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.

I Want To Be A Roitfeld: Year Five

Today is 16 May, my favorite day of the year — I Want To Be A Roitfeld is five years old today! It is incredible to note that for half of a decade this site has been devoted to the Roitfeld family — Carine, Julia, and Vladimir — what adventures we have had! Best of all, the lily of the valley, or le muguet, is in bloom today, the most glorious herald of spring, the fragrance intoxicates. In case you are not in a position to smell the wondrous lily of the valley yourself, I picked you posies from my garden to celebrate the day.

First, a virtual bouquet for you, dear reader, for you are our raison d'être, without you we write for naught. Merci mille fois especially to those of you that dare to comment and offer your own opinion on our subjects.

Next, a bouquet for my incredible editorial team, Dara Block, Jascmeen Bush, Jessica Eritou, Renee Hernandez, Montse Ocejo, Bernie Rothschild, and Sarra Salib. I am continually inspired by all of you and I wholeheartedly thank each of you for contributing your talents to IWTBAR.

Finally, a special nosegay for my beloved Michael, Sweet Pea, and Walter, for the constant love and encouragement, ich liebe dich.

xx
Kellina

Joyeux anniversaire, ma geai bleue.

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Carine Roitfeld, Julia and Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photos courtesy of Fashion Spot. Walter photos © 2014 Kellina de Boer.

Chic To Chic: Carine Roitfeld By Kal Ruttenstein

Chic To Chic: Carine Roitfeld By Kal Ruttenstein
By Dara Block

Recently, I was looking back through my magazine archives and stumbled upon an old issue of Bloomingdale's Magazine. I am not sure where I got this publication... but wherever I got it, I couldn't help but gravitate towards an amazing interview between Carine Roitfeld and former Bloomingdale's Fashion Director, Kal Ruttenstein. Sadly, Kal Ruttenstein passed away in 2005, and if you are unfamiliar with his work, you should know that he was a complete visionary in the department store world. Season after season, he informed shoppers of what would be important by blending designs straight from the runways of Paris, New York City, and Milan into Bloomingdale's. He also had an amazing ability to incorporate ideas from pop culture to create such spectacular in-store boutiques. His eye for style was quite incredible, so it's no surprise why he was very excited to interview Carine Roitfeld. The two got together in 2004, when she was the editor-in-chief for Vogue Paris... so it's fascinating to see what Kal Ruttenstein and Carine Roitfeld had to say to each other. Now with all that said, let's take a closer look at this witty and detailed interview.

Lank-haired, kohl-eyed and reed thin, Carine Roitfeld is perhaps the most stylish woman in fashion. As the editor of French Vogue, as a collaborator with designers the stature of Tom Ford, as the creative czarina behind some of the most memorable fashion advertising of the last decade, Mademoiselle Roitfeld has had a profound influence on the glamour realm. Her extensive shoe collection alone is enough to inspire awe in fashionable women around the globe. Lunching with Kal Ruttenstein at the Ritz in Paris during Couture Week earlier this year, a conversational and candid Roitfeld reveals some of her less well-known traits: why she likes to sing in public, why she's mad about jodhpurs and why Kate Moss is her ideal woman.

Kal Ruttenstein: Carine, it's great to see you again. I haven't seen you in a couple of months. And here you are at the Ritz Hotel in a beautiful coat that contains a mixture of three different furs.

Carine Roitfeld: I'm sure it's very politically incorrect, you know, but….

KR: It's really great-looking, though.

CR: Thank you. But you know it's very cold today.

KR: It's freezing in Paris. It reminds me of the time you came to New York and you went with me to the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Awards. It was summer, and you wore a fur. No one was wearing furs in summer.

CR: That, too, was probably politically incorrect (laughs).

KR: You started a trend. You really did.

CR: No, I was following the show. It was Tom (Ford)'s show, I think. It was a Gucci outfit from spring. It's cold in spring, too.

KR: So — it was Russian New Year recently.

