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.

Carine Roitfeld: In The Stars

In her latest spread for Harper's Bazaar, "In the Stars," Carine Roitfeld interprets the twelve zodiacal signs by way of the season's fashion. Anthony Maule photographed the editorial while Stephen Gan provided creative direction. I applaud Carine's imaginative take on the zodiac, with amusing touches such as Saskia de Brauw giving herself the horns of the bull and Lara Stone as a mermaid complete with bubbles to create an underwater effect (as a Pisces, I approve!). Speaking of Lara Stone, she dominates the spread, appearing in eight of the thirteen images. What do you think of Carine's latest work, do you like her interpretation of your sign?

As for the complete list of models and attire for "In the Stars":

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Louis Vuitton

Aries (Ram)
Lara Stone in Coach and Maison Martin Margiela boots

Taurus (Bull)
Saskia de Brauw in Chanel, Carine Gilson, Wolford, and Maison Martin Margiela boots

Gemini (Twins)
Tegan Desmond and Sarah Brannon in Miu Miu

Cancer (Crab)
Lara Stone in Yohji Yamamoto

Leo (Lion)
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci

Virgo (Virgin)
Lara Stone in Dior

Libra (Scales)
Lara Stone in Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane

Scorpio (Scorpion)
Lara Stone in Michael Kors

Sagittarius (Archer)
Lara Stone in JW Anderson and Maison Martin Margiela boots

Capricorn (Goat)
Lara Stone in Prada and Maison Martin Margiela boots

Aquarius (Water Bearer)
Liu Wen in Céline

Pisces (Fish)
Lara Stone in Versace

Visit Harper's Bazaar for an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of "In the Stars"

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Carine on the Collections for Harper's Bazaar images © 2015 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld: British GQ September 2014

I loved the images of Julia Restoin Roitfeld that appeared in the September 2014 issue of British GQ and I regret that I am only now finding the time to talk about the issue here. In typical French fashion, Julia appears casual, sexy, and elegant all at once in the photos by Guy Aroch as styled by Julie Ragolia. 

In the first image, Julia looks tough in a black leather shirt by Protagonist as she poses in front of a photo of Andy Warhol shot in the 1960s by Arthur Fellig (also known as Weegee).

We then see JRR lounging seductively on a blanket of fur while modeling a white lace bodysuit by Kiki de Montparnasse.

In the following shot, Julia gazes intensely at the camera in a grey knit sweater by Vince. I think she looks the most like her mother in this picture.

Next comes my favorite among the images: Mademoiselle J perches on a stool in the same grey knit sweater by Vince paired with knickers by Myla and shoes by Christian Louboutin. Bibliothécaire sexy… Ooo la la….

In the final photo, we see Julia Restoin Roitfeld enjoying a cup of tea while looking utterly comfy chic and alluring in a peach knit sweater by Ralph Lauren and knickers by Myla.

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Julia Restoin Roitfeld in British GQ images © 2014 Condé Nast. 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.

Carine Roitfeld: Rare Gems

Carine Roitfeld picks up the hippie chic thread running through the recent couture collections and ties it together in "Rare Gems" for fashion that is both flashback and futuristic. Shot by Michael Avedon for the December issue of Harper's Bazaar, "Rare Gems" stars Gigi Hadid and Gus Drake romping in Central Park in a colorful mixture of the season's best haute couture and jewelry selected by Carine from Saint Laurent, Chanel, Schiaparelli, Dior, Valentino, Maison Martin Margiela, Azzedine Alaïa, and Vionnet among others. Stephen Gan served as creative director for the whimsical editorial. 

View behind-the-scenes footage from "Rare Gems"

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Carine Roitfeld images and text © 2014 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.