Jolie Laide Preview

Carine Roitfeld has revealed that the sixth issue of CR Fashion Book will focus on the French concept of jolie laide. Her idea of the unusually beautiful so far includes Anna Cleveland by Brigitte Niedermair, Kylie Jenner by Michael Avedon, Kristen Stewart by Karl Lagerfeld, and Alexandra Hochguertel in "Boucherie Desnoyer" by Melanie Huynh and Arnaud Pyvka.

Regarding her inspiration for the issue, Carine Roitfeld shared her thoughts: “In fashion, it’s always better to be an interesting person than a beautiful one. Character is much more fascinating than pure good looks. This idea is what inspired me to dedicate an issue to jolie laide, a term that originated in the famous Serge Gainsbourg song of the same name… After hospital [following her multiple back surgeries], I was thinking, What’s my issue going to be about? Because it was very late. So I kept thinking. I like Serge Gainsbourg, the French singer, and he made a beautiful song about Anjelica Huston that I love, too, called 'Jolie Laide.' I think American people know this song. It means 'ugly beauty,' but I think jolie laide maybe is nicer. It’s true in life and mostly in this work of fashion that the idea of beauty has changed… The whole issue will be around this idea of jolie laide—not just about the beauty, but about fashion, about pictures, about something that is more interesting. I think it’s a very good sign for women because we are not all perfect. I made a long story about Michael Avedon; I asked him to do my ugly beauties, in a way. He did the portfolio of jolie laide and it is not easy to photograph a star and make her not as beautiful as people expect her to be. I think he did it in a very smart way; he is a very smart person…  I think every beauty needs something weird—a little error or it’s not beautiful.”

I'd like to mention that our style editor, Dara Block, originally suggested the theme of jolie laide for CR Fashion Book during an interview with me in October 2013; I posed the question, "If it were your decision, who would you put on the next cover of Vogue Paris? Vogue Italia? CR Fashion Book?" Dara responded, "I would love to see some of my favorite 90s supermodels on the cover of Vogue Paris, especially the ones I haven't seen in years like Meghan Douglas, Claudia Mason, Shana Zadrick. These girls were so beautiful in the 90s and I would love to know what they are up to and how they feel now about beauty and glamour. For Vogue Italia and CR Fashion Book, I think for either magazine, it would be interesting if they made a cover on the idea of jolie laide. The term is French and it basically means a good looking ugly woman. I think it's an offbeat beauty concept, but I would love to see women like Angelica Huston, Sofia Coppola, Rossy de Palma, and maybe even model Saskia de Brauw on the cover, to show how you can be beautiful in a non-traditional way. I think that would make for a groundbreaking cover... it's time we celebrate being non-perfectly pretty!" Note also that Franca Sozzani chose Sofia Coppola for the cover of Vogue Italia in February 2014. Coincidence? Perhaps….

In any event, we wish Carine all the best during her recovery and we look forward to much more jolie laide when CR Fashion Book 6 hits newsstands in March.

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com.

CR Fashion Book: Dance With The Wind

CR Fashion Book: Dance with the Wind
By Dara Block

What is not to love about the spring issue of CR Fashion Book? The second publication is dedicated to the theme of dance and each editorial is a stunning combination of movement, fluidity, and spring 2013 fashion. It is difficult to pick a favorite layout because each one is so special and unique in its own artistic way, but if I had to choose one that captures my eye it would be "Dance With The Wind" photographed by Brigitte Niedermair. I was so glad to see that Carine Roitfeld chose Brigitte Niedermair again for the spring issue. I am still mesmerized by her "How Do Hue Do?" editorial from 2012... she certainly took creepy-chic to the next level with all those dynamic wigs and fall fashion. It's no surprise that in this issue Carine amps it up again by incorporating more cutting edge visual style. With all that said, let's take a look inside the pages of this gorgeous layout! 

The first image in the editorial features a backshot of model Sui He wearing a silk kimono and vintage obi from the Kimono House. I love the overall Japanese feel and that added element of her hair flowing in the wind. It looks as if nature itself is choreographing a dance with her hair. This is not your literal interpretation of dance, which I find so fascinating!