CR: Yes. Last week. And you know I'm half-Russian, so I love these moments, and I love to share them with people. I had dinner that night with Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Amanda Harlech, Hedi Slimane and Emmanuelle Seigner and my daughter. Karl took his glasses off for the whole dinner, which means it was very relaxed, you know? And suddenly, when a violinist came up behind him, he put his glasses back on (laughs). I don't know why. Maybe because if we go to a restaurant where there's a violinist playing a song I recognize, I sing along. They're songs I remember when I was a little girl. And I sing very badly, like a lost duck. After the dinner, Hedi sent me a note saying it was worth coming just to see the horrified expression on my daughter's face when I was singing. But why not? I won't die from being ridiculous for 10 minutes. It's such a pleasure. I just make sure to invite different people each year so I have a new audience. Maybe you can come come next year?

KR: If you invite me, I will come. My grandparents were Russian, so I have an affinity.

CR: OK

KR: I remember the first time I ever saw you. I noticed your feet before the rest of you, because you always wear incredible shoes. And I would ask people, "Who is this woman who's so chic?" And people would tell me, "It's Carine Roitfeld, the stylist, and Tom Ford's muse." But you had a career long before that. You were a model first, correct?

CR: Yes, but it was not my time. Maybe if I was a model today, I would be more successful. Maybe Mario Testino would discover me and I would have a great career (laughs). That wasn't the right moment for me, but it led me to fashion. I was a stylist for a long time before people came to know me as the muse of Tom Ford. But you know, life's like that. Sometimes you need someone else to make you known.

KR: Well, last year, all the models tried to look like you — your hair, your makeup, the look was Carine on the runway. 

CR: (Joking) And now I'm out of fashion?

KR: (Laughs) No!

CR: It's finished for me (laughs)!

KR: Your look sort of remains the same.

CR: Yeah, I don't change. I still wear the high shoes and very simple knee-length skirts, mostly black, in winter.

KR: But there was a moment last season...

CR: Even on the runway, no? Some girls looked a little like me, their eyes, their hair. The very dark makeup that looks like you haven't taken it off from the night before. It's funny, because some people think I'm very, well, like those naughty girls who go out all night to clubs. But that's not me at all. I'm a nice girl (laughs). I'm, uh, maybe, more sweet than people think I am. People think I'm tough, or that I have a rock star attitude, but maybe I'm just shy. I'm not the girl they think I am.

KR: I think you're shy. The last time I saw you, a few months ago, you told me you were going to start wearing tailored clothes which you hadn't worn in awhile, like suits.

CR: I just got one recently. (Giorgio) Armani gave me a suit that I love, and I wore it on a television program for an interview about Tom Ford. I don't want to wear Tom Ford clothes for an interview about Tom Ford, because I'm not totally dedicated to Tom, you know? So I wore my Armani suit with a very old pink tank top, and when I saw myself on TV I thought a suit is not so bad. It's great, because you can cross your legs the way you want. It changes your attitude, but still in high heels.

KR: With pants, in a pantsuit.

CR: Yes. I would love to keep wearing them. And maybe I'm going to push them in the magazine so designers make more. What I really like now are jodhpurs, because I got back from India, where I visited Jodhpur, the city of these trousers. I saw some polo matches, which were beautiful. In India you can have what you want made in a couple of hours. A tailor came to my hotel and took my measurements like they do in Milan. In this case I got my trousers three hours later, one black pair, one beige. They're very tight, tight, tight under the knee and then a little wide, and I think they're very sexy. I love them.

KR: Will you wear them this week?

CR: It's a bit cold, maybe later in the season.

KR: What kind of shoes do you wear with jodhpurs?

CR: High heels.

KR: Of course.

CR: It's a bit like what Tom Ford did for (Yves) Saint Laurent, a bit masculine, a bit feminine.

KR: Let's talk about your magazine. French Vogue has an amazing look to it since you've been there. It gets stronger every season. In America, we all loved the Catherine Deneuve issue.

CR: It was a good one. I told you how I like traditions; well, French Vogue has traditions, such as inviting a special guest to edit the Christmas issue. It was stopped for quite a few years. In the past we had some great people, like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Françoise Sagan, the Dalai Lama and Roman Polanski. So I wanted to continue that tradition. Everyone has something to say about Catherine Deneuve. Everyone is still dreaming about her, you know. And in front of the camera, she's astonishing. In the shoots, she likes to play a role. People seemed to really like the issue.

KR: Where do you stand on the idea of celebrities versus models on the cover of French Vogue?

