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 Issue 2 Launch Party

Carine Roitfeld celebrated her second issue of CR Fashion Book with a lavish soirée in the salons of the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris. As the theme for the issue is dance, you might imagine the evening would focus on dancing… A sampling of guests were asked to pick a favorite dance: Jessica Chastain loves to jitterbug, Karl Lagerfeld likes to tango, Riccardo Tisci prefers to salsa, and Carine Roitfeld adores ballet, which was reflected in the evening's entertainment. The principal ballerina for the Paris Opera, Marie-Agnès Gillot, performed with Vincent Chaillet to the song "O mio babbino caro." Chaillet then shared the first dance of the evening with Carine Roitfeld.

The lengthy star-studded list of guests that turned out in support of CR Fashion Book included Christian Restoin, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Jessica Alba, Fabien Baron, Giovanna Battaglia, Sara Battaglia, Mariacarla Boscono, Hamish Bowles, Adrien Brody, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Claire Courtin-Clarins, Saskia de Brauw, Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, Victoire de Castellane, Delfina Delettrz, Alice Dellal, Anna Dello Russo, Peter Dundas, Alber Elbaz, Isabeli Fontana, Magdalena Frackowiak, Stephen Gan, Daphne Groenveld, Jamie Hince, Kate Moss, Karlie Kloss, Hannelore Knuts, Karolina Kurkova, Johan Lindeberg, Margherita Missoni, Alison Mosshart, Arizona Muse, Gaspar Noé, Tom Pecheux, Pier Paolo Piccioli, Gareth Pugh, Gaia Repossi, Alexandra Richards, Francesco Russo, Francesco Scognamiglio, Ulyana Sergeenko, Amanda Seyfried, Caroline Sieber, Joan Smalls, Mario Sorrenti, Jessica Stam, Olivier Theyskens, Riccardo Tisci, Anthony Vaccarello, Giambattista Valli, Harley Viera-Newton, Edita Vilkeviciute, Ellen von Unwerth, Alexander Wang, Kanye West, and Olivier Zahm.

To see more of the soirée, view the video published by Mercedes-Benz, a staunch supporter of CR Fashion Book and the sponsor for the Parisian launch.

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Carine Roitfeld et al photographs courtesy of fashionguru.com.cn, buro247.ru, nextmodels.com, socialitelife.com, crfashionbook.com, purple.fr

CR Fashion Book: High On Rebellion

CR Fashion Book: High On Rebellion
By Jessica Eritou

Photographed by Jamie Morgan for the first issue of CR Fashion Book, the editorial “High on Rebellion” pleasantly unifies the juxtaposition and hard edged basics with subtle, feminine accents.

The first page features a motorcycle jacket from Calvin Klein which is the epitome of rebel iconographic style. The only caption features the words “Seeking peace, love, unity, respect” which could be an ode, or play on words with the raving community (P.L.U.R.) whom get a lot of negative insurgent reputations. Next is a tutu from Sansha. But it is not the combination of the two that sets this editorial right. In typical Carine Roitfield style, there is always a twist. The model is wearing a reinvented gas mask with floral accents inside and a delicate rose by the mouthpiece. Very subtly, this combination is quite the polarity without the yearning most stylists try when creating drama between two elements.

The next shot features Magda Laguinge in a fur skirt and jacket by Fendi, with natural makeup and hair. This can be an ode and the clash between beast and nature, with primitive elements mixed with her smelling the flower in hand. The shape of the jacket is exquisite, with the detailing on the sleeve and a peplum bottomed edge.

Jamie Hewlett, the comic book artist, co-creator of the band Gorillaz, and fashion designer, contributed a sketch to this editorial featuring his signature style and graphic hard edged sketches. When you view Hewlett's work, it is instantly recognizable. There's a new age soldier with tiny elements and odes to people like Jim Morrison. One could argue Hewlett is making his own political statement but since he adds quirky bits it could be considered satire at the same time.

Next the model is sporting a Nina Ricci sweater which almost gives an Isabel Marant, late 70s Missoni vibe, paired with a leather Kenzo jacket, again in military style with a KSI NYC hat. The composition of the shot is very bold and direct. The soft, luscious sweater parallels wonderfully with the rest of the styling in the outfit. Perhaps it is due to the open-knit stitching of the sweater which helps open up the body and gives the viewer a nice balance of concordance.

Magda is seen wearing a gorgeous Pucci dress holding a white flag, representing another military motif. The dress itself is dawned in detail but with almost an athletic presence to it. There is a great deal of wearability and effortlessness to Pucci and Carine Roitfeld captured this perfectly. The same tones and hues featured on the Pucci dress are followed with the last photo of Madga wearing the helmet (Ministry of Acquisitions) with the same floral colors and line. This is paired with a military coat from Max Mara.

Although this is a great start to Carine's work, I wish there could have been a third element added to this other than hard-edged clothing and symbolism meets feminine motif parallels. It is shot beguilingly, however, CR could have subsumed another perspective to this editorial that not already been done before.

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

Inside the Pages of CR
By Dara Block

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Editorial images © 2012 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.

CR Fashion Book: A Woman's Life

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

There is something alluring and magnetic about Carine Roitfeld. Although it's hard to describe this feeling, my mind is always hungry to absorb anything she creates. I love how obsession fuels her creativity. Her new magazine, CR Fashion Book, is a place for her to share her obsessions. In her note to the reader she describes the way she is swept into an obsession, “When something is consuming your thoughts, you suddenly notice it everywhere. When I learned that my daughter, Julia, was expecting, I immediately began seeing babies and new mothers on planes, at fashion shows, in New York and in Paris. Birth and rebirth all around. I became obsessed.” The first issue, “Rebirth,” is a fantasy fueled fashion journey celebrating beginnings, renewal, and family.

My favorite editorial is “A Woman’s Life” photographed by Sebastian Faena, styled by CR, starring Juliet Ingleby, Daniela Braga, Magda Languinge, Stef Van Der Laan, Saskia de Brauw, Clément Chabernaud, Lara Stone, and Aiden Shaw. This high drama story depicts all the stages of a woman’s life: Birth, Childhood, Adolescence, First Lover, The Spirit, Betrayal, Sisterhood, Despair, Rebirth. Each image is thought provoking with a notable dose of CR shock value, of course. What I especially love is the sentimental groove to this story combined with a surreal quality to life. Recognizing yourself in each stage and interpreting the story in your own way.

Carine Roitfeld can make an obsession iconic, which is why I am in awe of her.

More from CR Fashion Book Issue 1: Rebirth

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

Inside the Pages of CR
By Dara Block

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Editorial images © 2010 Condé Nast and © 2012 CR Fashion Book.