The next image features Sui He again and also model Soo Joo. This time, they are both dressed in Louis Vuitton. I love the way in which their bodies blend into each other. They look so unified and statuesque in their white ensembles and I love how Brigitte Niedermair captured their hair. There is so much fluidity and motion with their long tresses... looking very much like a dance, itself!

The following image features model Soo Joo once again, this time in a transparent Rick Owens dress and Jen Kao shoes. I love the body language she is giving to the camera and the way her hair looks as if it is taking over her body. There is some kind of agony and ecstasy with this image almost reminding me of choreographer Pina Bausch. I am not sure if Brigitte Niedermair was inspired by her dance style, but I can totally see a connection. Either way, I so appreciate how painfully-chic this looks.

What I admire most about Brigitte Niedermair is that she is able to find such strange beauty in the most mundane, much like this image. I love the way in which those hands are placed. It almost looks as if they are about to perform a dance. Perhaps, some kind of hand ballet. Visually, I love the angle at which this image is photographed and let's not forget that striking Dior ring. This is pure obscure-elegance, something at which Brigitte Niedermair excels!

Yet again, we see Soo Joo and Sui He modeling together. This time they are both camouflaged together in black. Soo Joo is wearing Hermès and Sui He is adorned in a black kimono from the Kimono House. I so love the way in which their bodies morph together and that stark contrast of their blonde and black hair. There is a painterly quality to this image and I love the dark ethereal aspect of it all. It's very noir, with a Japanese edge!

The following image is my favorite from the editorial. Soo Joo and Sui He virtually melt into each with their angelic hair. I can't help but be in awe of the fluidity of their locks. This is double-vision at its best… it's very rare to see such an image that looks so haunting and breathtaking at the same time. For some reason, it also reminds me of Madonna's 1998 Nothing Really Matters video. Perhaps, it has something to do with the overall Japanese look and the ebb and flow of this editorial, especially this image. Yes, it is a strange connection, but I see some striking similarities.

I think it is quite interesting how the editorial almost ends the way it started. Once more, we see Sui Hee in that very same kimono with her dazzling hair flowing, except this time, she has an elegant pair of hands grasping her around her neck. What that signifies will most likely remain a mystery, but I love the transcendental aspect of this photo... so mysteriously chic!

In general, I appreciate how this is not your literal interpretation of dance, but more about the forces of nature with spring fashion and Japanese culture. I am not sure what goes on inside Brigitte Niedermair's head, but I like the imagination and feminine perspective that she brings to CR Fashion Book. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel like dressing up in a kimono, straightening my hair, and pressing that start button on that wind machine... love it when an editorial has that effect. Brava to Brigitte Niedermair and Carine Roitfeld, for yet another remarkable editorial, this one is a true classic!

[Editor's note: To see more, view the short film The Silent Wave produced by Brigitte Niedermair during the photo shoot for the editorial "Dance with the Wind" exclusively for CR Fashion Book.]

More from CR Fashion Book Issue 2: Dance

CR Fashion Book: A Tribute To Dim Dam Dom
By Jessica Eritou

CR Fashion Book: Clearly
By Kristin Sekora

CR Fashion Book: High Performance
By Montse Ocejo

CR Fashion Book: Waiting In The Wings
By Jessica Eritou

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Editorial images © 2013 CR Fashion Book.

CR Fashion Book: Clearly

CR Fashion Book: Clearly
By Kristin Sekora

In the second issue of CR Fashion Book there is a layout named "Clearly." Continuing Carine Roitfeld’s choice of the theme of dance for this issue, which she has studied privately for the past year and a half, the pages are filled with five images of the nude body of a ballet dancer in exercise and dance poses intermingled with beautiful art-quality see-through accessories. The stylist is Michaela Dosamantes.

