Lara Bohinc

Amid her fabulous collection of jewelry, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld admits a few favorites. One of these is her Lara Bohinc bracelet given to her by Robert Konjic to celebrate their first year together. Bohinc spent her formative years in Slovenia at the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Art, deciding in 1996 to relocate to London to study at the Royal College of Art with a focus on jewelry and metalwork. When asked why she chose London, Bohinc replied: "It was the very kooky way you guys dress. No one puts things together like British women do: they're daring and accepting at the same time. In Europe if you wear anything in the least bit different they whisper about you, but in England you could walk around naked and nobody would care." Within one year, she had debuted at London Fashion Week, won the Marks & Spencer New Generation Design Award, and launched her own label, Lara Bohinc International, clearly finding her niche with her bold and feminine designs.

Bohinc uses industrial techniques such as computer aided design, photo etching, and laser cutting with materials like rose gold, polished brass, and leather to craft her coveted pieces. Known for her versatility and her passion for design, she has collaborated with a number of respected labels including Lanvin, Gucci, Costume National, and Julien McDonald; most recently the dynamic designer was engaged as a consultant by Cartier, one of the world's premier jewelers. She also finds time to write a fascinating blog for Vogue UK. Bohinc resides in London with her boyfriend, Benedict Cooper, a British advertising producer, and their daughter, Coco. I must say, Monsieur Konjic has fabulous taste in jewelry as well as women.

Lara Bohinc photograph courtesy of accessorieslounge.com
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Robert Konjic photograph © 2010 See Your World LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Mark Fast

Though Mark Fast may have been beaten out for the ANDAM Fashion Award this year by Hakaan Yildirim, the form-fitting knitwear that he designs is fast becoming a favorite of Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. She chose to wear one of his memorable dresses for the British Fashion Awards this past December, no small compliment. Fast grew up in Canada outside of Winnipeg then moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins. He describes himself as obsessed with texture and his distinctive work constantly explores the connection between the garment and the human body. Fast's designs take shape on a domestic knitting machine, forming to the figure stitch by stitch. The innovative methods he has devised for stitching work to create areas of tension and volume across the body thereby enhancing most figures. To sculpt his knits, Fast prefers angora, wool, and lycra blended with viscose, the latter of which he is particularly fond. Note that Julia is not just wearing Fast's gorgeous creations — the designer selected her to create the lookbook for his new Faster collection as well.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Robert Konjic, Mark Fast photographs courtesy of Beauty Confessional, brownsfashion.com, Condé Nast, and style.com

Update on mercredi 24 novembre 2010 by kellina

I keep meaning to mention that I was thrilled to notice Mark Fast himself added this post to his Facebook page the day after I published it...

Johnnie Sapong

When asked about her favorite hairdresser, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld named Johnnie Sapong at The Studio, a new concept salon in London. As Julia says, "He is such a great hairdresser, I completely trust him and he is so funny." Sapong is one of the hottest names in hair primarily because he is a genius with the scissors and because his beneficent manner immediately puts clients at ease. He was born in London and got his start working at a friend's sister's Molton Brown salon in the West End.

Sapong says of his calling, “I’ve always wanted to create shapes with hair because sculpture was something I felt I’d missed out on at school. I use the hair as a raw material, build it and go from there. Sometimes it’s harder to underdo hair, to make something look unkempt and dishevelled, but sexy.” He lives in London with his wife, Karen, and three sons. If you'd like to know more about his savvy style, read Sapong's interview with The Guardian.

Johnnie Sapong photograph © 2008 New York Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Johnnie Sapong studio photograph courtesy of johnniesapong.com

Emilio de la Morena

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld has been seen out and about in London and Paris adorned in this exquisite black furled dress by the Spanish designer Emilio de la Morena. The hot new talent debuted last fall and just unveiled his latest collection at London Fashion Week. Educated at the Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion, de la Morena explains his inspiration thusly: "This season's collection has been inspired by Eduardo Chillida [a notable Basque sculptor], both in his metal sculptures but also in his graphic work in particular — his lithographs, etchings, silk screens and woodcuts. The silhouette is very strong, with volume on the upper body, and super-fitted dresses. The collection is full of ornamentation and detail — painted metal and geometric shapes that contour the body. Emilio de la Morena's woman is "super-strong, sexy, sculptural and chic." He may have found his ideal muse in Julia.

Emilio de la Morena Fitted Ruffle Dress photograph courtesy of matchesfashion.com    
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Robert Konjic photograph courtesy of interviewmagazine.com

Update on lundi 28 février 2011 by kellina

Regarding Emilio de la Morena's latest collection from the Wall Street Journal on 22 February 2011:

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, who has been a big supporter of the Spanish designer, said she loved it before being whisked away to congratulate Mr. de la Morena. Ms. Restoin-Roitfeld has played a key role for Mr. de la Morena, who says that since he met the daughter of former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld, he now wonders “how will she wear this.”

“Maybe as a man designing for women, it’s kind of like a fantasy thing,” he explains, “so it’s really good to be more grounded about ‘OK, somebody would wear this.’ Not just because I fancy putting something on someone."

While he says he doesn’t believe in muses, he does “relate to someone who wears my clothes and makes them her own.”