I Want To Be A Roitfeld

Kellina de Boer
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dara Block
STYLE EDITOR

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Jessica Eritou
Renee Hernandez
Bernie Rothschild

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Carine Roitfeld

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carine roitfeld: irreverent
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Entries in Inspiration (17)

dimanche
sept.062015

Carine Roitfeld X UNIQLO

I must admit that I gasped in delight when I flipped to the centerfold of CR Fashion Book Issue 7… behold the Carine Roitfeld for UNIQLO collection in all its glory! Carine has styled model Lexi Boling in her image, a convincing likeness indeed, as shot by Steven Meisel. Better yet is the clothing La Roitfeld has created — blouses, skirts, jackets, coats, accessories — all with the distinctive CR touch. The Carine Roitfeld for UNIQLO collection debuts 29 October and I simply cannot wait! What do you think of Carine’s collection? Are you planning to buy any pieces?

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Carine Roitfeld X UNIQLO images courtesy of CR Fashion Book.

dimanche
mai102015

Nicola Roitfeld: Mother Of Carine

In celebration of Mother's Day, let us acquaint ourselves with the few facts known about Nicola Roitfeld, mother of Carine and grandmother of Julia and Vladimir. Born in Paris, Nicola worked for a time as a script girl, likely the setting in which she first met Carine's father, a film producer. The couple reared Carine and her brother, Pierre, in typical bourgeois Parisian style. In her book Irreverent, Carine shared a bit about her upbringing: "I was raised in Auteil, in the 16th arrondissement of Pairs — a very posh neighborhood. I am the daughter of a Russian-born film producer and a Parisian mother. My father had a bit of a mad streak that I think I inherited. The legendary French actor Louis Jouvet was a witness at my parents' wedding, just to give you some idea of the bohemian chic quality of their relationship."

Nicola Roitfeld practicing ballet

Carine considered Nicola well-dressed always, a "very classic Frenchwoman" who loved dressing her daughter in top designers from a young age: "My mother was a real Parisian, which makes you immediately understand fashion when you are very young. It’s the way you live and what you see in shops, even if you are not shopping at Dior or Chanel. You know it exists and it’s in your DNA, seeing beautiful people and knowing couture and parfum… My mother's elegance marked me profoundly. She dressed in couture clothing and was always impeccably turned out, even at home. She used to go to the hairdresser three times a week."

Nicola Roitfeld as a young girl

Carine fondly recollects helping her mother to apply her eye makeup: "I think I was eight or nine years old. My mother was preparing to go out and she wanted me to help her put her eyeliner on. I remember very carefully putting on her designer eyeliner for her — it is such a strong memory…  It was the mid 1960s, and she was wearing a Pucci dress, and I was helping her put on her black eyeliner in a straight line. To be symmetrical can be difficult, so she asked me to do it."

"Corps & Lames" for Vogue Paris (2005)

One of Carine's earliest maternal memories continues to influence her work today: "As a little girl my mother would always ask me to cut up the raw meat to feed the dog… It's not starting today — I was a controversial person from the beginning." See "The Butcher" (1997), "Corps & Lames" (2005), "Plaisir Solitaire" (2009), and "Boucherie Desnoyer" (2015) as examples of the persistence of her memory. As for her formative style impressions, Carine remembers craving a close fitting Shetland sweater at the age of 14 and although her mother protested, she won in the end. This early choice epitomizes the essence of Carine perfectly — her knack for making the classic sexy with the devil in the details.

Nicola Roitfeld with her horse

In comparing herself with her mother in the role of grandmother, Carine is most tender, speaking from the heart: "I would love it if my granddaughter loves me as much as my daughter loved my mom. The relationship my daughter had with my mother was so specific. My mother passed away three years ago, and my daughter added her name to her own name after she passed. Her grandma was so important to her. Julia told her everything, about boyfriends, hairdos, bad notes from school: everything I wouldn’t be happy with! My mother would say, ‘No problem, you’re the best.’ When Julia comes to Paris, the first place she goes is her grandmother’s grave. Can you imagine? That’s how much she loved her. And if Romy loves me as much, my God, I’ve done something great. That’s what I wish. " Note that Julia keeps this image of her grandmother on her bedside table; she also posted it to Instagram with the caption "My beauty inspiration." Trop mignon…

Julia Restoin Roitfeld's bedside photos including her beloved grandmother, Nicola

Carine mentions her grandfather, the father of Nicola, in Irreverent as well: "Her own father had been a leading French writer and was the editor-in-chief of the satirical political weekly, Le Canard Enchainé. He had been an important figure in the French Resistance newspaper. He was a great figure in the Resistance movement, and a great journalist and political commentator." Greatness begets greatness… Happy Mother's Day to all!

The Restoin Roitfeld family at grandma's summer house in Uzès

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Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent images © 2011 Rizzoli. Restoin Roitfeld family photo courtesy of instagram.com.

mardi
avr.212015

Carine Roitfeld For UNIQLO

I am excited to see the forty pieces that result as Carine Roitfeld and UNIQLO combine forces to create a line of clothing, but I must admit that I am not surprised by this collaboration… Back in February 2013, when La Roitfeld shared her daily routine via Harper's Bazaar, she described her evening wear and immediately I was possessed with the desire for a UNIQLO puffer for bedtime. In Carine's words: "Going to bed. It's very cold in my hotel. Over my Olatz slip dress, I am going to wear my new UNIQLO light-down puffer. I put on a bit of Opium again, feeling like a brunette version of Marilyn." You want a puffer, too, right?

As for her inspiration for the collection, Carine stated: “I feel joy at creating new mode expressions. I am constantly asking myself what these are, and creating new clothing within the UNIQLO LifeWear concept is a great challenge… I started from the idea of clothes that I would want to wear myself, and developed this into clothes that anyone would want to wear, a woman’s ideal of clothes that make her feel transformed when she wears them.” 