In the first photo the dancer is in a split with her leg bent behind in back attitude, a practice stretch pose, all the more to take advantage of the soft PVC plastic of the glorious Givenchy shoe she carries on her foot. The shoe’s clear Lucite heel reveals a patterned interior and rests on the silver metal of a heel. The dancer’s perfectly pointed toe is revealed through the plastic. But in this first photo we begin to get the sense that the clearness that Carine Roitfeld intends for us is not the clarity of light but perhaps the see-through quality and nebulousness of a vacuum. Yes, CR is truly a woman of mystery and not to be taken for granted. Why does the dancer have no head? It cannot just be that it is behind her shoulder. No, it is gone. And most shocking of all, for a woman who once published a photo of a model with the Gucci logo shaved into her pubic hair, here Carine has airbrushed the dancer’s sex. The dancer has been defaced in more ways than one. CR is playing with us when she uses the word "Clearly."

However, examined closely, the pores of the dancer’s body are clearly seen, exfoliated with MAC Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. The choice of a dancer instead of a fashion model goes beyond a mere adherence to the ballet theme, for Carine is showing us that the dancer is as dedicated to her art as the truly fashionable woman is to hers. The toughness of the sinews, the tightness of the muscles, all are mirrored in a woman’s pleasure in the touch and feel of the fashion objects with which she surrounds herself.

The photographer, Brigitte Niedermair, known for her startling female nude imagery such as the juxtaposition of a woman’s naked buttocks with a fecund cow’s udders, continues such imagery here. In the next two photos, we encounter perhaps the most beautiful art-quality objects, placed by Carine Roitfeld in the most disturbing context, for our eye is suddenly shocked by what seems to be flesh in an abattoir held by blocks of preserving ice. Is Carine saying that in some way beauty is cold? That we pay too high a price for it? Even the juxtaposition of the two photographs suggests shards of ice coming together. The objects here are incredible. On the left is a Gucci Plexiglas box to hold the lovely contents of a lady’s evening. On the right is a Valentino minaudière of such exquisiteness that it will be handed down for generations. It is Plexiglas, tiny, with the appearance of cut glass, with square marcasite-covered areas and a short burnished silver-toned chain.

In the final two photos, as in all the others, the dancer is contorting herself for fashion. She bends over backward to appreciate the beautiful Hermès cuff on the left. On the right, she does backbends over a PVC Michael Kors shoe with a Lucite heel. Is Carine Roitfeld at base cynical about fashion? I think not. These are exquisite art-quality fashion objects, not just everyday accessories. Carine has "Clearly" chosen to display them against the pristine beauty of a dancer's skin.

More from CR Fashion Book Issue 2: Dance

CR Fashion Book: A Tribute To Dim Dam Dom
By Jessica Eritou

CR Fashion Book: Dance with the Wind
By Dara Block

CR Fashion Book: High Performance
By Montse Ocejo

CR Fashion Book: Waiting In The Wings
By Jessica Eritou

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Editorial images © 2013 CR Fashion Book.

Inside The Pages Of CR

Inside the Pages of CR
By Dara Block

Yes, the anticipation is on for the second issue of CR Fashion Book, which comes out in February, but until then I thought it would be appropriate to take a moment to appreciate the beauty and creativity of three of my favorite editorials from the current fall/winter issue of CR Fashion Book.

First, let's start with the editorial "How do hue do?" photographed by Brigitte Niedermair. The editorial features this season's hottest accessories mixed in with a kaleidoscope of color, pattern, and some strangely chic wigs. Personally, I love the humor, wit, and imagination depicted in this layout. It is obvious that Carine Roitfeld was very much inspired by the late Diana Vreeland and her brilliant eye-catching Vogue editorial she styled back in 1968. Just look at that striking red hair with dramatic necklace and you can easily see where Carine Roitfeld found her inspiration.

Yes, Carine Roitfeld was very much influenced by Diana Vreeland's vision, but I so admire the way in which she took her idea and transformed it into something completely unique and individual to her aesthetic. She managed to take a vintage image and manifest it into a look that is completely modern and so CR. My first favorite look is this purple wig with Lanvin clutch and Miu Miu necktie. The styling is superb and I love the purple tones... this is how color should be done in editorials... a total visual feast for the eyes, how could you not love this!

