Happy 29th Birthday Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld!

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Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photograph courtesy of Fashion Spot. Birthday love by Kellina de Boer.

You Know You Want Carine Roitfeld's Kim Kardashian Tee

You Know You Want Carine Roitfeld's Kim Kardashian Tee
By Jascmeen Bush

No Home Depot onesie this time around, for Carine Roitfeld's latest "7 Ways" she reinvents a Comme des Garçons vest beautifully. Carine wears the vest backwards, sideways, diagonally, and even tucked into a Louis Vuitton logo belt with a… What is that? A CR FASHION BOOK ISSUE 3 COVER TEE! Even if you're not a Kim Kardashian fan, this tee is definitely a collector's item. You can buy it on the CR Fashion Book site, it comes packaged with a copy of Issue 3 and a CR Fashion Book tote. What I want to know is, who's willing to pay $50 for the set when they already have the issue just to get the tee? Just me? Am I alone over here?

[Editor's note: I find it extraordinary and so Carine that the seam of her stocking is painted on with eyeliner here, quelle chic !]

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CR Fashion Book images courtesy of crfashionbook.com

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.

Carine Roitfeld In "The Client"

Carine Roitfeld In "The Client"
By Jessica Eritou

In spirit of Carine Roitfeld's documentary Mademoiselle C, IWTBAR explores the documentary short “The Client,” filmed two years ago by the same director and producer of the full length film, Fabien Constant. The filming took place during Paris Couture Week in 2011 covering over twenty fashion shows for W Magazine.

What makes this short significant is that fans of Roitfeld can watch as she selects, fits, and models the couture gowns she usually styles for herself, only this time for W, in the editorial "The One and Only" for their October issue in 2011.

Constant follows Roitfeld as she ventures all week to various fashion shows, in her car, meeting fans who want to put her signed photos up on eBay. In classic Roitfeld fashion, she dryly admits it's a good idea since you can see how much you are worth.

The short includes coverage from Giorgio Armani Privé, where, at an early 10 a.m. show there is already champagne flowing for the guests. “I'm here to be fitted in the clothes,” she explains to Giorgio himself after the show.

We see Roitfeld meeting Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy Couture as the location was set up in a quaint showroom as if it were for Louis XVI.

The best part of the short captures Roitfeld explaining how she is wearing all these different pieces but still wants the clothing to be about her with shirts and skirts since they are her staples. You can see her genius reaction to what she is wearing and in what she feels most comfortable. Constant filmed Roitfeld outside speaking to him where she says, “To be Carine, it's mostly a skirt.” And it's true.

At her stop at Alaïa, the designer himself said to her, “Listen, when you look after clients, that's how you learn. Because if you don't see how a design is worn or what women want, or how they want to wear it, you're just designing in a void. And that isn't good.” Frankly, this is some of the best advice for anyone in the design world.

The W issue featuring Roitfeld, shot by Paolo Roversi, captured her feminine yet strong aesthetic. We are able to see Roitfeld's personality through the clothes immensely. A favorite would be the black-and-white image of her in the military gusset pocketed day suit by Chanel which leads off this article.

Despite her privilege and connection in the fashion world, Carine Roitfeld comes across as humble throughout the short. For those who may not have been able to catch Constant's full documentary in theatres, this will give you a sneak peek while we wait for the home release of Mademoiselle C in 2014.

View "The Client"

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Carine Roitfeld photographs © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Find Your Personal Style With Carine Roitfeld

Find Your Personal Style With Carine Roitfeld
By Jascmeen Bush

Leave it to Carine Roitfeld to make the eternal quest for personal style fulfillment sound so easy, so effortless, so French. The super-stylist/mogul/leather-clad heroine recently dished her seemingly simplistic style secrets to Telegraph. Let's break them down, shall we?

Rule Number One: Stick To What Suits You

The glorious paradox of Carine Roitfeld is that she evokes a strong powerful mood whether she's dressed sharply or femininely. I was surprised to read the quote below where she mentions having fun with fashion, which we all can agree is a lost art.

She told Telegraph, "I have dressed in the same way for the past 20 years; only the length of my skirt has changed. Consistent style shows confidence, and knowing what suits you saves time when you are choosing what to wear. I only have one fashion personality — the Carine one — which I would describe as sober and almost classically Parisian. She is tough, my woman. It's important to have a sense of humor about dressing, so I always add a twist to my outfits. My Givenchy sweater with a Bambi-cartoon print is one of my favorite pieces."

Rule Number Two: Highlight Your Strengths

This one's a doozy; Carine recommends focusing on playing up what you like instead of trying to downplay unflattering features. I for one literally clapped when I read that!

"Find something you like about your appearance and accentuate it," she stated. "My eyebrows and legs are my best features. I like to wear black eye make-up to draw attention to my eyes and brows, and my wardrobe contains mostly fitted clothes. With my black eyes, black clothes and skinny legs, my style can appear quite rock 'n' roll."

Rule Number Three: Don't Shop The Trends

I'm not a big fan of trends and as a result have often been called boring (can you imagine?!) But the next time I get hit with the B-word, I'll be sure to remind the naysayers that I have a very stylish ally. Here's what Carine had to say about those evil trends:

"Only buy clothes that you plan to keep forever. It's important to see trends for what they are: a game. I think finding a well-fitting garment is more exciting than buying into a crazy fad. My panther-print Azzedine Alaïa dress (autumn/winter 2010) is one of my signature pieces and fits me perfectly. Black items are an investment, and though colors have a place in my wardrobe too, I never mix them: my outfits are all-black, all-white, or all-khaki."

Rule Number Five: Choose Pieces With Character

Well I guess we can stop Google Image searching "Carine Roitfeld in leggings." She made it pretty clear that comfort is NOT key.

"'Comfort' is not part of my fashion vocabulary," she says. "You lose attitude when you feel too comfortable, so I prefer to wear clothes that have a certain edge to them. I think of my lace negligee as sexy rather than relaxing, and I keep that feeling in mind when I wear it under my clothes for fittings or shopping."

Rule Number Six: Dress From The Head Down

Brace yourself for this one: your perfectly styled hair and blended-to-perfection makeup might be hurting your overall look. Carine suggests sexy messiness above all.

"My hair and make-up secret is 'the messier the better,'" she said. "It's easy for me as I can't see anything without my glasses. I never put my eyeliner on very well in the morning, so it's usually smudged. I think it's sexy, plus it always looks better come the evening. And messy hair adds a certain youthfulness to a look. Like everyone, I am trying to hide the signs of ageing as I get older, though I do respect my age."

What I found most refreshing is that following these tips won't break the bank. Steer clear of trends? I can do that. Only spend on clothes I can wear forever? Ease up on the hair and makeup? I can handle that, too. Cost effective Parisian chic, that's what we have here, people. And I'm loving it.

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Carine Roitfeld photographs courtesy of buro247.ru, zimbio.com, harpersbazaar.com, style.com