Relating To Carine Roitfeld

I am happy to introduce another winning essay from our The Little Black Jacket contest — “Relating To Carine Roitfeld” by Jessica Eritou. She is truly inspired by Carine Roitfeld: she finds the motivation to pursue dreams that she once thought unattainable by emulating Carine's kinder and gentler approach to fashion. Many thanks, Jessica, for sharing your passion!

Relating To Carine Roitfeld
By Jessica Eritou

I find fashion intimidating. It is intimidating from the notion of if you have taste or if you do not — you are born with or without it. Carine Roitfeld helped me ease into the fashion world, making it not such a scary place after all.

When I was much younger, I would look up to older girls in awe of what they would wear and try to emulate it similarly with the hand-me-downs sent from my cousins. Usually they were elasticized denim leggings or crewneck sweaters. I dreamed of the day my Nike tracksuits would be as cool as the girls in the upper grades wearing Club Monaco sweatshirts.

Now I do merchandising at one of Canada's higher end retailers while I am working on my degree to later work in the industry. But at the beginning of this, I thought this was as far as I could get and I would never dream of meeting anyone who is anyone.

Being from Canada, fashion was never considered important or emulated yet I had the urge to be a part of it. Thankfully I could escape with Fashion Television in the afternoons and watch Jeanne Beker go backstage at Gucci to see Tom, or congratulate John at Dior (which I could never relate to), or thank Marc (back in his Coke bottle glasses days) for a great collection. From then on, I knew I wanted to be a part of the fashion world, but it seemed so exclusive and inaccessible. Everything looked to be extravagant and deemed “cold” like Anna Wintour's alleged personality.

Before I could never relate to the cold glares coming from the first row at fashion shows. Fashion to me is not something that you should hide with your emotions. It is an outlet. It is freedom to show your thoughts, ideas, and imagination. I think the giddiest I have been was when I saw Carine at the latest Dior show (being a fan of Raf since I was 16 or so and he was at Jil Sander).

It was not until I discovered Carine Roitfeld that I felt I could be part of the fashion world. Carine's effortless and refined style was relatable to me. I could connect with someone with such a prestigious career who does not look like the catwalks of Galliano-era Dior, or McQueen at McQueen. Her maximal minimalist style was what I found so endearing in the first place. Here is her sweet, genuine, charming, and gracious personality which is still chic and can still do a great job styling and being an editor at Vogue (at the time). In her shoots or her campaigns, I can always connect with her ideas, her impressions, and her overall aesthetic which keeps me motivated to become even better at my current job in merchandising which funds all of my schooling. Because of Carine, I continue my path to apply to graduate studies in fashion in hopes of styling and journalism.

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Carine Roitfeld photograph courtesy of Fashion Spot.

IWTBAR Contest Winner: Sarra Salib

It is a distinct pleasure to announce the results of The Little Black Jacket contest... the essays in praise of Carine Roitfeld were so good that I decided to modify the prize structure and award three winners. I will be publishing various entries from the contest over the next few weeks beginning today with the winning essay, congratulations and thanks to all who entered!

First Prize
Sarra Salib
"Carine Roitfeld: The One and Only"
Prize: The Little Black Jacket and IWTBAR black tee

Second Prize
Morgan Von Steen
"Rap Ode To Carine Roitfeld"
Prize: IWTBAR black tee

Third Prize
Jessica Eritou
"Relating To Carine Roitfeld"
Prize: IWTBAR mug

Carine Roitfeld: The One and Only
By Sarra Salib

Carine Roitfeld celebrated Vogue Paris’ 90th anniversary by writing “If one word were to sum up the elegance, the luxury, the audacity, the desire and the spirit, no doubt it would be Vogue.” I would like to take the opportunity to modify Carine’s breathtakingly beautiful happy anniversary note and dedicate it to The One and Only herself: If one name were to sum up the elegance, the irreverence, the audacity, the charm, and the spirit, no doubt it would be Carine Roitfeld. The first time I fell in love with Carine was through Style.com’s “Get the Look.” The look was her (in my opinion) iconic, casual, summer ensemble. Carine wore perfectly tailored, 70s cut white pants; olive colored Equipment silk shirt; the unobtrusive Salvador Dali crucifix necklace; nude, dangerously high sandals; honey hued straight screen of hair; kohl rimmed eyes; and one must not forget, Carine’s favorite accessory, the cell phone. Style.com’s description was accurate in that “It’s impossible to emulate the style of Paris Vogue’s Carine Roitfeld.” This was quintessential Carine. This was cool Carine. The outfit looks deceivingly simple to one’s eye, but when dissected down, there are myriad elements that make this ephemeral style belong to one person. Indeed, there is no point in belaboring futile efforts. Is it the way she conspicuously takes each step as if the concrete street is her own runway? Is it the way her hair falls on her face and masks her as a shield? Is it the way her haunting green eyes peer from behind and delve deep into the enchanted followers’ souls? Even the way she rolls her sleeves is permeated by aesthetic. An essay is an insufficient space to serenade Carine. I could go on elaborating and abstracting, and still fail to capture this woman’s genius and talent. A daughter, a sister, a mother, a lover, and a legendary stylist. She’s everything. Her genuine and sincere smile is enough reason to make you fall in love.

Carine Roitfeld photograph courtesy of Fashion Spot.

The Little Black Jacket Contest

We are counting down the days until the publication of The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisited by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld and with only thirty days to go, there is no better time for an LBJ contest! If you love the style of Carine Roitfeld, now is the time to share your opinion and win a prize. Write an essay inspired by Carine to be eligible to win a copy of The Little Black Jacket upon publication as well as a black IWTBAR tee. The contest is limited to the first 100 respondents and ends 25 August 2012; please note that the IWTB team is ineligible to play. All submissions become property of IWTB and may be published at my discretion. Good luck to all!

Submit your essay here.

The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisited photograph courtesy of astairemagazine.com