I admire that vibrant red wig featured, as well. It's so brilliant the way that hair acts as a mask... very freaky, yet super-chic, at the same time. It's the perfect complement to that black sweater and laced up Fendi boot. Plus, I so appreciate all the details with that Miu Miu necktie, the iPad case, and of course, those beautiful red nails. Just leave it to Carine Roitfed to showcase all those exquisite details. I have a feeling that Diana Vreeland is probably somewhere in heaven smiling at Carine Roitfeld's genius styling! Carine Roitfeld proves that in order to think about fashion's future you must look back into the past for inspiration... love the way her style brain works!

Yet another savvy editorial featured in CR Fashion Book is entitled "Electrapolitan," which features fall's newest faces in some of the season's most interesting silhouettes. Not only does Carine Roitfeld work with new and intriguing photographers like Brigitte Niedermair, but she also has established photographers like Jean-Baptiste Mondino in her magazine. "Electrapolitan" is so stunning to look at especially with all those unique dress shapes. My favorite look has to be this Comme des Garçons puffed out dress as seen on model Marte Mei Van Haaster. Comme des Garçons has been quite popular in fashion layouts this fall and I love the way Carine Roitfeld styled this dress into a look all her own. I totally love that voluminous-chic short hair and if you look past the sequined dress you can see that she is wearing black tights and super high heels, which are very much Carine Roitfeld signatures.

There is another triple-chic looked featured in "Electrapolitan" that pretty much defines how one should dress this winter. Starting from the left, model Cora Emmanuel is wearing an Alexander Wang sweater with a vibrant Callalilai skirt. Model Kati is in a Louis Vuitton top with skirt and an extra Louis Vuitton skirt as a headdress... gotta love that unique styling. Also, on the right, model Magda is wearing a Haider Ackermann jacket with Callalilai skirt. I totally love how all these models look together collectively. If you look closely you can see that they are all wearing the same floral Dolce & Gabbana boots. It's interesting how their outfits are not at all the same, but somehow they coordinate precisely through textures, patterns, and of course those boots.... amazing styling through all those details.

Oddly enough, Jean-Baptiste Mondino is back again for a second editorial entitled "Cosmotropolis." Model Stef Van Der Laan starts the editorial off with a sparkle in lots of gorgeous jewelry and even some chic grills. Her earrings are by Repossi and her necklace and bracelet are by Chanel. I love the way Carine Roitfeld works with jewelry. There is a great mixture of bling balanced with that beautiful black Belfstaff sweater... such a perfect blend.

Personally, I love the way Carine Roitfeld works with black in editorials and in this layout it is all done impeccably. My favorite black styled look is this one featured on models Cora Emannuel and Magda Laguinge. Both are in head to toe Azzedine Alaïa looking very noir chic! Carine Roitfeld always knows how to style Azzedine Alaïa in such a gothly glamorous way. Yes, not every woman could get away with wearing Alaïa leather, but she makes it look so effortless and sharp... two very inspiring winter looks, indeed!

As you can see, all three of these editorials magically display Carine Roitfeld's unerring eye for styling. It's quite interesting to dissect all the details of her layouts, there is so much to discover. One can't help but admire all the intelligence, fantasy, and inventiveness that she has brought to the pages of her magazine. Carine Roitfeld has truly managed to take all of this winter's best looks and transform them into a vision that only true followers of fashion could understand... can't wait to see what she has in mind for spring!

[Editor's note: Please visit Dara at Sisters in Black Frocks, the inspiring blog that she curates with her sister, Erika, and be sure to wish them a happy blogiversary — today is Sisters in Black Frocks' fourth birthday! Congratulations on your milestone, Dara and Erika, and thanks for always keeping it chic!]

More from CR Fashion Book Issue 1: Rebirth

CR Fashion Book: A Woman's Life
By Renee Hernandez

CR Fashion Book: Elsa
By Bernie Rothschild

CR Fashion Book: High On Rebellion
By Jessica Eritou

CR Fashion Book: Hush Little Baby, Don't You Cry
By Kate Ringo Suzuki

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com