Carine Roitfeld: Stylist

In 2007, Rizzoli published a fascinating book, Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion, which collects the work of sixteen legendary image makers as selected by Style.com, and of course Carine Roitfeld made this exclusive list. Browsing the lavish volume is a fashion education unto itself, with influential stylists such as Polly Mellen, Grace Coddington, Edward Enninful, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, and Karl Templer sharing memorable collaborations and sources of inspiration via interviews with Sarah Mower. Among the talented photographers that collaborated on these iconic images are Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, Steven Klein, and Juergen Teller. Raul Martinez provided the creative direction for Stylist and Anna Wintour penned the foreword, in which she admits that as a fashion sittings editor she was never particularly good, although she certainly recognizes and champions editors that are particularly good. Which of her most memorable works did Carine Roitfeld choose to share in Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion? I was hoping you would ask…

"The Butcher" 
The Face, 1997
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Eva Herzigova
Photographer: Mario Testino

I love that Carine selected three images from her unforgettable editorial, "The Butcher," the work she considers her most compelling. Also notable, a print of the image above hangs in the home of art connoisseur Simon de Pury.

"Au Pérou, chez les Incas"
French Glamour, August 1993
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Helena Christensen
Photographer: Mario Testino

This is one of the most famous of the Roitfeld/Testino collaborations for French Glamour, as well as personal: the location honors the photographer's Peruvian childhood and the model wore a Peruvian sweater belonging to the stylist's father. Trop mignon, non ?

"Néo-Moderne"
French Glamour, 1994
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Nadja Auermann
Photographer: Mario Testino

This is the other most famous of the Roitfeld/Testino collaborations for French Glamour, again with a personal angle: the spread is shot in the néo-moderne apartment of Carine Roitfeld and Christian Restoin. Note also that the model lounges about wearing Gucci loafers, attracting the attention of Tom Ford and leading to one of the sexiest collaborations in fashion history.

Gucci by Tom Ford
Collection stills and ad campaign, 1995
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Photographer: Mario Testino

While Tom Ford is a talented designer and Mario Testino is an accomplished photographer, Carine Roitfeld must be credited with conducting the electricity that created the iconic Gucci look of 1995. As The New York Times observed at the time, "Imagine waking up one morning expecting Harriet Nelson to be making your breakfast and instead found Raquel Welch, circa 1968, beating the eggs."

"Corps & Lames"
Vogue Paris, February 2005
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Gemma Ward
Photographer: Mario Testino

Gemma Ward is anything but innocent in "Corps & Lames," Carine's bizarrely beautiful homage to meat… and polka dots… and sheers… oh my…

Other material that Carine chose to share were images of herself as a young girl, with her family, with her Vogue Paris staff, and of her inspiration board, as well as the portrait below captured by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in March 2003 for V Magazine.

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Carine Roitfeld editorial images © 2007 Rizzoli. All Rights Reserved.

The Roitfelds In Yves Saint Laurent: Qui Porte Le Mieux ?

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld recently shared her beauty routine for a night out with Into The Gloss and I love that she borrowed her mother's vintage gold dress by Yves Saint Laurent for the photo shoot. Julia completed her look with large gold hoop earrings (not shown here) and black pumps with bows, tying in with the black velvet bow that cinches the waist of the dress.

Carine Roitfeld is pictured below wearing the same dress at the Vogue Bar at the Hôtel de Crillon during Paris Fashion Week in March 2010. She chose to accessorize vintage YSL with her César Compression pendant (and her Vogue Bar signature cocktail, "Carine's Tea Time").

Now I must ask: which Roitfeld wears it better? Feel free to express yourself in the comments below…

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Carine Roitfeld photo courtesy of twitter.com/VogueParisLive. Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photo © 015 Into The Gloss, Inc

Happy 30th Birthday Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld!

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Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photographs courtesy of Fashion Spot.

Happy 34th Birthday Julia Restoin-Roitfeld!