Naoki Takizawa, design director for UNIQLO, supported her vision in his remarks: “Carine goes to see collections all around the world, and the visuals that emerge from this relentless pursuit of leading edge fashion have had a tremendous influence on the fashion industry. I believe that a new type of LifeWear will be created through her work.”

Tadashi Yanai, head of parent company Fast Retailing, commented: “Ms. Roitfeld is a charismatic fashion editor and influential figure in the fashion world and we are extremely happy to present this collection with her as our collaborative partner. UNIQLO’s aim is to create everyday clothing that is functional, comfortable and reasonably priced. I am pleased that this new collection will allow us to present our customers worldwide with a new type of UNIQLO LifeWear.”

Scheduled for release in October, the Carine Roitfeld for UNIQLO collection promises to be unique and chic, bien sûr. Here's hoping the CR puffer appears in the line...

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Carine Roitfeld for UNIQLO image courtesy of CR Fashion Book. Modification by Kellina de Boer.

vendredi
sept.192014

Happy 60th Birthday Carine Roitfeld!

Happiest of birthdays to the queen of our hearts, Carine Roitfeld! Though it is impossible to believe, this incredibly chic woman turns 60 today, an inspiration to all that sexy has nothing whatsoever to do with age. In celebration of Carine's extraordinary ability to defy the passing of time, let us examine five of her basic principles for living. All of these hints work to "preserve the freshness," the Parisian approach to caring for oneself; the typical French woman wisely believes that it is better to take care of her assets along the way rather than trying to retrieve her youth with surgery or expensive creams later in life. Note that these ideas have nothing to do with fashion, other than providing for a beautiful frame on which to display the art of the garment. Joyeux anniversaire Carine xxx

1. Ballet

Over the years, Carine Roitfeld has kept active with Pilates, a personal trainer, and other forms of fitness. Her current passion is ballet and she practices with a teacher regularly at home. Of course she has chosen the best ballet clothes: cashmere tank top, leggings, and cardigan in nude or khaki by Rick Owens. She likes to layer her pieces so that she can remove them as she sweats.

2. Green tea

Carine begins her day with matcha green tea, whipping the powder into froth with a handheld electric food processor. Noted for its antioxidant properties, green tea makes the skin glow among many other benefits. I found it interesting that when the Vogue Bar began, they selected a drink befitting CR, then editor-in-chief, that included green tea… "Carine's Tea Time" composed of Vodka Absolut 100, sirop de thé vert, jus citron vert, eau florale de menthe (or in English, Absolut vodka, green tea syrup, lime juice, and mint blossom water.)

3. Massage

Carine Roitfeld prefers Joëlle Ciocco for her facial massage, a thorough treatment which covers even the inside of the mouth, reducing stress and freshening the skin. Parisian women swear that treatments with Ciocco can stop the process of aging. For body treatments, Carine has been spotted at L'appartement 217, the peaceful haven created by Stéphane Jaulin.

4. Sunscreen

Sun damage is the leading cause of premature aging in women and men. The sun's UVA light accounts for 90 percent of all wrinkles. This means that with care, damage to the skin can be avoided and aging can be prevented. An effective sunscreen can help to protect against skin cancer as well. If you consider only one of these ideas to counter the effects of aging, I hope you will choose the regular application of a quality sunscreen. As Julia Restoin-Roitfeld explains, "It’s a daily routine for French women of eating healthy and being very careful about going out in the sun. They work to keep up the freshness as long as possible... For me, beauty is more about prevention than anything. Especially now that I’ve hit 30, it’s more about being careful and maintaining my skin. I want to keep my youth and freshness and be wrinkle-free as long as possible because I don’t want to have to cheat — that’s what I call any cosmetic surgeries, cheating. I don’t mind having a little glow, but now when I go to the beach, I put SPF 50 everywhere — either Avène or La Roche-Posay Anthelios."

5. Sleep

Even with her busy schedule, Carine knows the importance of sleep for health and she aims for seven hours per night. A true French fantasy, she wears to bed her black silk slip dress by Olatz with a spritz of Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. Notice how clean and calm her bedroom is, conducive to clearing the mind for a restful night of sleep.

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Carine Roitfeld photographs courtesy of Twitter, Instagram, Art + Commerce, Net-a-porter.

samedi
juil.192014

Carine Roitfeld: Intercontinental Chic

In a piece titled "Intercontinental Chic" for the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, "the world's most fashionable women, handpicked by the editors of Bazaar's international editions, share their secrets," and of course Carine Roitfeld tops the list of the très chic. In case you have not seen it, here are a few of Carine's personal preferences in culture, beauty, and fashion.

Carine Roitfeld on the essence of France's irreverent cool

CULTURE

Escape: The Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes is pure luxury.

Design: Any furniture by Knoll.

Film: E.T. — a classic!

Book: Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Restaurant: Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Hotel, in Paris. It reminds me of the Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong.

Extras: I'm very fond of white tulips, particularly the way they continue to grow even after they've been cut. It's strange and beautiful.

BEAUTY

Routine: I'm quite unfaithful to skin-care products, but I do like La Prairie.

Eyes: Serge Lutens eyeliner comes in an old-fashioned lacquered box — you feel like a geisha when you use it.

FASHION

Philosophy: I'm always inspired by Helmut Newton's photographs of Yves Saint Laurent and by the work of Bob Richardson.

Key Pieces: For fall, I'm excited to wear Prada's long, thin scarves, as well as Givenchy's butterfly dress — butterflies are a big trend this season. And I love Tom Ford's long black skirt and jacket, to me this look is the new Le Smoking.

Shoes: I adore Miu Miu's translucent boots.

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