George Condo

When faced with the question, "Who's your favorite living artist?" Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld responded, "So MANY — Tom Sachs and George Condo are a few of my favorites." According to The New York Times, Vladimir even took time out from installing an exhibit by RETNA to accompany the artist to see "George Condo: Mental States" at the New Museum in February 2011. Born in rural New England in 1957, George Condo was drawn to New York City at a young age, gravitating naturally to the East Village circle of artists that included William Burroughs, Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and spending time as a printer in Andy Warhol's Factory. Today Condo is renowned for his fine skill in handling paint like an Old Master with a focus on fantastical portraiture; he is also an accomplished sculptor. 

George Condo talks about his vision: "There was a time when I realized that the central focal point of portraiture did not have to be representational in any way. You don't need to paint the body to show the truth about a character. All you need is the head and the hands." The artist lives in an Upper East Side townhouse with wife, Anna, and daughters, Eleonore and Raphaelle, and travels seven blocks to paint in another UES townhouse which serves as his studio. I love the ways in which Condo's work touches popular culture: his paintings which serve as cover art for Kanye West’s album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and his partnership with Supreme to create a line of skateboard decks, to name just two examples.

"Abstract Conversations," George Condo (2012)
W, January 2013, "Art Meets Fashion" issue
Stylist: Felicia Garcia-Rivera; Model: Jessica Chastain; Photographer: Max Vadukul 

George Condo was one of the four artists chosen by W Magazine to render Jessica Chastain for the covers of their "Art Meets Fashion" issue in January 2013. I love Condo's vision for the work so much that I have copied it here in its entirety: "'I love the idea of two incompatible worlds brought together — opposing forces harmonically melded.' When he met Chastain, his plan was to create two artworks — and cast her not as their subject but as a character in them. 'I wanted Jessica to become part of the painting and then appear to come off it, as if she were breaking free and leaving behind an empty space… I liked that the paintings were 3-D.' To achieve that effect, Condo designed two simple canvas dresses for Chastain, taping them to the canvas and painting over them so that when they were removed, they would leave a blank space but appear to be a fragment of the piece. Standing in front of Condo's Abstract Conversations, 2012, with her red hair teased to eternity, Chastain blended into the cacophony of line and color, a member of the loopy crew. As Condo studied Chastain posing next to the other figures in the work, he began drawing a cluster of noisy characters close to her head to give the impression 'that they were yelling into her ear.' While Chastain was having white makeup applied to half her face, Condo grabbed a scrap of paper and created an eye for her to use as a prop. 'I thought if she just held it in front of her, it would give a real sort of Stanley Kubrick feel to the experience.' The result, of course, is suitably schizoid, just as Condo envisioned. 'With that popped-out eye, there are two different sides to her face: one hysterical and the other soulful… Multiple emotions at the same time.'”

View the creation of the cover by George Condo and Jessica Chastain for W

The exhibit that attracted the attention of Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, RETNA, and many other discerning art lovers was George Condo: Mental States, a survey of the work of the artist from 1982 to 2011. With 125 color photographs of Condo's work plus 16 additional plates exclusive to the exhibit, the catalog makes a fine consolation for anyone that missed the show.

View the exhibit "George Condo: Mental States" at the New Museum

George Condo, "The Manhattan Strip Club" (2010) recently sold at Christie's for $1.3 million.

George Condo photograph © 1989 Marianne Haas."George Condo: Mental States" poster courtesy of newmuseum.org. W cover image by George Condo © 2013 Condé Nast. George Condo work © George Condo and courtesy of Christie's.

BLK DNM Blazer 15

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld has inherited his mother's eye for quality clothing that defies the passing of trends, pictured below wearing Blazer 15 from BLK DNM at their flagship store at 237 Lafayette Street in New York. BLK DNM by Johan Lindeberg rejects the typical tenets of the fashion world, choosing to focus on a few timeless basics rather than doggedly following the changing seasons of fashion. Centered primarily around denim in black, white, grey, or blue, this androgynous line is noted for its minimalism and its anonymity — the emphasis is on the person, not the garment or the label. Prior to launching BLK DNM, Lindeberg worked with Diesel and William Rast in addition to his own label, J. Lindeberg.

Vladimir's choice, Blazer 15, is a six-button double-breasted jacket created in Croatia using two-ply Italian wool in charcoal grey for the outer layer and Bemberg cotton for the inner lining. The meticulous attention to detail can be seen in the cut, the stitching, and the small touches such as the six corozo buttons and the functioning cuffs. Not everyone can work this six-button look but thankfully Vlad has the torso to carry the jacket with ease. Now I would like to see him in one of BLK DNM's custom leather jackets tailored to that torso...