CR: It's been a very long time, maybe more than ten years, since we put a celebrity on the cover of French Vogue. And last August we put (actress) Sophie Marceau on the cover, and it was great for sales. But there are not so many celebrities in France that we think would be great for the magazine. We've shot Emmanuelle Seigner for the cover, and Catherine Deneuve, and now we are going to have some models. I don't want to be like American Bazaar, with celebrities every month, because we are a fashion magazine, but sometimes, it's great. We are very picky (laughs). She has to be beautiful and charismatic.

KR: Talk about your collaboration with Fabien Baron on French Vogue.

CR: The day I got the job, three years ago, I called him to come on board as creative director. But it was too complicated for him to work as a consultant for us and live in New York. I waited for two years and called him again, and this time he said yes. I was so happy, because he's the best. He has a chic attitude. I don't want to sound pretentious, but if you say a magazine is like a ring or a beautiful jewel, he makes the perfect box to put it in. He makes everything seem more spectacular. He understands our culture, which is very important. And he's easy to work with. He loves life, he loves to eat, he's simple. The day he came to the magazine, he invited the art staff to have lunch with him. I think he's very generous. And I like that.

KR: As an editor, you have had a great influence on fashion. Not only on designers, but on the readers of the magazine who try to emulate your look. You are your reader.

CR: You know why? Because I have a very simple look. It's easy to copy in a way because it's not so "fashion." I think it's more about having an attitude, a feminine attitude, rather than buying a total look. Everyone owns a skirt, but when you add high heels, your attitude changes, even the way you're talking to someone when you're sitting, it's totally different. And you are tougher, more feminine, and I think that's it. My clothes haven't changed much, but maybe my attitude has changed. It's more relaxed, very French, very Parisian, you know?

KR: Yes. But it's not as easy as you think to emulate the look.

CR: They don't put the hair in the face, no? They try, but they pull it back. This is my protection. Sometimes when I have no hair in my face, I feel completely nude. It's a strange feeling, you know?

KR: Do you think there's a big difference between the French look, the American look and the Milanese look?

CR: Yes. Totally different. I think Milanese is very... rich. They want to show off. So it's not just rich — they love to show the furs, the jewels, they put on too much makeup. But it's so womanly, in a way. I like that. It's good for them. When the Milanese woman crosses the street, all the cars stop to let her cross. The American woman is more low-profile but more self-confident and very sharp. The French woman is more laissez-aller, more bohemian and spontaneous and takes more risks. You can learn to avoid bad taste, but you can never learn good taste and chic. It comes naturally.

KR: You're right about that!

CR: You can learn not to make errors, the way you put your clothes, together, but to create something special is very difficult. Kate Moss — she's great. She's my idol, you know. Everyone wants to be like her, you know? Even if you don't like a look on the catwalk, when you see it on her, you want it. She's magic, because she has a way to transform things. She's the chicest model. And for us in France, even though she's English, she's the one. And now, I think after almost 15 years, she's still modeling, and she's still amazing. She is on our March cover.

KR: Can't wait to see it.

CR: French people love Kate, she sells. She's not too slick, she seems clever, and she has the je ne sais quois of Marilyn Monroe. Sometimes we both wear the same clothes — which means I, too, must have good taste occasionally (laughs).

This was such a great way to end the conversation and I must admit I think this may be one of my favorite Carine Roitfeld interviews, ever. Kal Ruttenstein asked such comprehensive questions and I love how in-depth and personal this interview was. I don't know why, but I feel like Carine Roitfeld is still the same person as she was in 2004, despite the fact that she has moved on to CR Fashion Book and is no longer the current editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris. It really feels like her drive and passion for style is never ending and I feel like after reading this interview again and seeing Mademoiselle C it all completely makes sense on what a visionary she is. It's always fascinating to get a glimpse inside someone's creative process and I think Kal Ruttenstein did such an excellent job at capturing that with this interview. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this one, as much as I did!

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Carine Roitfeld photos courtesy of lefigaro.fr, Kal Ruttenstein interview and images © 2005 Bloomingdale's. All Rights Reserved.

