Carine Roitfeld: Death Of A Boxer

In digging through my archives I unearthed this little gem of an editorial by Carine Roitfeld titled "Death of a Boxer" in which she seeks "a pair of pants which guarantees permanent pull-'em-off pulling power." La Roitfeld selected briefs by Yves Saint Laurent, Helmut Lang, Valentino, Gucci, John Paul Gaultier, and Hugo Boss to try to take down the classic boxer, a tough challenge but Carine posed worthy contenders. In my humble estimation the clear winner is YSL — pull-'em-off, honey, pull-'em-off! Her sexy bit of styling appeared originally in the Spring/Summer 1996 issue of Arena Homme + with Mario Testino shooting the photographs. What do you think, boxers or briefs?

Arena Homme + editorial images © 1996 Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: Le Grand Jeu

I find myself in the mood for warmer weather and fewer clothes so let's take inspiration from this sexy editorial "Le Grand Jeu" styled by Carine Roitfeld for the September 2003 issue of Vogue Paris. The model is Carolyn Murphy, basking in the luxurious setting of the InterContinental Carlton in Cannes; Mario Testino had the pleasure of shooting the editorial with makeup by Tom Pêcheux and hair by Samantha Hillerby.

What is the game that Carine has in mind? She describes it thusly: "De ses ongles laqués rubis à l'imprimé fauve de sa blouse en mousseline, de la fièvre en centimètres de ses escarpins au bleu aphrodisiaque de ses yeux, tout chez elle respire la féminin exalté. Un sex-appeal solaire qui attise la convoitise et peut rendre fou." In English: "From her ruby lacquered nails to the tawny printed chiffon of her blouse, from the fever of the centimeters of her heels to the blue aphrodisiac of her eyes, everything about her exudes the impassioned female. A solar sex appeal that stirs the lust and can drive you mad." Kellina likes the heat...

Vogue Paris editorial images © 2003 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: Néo-Moderne

The French Glamour piece shown here, "Néo-moderne," is generally considered one of the more influential editorials styled by Carine Roitfeld. Featuring Nadja Auermann (then 23) against the chic backdrop of Carine's own Parisian apartment with photography by Mario Testino, this editorial is famous for uniting Roitfeld and Testino with Tom Ford. The Gucci loafers that Carine chose for the shoot caught the eye of Ford, then creative director of Gucci, bringing together one of the sexiest troikas in fashion history. "Néo-moderne" was originally published in French Glamour in 1994 but has a remarkable timeless quality, I would wear anything pictured here.

French Glamour "Néo-moderne" editorial © 1994 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: Fashion Statements

Mon Dieu, how gorgeous is Carine Roitfeld in this photo! Stunning, breathtaking, the epitome in chic, they do not make superlatives superlative enough to describe her. Her eyes, her hair, her figure, her clothes so perfect that they seem to fade into the background but none of this is by chance, it is by design — her design. Carine Roitfeld's masterpiece as a stylist is herself. Here she divulges that she has "tampered with" this elegant black satin dress by John Galliano so that it looks "deconstructed." She has shaped the garment to flatter her shape best, as she does with her hair, her makeup, her accessories — La Roitfeld is a testament to her talent.

Oh yes, the details... This editorial titled "Fashion Statements" appeared in Allure in November 1995 and was photographed by Mario Testino. Julien d'Y's styled Carine's hair for the shoot. With the Galliano dress she is wearing a vintage Rolex watch that the article says is a gift from "her husband" and a python clutch, so simple, so perfect, so Carine.

Carine Roitfeld in Allure editorial image © 1995 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: Seville En Mantille

In response to the survey that I recently posted, several readers expressed interest in seeing more examples of the body of work created by Carine Roitfeld and it is my pleasure to oblige. Pictured here are two outtakes from an editorial titled "Séville en mantille" from the November 1995 issue of Vogue Paris. Carine served as fashion editor for the concept with Mario Testino photographing model Chandra North styled in the traditional dress of the Andalucian world of flamenco dancers and matadors, l'aristocrate, la sensuelle, la fière...

Vogue Paris "Séville en mantille" editorial image © 1995 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.