I Want To Be A Roitfeld: Please And Thank You

A lot of people are working hard here to make sure that I Want To Be A Roitfeld continues to please you. In honor of my 500th post, I would like to take a minute to thank all of them.

First, my sincerest thanks to all of the writers, artists, and photographers that have contributed to the site but especially to my witty and wonderful editorial team; as well as the talented illustrator who created our banner, Isabelle Oziol de Pignol (Accro de la Mode).

Next, very special thanks to my wonderful beau Michael who endures my endless IWTB chatter and encourages my endeavors constantly; please note that he was also kind enough to develop an Irreverent countdown clock for all of us, counting down the days until the release of Carine Roitfeld's biography — now proudly featured in the right hand navigation bar.

Finally, if you like what you see here, show us some love! Comments signify that someone out there cares about what we have to say so they are most appreciated, feel free to leave one now... Or if you are the strong, silent type, perhaps you prefer to express your feelings by following IWTBAR. In the area titled QUOI DE NEUF in the sidebar, by simply clicking on the icons you can elect to:

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Whether or not you choose to interact in any of these ways, I hope that you enjoy reading along. Please visit often.

Bisous!
Bisous!

Kellina

The Roitfeld Family photograph © 2008 Robert Maxwell and artandcommerce.com. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of nytimes.com

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld: Everybody Loves Julia!

The July 2011 issue of Vogue China features this striking editorial with Julia Restoin-Roitfeld titled "Everybody Loves Julia!" and it is true, we do! I love especially the high contrast images of Julia, the background and the clothing play together to perfection. Then of course the cat adds a fine strangeness to the mix. "Everybody Loves Julia!" is the vision of Nicoletta Santoro as captured on film by Max Vadukul.

Vogue China editorial images © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Roitfeld Shows RETNA In London

Following a successful opening in New York in February, Los Angeles graffiti artist RETNA's "Hallelujah World Tour" traveled to London supported by Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida. Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and her beau Robert Konjic attended her brother's latest show although I do not think his mother, Carine, or his girlfriend, Giovanna Battaglia, made the time. Julia is wearing a fitted gray dress reminiscent of a corset with black lace sleeves from the Emilio Pucci collection for Fall 2011 paired with black heels and a silver clutch. Among the glamorous guests were Tolula Adeyemi, Kinder Aggugini, Lyndell Alison, Edie Campbell, Lily Donaldson, Daniella Helayel, Pam Hogg, Nicci Hunter, Dominic Jones, Stephen Jones, Suzy Menkes, Alison Mosshart, Maia Norman, Julia Peyton-Jones, Danielle Scutt, Caroline Sieber, and Jo Wood. A select group of 170 moved on to the intimate afterparty at China Tang. RETNA’s "Hallelujah World Tour" is on display to the public free of charge through 27 June at The Old Dairy, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; the exhibit will be shown next in Hong Kong. To see more of the RETNA show in London, view the photo gallery or the video.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, Andy Valmorbida, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs courtesy of livincool.com. RETNA image courtesy of digitalretna.com.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld: Looking Good

Our witty and wise editor-at-large Kate Ringo Suzuki shares her thoughts on Vladimir's hotness with all of us, may I say this is exciting stuff...

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld: Looking Good
By Kate Ringo Suzuki 

Vladimir. In Russian the name means, “The one who owns the world.” Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld was born and raised in Paris and now lives in New York City; although he doesn’t own the world quite yet, give him time, he is still young. He is only 26 and he is on his way. At such a tender age, Vladimir has already pioneered the method of “pop-up” art galleries. He installs museum-style exhibitions in industrial spaces all over the world — New York, London, Paris, Milan. He represents the artists Richard Hambleton, RETNA (aka Marquis Lewis), and Nicolas Pol. Okay, enough beating around the bush. Let's talk about what we really came here for — the fact that he also happens to be hot. Time to get down and dirty...

