Vogue Paris March 2011: Saskia de Brauw

Carine Roitfeld's last cover for Vogue Paris... that is all I have to say right now, I have no words. To learn more about Carine's choice of models for her farewell cover, Saskia de Brauw, follow her blog. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott photographed Saskia in a gown from the Givenchy Spring/Summer 2011 collection for the March issue of Vogue Paris. What do you think of Carine's last cover?

Vogue Paris March 2011 issue cover image © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: Album Of A Woman Of Fashion Update

Carine Roitfeld and Alex Wiederin at Buero New YorkYou may remember that I mentioned a forthcoming book titled Carine Roitfeld: Album of a Woman of Fashion and edited by Olivier Zahm; Purple Magazine even stopped by last summer to issue an invitation to all of us to send in our questions for Carine for consideration for publication. When Carine met with style.com last week, she discussed progress on her book: "And I have to finish my book for Rizzoli. I’m very late, so it’s my last days to finish it. It’s supposed to come out September or maybe October of this year... It’s a bit like that [a retrospective of my career]. I never like to go back, so to go back to a picture you did 20 years ago, it’s almost like going to a shrink. It’s a lot of emotion… Most of the pictures are the ones I did with Mario Testino… It’s mostly dedicated to Mario, that book."

Carine's book is being designed by Mitra Farahmand of Buero New York, a boutique design agency headed by creative director Alex Wiederin that provides creative direction for clients such as AnOther Magazine and Italian Glamour. Other books designed by Buero New York include Mario Sorrenti's The Machine, Jeff Burton's Dreamland, Michel Comte's Charlie Chaplin: A Photo Diary, and Terry Richardson's Terryworld.

Monsieur Zahm describes the 300 page hardcover volume as almost like a "'scrapbook' of all things Carine," what a fabulous idea! Then OZ gives us the really great news: "It's a biography... We just went into her apartment and took everything that happened — every kind of little element about her life, her style, her obsessions. It will be nice." Nice! It will be very, very nice, quite possibly the nicest fashion book of all time!

Carine Roitfeld and Mitra Farahmand at Buero New YorkOh yes, here are the questions that I submitted to Purple last summer hoping for an answer from Carine herself... Note that I managed to limit myself to ten, more or less [wink]...

1. Can you give us an example of the foods and beverages that you consume regularly, particularly those that you consider staples?
2. Do you practice Pilates at home or with a group? How regularly and for what duration do you practice?
3. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? Stylist? Editor-in-chief?
4. What beauty products do you use faithfully?
5. What questions do you have for your readers?
6. What do you want for your birthday?
7. Describe for us a moment that you remember in a breathtaking natural setting: how did it feel, look, smell? What were you wearing?
8. What are your ten (or so) favorite albums? Films? Books?
9. If you were to change your name, what would it become?
10. Do you know how much your fans love you? Keep up your brilliant work!!

Okay so I got more than a little carried away but did you try it? What were your questions for Carine? I'd love to know...

Carine Roitfeld et al photographs © 2011 Purple Fashion magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Update on dimanche 6 mars 2011 by kellina

The book is now titled Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent and is scheduled to publish 4 October 2011.

Carine Roitfeld: Tango Des Passions

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at I Want To Be A Roitfeld! The new editorial team came together to offer our different perspectives on "Tango des Passions" from the February 2006 issue of Vogue Paris; below are our thoughts. The editorial was clearly styled by Carine Roitfeld, photographed by Mario Testino, and included the models Mariacarla Boscono, Patricia Schmid, Milagros Schmoll, and Marta Berzkalna among others. What do you think of "Tango des Passions"?

KATE: I like the futuristic, floral vibe of this editorial. The models somehow look like pretty flowers even when they are not wearing a floral print. They are beautiful images but what is the story line here? Something about a girl who danced so hard that now she needs crutches. All I know is that those pink boots are hot.