IWTBAR Style Editor: Dara Block

I am thrilled to announce the promotion of Dara Block to style editor for I Want To Be A Roitfeld. Ethereal and earthy all at once, Dara is a true original: visionary, imaginative, inspiring, while at the same time always kind, gracious, modest. It is with gratitude and admiration that we recognize Dara and her work today with the announcement of her new role; in celebration I am delighted that Dara agreed to respond to a few questions about herself, I hope curious readers will enjoy this opportunity to learn more about her intriguing life. Merci mille fois et félicitations, Dara !

Your photographs will be part of a book that Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani is publishing, what can you share with us about the experience?

The whole experience is quite surreal as it all started when I found Franca Sozzani on Instagram. I have admired her vision at Vogue Italia for many years and what I loved about her Instagram page is the way she used it for her followers to display their photography skills. Each month, she chooses a different hashtag like #people, #travel, and #beautyinwonderland, which allows the photographer to take a picture of something that goes with that theme. To be honest, I just submitted some photos for fun and came up with unique ideas along the way. I was completely surprised that she actually liked the photos I was taking. Last month, it got more exciting when Franca Sozzani decided to use four of my photos in a book she put together for the Beauty in Wonderland exhibit, which happened in Milan during fall fashion week. It's really strange how this all happened, but I love how supportive and generous Franca Sozzani has been throughout this whole creative process.

What inspires you about Carine Roitfeld? Do you remember when you first became conscious of her influence?

There is so much that inspires me about Carine Roitfeld... .where do I begin! I think it all started when I saw Kate Moss on the cover of the Vogue Paris February 2001 issue in a sleek blonde haircut and a Balenciaga white dress. I totally thought to myself... something has completely changed and who made Kate Moss look this way. It was such a cutting-edge, chic look that I have never seen before on the cover of Vogue Paris. As I flipped through the issue, I saw an editor's note with Carine Roitfeld looking very much like that Kate Moss cover and I knew something special was happening with the publication. A couple of months later, I read an interview with Carine Roitfeld in the August 2001 "Age Issue" of US Vogue and I very much connected to her style and her frame of thought. She not only had a unique look all her own, but she had a great sense of humor. I liked how she didn't take fashion too seriously. I will never forget when she said how much she loves a fur coat in the summer. She just totally gets it and I love how she understands that style isn't just about wearing a label head to toe, but more about individuality and being yourself.

You practice African Dance regularly, when did you begin your study? What do you typically wear while dancing? You have such a sporty chic approach to life, are there other ways you stay active?

I started African Dance in my teens. My dance class in high school had a special seminar at UCLA and I was completely drawn to it. I loved the movements and the live drummers. African dance is not so much about choreography, but more about expressing emotions as you dance and I love that it is a group effort. It's very tribal and also a great way to stay in shape. Generally, I like fun and energetic forms of exercise like hip-hop and jazz, but I also like yoga and Pilates to build strength. When dancing I always like to be sporty-chic. Typically, I like to wear solid colors... normally, all black or white. I generally like loose pants with a flowy top... together, they both look pretty when you dance and it feels nice on your skin. Calvin Klein makes great workout wear. I tend to wear his pajamas as my dance wear. It's all about soft material when exercising and he is an expert at making comfortable yet stylish active wear.

We'd love to know a few of your favorites in Los Angeles...

Favorite Bookstore: Book Soup on Sunset Boulevard is by far the best bookstore in LA. It's small, quaint, and they have everything, including international magazines... I could spend all day there reading!

Favorite Boutique: To be honest, I don't shop much in LA, but one store I have liked for years is a vintage boutique called Playclothes. I always find such great vintage hats and the prices are not outrageously expensive. This summer I bought a fabulous vintage orange hat from the 1960s. I actually incorporated it in one of my pics that was chosen by Franca Sozzani for the Beauty in Wonderland book. This store will always be special to me as it is where I found my one of a kind vintage Lanvin dress from 1966... so much style in this store and it is one of the best kept secrets in Los Angeles.

Favorite People Watching Spot: This may sound strange, but I love watching Hasidic Jews walk the streets, especially on La Brea. They tend to walk every Saturday in groups and I love the way they wear all black and dress in uniform fashion. It's interesting and inspiring to watch them when they travel in unity. I love minimal and sleek black fashion and I think Hasidic Jewish men surprisingly fit in this category. Probably the best spot in Los Angeles to see noir chic on the streets.

