Julia Restoin-Roitfeld: Coach New York Stories

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld: Coach Collaboration and Hometown Glory
By Sarra Salib

For the Fall/Winter 2013 campaign, Coach came up with a wonderful list of individuals to film for their “Coach New York Stories,” and who more befitting to add to the list than Julia Restoin-Roitfeld? The concept is that “Everyone in New York has a story,” and Julia’s story goes back when she was thirteen years old, dreaming of coming to the melting pot, where it’s less conventional and judgment-free.

Coach dubbed Julia “The Visionary” and for good reason. Not only is she an art director, an editor, and an in-demand model, but most importantly, she is also a mother. She states that her greatest inspiration is her daughter, Romy, the catalyst for romyandthebunnies.com, a not-your-typical-mommy blog that is an outlet for Julia to “connect with other mothers.”

My favorite thing that Julia said in her story is that New York “is the place where I can really be myself.” This piece was very inspirational because you not only need to be in a place that motivates and teaches you, but you also need to be in a place where your best character shines. I think Julia chose well when she decided to make New York her home.

[Editor's note: Gia Coppola is also among the stylish personages that shared their own New York Story for Coach.]

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Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs © 2013 Coach, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld For Motilo

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld For Motilo
By Sarra Salib

One is seldom blessed to find a fashion site that is practical, functional, helpful, and aesthetically appealing, that also encourages one to give and take on any fashion issue. Thankfully, we have Motilo, curated in 2011 by Anna Machkevitch and Sofia Barattieri to answer any “fashion dilemma” and to provide a “second opinion,” which seems like the most perfect outlet for many women. The London-based Motilo is different, however, in that it is run by a very special set of “Motilo Girls”(who happen to be some of Tommy Ton’s favorite people to stalk during fashion week), including Susie Lau, Shala Monroque, Julia Sarr-Jamois, and none other than the ethereal beauty Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. The list goes on, of course, but our main focus remains on Miss Julia.

Along with the recent revamp of the site, Motilo chose the lovely Julia to be a brand ambassador, and in good spirit. Her role as an ambassador includes modeling for the site, contributing answers to questions, and providing editorial content. If you are a member, you can choose to follow or ask Julia any pressing questions you might have, and who wouldn’t want fashion advice from a French creative director?

If you happen to explore Julia Restoin-Roitfeld’s page in detail as I did, you will notice that she has successfully answered several interesting and tricky questions, all with effortlessly chic solutions. What is exciting and noteworthy about Motilo is that everyone’s answers reflect and remain true to their personal style. You can basically go to another stylist’s page and easily decipher his or her style based on the answers provided. For example, with Julia, you can conclude that her style is very classic and simple, and that she prefers to wear mostly black. And that is completely true and representational of her style! Her style is very simple and feminine but still edgy and bold due to her love for black and sharp heels.

Another noteworthy aspect of Motilo is that you can shop any piece your heart desires from the answers provided because it is readily available to you in its own “pin,” if you will, at the bottom. This concept cleverly coincides with their beautifully styled editorial “EXCESSORISE,” starring Queen Julia. I’m not for excess, but I think the tongue-in-cheek “excessorise” and the definitions of “baroque” and “decadence” with several other synonyms along with the editorial were brilliant and I was won over in a heartbeat. Finally, who can get over that photograph of Julia that resulted from the shoot? Pure heavenly vision.

So are you having a fashion dilemma? Would you like to know how to dress for a chic picnic the Roitfeld way? What will Julia wear on Christmas morning or New Year's Eve? Head over to Motilo and check in with Julia herself for all the answers. Who knows, you might even become a Motilo Girl!

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Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs © 2013 Motilo. All Rights Reserved.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld's Lobster Spaghetti With Fresh Tomatoes

Julia Restoin Roitfeld's Lobster Spaghetti With Fresh Tomatoes
By Renee Hernandez

Food and style have always gone together so lure some luxury into your kitchen with Julia Restoin Roitfeld’s lobster spaghetti recipe. I love how Julia brings a little health consciousness to every recipe she develops. In this recipe she uses fresh and naturally nutrient-rich ingredients like ripe tomatoes, basil, and garlic — calling for just enough olive oil to deliver fantastic flavor and richness without overdoing the calories. I was slightly intimidated about selecting and cooking lobster so I opted for frozen lobster meat. It is super easy to cook and still has great flavor.

LOBSTER SPAGHETTI WITH FRESH TOMATOES

Ingredients

• ½ cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 2 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and very finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 one-pound lobsters, cooked and shelled, or ¾ pound cooked lobster meat
• 3 tablespoons finely slivered fresh basil, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 pound spaghetti alla chitarra or spaghettini
•  Red chili flakes

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 5 quart sauté pan or a wide saucepan. Add garlic, cook over low heat until it softens, then add tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes over medium heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for spaghetti.
3. Dice lobster meat. Place 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add lobster and cook until just warmed through. Fold in half of the basil. Cover and set aside.
4. When water boils, add pasta and cook until barely al dente. Drain and place in pan with tomatoes. Stir in remaining oil. Cook, stirring gently over low heat, about 5 minutes, until pasta and tomatoes are warmed and well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper; fold in remaining basil.
5. Transfer to 6 shallow soup plates. Top each portion with lobster, garnish with basil sprigs and serve, with red chili flakes on the side.

