Review: Vogue Paris February 2011 Issue
vendredi 21 janvier 2011 
Special thanks to Milla from the glamorous blog Not Just Another Milla for sharing her thoughts with us regarding Carine Roitfeld's penultimate issue of Vogue Paris in February. It is dreadful to think that we are down to the second to last glossy version of Carine's vision to publish under the auspices of the audacious magazine but so 'tis; I weep for the future. In the meantime, enjoy it while you can...
Let’s just start off with a piece of honesty here: Lara may be on the cover but Daria owns this issue! Not only is she featured heavily in the editorials, she’s in every other campaign from Salvatore Ferragamo to Céline to Liberty. I never really cared for her look until recently, but she seems to have a new-found confidence about her. Speaking of campaigns, is it just me or is this issue full of ads? Enough already, this isn’t Vogue US people!!
I’m not really the sentimental type, but seeing Madame Roitfeld’s name above ‘Redactrice en chef’ for the second to last time made me wonder about all the changes ahead. I haven’t noticed any reference to Carine’s departure in the magazine, did I miss it? I found her ‘Edito’ lacking all personality, which leads me to wonder if she’s already gone. It’s pretty hard to stay focused on something you know is no longer ‘yours’…
...En Vogue 'Soleils de nuit’ has captivated my every thought. Now this is the Vogue Paris I know and adore: understated glamour, sophistication, and pure sensuality. Photographed by Sharif Hamza and styled by Geraldine Sanglio, model Barbara intrigues us all whilst running around Paris in gold Paul & Joe, black silk Guy Laroche, burgundy Cerruti and a red silk dress from Escada so perfect, it’s worth spending half the rent for. Shhh, let’s not mention such stuff to my husband…
Melanie Huynh should have had a chat with this young woman before publishing 'Miss Vogue' and dedicating it to 'jeune filles en Vogue'. This editorial is rather punky, which doesn’t work for me. Skipped it. Rather teen-mag styling, in my humble opinion. Very clean photography though. It’s worth noting that 'Une Fille Une Style' does not feature in this month’s issue.
It wouldn’t really be Vogue Paris without a little nudity, would it? Celebrating the 90th birthday of Gucci, Mario Sorrenti photographs a very beautiful model (Is it Arizona Muse??) wearing nothing but a few Gucci accessories. Playing with the lighting, we see just enough to know she’s nude but not enough to distract us from the luxury goods. Those Voguies are smart peeps!
In one of the largest editorials I’ve ever seen (65 pages!) the so-called ‘it-models’ — Lara, Daria, Natasha, Freja, Daphne, Saskia, Joan, Sasha and Arizona — parade around looking like they’ve been in a paint ball fight in 'Et Vogue, l‘été 2011'! This feature is styled by soon-to-be editor-in-chef Emmanuelle Alt, Jane How, and Carine. I don’t know much about Jane How, but I can categorically say that the woman likes colour! Carine’s styling was a bit hit and miss I’m afraid to say. We start with Lara in what is simply an ugly black skirt and top designed by Azzedine Alaïa and it doesn’t really improve from there...
Fortunately, Carine’s 'Corps en extension' breaks up the mammoth editorial and offers me a moment to pause and reflect on where my Carine has gone and with the turn of the page, all is forgotten: she’s back! Lara greets us with an intense stare and despite wearing an array of bold, silk flower-printed John Galliano and an err… feather boa, it is her face which stands out. I can’t say the styling for Oscar de la Renta, Dolce & Gabbana or Marc Jacobs is to my taste, but they scream 'Carine'. That said, by the time I’d reached the end of the issue, I was rather bored of Lara. The only Carine piece that really works for me is Lara in Giorgio Armani, which is sublime: très Parisienne, très chic, très Vogue and most of all, très Carine!
From swimming pools to fishing boats to the studio, the models are decked out in bold, bright high-fashion ensembles but it is Daria (completely styled by Madame Alt) who caught my eye, wearing everything from OTT Roberto Cavalli to silk McQueen to I-need-this-now DSquared2. She completely holds your focus, exudes confidence and sensuality, and the DSquared2 photograph really is something. The Balmain look makes me smile because it’s basically Emmanuelle. This is how she dresses and she knows how to work this look. Perfection! Like many people, I paid more attention to the model and the clothes than the stylist and photographer. Since Carine announced her departure, I’ve been watching Emmanuelle’s work like a hawk and this I like. I like a lot.
Following the December/January collaboration between Mr Tom Ford and Madame Carine Roitfeld, AKA the best issue of 2010, was always going to be hard but despite the colour intervention, this issue really lacks something. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Eagerly awaiting March’s issue and am, naively perhaps, hoping to find Carine on the cover of her last Vogue. Like I always say, a woman can only dream…
Vogue Paris editorial images © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.
Carine Roitfeld in Emmanuelle Alt, Fashion, Magazines, Milla Msa, Vogue Paris 