Favorite Museum or Gallery: As far as galleries go I really like the PRISM Gallery on Sunset Boulevard. Every couple of months, they feature a different artist or photographer. I love both not only for the art, but I always find some inspiring sartorial fashion moments. I guess you could say art and fashion do go together. Recently, they held two shows that caught my attention. One for photographer Mario Testino and the other for photographer Daido Moriyama. I love the space and I love how non-pretentious it is. I hate it when art is snooty. I also like the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. Recently, I saw the Inez & Vinoodh photo exhibit as well as the Cecily Brown show. Two very different shows, but inspiring, nonetheless.

You seek inspiration in the most interesting places, what are the sites you read regularly? Which magazines garner your interest to the point of subscription? Where do you turn when seeking inspiration?

Nowadays, it is so difficult to keep up with all the websites, but I tend to always look at Stockholm Street Style and The Sartorialist for style inspiration. For photo inspiration and keeping up with what is going on in fashion I turn to Vogue.it. The sites are pretty innovative in their own ways and keep me updated on what is chic, without trying too hard. It's more about style than trends with these sites and I really gravitate towards that. I really hate boring cliche blogs that talk about the same celebrities and designers... there is nothing original about that. As far as magazines go, I really like Interview Magazine. Fabien Baron has an amazing eye, I can definitely see that visual aesthetic that he brought to Harper's Bazaar and Vogue Paris. It's all resurrected in the pages of Interview Magazine. I also like CR Fashion Book. As we all know, Carine Roitfeld has such a distinct sense of style and I love that she has fun with fashion. W Magazine is on my list too. The magazine has an amazing team of stylists such as Giovanna Battaglia and Edward Enninful. These two always know how to bring cutting edge style to fashion editorials. I have been really impressed with W Magazine this past year. Lately, I have also been finding inspiration from travel magazines. I love National Geographic... always such great photography and I love how they showcase such non traditional forms of beauty. I was really taken with their February issue on Libya... so inspiring!

If it were your decision, who would you put on the next cover of Vogue Paris? Vogue Italia? CR Fashion Book?

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!

You have an incredible knack for random encounters with artists that you admire, designers, photographers, editors, and so forth, what can you tell us about your recent rendezvous with talent?

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting photographers Inez & Vinoodh. In July, they had a photo exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills and I was so honored to meet them the opening night. Both Inez & Vinoodh are extremely kind and we had an interesting conversation about one of my favorite covers that they photographed for Vogue Paris back in August of 2011. It was so cool to hear their thoughts about that cover and some of their favorite photos inside. It was also such a highlight to take a photo with them and to have them both sign the cover. I am so touched by what they wrote... by far, that was one of my most memorable encounters of 2013.

Which designers do you prefer to wear? Which pieces from the most recent collections caught your eye?

That is always a hard question to answer... but as of now I am liking Yohji Yamamoto... I loved his recent fall 2013 collection, especially those hats. Calvin Klein is always nice too... I like sleek minimalism and I think Francisco Costa really exemplifies that at CK. For drama and drapery I turn to Rick Owens and Haider Ackermann. These two designers get that you can be sexy and stylish by covering up in a sleek leather jacket and a dramatic skirt. I also like Issey Miyake... just because it is so innovative in terms of material, but also completely wearable. My favorite sporty chic designer would have to be Norma Kamali. I recently bought this amazing long black dress with wings and I love how soft and dramatic, it is. That is what I love about her clothes... it can go from sporty in the day to fancy in the night. Normally, I respond to designers who make clothes just like that. In general, it makes me really happy when I can find a sleek black frock... perhaps, that is why my sister and I named our blog Sisters in Black Frocks. For us, black will always be such an inspiring color!

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Dara Block photos © 2013 Dara Block. Other images courtesy of Condé Nast.

Mademoiselle C And Beyond

Mademoiselle C and Beyond
By Dara Block

One of the best parts about living in Los Angeles is that you have easy access to films that are not so mainstream. Last week, when I saw that Mademoiselle C was playing on the big screen, I immediately ran to the theatre. I love a good fashion documentary and when you have a storyline based around Carine Roitfeld starting her own magazine... well, you know that is going to be a total fashion extravaganza! I really enjoyed watching the film and rather than giving a detailed plot analysis I thought I would pay close attention to a couple of key moments in the film that I find memorable and inspiring!

