John Currin

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld named John Currin among his idols, a controversial American artist renowned for his weirdly riveting sexually explicit oil portraits. Currin's work is remarkable in part because his subjects tend to look at once wholesome and evil and because his technique is so accomplished. In fact, this figurative painter has been described by The Nation as “one of the brightest art stars of the early twenty-first century” despite the provocative subject matter.

Read this interview with Calvin Tomkins from the New Yorker for an enlightening and entertaining look at Currin, "Old Master of pornography." J'adore this quote regarding the inspiration for his models:

"The central figure’s face came from an advertisement for housecoats in a nineteen-seventies Montgomery Ward catalogue, which [Currin] has torn out and taped to the wall. 'She shows up in other catalogues,' he says. 'She’s got something special.' In the Internet photograph, the middle figure is swooning in sexual transport, eyes closed and lips parted, but the model in the catalogue looks right at you and smiles broadly, and why not? Her housecoat is priced at $29.90, and never needs ironing."

Currin and his wife (and artist) Rachel Feinstein and their two children Francis and Hollis were photographed for the editorial "Sept Families" in the March 2009 issue of Vogue Paris. Another of Vladimir's favorites Raphael Mazzucco and his famly were also featured in the article, I wonder if La Roitfeld consulted with Vladi on this one?

John Currin painting courtesy of cara-phillips.com
John Currin and son photograph © 2009 Independent News and Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Cashmere

When it comes to fine fabrics, it seems the entire Roitfeld family is partial to cashmere. We've read that Carine has shelves full of black and beige cashmere sweaters to wear, no surprise there. What is surprising is that both of her children prefer cashmere headgear. Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld can be seen above wearing a cashmere hat from Dior which he says is his favorite accessory and which he wears in any season. I do love how he is mixing the plaid and the stripes, very dapper. (I should also note that this is the first photograph in which I have seen him smoking a cigarette, that's a disappointment.) Julia Restoin-Roitfeld is really pushing the boundaries of the fabric, she is pictured below wearing a cashmere turban! It's too bad the trend never really caught on but we must credit her for trying.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photograph courtesy of misterleroy.blogspot.com.
Carine Roitfeld and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photograph copyright © 2009 New York Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Raphael Mazzucco

When asked about his favorite book, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld chose Raphael Mazzucco Collected Art. This constitutes an interesting choice for several reasons: the book marks the first published work of the photographer and painter, the print run was limited to 1,000 copies, and the foreword is written by Carine Roitfeld (also known as his mom). Named "one of the top 50 photographers in the world to watch" by American Photo, Mazzucco is known primarily for his fashion photography for Victoria's Secret and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. He is a native of Vancouver, Canada.

Raphael Mazzucco Collected Art cover image courtesy of Amazon.com

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld's favorite scent is Rive Gauche Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent. Created by Jacques Cavallier in 2003 under the artistic direction of Tom Ford, this very masculine scent may take you back to the days of the old-fashioned barber shop but with a modern twist. Top notes include bergamot, star anise, and rosemary; middle notes are lavender, geranium leaves, and cloves; base notes are vetiver, gaiac wood, and patchouli. Pairing the old notes with the modern makes this a versatile scent that easily moves from formal to casual.

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent.

PC Valmorbida

In February, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld curated an exhibit titled "The Works of Three Photographers" featuring the works of three of his artistic friends. The exhibit—which ran for a mere four days— was sponsored by Louis Vuitton at the gallery Collective Hardware on Manhattan's Lower East Side and included the photographers PC Valmorbida, David Mushegain, and Salim Langatta. It was the first official show for each of these three artists. The hot guest list for the opening included of course Carine Roitfeld, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Gisele Bündchen, Natalie Vodianova, Lara Stone, Alexander Wang, Erin Wasson, Sarah Lerfel (Colette), Lily Donaldson, Theodora and Alexandra Richards, Devon Aoki, and Stavros Niarchos.

Regarding his friend PC Valmorbida and the exhibit, Vladimir remarked, "PC is younger, and he is still at the point where he is experimenting, but his eye for form is quite impressive. You really see that in his architectural images. I love all of their work, and I trust them as artists and as friends, so I’ve given them a lot of leeway to choose what they show." PC hails from Australia and was formerly linked romantically with Theodora Richards. He also collaborated with Vladimir on last year's exhibit of the work of Marco Perego at Nikki Diana Marquardt Gallery on Place des Vosges.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and PC Valmorbida photograph courtesy of fashionspot.com
PC Valmorbida and Theodora Richards photograph courtesy of zimbio.com