CR Fashion Book Issue 8: Made In America

In her own words, Carine Roitfeld describes her vision for the eighth issue of CR Fashion Book, which takes as its theme “Made In America”:

"In the '80s, fashion created a fantasy around the American girl—athletic, toned, smiling, happy, gracious, and perfect. For me, no model was more iconic than Christie Brinkley—with her white teeth and blonde hair—and her image was so compelling that it set a new beauty standard. Now, suddenly, in 2016, we see the comeback of the American model, and I find myself so excited by the new generation of stars. From young icon Gigi Hadid and new muse Staz Lindes to fresh face Bentley Mescall and intense beauty Kayla Scott, a class of U.S.A.-born girls is seducing fashion with striking yet uncomplicated looks…

Each of them brings something very special to fashion: Gigi with her beauty and personality; Staz with her bohemian spirit and talent as an actress and musician; Kayla with her fierce, confident attitude, and Bentley with her innocence… Social media has changed the way girls become discovered and build on their success, but the DNA of the American supermodel hasn’t changed at all: she is still healthy, smart, hard-working, independent and always arrives with a smile… Our readers love fashion and follow models as closely as we do. Of course Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian have created huge buzz for us in the past, but I always like to balance the celebrity covers with model covers that speak to the dedicated lovers of fashion — such as myself…

My dream for this issue was to play with pop cultural ideas of the American woman to create something brand-new: a 21st century vision of Baywatch-era Pamela Anderson on Camila Morrone, a contemporary Miss U.S.A. on Olympic Gold Medalist Sanya Richards-Ross, and a modern expression of native beauty on Alice Metza. I chose as muses some of the most inspiring American 'girls' of all time, who fascinated the world (and continue to do so) with not only their beauty and style but their wit, grit, courage, and intellect. From Sacagawea, who helped open a path to the American West, to Emily Dickinson, who rewrote the conventions of poetry, to Jackie O, who served as a global symbol of endurance and grace. There's something about these women that is unshakably inspiring. I hope you think so too."

—Carine

Mademoiselle C chose to grace the “Made in America” covers with Gigi Hadid photographed by Sebastien Faena, Staz Lindes by Bjorn Iooss, Bentley Mescall by Felix Cooper, and Kayla Scott by Rory van Millingen. Which of the four covers is your favorite?

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com.

Carine Roitfeld X UNIQLO

I must admit that I gasped in delight when I flipped to the centerfold of CR Fashion Book Issue 7… behold the Carine Roitfeld for UNIQLO collection in all its glory! Carine has styled model Lexi Boling in her image, a convincing likeness indeed, as shot by Steven Meisel. Better yet is the clothing La Roitfeld has created — blouses, skirts, jackets, coats, accessories — all with the distinctive CR touch. The Carine Roitfeld for UNIQLO collection debuts 29 October and I simply cannot wait! What do you think of Carine’s collection? Are you planning to buy any pieces?

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Carine Roitfeld X UNIQLO images courtesy of CR Fashion Book.

CR Fashion Book Issue 7: Classic Eccentric

Gaga… oooo la la… For the seventh issue of her CR Fashion Book, clearly Carine Roitfeld is caught in a Gaga romance. Lady Gaga poses as a bride on the cover as photographed by Bruce Weber, the perfect tribute to the issue’s theme, Classic Eccentric. As for Carine’s thoughts on the issue, she shared her feelings about her choices for the theme and the cover: “The theme for the issue is classic/eccentric because I am interested in what happens when you mix the two. I am fascinated by people who represent both extremes at the same time… It is always better to be a little bit of both. Take me, for example: I love eccentric fashion, but in reality I am quite classic… Lady Gaga perfectly represents what I mean by the classic eccentric to me. She is completely Gaga, but she is also a lady. In her music and art, she is so creative, always pushing the envelope… And yet she is classically trained, as well. As we saw with the jazz music, she can be both the modern pop star and still play the classic songs, giving them a modern twist. That is always what I love.” CR Fashion Book Issue 7 will appear on newsstands 3 September and will be packaged with the premiere issue of CR Men’s Book.

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com.

CR Fashion Book Issue 6: Jolie Laide

Kitty Hayes in Versace

For her sixth issue of CR Fashion Book, Carine Roitfeld dares to use seven burgeoning models to illustrate the concept of "Jolie Laide," her theme for the issue. The three covers show Kitty Hayes in Versace; Sarah Brannon, Julia Hafstrom, and Antonina Petkovic in Chanel; and Issa Lish, Stella Lucia, and Molly Bair in Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane as photographed by Karl Lagerfeld and Anthony Maule.  The "Jolie Laide" issue celebrates "individual character over pure good looks… and features the new guard of models that represents the way Carine Roitfeld views beauty for 2015." I simply cannot wait for this issue! Appearing on newsstands beginning 5 March.

Sarah Brannon, Julia Hafstrom, and Antonina Petkovic in Chanel

Issa Lish, Stella Lucia, and Molly Bair in Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com.

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.