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Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photos courtesy of zimbio.com, Condé Nast, instagram/juliarestoin.

Carine Roitfeld For Jil Sander

The lovely and talented Kamila Brudzynska recently acquired the February 1996 issue of Vogue Paris including an article on Jil Sander to which Carine Roitfeld contributed. Kamila kindly translated the article from French to English for us to enjoy, along with providing the scans of the article. Merci mille fois, Kamila.

Jil Sander: Less Is More
Translation by Kamila Brudzynska

Her spring-summer '96 collection is a model of equilibrium. Jil Sander has the art and the way to develop simply modern fashion.

Absolute Relaxation 

Three editors selected their favorite Jil Sander designs to develop according to their own style. Carine Roitfeld, freelance stylist and ex-Glamour stylist, chose a man's sweater in dark grey with a white mini skirt and a white coat with red shantung trousers. Designed by Mats Gustafson. Jil Sander says: "It is a square coat, made from a blend of wool and Panama straw — yes, straw hats are also made of this. We can sculpt this material, which I love because it is not fuzzy, because it is straight ahead, and it confers a strong but relaxed attitude. And just a little color with the trousers to shock."

The Private Eroticism of the White Marinière 

"When I was younger, even before I started to work in fashion, I observed women and I always have told them they can be more beautiful. I wanted to bring out their beauty, the shape of their head, charm, strength. In the late Sixties, women dressed in a ridiculous way, everything was confused, especially in Germany. I may have been one of the first to try to define a woman of strength. There is always a tension in what I'm doing, tension between femininity and a certain androgyny. No tutus, no little girl, and especially not lady-ish."

Lady-ish? This is a German speaking, the blonde Jil Sander. Her first real fashion show took place seven years ago, in Milan; today, Jil Sander although based in Hamburg, has established herself  as the international designer who sets the tone: a sleek and subtle style, which can not discover the secrets and the touch of rare and thoughtful fabrics, or the fitting — 40 jackets cut for every season, each cut in different proportions to the figure of each valued client. Long legs, short legs, long torso, square or small shoulders, young or not, you can find here each individuality. Jil Sander eats breakfast at Relais Plaza, next to her boutique, surrounded by women in clothes from couture tailors whose dogs wears outfits. She appears in sweater, trousers, flat shoes. This is her style, modern, almost muted, but a muted effect with a deep bass that shakes everything without the need for high notes.

"I need to work with quality fabrics, but modern quality, not quality… sweet. Cool wool, the man's fabrics, the man's sweaters, the quality which menswear has but it works as sexy. A feminine attitude, masculine fabrics. The fabric, it is a way of making the voice visible."

Marie-Amélie Sauvé, Vogue editor for 14 years, chose a cashmere turtleneck sweater with the viscose gabardine bermuda shorts, grained leather moccasins by Sergio Rossi, and the marinière with the simple shirt made of canvas cotton blend. All photographed by Michael Thompson and Laurie Bird. Jil Sander says: "I want women to be younger and fresher. The marinière is in cotton pique stretch, with a finish just like paper. It's cut to be close but it's stretch, so it moves with the body. It feels tight as a corset, it pinches but without adding curves."

Materials and Proportions

Franceline Orat, editor-in-chief of accessories and jewelry in Vogue for 18 years, selected the silk shantung pantsuit and the gabardine raincoat tied at the waist, accessorized with jewelry designed by Antoine Rivaud from the 1930s, by Lydia Courteille, and cultured pearls by Angela Pintaldi of the Joyce Gallery. Photographed by Daniel Jouanneau. Jil Sander says: "I like the brilliance of true silk shantung. I designed the pantsuit two years ago in organza, and then in silver fabric, last year in super rayon, now silk attracts me. The coat is in rayon — the kind which I found in Japan: the fabric is twisted which gives it a disturbing touch, toned, resistant but light.

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Vogue Paris editorial images © 1996 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.