KELLINA: Those boots are hot! I especially love that Carine contrasted them with the mint green wall for even greater effect. This is highly styled hedonism, Kellina likey! Wait a second though, isn't anyone going to mention the black rubber hoses worn by the women in the opening shot? What does Carine say about this one... "Démesure nouveau continent et influences europénnes, Buenos Aires s'offre en théâtre de mode, où le souffle du style de la plus parisienne des villes argentines se mêle aux ambiguïtés du désir et des corps." or in English, "New continent excessiveness and Europen influences, Buenos Aires offers a theater of fashion, where the breath of the style of the most Parisian of Argentine cities mingles with the ambiguities of desire and the body." C'mon, Carine, the tango has a great beat but it's so heteronormative — where is the excess, the ambiguity? The boots though, C! Those boots are hot!

MILLA: The sheer debauchery makes my life seem incredibly dull; I want to pose on the mantelpiece and do kung-fu in a ball gown. Who doesn't?! The illusional submissiveness as the women are tied up, arrested, and told off intrigues me, as they attempt to cast a spell over the viewer. This is very Carine! This editorial actually reminds me of when Giovanna Battaglia broke her toe and she, unlike you and I who would stay home with painkillers, went for cocktails in London! Now that's a woman who loves a party!

For more hearty Valentine's Day fun, check out "Girl Meets Boy" as styled by Emmanuelle Alt on I Want To Be An Alt or "Valentine's Day Treatise" on Everyday Glamour.

Vogue Paris editorial images © 2006 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Vogue Paris March 2011 Preview: Saskia de Brauw

For her final Vogue Paris cover Carine Roitfeld has chosen Dutch model Saskia de Brauw, "I love risk… Now I found a new girl called Saskia. She has short hair, no one knows her, and this is going to be my last cover." The shot of Saskia above in Dolce & Gabbana by Mario Sorrenti is taken from the editorial "Et Vogue l’Été 2011" which appeared in the February issue of Vogue Paris. More details to follow when I hear them of course...

Vogue Paris February 2011 issue editorial image © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Restoin-Roitfeld's RETNA Opening Party

The debut of RETNA in New York City, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld's latest collaboration with Andy Valmorbida, looked to be a wild and glamorous night in typical Roitfeld fashion. The Los Angeles graffiti artist Marquis "RETNA" Lewis' “Hallelujah World Tour” attracted an eclectic crowd for the opening and the party afterwards. The evening commenced at the 560 Washington Street gallery, packing the large warehouse space in Soho before the party moved on to Indochine. The evening was not just a social success, before the show even began more than half the works had been purchased, some priced near six figures; by mid-evening 90 percent were sold. One of RETNA's works went to a very special buyer, Vladimir donated it to the live auction held earlier this week by his mother, Carine Roitfeld's favorite charity, amfAR at their annual gala event.

The pretty people on hand to celebrate RETNA included Carine Roitfeld wearing Rick Owens, Christian Restoin, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld bright in blue Pucci lace embellished with pompoms and mirrors, Robert Konjic, David Lauren, Irina Lazareanu, Olivier Zahm, Richard Phillips, Amanda Hearst, Theodora Richards, Danny Fuller, Eddie Borgo, Brian Atwood, Brian Grazer, Stacey Bendet-Eisner, Cory Kennedy, Mark “the Cobrasnake” Hunter, Stavros Niarchos, PC Valmorbida, Mary-Kate Olsen, Byrdie Bell, Frederique van der Wal, Alexandra Richards, Nick Cohen, Lily Donaldson, Stephen Gan, Jamie Johnson, and Nur Khan.

Vladimir expressed his thoughts on the artist and the industry: "I have a fascination with street art, but I haven't only been looking for street artists. We mostly try to follow our instincts and what we like when we see the works of different artists, so of course there is going to be some continuation between them, but I think street art is becoming very big right now, and [RETNA] is one of the most talented artists I've ever seen... I wanted to give art lovers in New York a chance to see his work, and I think this is going to make a lot of noise for him. It's not only fashion — I'm trying to present him to a broad audience. We are trying to break away from the conventional gallery system. An art show attracts a very limited amount of people most of the time, they’re quite — I’ll say, boring. We’re trying to make art how it should be."

Photographs courtesy of BFAnyc.com, papermag.com, wwd.com, zimbio.com.