Vogue Paris March 2011: Body Secrets

Vogue Paris March 2011: Body Secrets
By Bernie Rothschild

For her farewell issue for Vogue Paris, the Victoria's Secret Angels got the Carine Roitfeld treatment. The editorial itself is named "Body Secrets" and shows the tacky versus the classy side of the models as shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. My guess is that it's Carine's way of saying, "This should be what real fashion models look like," curvy, stunning, and healthy. Carine Roitfeld herself is a regular in the audience at the Victoria's Secret fashion show. That season, the Victoria's Secret Angels, who are famous for their commercial work, had a remarkable high fashion crossover, they graced the covers and pages of high fashion magazines, appeared in high profile runway shows and ad campaigns, and so on. It's still has some impact on their careers until today. Though most of them started in the fashion industry, it's their commercial work for Victoria's Secret that gave them fame and fortune for appearing in television commercials that were shown in every American home. Some of the most well-known faces of this generation modeled for Victoria's Secret at a point in their career, a great example is Gisele Bündchen who became a household name. I myself am a big fan of the Victoria's Secret in the past during the time when it was Gisele, Karolina, Adriana, and Alessandra together with Heidi Klum who modeled for the brand. The show is fascinating and astonishing, but do women really wear something that grandiose in their boudoir? Or is it more of a lingerie couture? Though, the VS is all about lingerie and sexy body, it's still very feminine and has appeal for women (and men) that has made the brand a total success.

More from Vogue Paris March 2011

Vogue Paris March 2011: Audace Manifeste
By Dara Block

Vogue Paris March 2011: Coeur À Corps Perdu
By Kate Ringo Suzuki

Vogue Paris March 2011: Expression Figurative
By Jessica Eritou

Vogue Paris March 2011: La Fee Toxique
By Kellina de Boer

connect with iwtbar  bloglovin  |  facebook  |  pinterest  |  tumblr  |  twitter

Vogue Paris editorial images © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: VMAN Calendar

In February, Carine Roitfeld served as guest editor for VMAN Magazine and I am sorry it has taken so long for me to get around to discussing it. In addition to styling the editorials for the magazine, Carine created a 2012 calendar of Victoria's Secret models that was every bit as sexy as her infamous Vogue Paris calendars. I want to applaud Carine for effectively taking up the slack of her successor at Vogue Paris, Emmanuelle Alt, who denied readers the pleasure of the annual calendar this year as well as the beloved concept of a guest editor with her December issue.

In case you missed it, I have added Carine's VMAN calendar to the archive, featuring models Doutzen Kroes, Joan Smalls, Lily Donaldson, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima, Izabel Goulart, Candice Swanepoel, Ana Beatriz Barros, Alessandria Ambrosio, Anne Vyalitsyna, Chanel Iman, and Karolina Kurkova as photographed by Willy Vanderperre.

I would also like to take this opportunity to look back at a few of the calendars produced by Carine during her reign at Vogue Paris, including my personal favorite, the imaginative 2008 VP calendar which has hung in a spot of honor on my wall since December of 2007 when it arrived with the Charlotte Gainsbourg issue.

Which of Carine's Vogue Paris calendars is your favorite? What do you think of her calendar for VMAN?

2007 Calendar
Karen Elson by David Sims

2008 Calendar
Catherine McNeil, Isabeli Fontana, Lara Stone, and Natasha Poly by Mario Sorrenti
Make up and body painting by Mario Sorrenti and Tom Pêcheux

2009 Calendar
Jourdan Dunn, Ali Michael, Georgina Stojiljkovic, Erin Heatherton, Eniko Mihalik, Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Lakshmi Menon, Anna Selezneva, Aline Weber, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Arlenis Sosa Pena, Alana Kuznetsova, and Taryn Davidson by Terry Richardson wearing lingerie and shoes by Louis Vuitton

2010 Calendar
Iselin Steiro, Natasha Poly, and Raquel Zimmerman by Mario Sorrenti at the Lido in Paris 

2011 Calendar
Daria Werbowy by Mikael Jansson wearing jewelry by Louis Vuitton

VMAN calendar image © 2012 VMAN, LLC. Vogue Paris calendar images © 2007-2011 Condé Nast

The Roitfelds At Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Despite the baby on board, mommy-to-be Julia Restoin-Roitfeld vied with Granny Carine for the honor of sexiest woman at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday night in New York. Among the other sexy women in attendance were the Angels on the catwalk both old — Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, Anne Vyalitsina, Adriana Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Chanel Iman — and new — Karlie Kloss, Karmen Pedaru, Caroline Brasch Nielsen, Sui He, Joan Smalls, Shanina Shaik. Keeping guests moving were Kanye West, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, and Jay-Z as a special surprise. The afterparty followed at the Dream Downtown.

Carine Roitfeld and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs © 2011 WireImage and Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

The Roitfelds At Victoria’s Secret Extravaganza

The general public will not be privy to the show until November 30, but last night Victoria's Secret hosted its annual fashion extravaganza and of course it would not be a party without the Roitfelds. The spectacle of all spectacles went down at the Lexington Armory in New York and Carine Roitfeld and daughter Julia were seated front row. Angels (aka lingerie models) sporting wings and little else on the catwalk included Alessandra Ambrosio, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Chanel Iman, Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, and Anne Vyalitsina. Performances by Akon and Katy Perry kept things lively. Among the other stellar guests were Giovanna Battaglia, Malin Ackerman, Tyson Beckford, Estelle, Adrian Grenier, Debbie Harry (pictured here because she is cool as hell), Kate Lanphear, Zac Posen, Russell Simmons, and Alexander Wang. Partygoers ended the evening by dancing the night away at LAVO. See more of the Victoria's Secret show at Fashion Foie Gras.

Carine Roitfeld, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Debbie Harry photographs courtesy of stylelite.com and © 2010 Condé Nast.

The Roitfelds At Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Merde, what is going on with Carine Roitfeld? I have kept my opinion to myself on many a topic but the thing around her neck ices this cake for me. Et les cheveux ?? If this is a midlife crisis, this is wonderful in terms of numbers but for fashion it spells disaster. If this catches on and I have to watch a bunch of fat girls parading around as futuristic bull fighting superheroines, I'm going to hurl. There, I've said it. Go ahead and label me fatist and swear never to read my words again but sincerely—do you? Further, we are NOT going back to big hair, I flatly refuse.

Let's not allow this to spoil the fact that Julia looks stunning in Christoper Kane for Topshop. Oh why oh why did I not order that dress the day the collection was released?! Julia is simply radiant, I guess a few weeks in London were restorative. Though she does have that superhero stance...thank the stars she is not wearing a cape.

Carine Roitfeld and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs courtesy of guestofaguest.com