A woman of substance: Our exclusive Q&A with Carine Roitfeld
Carine Roitfeld, the world’s most inimitably chic fashion editor, is back. She tells Rani Sheen what’s next for her.
When it was announced in December that Carine Roitfeld had stepped down as editor-in-chief of Paris Vogue, the fashion world erupted in speculation about what she’d do next. The answer, in part, lies in the book Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent ($110, Rizzoli New York), a mid-career retrospective of her most arresting shoots, notes from designers, and personal mementos. It’s a satisfying read because there is such a fascination with Roitfeld, the coolest woman in any front row. We asked her what else she’s been up to.
Was it difficult to edit down your life’s work for the book?
“Yes, because some of these [shoots] I’d totally forgotten about. Some were still good and some were, as you say in French, démodé.”
What were you looking for?
“Sometimes you can make a good story and sometimes you can make a good image—it’s totally different. I was looking for the strongest images, because if I included all the stories, I’d need 10 books.”
How did it feel to look back at your life?
“Sometimes it was like going to a shrink, as if he was asking me questions like, ‘Why do you use knives so many times in your pictures? Why do you use blood so much?’”
Why did you?
“Maybe there weren’t so many, maybe three or four times. I don’t know why. You discover yourself through the research of your work.”
Do you often bring your own items to shoots?
“Yes. Sometimes it’s my own underwear, my little bag or my necklace. My father had a sweater from Peru—I have a picture of my dad in it, and I have a picture of Helena Christensen wearing the same sweater.”
What is most meaningful to you in the book?
“My personal pictures, with my kids when they were young. My parents were very important to me, so I wanted them in my book too.”
“I always liked fashion, but at the beginning I didn’t want to tell people that I wanted to work in it, in case they said I was a stupid person for being interested in clothes.”
How were your parents involved with your work?
“My father was very chic. My mum was always encouraging me. Some parents would say, ‘Why don’t you be a lawyer, a doctor, or something more important?’ They never said that.”
Was there anything you wanted to keep private?
“Actually, no. I tried to make the pictures quite honest. They might not be the best pictures of me but if they showed a good memory or moment, I was happy to put them in. Even when I had a perm.”
Why did you want to work in fashion?
“I always liked fashion, but at the beginning I didn’t want to tell people that I wanted to work in it, in case they said I was a stupid person for being interested in clothes. I started as a writer for magazines, and soon they asked me to illustrate my stories. I started from the bottom of the bottom. And I climbed the stairs, one by one.”
Were you drawn to the visual side of things?
“I think it was more fun to do styling than to be a writer because I loved the teamwork. When you’re writing, you’re on your own, and I like to work as a team. But when I was working at French Vogue, I was very involved with all the workings of it.”
There are beautiful photos of your children in the book. Do you have a hand in their style or are they very independent?
“They’re very independent. My daughter is an art director and my son’s an art dealer, and now art and fashion are very much working together. They followed me to the shows and to photo shoots, so I think they are both very confident with the world of fashion.”
Do you feel inspired by their style?
“My daughter has a very sexy style, but I think it’s very good for her. I like the way they dress. I like the way they look. And though I work in fashion, I never judge people on their look. I think it works because I love them, not because of what they’re wearing.”
What’s life like these days?
“I’m very, very, very busy, and I’m very happy with this new freedom. I was very happy when I was at Vogue, and now I’m very happy because I’m doing new projects I would never have been able to do. The last campaign for Chanel was a lot of fun. And I did a big thing for Barneys—they’re going to make all the windows about me in September. I’m a special guest [contributor] for V Magazine, and W photographed me for haute couture.”
So you’re a model again.
“Exactly. I’m like a butterfly: I’ll go from one thing to another for maybe one year, but after that I have to find my important, new thing. I have a lot of things to say around fashion. I don’t know exactly what it will be, but I’m going to make a new concept for a fashion magazine.”
You’re going to start a magazine?
“Maybe not a traditional fashion magazine. I want to make something new because I did this for years. I think it’s a new time, a time for me to find a new way of showing fashion.”
Would you work with a company or magazine in North America?
“I think America is quicker and has more energy than France, but I like to live in Paris, so I’d have to take a lot of flights.”
Who would you like to work with?
“When I started with French Vogue, people said I had a dream team working with me. Now I’m building a new dream team. One of my editors, Marie-Amélie Sauvé, is going to be working with me in the future.”
Are there any brands you would love to work with?
“Actually, right now I’m working a lot more with my friend Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy. I have more time to spend with him, and I really had fun working with him as a muse.”
Which younger designers do you think are really exciting right now?
“I like what Christopher Kane is doing. I’ve followed him since he started. He’s a big, big, big talent. And I really like Alexander Wang because he’s just 26 or 27 years old and he’s such a great businessman. I’m very impressed by his generation.”
There’s a note in the book from Alexander McQueen, in which he calls you “the most sophisticated editor in the business.” Why do you think people see you that way?
“I think because most of the time I’m wearing skirts. Most of the time in fashion, people are wearing jeans. People think I have a very Parisian look, maybe like a [Helmut] Newton look, a sexy look. I always dress the same, in a knee-length skirt and tight sweater, and a tight jacket and black tights. It’s very simple. Maybe it’s my black makeup. It’s good that people talk about my look, but it makes a lot of pressure to do it each morning.”
What do you enjoy wearing at the moment?
“I’m very much into lingerie—it’s my new thing. I build my looks starting from lingerie. Carine Gilson, based in Paris, is from Belgium, and I love her lingerie. Also, there is nothing more sexy and delicious in the morning than opening a pretty new packet of tights. When you put them on for the first time, I think it’s a very sensual and sexy feeling. I love that.”