In this video I demonstrate the simplicity of Julia’s recipe which is perfect for a romantic dinner. Overall time for preparation and cooking is about 45 minutes and feeds six. So go ahead and cook like a Roitfeld... Bon appétit!

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Julia Restoin Roitfeld's Lobster Spaghetti With Fresh Tomatoes film stills © 2013 Renee Hernandez. All Rights Reserved.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld's Five Rules For French Dressing

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld's Five Rules For French Dressing
By Jascmeen Bush

Our beloved Julia Restoin-Roitfeld lent her beauty to Matches Fashion in a shoot photographed by Nik Hartley and styled by Vickie Keeble. Our "heiress" modeled Roksanda Illincic, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, and more in the 60s style spread. In the accompanying article, Julia goes on to introduce her new site, Romy & The Bunnies, a "style guide for mothers and expectant mothers." I don't want to spoil the article, but here are a few tidbits I loved: she doesn't love to shop (online shopping only), she doesn't care about brands or the latest items, oh, and her diaper bag is a Chanel shopper. If that doesn't make you want to be a Roitfeld, we don't know what will! Visit the gallery to view more images from the spread.

Julia also shared her five rules for dressing with true Parisian style:

1. Keep your palette simple: French women are into neutrals — a lot of beige, grey, navy, black, and white.
2. You won’t see many products in a French woman’s bathroom – it’s about looking polished in a very natural way.
3. Even on the red carpet, French celebrities keep it minimal. Think of Charlotte Gainsbourg – the look can be quite undone.
4. The French like to play the intellectual card; they don’t like to be over-sexy. The sexiness comes from the way they walk and hold themselves.
5. If a French woman wears jeans, it’s never with flats, always heels.

[Editor's note: In case you are interested, note that a few of the couture pieces that Julia models are available currently via Matches Fashion, ooooo la la...]

Honor Heart Cut-Out Dress $1,480

Marc Jacobs Sequined Pencil Skirt $1,900

Jason Wu Ostrich Feather Mini Dress $4,950

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Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs courtesy of Matches Fashion.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld's Roast Chicken And Quinoa

Julia Restoin Roitfeld's Roast Chicken And Quinoa
By Renee Hernandez

When I think of fashion and models, food doesn’t even register. Think a model’s diet consists of coffee, cigarettes, and air? Wrong. After reading Cesar Casier’s interview I discovered one model who is passionate about food. His cookbook titled Model Kitchen features recipes from Casier and his top-model friends, including Karlie Kloss, Lindsey Wixson, Lily Donaldson, Milla Jovovich, and Julia Restoin Roitfeld. In Model Kitchen you’ll find 75 healthy recipes that are easy and affordable to make. No self-imposed deprivation here. Just a sensible, thoughtful approach to eating. I especially loved Julia Restoin Roitfeld’s Roast Chicken and Quinoa Salad recipe. Her recipe is on the low-calorie side yet tastes like an indulgence and is super easy to make! In this video I show just how easy JRR’s recipe is. Overall time, prepping and cooking, is a little over 30 minutes and happily feeds four.

ROAST CHICKEN

For the roast chicken you will need:

• 2 lbs. (900 g) chicken (whatever you prefer; breast, legs, or wings)
• 3 tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons of thyme
• 3 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• coarse sea salt
• pepper

Preheat oven to 200˚C/400˚F. Place in ovenproof dish, together with tomatoes, garlic, and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper and salt. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

QUINOA SALAD

For the quinoa salad you will need:

• 11 oz. (300 g) quinoa
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 4 oz. (110 g) cubed feta cheese
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 3 spring onions, cut into thin rings 
• handful of basil, minced
• handful of mint, minced
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
• paprika powder
• salt and pepper

Cook quinoa and allow to cool in a large bowl. For one cup of quinoa, you’ll need 2 cups of water. Then reduce the temperature of the oven to 150˚C/325˚F. Cook the chicken for 10 more minutes. Add all the vegetables and herbs to the quinoa and pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the mixture. Also add the cubed feta. Carefully fold the ingredients together and season with paprika powder, salt, and pepper. The paprika powder is the finishing touch and gives the dish a pretty color and spicy taste!

Now you can cook like a Roitfeld... Bon appétit!

Order your copy of Model Kitchen on NET-A-PORTER today

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Julia Restoin Roitfeld's Roast Chicken and Quinoa film stills © 2013 Renee Hernandez. All Rights Reserved.