Vladimir’s hotness boils down to a combustible combination of nature and nurture. Mix in his designer jeans and you could start a fire. Not only did he grow up in the fashion capital of the world, he is surrounded by fashion powerhouses. And by powerhouses, I refer not to luxury retailers on Madison Avenue but to the women in his life: Vlad is the son of the brilliant Parisian fashion stylist, Carine Roitfeld; the brother of the beautiful art director and model, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld; and the beau of beyond chic fashion editor, Giovanna Battaglia.

Take a long look, ladies. What do you see? You see a lean physique maintained with regular hour-long kickboxing sessions. Vladimir always makes sure that his clothes are incredibly fitted to show this off. He further emphasizes his long, lean look with plenty of black, occasionally adding touches of grey or white but never both at the same time. Because that would be too much color.

Vladi's typical work look includes black Dior by Hedi Slimane jeans of which he says, “They are my favorites. I started buying them when I was 20. They’re the best fit for me.” He also typically wears brown boots by Hogan (a gift from his fashion editor girlfriend, Giovanna), a black long sleeve American Apparel tshirt, a black cashmere sweater, (sometimes vintage, sometimes Marc Jacobs), a black Margiela coat, and tops it all off with a black Chrome Hearts beanie, but of course. Regarding the American Apparel tshirt, he says, “Any city I travel to, I always get some more American Apparel shirts, as I wear them almost every day.” Clearly Vladimir knows how to stick with what works.

That is not to say that he doesn’t mix it up a bit. When he goes out to dinner he might swap the black American Apparel tshirt with a white American Apparel tshirt. And he might shelve the black Marc Jacobs cashmere sweater for a fitted black jacket by Armani. He might even go so far as to wear gray wool pants by Alexander McQueen but never with the white tshirt. (Too much color, remember?)

Vlad, I'm teasing. The truth is that the all black wardrobe is hot and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Isn’t that right, ladies? His black on black attire says, “I am sophisticated,” “I am cool,” “I am downtown.” Vladimir is very “downtown.” He never wears a tie, he wears his hair long and loose, and he can pull off an eclectic, stand-out pendant necklace designed by Pamela Love without looking like some desperate Flavor Flav wannabe.

Hey, Vladimir! You may not own the world just yet, but your looks make the ladies melt.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld photographs © 2010 Condé Nast, © 2010 Patrick McMullan, © 2010 Flaunt Magazine, © 2010 NYP Holdings, Inc., © 2011 ES London Limited, and courtesy of beautyisdiverse.com and Fashion Spot.

Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent — Update

I noticed that a new cover image for the book Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent has been posted on Amazon along with an updated page count — originally listed as 300 pages, now the book has swelled 33 percent to 400 pages of nothing but Carine! This amazing hardcover scrapbook of the life and style of La Roitfeld will be released on 4 October 2011 and is available for pre-order on Amazon. I am amused and intrigued by the description of the book by Amazon:

'Carine, and her vision of French Vogue, embodies all that the world likes to think of as Parisian style: a sense of chic that's impeccable and sometimes idiosyncratic and which forever lives on a moonlit street as seen through the lens of Helmut Newton.' [states] Anna Wintour.

Karl Lagerfeld once said that if you close your eyes and imagine the ideal French woman, it would be Carine Roitfeld. She is a fashion visionary and a muse. Since the start of her career in the early 1990s, through her collaborations with the legendary photographer Mario Testino, Roitfeld has been credited with launching Tom Ford's career at Gucci, as well as turning French Vogue into one of the industry's most worshipped magazines.

This elegant volume is a visual history of Roitfeld's fearless career. A daring instigator, she is known for pushing the limits with her subversive styling ideas. Featuring a selection of 250 magazine tear sheets and covers from pivotal editorial shoots and advertising campaigns, as well as intimate visual ephemera, this book gives an inside view into Roitfeld's creative thought process and sensibility. A must-have for those interested in cutting-edge fashion and femininity, this book will empower women to follow Roitfeld's lead and take risks with their personal style.

Intimate visual ephemera! Shared by the daring instigator herself! Which will empower us to follow her lead and take risks with our personal style! Only 124 days until the release but who is counting...

Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent cover image courtesy of Amazon.