Read the Nowness interview with Johan Lindeberg to learn more about BLK DNM.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and BLK DNM photographs courtesy of blkdnm.com and nytimes.com

Rei Kawakubo

If clothes make the man, then what are the sartorial choices of a handsome, young, New York-based gallerist with one foot in the world of fashion and the other in the world of modern art? Let's consult the opinion of Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld on the matter. Vladimir is a man who smartly recognizes the long love affair that exists between the worlds of art and fashion and he has deftly secured sponsorship from luxury fashion labels for his free-spirited brand of art promotion in which museum-style art exhibitions pop up in industrial spaces around the globe. Most recently sponsorship has come from Giorgio Armani for a global tour of the famed 1980s street artist, Richard Hambleton.

Vladimir wears primarily black, chic, minimalist, fitted, high quality staples. Think Hedi Slimane for Dior black jeans and American Apparel tshirts for day, Armani suits and Martin Margiela coats for night. Like his mother, Carine Roitfeld, whose personal style reflects a brilliant twist of two extremes, the bourgeois and the provocative, Vladimir likes to wear classic clothes with an edgy twist. This would explain his penchant for the designer, Rei Kawakubo. It all makes perfect sense. Rei Kawakubo established the fashion label Comme des Garçons (or “like the boys” in English) in 1973 in Tokyo, starting with womenswear and then adding a menswear line in 1978. Her designs first enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 1980s. With her strong, austere silhouettes, dark color palette, asymmetry, and frayed, unfinished edges, Rei Kawakubo became recognized for challenging established notions of beauty. The Barneys woman had been deconstructed… and she liked it.

The Comme des Garçons success has grown steadily ever since. Much of Rei Kawakubo’s work has been described as avant-garde, and upon viewing many of her collections — most notably her notorious 1997 “Lumps & Bumps,” in which swollen goosedown-filled Quasimodo-like bumps distorted the body shape and shocked even the most jaded fashion mavens — no one would disagree. In fact, we could describe Rei Kawakubo’s work as the bleeding edge of avant-garde, at times, and no one would disagree.

However, Rei Kawakubo also designs more commercial garments, not exactly mainstream, but commercial. And while Vladimir will probably never don a Quasimodo jacket, we can expect to see him in a more subtly edgy Comme des Garçons piece, including many of the garments shown on the runway for Spring 2012. The menswear theme for Spring is “tailoring for punks.” Sharp tailoring, classic houndstooth, and Prince of Wales check is rendered punk with biker zips and slashes. The collection is conceptual and idiosyncratic with subtle, unexpected touches to suit a nonconformist gallerist with a penchant for modern art.

Rei Kawakubo photographs courtesy of Flickr, Tumblr, Comme des Garçons, and Opening Ceremony. All Rights Reserved.

Chrome Hearts

According to Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, an art dealer and curator, he judges art and design by asking if he would want the piece for himself. If art imitates life, Vladimir's choice of the artfully designed Chrome Hearts beanie to cover his luxurious locks is no surprise. Founded in 1988, Chrome Hearts is known primarily for their high-end silver jewelry, leather biker chic clothing, and furniture with a gothic rock vibe; impressively pedigreed Hollywood celebrities who frequent Chateau Marmont and Hyde are fans. Vlad was clearly influenced by his time spent at the University of Southern California and his brief stint in the film industry, being drawn to this edgy label adored by Hollywood A-listers and rock stars.

The Chrome Hearts paradox of the symbol of France, the fleur-de-lys, combined with dagger and floral cross designs makes this label highly desired and sought after by both sexes. The CH sunglasses adorned with crosses, mother of pearl, white gold, white leather, and ebony shield some of the world’s most beautiful eyes. With Chrome Hearts boutiques all over the world including New York, Paris, London, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, loyal followers need not travel far to acquire the perfect leather biker gear or a Rolex watch with a one-of-a-kind Chrome Hearts bracelet. Or perhaps an arty beanie like Vlad's rock chic chapeau...

Chrome Hearts beanie image courtesy of chromehearts.com
Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photograph © 2009 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

John Lobb

What are Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld favorite shoes? “My dad’s crocodile John Lobbs,” he replies and assuredly Vlad's dad, Christian Restoin, has superb taste in footwear. The Parisian workshop of John Lobb is internationally renowned for its bespoke service, one of the finest remaining examples of the traditional art of shoemaking.

Founded in London in 1849, the firm is one of Britain's oldest shoemakers in existence and every one of the 190 steps in their meticulous production process is still finished by hand; only about 100 pairs of shoes are created each day. Hermès acquired the John Lobb ready-to-wear line in 1976.

Among the clientele that have preferred the timeless footwear crafted by John Lobb are members of the aristocracy as well as the elite in entertainment, business, and politics — even the classic icon of the debonair man, fictional character James Bond wore shoes by John Lobb. Of course this exceptional quality would appeal to a Roitfeld. To see the painstaking craftsmanship behind the scenes at John Lobb, take the guided tour with his great-grandson, John Hunter Lobb, current chairman of the company.

Image of John Lobb crocodile shoes courtesy of johnlobb.com.