Carine Roitfeld: Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

As you may know, Carine Roitfeld has been instrumental in the rapid ascent of Gigi Hadid, daughter of Real Housewife Yolanda Foster, to Top Model of 2014. I was delighted to see the work of Carine and Gigi featured prominently in two recent episodes of the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

In the third episode, "Pay Attention To Me!," we see Gigi Hadid's first look at her cover for the fourth issue of CR Fashion Book. At 4:27, while visiting her mother's house Gigi spots CRFB on display, "Oh, that's my cover!" Gigi's friend comments, "I haven't seen any of these." Gigi replies, "That's why I love my friends from back home, because they don't care about what I do."

Then at 8:20 in the tenth episode, "House of Cards," Gigi Hadid is surprised to come home and find her mother, Yolanda, holding a copy of the September Harper's Bazaar, the issue in which Carine Roitfeld wisely picked Gigi as one of her icons. The exchange between mother and daughter is so charming that I decided to share it here…

Yolanda: "Gigi… I gotta admit two crazy things."

Gigi (spying the magazine): "You have that?"

Y: "Yeah, I just found it last night."

G: "How? I was just at the agency today and Luiz said that Harper's Bazaar hadn't even sent it to him yet."

Y: "I found it at the hairdresser last night. I went to get my hair done. And I have to say, it was very embarrassing, I said to the woman, 'That's my daughter.'"

G: "Oh my God."

Y: "It was so embarrassing."

Yolanda: "Look, it's Carine's icons."

Gigi: "No, I know what it is. Obviously I'm not an icon of fashion… but why she put me in it as an icon is that I'm the icon of my generation, that's what she told me."

Brava to Carine Roitfeld for providing these major stepping stones to help launch the career of Gigi Hadid. Remember also that Carine chose Gigi as one of the dozen models to grace this year's Pirelli Calendar. Here's hoping the Bravo cameras are rolling the day the calendar arrives at the Foster estate…

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Gigi Hadid and Yolanda Foster images © 2015 Bravo. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: What Is A Good Cover Anyway?

In writing the foreword to Vogue Paris Covers: 1920-2009 by Sonia Rachline, Carine Roitfeld poses a fascinating question: What is a good cover anyway? She then proceeds to answer her own question with her typical aplomb. I loved reading about Carine's thought process as she decides on a cover so I thought I would share her words with you along with a selection of my favorite covers she has created. Which are your favorite covers by Carine Roitfeld?

Foreword to Vogue Paris Covers: 1920-2009

Creating a cover is at once exciting and stressful. How can you be sure of your work — certain that you got it right? And what is a good cover anyway? Is it one that encourages people to buy the magazine? Or where the quality of the image has lasting interest? One or two things you learn from experience: the visual immediacy of the graphics, a clearly defined goal, a model who looks straight at the camera and holds the reader's gaze, a touch of luxury — all of these work to one's advantage. Gold, silver, red and pink lettering work well, whereas green does not. Humor is appealing, nudity less so. And yet those guidelines alone are no guarantee of commercial or artistic success, as we see if we look back through the magazine's archives, trawling through ninety years of graphic design. This is particularly true of Vogue, which has traditionally relied on a bold, even iconoclastic approach. So, what does that mean? For a visually attuned person like myself, a good cover is a pleasure to look at, and has an impact that one can return to without getting tired of it, but it is also underpinned by an idea, a way of looking at things that is entirely subjective. At the end of the day, there is only one recipe for success as I see it: a cover must be true to itself.

Carine Roitfeld
Editor-in-Chief, Vogue Paris

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Cover images © 2014 CR Fashion Book and Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

CR Fashion Book Issue 4: Fairy Tales

CR Fashion Book Issue 4: Fairy Tales
By Sarra Salib

The theme for Issue 4 of the bi-annual CR Fashion Book is "Fairy Tales" in which Carine Roitfeld takes as her subject some of our most children's beloved stories, tales that we revisit again and again even as adults to relive our favorite childhood memories, or perhaps to escape from the harsh reality even if only for a short while. The stories featured included "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "The Empress’s New Clothes," "Fairy Tale Theater," and Carine’s favorite, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," which makes her cry. 

As we know by now, the work of Carine Roitfeld is enduring and iconic because it shies away from anything that celebrates the mundane or the status quo. In CR Fashion Book Issue 4 there was a twist added to every editorial, and these innocent stories we know so well were transformed and punctuated by Carine’s French accent mark, if you will. And that is actually one of Carine’s many talents: taking something innocent and revamping it into something provocative and politically incorrect. What else do we expect from the queen of porno chic?

In "Fairy Tales," we see a stark juxtaposition of brightness, hope, love, and smiles against loss, darkness, and ominousness. The cover stories convey those themes of brightness, lightness, and love. Lindsey Wixson’s E.T. cover photographed by Carine’s crony Sebastian Faena could not be more spot on. Gracing the reverse cover are Gigi Hadid (who could easily be mistaken for Kate Upton’s twin sister) with Shayne Cureton as shot by the legendary Bruce Weber. With perpetual smiles on their faces, Cureton and Hadid represent the ultimate fairy tale love of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix in their ultra-hippie rock ‘n’ roll Sixties prime. 

