Review: Vogue Paris February 2011 Issue

Special thanks to Milla from the glamorous blog Not Just Another Milla for sharing her thoughts with us regarding Carine Roitfeld's penultimate issue of Vogue Paris in February. It is dreadful to think that we are down to the second to last glossy version of Carine's vision to publish under the auspices of the audacious magazine but so 'tis; I weep for the future. In the meantime, enjoy it while you can...

Let’s just start off with a piece of honesty here: Lara may be on the cover but Daria owns this issue! Not only is she featured heavily in the editorials, she’s in every other campaign from Salvatore Ferragamo to Céline to Liberty. I never really cared for her look until recently, but she seems to have a new-found confidence about her. Speaking of campaigns, is it just me or is this issue full of ads? Enough already, this isn’t Vogue US people!!

I’m not really the sentimental type, but seeing Madame Roitfeld’s name above ‘Redactrice en chef’ for the second to last time made me wonder about all the changes ahead. I haven’t noticed any reference to Carine’s departure in the magazine, did I miss it? I found her ‘Edito’ lacking all personality, which leads me to wonder if she’s already gone. It’s pretty hard to stay focused on something you know is no longer ‘yours’…

...En Vogue 'Soleils de nuit’ has captivated my every thought. Now this is the Vogue Paris I know and adore: understated glamour, sophistication, and pure sensuality. Photographed by Sharif Hamza and styled by Geraldine Sanglio, model Barbara intrigues us all whilst running around Paris in gold Paul & Joe, black silk Guy Laroche, burgundy Cerruti and a red silk dress from Escada so perfect, it’s worth spending half the rent for. Shhh, let’s not mention such stuff to my husband…

Melanie Huynh should have had a chat with this young woman before publishing 'Miss Vogue' and dedicating it to 'jeune filles en Vogue'. This editorial is rather punky, which doesn’t work for me. Skipped it. Rather teen-mag styling, in my humble opinion. Very clean photography though. It’s worth noting that 'Une Fille Une Style' does not feature in this month’s issue.

It wouldn’t really be Vogue Paris without a little nudity, would it? Celebrating the 90th birthday of Gucci, Mario Sorrenti photographs a very beautiful model (Is it Arizona Muse??) wearing nothing but a few Gucci accessories. Playing with the lighting, we see just enough to know she’s nude but not enough to distract us from the luxury goods. Those Voguies are smart peeps!

In one of the largest editorials I’ve ever seen (65 pages!) the so-called ‘it-models’ — Lara, Daria, Natasha, Freja, Daphne, Saskia, Joan, Sasha and Arizona — parade around looking like they’ve been in a paint ball fight in 'Et Vogue, l‘été 2011'! This feature is styled by soon-to-be editor-in-chef Emmanuelle Alt, Jane How, and Carine. I don’t know much about Jane How, but I can categorically say that the woman likes colour! Carine’s styling was a bit hit and miss I’m afraid to say. We start with Lara in what is simply an ugly black skirt and top designed by Azzedine Alaïa and it doesn’t really improve from there...

Fortunately, Carine’s 'Corps en extension' breaks up the mammoth editorial and offers me a moment to pause and reflect on where my Carine has gone and with the turn of the page, all is forgotten: she’s back! Lara greets us with an intense stare and despite wearing an array of bold, silk flower-printed John Galliano and an err… feather boa, it is her face which stands out. I can’t say the styling for Oscar de la Renta, Dolce & Gabbana or Marc Jacobs is to my taste, but they scream 'Carine'. That said, by the time I’d reached the end of the issue, I was rather bored of Lara. The only Carine piece that really works for me is Lara in Giorgio Armani, which is sublime: très Parisienne, très chic, très Vogue and most of all, très Carine!

From swimming pools to fishing boats to the studio, the models are decked out in bold, bright high-fashion ensembles but it is Daria (completely styled by Madame Alt) who caught my eye, wearing everything from OTT Roberto Cavalli to silk McQueen to I-need-this-now DSquared2. She completely holds your focus, exudes confidence and sensuality, and the DSquared2 photograph really is something. The Balmain look makes me smile because it’s basically Emmanuelle. This is how she dresses and she knows how to work this look. Perfection! Like many people, I paid more attention to the model and the clothes than the stylist and photographer. Since Carine announced her departure, I’ve been watching Emmanuelle’s work like a hawk and this I like. I like a lot.

Following the December/January collaboration between Mr Tom Ford and Madame Carine Roitfeld, AKA the best issue of 2010, was always going to be hard but despite the colour intervention, this issue really lacks something. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Eagerly awaiting March’s issue and am, naively perhaps, hoping to find Carine on the cover of her last Vogue. Like I always say, a woman can only dream…

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

Vogue Paris February 2011: Lara Stone

Heralding the return of spring, Lara Stone is colorful in a Gucci dress and makeup to match for the cover of the February 2011 issue of Vogue Paris shot by Mario Sorrenti. The headlines promise to reveal beauty tips for sublime skin, a glimpse of the private life of Colin Firth, and Special Collections: 65 looks for summer. Note that the "Une Fille Un Style" section does not appear in this issue, instead we have a new feature titled "Miss Vogue." I hope this change is not permanent, UFUS is always my favorite part of the magazine. In any event, I simply cannot wait to see what Carine Roitfeld has in store for her next to last issue...

Vogue Paris February 2011 issue cover image © 2011 Condé Nast. 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.

New Vogue Paris Editor-In-Chief: Emmanuelle Alt

Vogue Paris has just announced their new editor-in-chief — Emmanuelle Alt will be the next woman to lead the influential magazine, taking the place of our beloved Carine Roitfeld. She advances from her current role as fashion director for Vogue Paris. I cannot wait to see what Emmanuelle has planned for us... In her own words of acceptance she promises to keep developing the magazine, “It is a great honor for me, but also a great pleasure to become the editor of Vogue Paris that I know so well. In working with very talented teams I will try to develop the the incredible potential of Vogue Paris.” To learn more about Emmanuelle's fashion philosophy, read her interview with 20 Ans, the publication for which she and Carine worked prior to Vogue Paris.

Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt photograph courtesy of mystylefest.wordpress.com
Emmanuelle Alt photograph © 2009 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld's Vogue Paris Office

Have you ever wished for a glimpse inside the office of Carine Roitfeld at Vogue Paris? We simply must stop and take a look before our favorite editor-in-chief departs the sixth floor of 56 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré forever. I have read that Carine frequently holds Vogue Paris meetings in her home, but when she must go to the office at least she has a lovely commute. From the Place des Invalides, past the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, following the Seine to the Place de la Concorde, to one of the world's most fashionable streets, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, the location of the headquarters for Vogue Paris as well as many top fashion labels. As Carine says, “So you see, every day I see the most beautiful place in the world. It is not too bad.” The Vogue Paris offices are adjacent to the Hôtel de Crillon where La Roitfeld has also been known to take meetings if her own office is "too mess" as she says in her adorable way.

When you open the door to Carine's office, you are immediately struck by the starkness. White walls, modern décor, minimal possessions, it is remarkable to see that one can occupy a space for a decade and yet keep it so free from the extraneous. It is also extremely difficult to believe that this chic space is ever "too mess" for a meeting. Carine explains, “It is the same as in my home. I like clean, clean, clean, clean. It’s my new Zen attitude, you know? The less you have, the more you enjoy.” Elegantly furnished with a desk and a conference table by Le Corbusier, both topped in glass, a black leather sofa, black leather chairs by Mies van der Rohe, and chrome lighting fixtures by Tom Dixon, Carine keeps her office clear for professional reasons: "[It's] very minimalist because it's better for my mind. When everything is clean and empty it cools me down; if someone brings in pictures or articles to show me, I can see them better."

Only a few works of art grace the walls of Carine's office. As the Guardian hilariously remarked, most of these portray partially nude women with their hands in their knickers; when asked about this Carine shrugged politely. The first is Mario Sorrenti's shot from the Vogue Paris 2008 calendar with Natasha Poly fingerpainted by Sorrenti and Tom Pecheux as a pregnant bride complete with fœtus for the month of June (this remains my favorite VP calendar). In another enlarged and framed editorial shot, a model wears nothing but a Minnie Mouse mask and red boxer shorts. [If you have this image, please let me know.] Another of her brilliant editorial shots is pictured below, a close shot of female thighs framed by a gorgeous fur. Finally we see the iconic Karl Lagerfeld portrait, the indelible black and white image looming large against one wall. "Very Big Brother, no? The cult of personality... very Russian." laughs Carine. It just occurred to me, I think all of the art in Carine's office is either of her or by her, c'est fantastique !

The possessions that Carine permits on her desk and shelves are her Blackberry, her reading glasses, a pen, a cup of tea or water, vases of flowers (preferably white), two masks, a diamanté skull (“I love skulls,” La Roitfeld exclaims), an orange blossom candle in a glass holder, a gumball machine, a few books including a signed Stanley Kubrick edition, Maison Martin Margiela (to which she contributed an essay), Raphael Mazzucco Collected Art (for which she wrote the foreword), and a dictionary of Chinese characters in three volumes, along with her personal letters and photographs such as this one of her father, her brother, and her son, Vladimir.

Carine expressed her thoughts about her position at Vogue Paris frequently during interviews over the last decade, here are a few of the juicier bits:

"I think I am a terrible business woman."
"I never had an office before, never had a chair with a table... Have never been a boss."
“No Hugg boots in the office, they are hugly.”
"I like to have something every month that is — how you say? — not politically correct. A little bit at the limit. Sex, nudity, a bit rock'n'roll, a sense of humour. That is very Vogue Paris."
“My best quality is to be stylist. I never think about this career, this big job. I never wanted to be what I am today, and I will not die in the position.”
"I only start to work really hard when they [Julia and Vladimir] grow up. Now I work every day, Saturday, Sunday — but the children are big, they study far away."
"Daytimes I am editor-in-chief; after eight and at weekends I am a stylist. It is great! There is no one to criticize my work other than me."
"I am very happy here [at Vogue Paris] but I am sure something new is going to happen in the next year."
"I would not be able to work in this business, with all these amazing young girls, if I did not truly believe that beauty can come in many forms. You can be beautiful with big breasts, you can be beautiful in your 40s. If you do not have perfect ankles, still you can move your legs in a certain way and look very sexy."
"I am good at what I do here and I am not sure if you put me in that world [Vogue US] I would be as good. I think it is much easier to talk to 100,000 women than millions of women across America."
"They [computers] are not my specialty." [Again she shrugs. Must develop my shrug...]
"I do not think I will do this for my entire life, though. Because I love a challenge."
"If you struggle to pay bills, working on advertising you do not like, on magazines you do not like, at the end of the day is difficult to still like fashion. You know, is like when you squeeze a lemon... whereas I still have some juice."
"I do not know what I will do next but I cannot do the same for the next 10 years. I love to change. I have been here eight years; I think maybe 10 years is good."

Watch Carine at work in her office, analyzing spreads and making editorial decisions in this interview with La Blonde et moi.

La Blonde et moi: Carine Roitfeld partie 1
La Blonde et moi: Carine Roitfeld partie 2
La Blonde et moi: Carine Roitfeld partie 3

Carine Roitfeld's Vogue Paris office photographs courtesy of youtube.com and La Blonde et moi, © 2009 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and © 2009 Guardian News and Media Limited. All Rights Reserved. Map courtesy of google.com.