Carine Roitfeld: Le Petit Prince Est De Retour
jeudi 16 août 2012 
As we anxiously await the release of CR Fashion Book, I am passing the time by looking back at the body of work composed by Carine Roitfeld over the years. It is a delight to share with you an editorial from the February 1996 issue of Vogue Paris titled "Le Petit Prince est de Retour," in which Carine takes inspiration from Le Petit Prince (or in English, The Little Prince) written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Originally published in 1943, Le Petit Prince tells the story of a little prince who falls to Earth, befriends a fox, tames a rose, and discovers the meaning of life: "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (or in English, "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye."). This profound story is the most widely read book ever published in the French language and one of the world's best sellers.
Carine Roitfeld pays tribute to the tender tale with her return of the Little Prince, styling model Carolyn Murphy in the same fashion as the young prince is typically dressed — a short-sleeved, collared shirt; billowing wide-legged pants; and his sartorial signature, the flowing scarf. I love the placement of the single red rose beside the model to set the scene in the opening shot, c'est magnifique. I enjoyed Carine's caption also: "La netteté d'un uniforme, l'aisance d'un polo, l'ironie de matières qui flirtent avec le quotidien le plus ordinaire. Un petit air d'hôtesse d l'air, c'est rassurant." or in English, "The sharpness of a uniform, the ease of a polo, the irony of materials that flirt with the most ordinary everyday. A slight air of an air hostess, it is reassuring." Now for the return of our little princess...
Vogue Paris editorial images © 1996 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.
Carine Roitfeld in Books, Editorial, Fashion, Magazines, Mario Testino, Vogue Paris
Reader Comments (6)