Contrary to these lights and smiles, we see "Ferocious," a dark and sinister take on the classic "Beauty and the Beast," starring the now Carine regular Kate Upton as photographed by Karl Lagerfeld. "Ferocious" is captioned “Once Upon a Time Beauty Met Beastly and Liked It.” The photographs are eerily reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, with Upton being Estella and the table setting being something that you would expect to find in the humble abode of Miss Havisham. Adding to this element of darkness is the apparent tragedy that Beauty did not end up living happily ever after with the object of her affection.

Another noteworthy editorial in Issue 4 of CR Fashion Book is “The Seven,” Carine Roitfeld's witty, modern, tongue-in-cheek take on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The story features Ashleigh Good and a diverse cast of smiling children playing their appropriate role as the seven dwarfs, and is shot by Carine’s longtime friend Pamela Hanson. The description to "The Seven" sets the vision for the editorial: “Ashleigh Good stars as part workaday mom, part contemporary Snow White. She makes for a magical, magnetic vision of motherhood.” Perhaps this is Carine's homage to her daughter Julia — granted Julia has only one child and not seven... I think yes!

Although this is a rather belated review of CR Fashion Book Issue 4, it is still appropriate because it proves how Carine’s work remains relevant and will remain relevant even down the line. Moreover, she proves that you may pick any theme you wish, use fashion and creative talent, and turn it into your own story for others to enjoy. In her "Fairy Tales," Carine combines and juxtaposes ideas of happiness and light with darkness and gloom to create memorable images with an array of established and new talents. Rounding off "Fairy Tales" was a fun task, and we cannot wait to see what theme Carine Roitfeld explores for the hotly anticipated Issue 5 of CR Fashion Book.

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Editorial images and illustration by Illustration by Donald “Drawbertson” Robertson © 2014 CR Fashion Book.

CR Fashion Book: Becoming Human

CR Fashion Book: Becoming Human
By Renee Hernandez

It did not surprise me to see actor Michael B. Jordan’s words, "Becoming Human," in the latest issue of CR Fashion Book. Actors such as Anne Hathaway and Kirsten Dunst among others have contributed short stories or essays in past issues.

In the editorial "Lee Daniels Fairy Tale Theater," Oscar winner Lee Daniels gives us a modern reinterpretation of all the classic fairy tales — Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty — starring Joan Smalls as the heroine and, for obvious reasons, Michael B. Jordan as the leading man. My instinct tells me that Carine Roitfeld is on to something by spotlighting him twice in this issue.

I confess, I have been following MBJ for a while now. He won my heart as Vince in Friday Night Lights (my all-time favorite television show), and that high schooler/super hero with telekinetic powers in Chronicle. I have never seen the series The Parenthood but I’ve read that he was great in that as well. Wallace in The Wire. And now the role of a lifetime in Fruitvale Station where his performance as shooting victim Oscar Grant has everyone drawing comparisons to major heavyweight Denzel Washington.

Fruitvale Station is a powerful yet heartbreaking portrayal of the last 24 hours of Grant’s life. You see a love story develop towards all the people he cares about and yet you know what’s going to happen. I think the real power of this film is feeling that constant struggle between good and evil from within... coming to that inevitable fork in the road and trying to make the right decision. That is so real to me. Michael B. Jordan plays this with just the right balance and nuance. Oh man, I was a complete goner. It reminds me of Jordan’s character in Friday Night Lights because I think he also struggled with the same complicated urges.

I loved reading Michael B. Jordan’s process on getting into character. This is my favorite part:

“To make it as real as possible, in each character you have to find a little bit of yourself, and you have to really be vulnerable and raw. You have to be completely honest with yourself in order to give an honest performance.

I always write a journal for my character: where he’s coming from, his fears, his strengths, what he ate that day, the last time he got into an argument, the last time he got whupped, does he get whupped, is he a hard worker, is he a dreamer, is he a pessimist. All of that molds and shapes my character and how he will act and react in certain situations. It’s cool to see characters make a decision, and I always think I just happen to be playing some really amazing characters who have to make some tough choices in the moment and who people, really, really care about.”

I think Carine Roitfeld is telling us that it is time to pay attention to Michael B. Jordan.

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CR Fashion Book editorial images © 2014 CR Fashion Book.

You Know You Want Carine Roitfeld's Kim Kardashian Tee

You Know You Want Carine Roitfeld's Kim Kardashian Tee
By Jascmeen Bush

No Home Depot onesie this time around, for Carine Roitfeld's latest "7 Ways" she reinvents a Comme des Garçons vest beautifully. Carine wears the vest backwards, sideways, diagonally, and even tucked into a Louis Vuitton logo belt with a… What is that? A CR FASHION BOOK ISSUE 3 COVER TEE! Even if you're not a Kim Kardashian fan, this tee is definitely a collector's item. You can buy it on the CR Fashion Book site, it comes packaged with a copy of Issue 3 and a CR Fashion Book tote. What I want to know is, who's willing to pay $50 for the set when they already have the issue just to get the tee? Just me? Am I alone over here?

[Editor's note: I find it extraordinary and so Carine that the seam of her stocking is painted on with eyeliner here, quelle chic !]

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com