First, I must applaud director Fabien Constant for incorporating such visual style in the film. I love the opening of Mademoiselle C with all those glamorous night time shots of New York City and those detailed sartorialist images of various women in high heels. It is very Carine Roitfeld and I am sure she loved those moments, as well. I also liked the music in the film. I read that the band, The Shoes provided the soundtrack for Mademoiselle C and I think there is a great electronic-pop-noir sound that corresponds so well with each scene of the movie.

For a while now, I wondered why Carine Roitfeld left Vogue Paris and I was very intrigued to hear her side of the story and to also see her start from scratch and to brainstorm with her new team at CR Fashion Book. The viewer gets to witness her and Stephen Gan putting together the first issue of her magazine, which was based on the idea of Rebirth. The inspiration came from her daughter Julia's pregnancy and also from Carine herself, as she was in the process of taking on this new project. I guess you could say the first issue was all about new beginnings. I think Carine summed it up best when she said, I gave up my crown to start something new.

I so appreciated how the film went behind the scenes with some of her editorials for the first issue of CR Fashion Book. Personally, I loved seeing the process of how she works when she is on set especially with the layout "A Woman's Life," which was photographed by Sebastian Faena. I have always been intrigued by that image of model Juliet Ingleby wearing that sheer violet veil scarf as she walks through the cemetery with those three girls all dressed in black leather right behind her... that probably has to be one of the best noir chic moments that Carine Roitfeld has ever styled... amazing to see this one being put together!

I also loved seeing the behind-the-scenes of "Lucho and Juliet," which was a fairy tale written and photographed by Tom Ford. As we all know Carine Roitfeld is Tom Ford's muse so we get to see that dynamic creative bond that they share on screen. I think it's great how they both understand each other on such a deep and artistic level. I also love seeing how meticulous Tom Ford is as a photographer... he has quite the eye. The best part of that scene was when Tom Ford included his housemaid in the editorial. It's quite funny to see his housekeeper trying to assimilate with his models. I so love finding out all those tiny details, it definitely adds a little character to the layout.

I also enjoyed going behind the scenes of "Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry." We get to see Carine Roitfeld catch a plane from New York City to Miami and work together on a farm with photographer Bruce Weber and model Kate Upton. It's really fascinating to see her conceive an idea with some goats, models, and newborn babies. I also liked how we got the backstory of the cover with that cute little girl and those rabbit ears holding that newborn child. From watching Mademoiselle C we discover that the baby is actually peeing on her and that is why she had that expression on her face. In addition, I liked the way Carine Roitfeld interacted with that little girl. We see her adjusting her rabbit ears and telling Bruce Weber that she thinks she looks like a young Romy Schneider. It was so delightful seeing Carine Roitfeld in total creative mode... it seemed like everyone that works with her totally responds to her energy and artistic vision.

I think my favorite moment in the film has to be when we see Carine Roitfeld practicing ballet with her instructor. This is a side that we never see of Carine and it was quite intriguing to see her work on her pliés and get down into a full split. Who knew she was that flexible? It's clear that dance and discipline play an important role in her life and I admire that she chose Dance as her next theme for the second issue of CR Fashion Book. Carine Roitfeld beautifully shows that life does indeed imitate art.

As you can see, there are so many key moments in the film and I loved seeing all the behind-the-scenes footage from her first issue of CR Fashion Book. What I appreciated most about the film is the way in which Carine Roitfeld took inspiration from her own life and manifested her vision into such thought provoking editorials that truly go above and beyond. I think Riccardo Tisci summed it up best when he was describing Carine Roitfeld in the film... he said, she loves fashion, she lives fashion, she breathes fashion, she's neoclassic, but still punk. I couldn't agree more. So on that note, if you have not seen the film do yourself a favor and see it. Carine Roitfeld is what true inspiration is all about.

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Carine Roitfeld Mademoiselle C film stills © 2013 Fabien Constant and Cohen Media; courtesy of modelinia.com and untitled-magazine.com. CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com.