FEATURE & EDITORIAL
In a recent interview she gave to New York Magazine’s The Cut, Roitfeld admitted that, while her photographs were provocative, the only part of “Porno Chic” she liked was “Chic.” She stated, “Although the girl is naked we always try to make her look chic.” With a style similar to the idiosyncrasies of the great and famed photographer, Helmut Newton, Roitfeld has brought sexuality to the forefront without any apologies. However, today she has turned a new leaf: there’s a new image—a new Roitfeld. Earlier this year, after leaving her post at French Vogue, Roitfeld announced that she was starting her own magazine: CR FASHION BOOK. A biannual publication, CR FASHION BOOK, is a mix between a magazine and a book. The physical publication will focus more on images and stories, whereas the daily trends and news of the fashion industry will be placed onto the magazine’s website. For Roitfeld, it is her hope that her magazine will be viewed more so as a book which people will retain for years rather than a magazine which becomes obsolete after a few months. Ambitious in her dreams, launching the magazine has not been an easy road for Roitfeld. As she had publicly stated, many of her friends, including Mario Testino who worked under her direction at French Vogue for many years, were no longer able to work with her on her new magazine due to the contractual obligations they had under Conde Nast, Vogue’s publisher. Roitfeld was forced to find new people to work with—new stylists, photographers, hairstylists, and make-up artists. When asked how launching her new magazine felt, she summed up her emotions in one word: “freedom.” (Interview in The Cut, September 6, 2012) Yet the biggest contrast between Roitfeld’s previous work at French Vogue and today is shown on the cover of the opening issue of CR FASHION BOOK: an elated Kate Upton, photographed in black and white holding five baby chicks. Quirky yet memorable - perhaps Roitfeld has accepted the mantra that celebrity culture is a seamless and integral part of fashion. Not only is Roitfeld focused on the launch of her magazine, her and Karl Lagerfeld, a close friend, teamed up together to produce a new book, The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s Classic Revisited, which hit store shelves in August of 2012. Photographed by Karl Lagerfeld and styled by Roitfeld, the 232 page book depicts celebrities and models, both men and women, wearing Chanel’s famed jacket. Currently sold out in most stores, the response for the book has been jubilant. The photographs are also the subject of a traveling exhibition. After opening in Tokyo, the exhibition will visit cities such as New York, London, Moscow, and more as it crisscrosses the globe.
FREE FALLING | ISSUE 8 | VEUX | 67