French fashion editor (born 1954)
Carine Roitfeld (French pronunciation: [ka.ʁin ʁwat.fɛld]; born 19 September 1954) is a French fashion editor, former fashion model, and writer. She is the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, a position she held from 2001 to 2011.[1][2] In 2012, she became founder and editor-in-chief of CR Fashion Book,[2] a bi-annual print magazine headquartered in New York City.[3]
Early life and family background
Roitfeld was born in Paris, France. Her father, Yakov Motelevich Roitfeld (in France – Jacques Roitfeld), was born in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky (Bessarabian province), one of five children (four brothers and a sister) in the family of the owner of the grocery and Moscow shop Motel Itsikovich Roitfeld. He received his law degree in St. Petersburg, practiced law there, then in Baku and Odesa. In 1923 he emigrated from Russia at the age of 34, moved to Austria, in 1925 then to Germany, and after the Nazis came to power – to Paris. He had two children from his first marriage, the second had a daughter, Karina, who was 34 years younger than her older brother. Carine Roitfeld herself described her mother as a "classic Frenchwoman", she called her father "an idol", emphasizing that he was always far away.
Career
At 18, Roitfeld began modeling, having been scouted on a street in Paris by a British photographer's assistant.[4] "I wasn't a star", she says. "I was just booked for junior magazines".[4] She became a writer and then a stylist for French Elle.[1] While she was working as a freelance stylist, her daughter, Julia, was in a children's fashion shoot for Italian Vogue Bambini in 1990, photographed by Mario Testino.[1][4]
In a 2005 interview with 032c magazine, Roitfeld commented, "I was not the best stylist when I worked for fifteen years for French Elle, but certainly when I met Mario Testino something happened. The right person for me at the right time".[5] Roitfeld and Testino soon after began working as a team, doing advertising work as well as shoots for American and French Vogue.[1]
Roitfeld went on to work as a consultant for and muse to Tom Ford at Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent for six years[1] and also contributed to the images of Missoni, Versace, and Calvin Klein.[6]
She was approached by Condé Nast's International Chairman Jonathan Newhouse to edit Vogue Paris in 2001.[1] In April 2006, there were rumors that Roitfeld was being approached by the Hearst Corporation to take over Glenda Bailey's editor-in-chief position at U.S. Harper's Bazaar.[7]
In January 2010, she was named in Tatler magazine's top-10 best-dressed list.[citation needed] She was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50 by The Guardian in March 2013.[8]
On 17 December 2010, Roitfeld resigned after ten years at Vogue Paris to concentrate on personal projects. She left the magazine at the end of January 2011.
Carine Roitfeld is accused of lending a Balenciaga pre-collection to Max Mara as part of a consulting mission, with Max Mara allegedly drawing inspiration without ethical constraints. This led to her exclusion from the Balenciaga front rows. Additionally, during the ANDAM 2010, as the jury president, she is said to have favored the victory of Turkish designer Hakaan Yildirim due to the connection with the brand's artistic director, Mert Alas, a Vogue Paris-favored photographer.[9]
She was succeeded at Vogue Paris on 1 February 2011 by Emmanuelle Alt, who had served as fashion director under Roitfeld.
Roitfeld returned to freelance styling, working on both the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Chanel campaigns, took part in projects such as designing a window display for Barneys New York and compiled the large-format book Irreverent, published by Rizzoli in 2011.
She joined Harper's Bazaar as global fashion director in 2012.[10]
The 2013 documentary Mademoiselle C documents Roitfeld's launch of her magazine CR.
Carine Roitfeld ended up forming a net worth of over two million. This was possible because her work would increase her value each time.
[11]
Personal life
Roitfeld and partner Christian Restoin have been together since the late 1970s, although they are not married.[12] Restoin was the creator of the Equipment clothing line, which he closed in 2001 after Roitfeld accepted the Vogue editorship.[1] The couple have two children, Julia Restoin Roitfeld who was born on 12 November 1980 and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld born in December 1984. Both were born in Paris.
Julia graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City in May 2006 and became the face of Tom Ford's fragrance Black Orchid in November 2006.[13][14] Vladimir graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 2007.
