The launch of Carine Roitfeld's new magazine, CR Fashion Book, hasn't been without its controversies. As you will know, Condé Nast reportedly banned several photographers, models and stylists from collaborating with the former Vogue Paris editor but despite all of that, Roitfeld is flying high. The preview of the issue has gone down well and this weekend, just about everyone turned up to congratulate her at the party she hosted to celebrate the debut issue.
'It's very different from my last party,' she told The Cut, having a look at the guests in the marble-floored atrium of the Frick Museum. Around the same time last year Roitfeld through a karaoke party to celebrate her Barneys campaign at a strip club on the West Side Highway so basically the polar opposite of this year's swanky 'do. 'I want to do something different, more classic,' she said about the formal Mercedez Benz-sponsored black tie event. 'After all, I am a grandma now.'
Yesterday I noticed a tweet from Purple magazine alleging that Muse magazine have copied their layout and the magazine's founder, Olivier Zahm, isn't letting the issue go. Since making the announcement, the magazine's Twitter handle has retweeted comments from their readers condeming Muse and have since released a blog post on the issue.
'I have never complained about having my magazine copied, both in its style and its content. I always took the imitation as flattery and as a force to drive me to move forward and be innovative,' he wrote. 'But, this time, when I opened the new issue of Muse...I was so shocked that I have to react — especially since I accepted to be interviewed by Muse's Editor-in-Chief, Fabio Crovi, about independent magazines for this issue. I don't want there to be any confusion: I have nothing to do with Muse and I never authorized any reproduction of the Purple layout, which obviously is the clear guideline for Muse's "completely renewed layout," as Fabio Crovi is proud to announce in his Editor's Letter.'
As always the guest list at Dior created a road block and photography frenzy. Editors like Carine Roitfeld, who left the show hand in hand with book collaborator Olivier Zahm, Anna Dello Russo, Emmanuelle Alt and Anna Wintour sat alongside Dasha Zhukova, Derek Blasberg and Orlando Bloom.
Outside the show last season was intense, particularly as a result of the John Galliano scandal, but yesterday was pretty much the same. No other brand creates a road block quite like Christian Dior.
Just about everyone is launching a book this fall but there's one in particular that we're looking forward to - it's Olivier Zahm's book 'Irreverant' based on Carine Roitfeld.
When the news of the book was announced many thought it would be biographical but based on these images released by Vogue.com, it looks like it will be a photography book. Fans will be spoilt to 400 pages of images celebrating the stylist's life's work, as well as a handful of portraits of Roitfeld herself as well as her family.
The book, scheduled for release on October 18, is available for pre-order on Amazon now for $63.
This year is shaping up to be a good one as far as fashion books go. Grace Coddington's memoir is on it's way and the highly anticipated Carine Roitfeld retrosepective by Olivier Zahm is also set to be released soon and now there's another book to add to the list
Last week Hamish Bowles revealed that he's working on an autobiography. "You’re the first to know," he told Avenue Insider. "I’m about to start working on a more autobiographical book about my adventures in fashion and at Vogue.
Carine Roitfeld doesn't seem to be regretting her decision to leave Vogue Paris in the least. She told a Spiegel reporter she's happy to be able to wear "no-name" t-shirts and corduroys now after always wearing "tight skirts" at Vogue "like a uniform." And she's already nabbed a job the Fall '11 Chanelcampaign, Barneys consulting work and a biographical retrospective with Olivier Zahm coming out this October. She additionally has hinted about "a book with Karl Lagerfeld" potentially in the works.
As for leaving her editor-in-chief job, she says: "[It was] the perfect moment. The French edition of Vogue had never been more successful, had never had more readers or advertisers. And it had never made as much money. For 10 years, my American publisher, Jonathan Newhouse, let me do what I wanted, even when he thought it might be crazy. But it couldn't have gone on for much longer."
Carine Roitfeld has been quiet since leaving Vogue Paris but it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the coming months as the promotion campaign of her upcoming book begins. Today her biography, named 'Carine Roitfeld: Irreverant', that Olivier Zahm has been working on has finally been given a publishing date of October 4. Although the book is written by Roitfeld herself, Anna Wintour, Cathy Horyn and Amy Larocca have all contributed.
This is why the industry is going in a vulgar, common, bad direction — because of the direct access that doesn’t come with an education, reflection, understanding.
Last night Carine Roitfeld hosted a private cocktail event at Gucci's newly renovated Rue Royale boutique and private dinner at Hotel de la Rochefoucauld Doundeauville in Paris to honour Gucci creative director, Frida Giannini. Guests at the event included Anna Wintour, Kate Moss, Mario Testino and Paolo Roversi.
Just four days ago, model Rie Rasmussen spoke openly of her disdain for fashion photographer Terry Richardson, branding his work "completely degrading to women". The outburst continued at a party where Rasmussen voiced her opinions directly to Richardson, resulting in him walking out. "It was the most cowardly thing I have ever seen", she concluded.
Adding to the humiliation, Jamie Peck has come forward about her experience with Richardson, and whilst Peck admits that she's "not a model, just a vain girl with nice tits who likes to pose for the occasional cheesecake photo", and yet despite being experienced in 'au naturel', wrote "He's the only one who’s left me feeling like I needed to take two showers." Her post for The Gloss continues to describe her time on a shoot with the famous photographer, who asked her to call him Uncle Terry and reportedly got her to perform sexual favours, before offering a signed photograph as payment.
"Before I could say “whoa, whoa, whoa!” dude was wearing only his tattoos and waggling the biggest dick I’d ever seen dangerously close to my unclothed person (granted, I hadn’t seen very many yet). “Why don’t you take some pictures of me?” he asked. Um, sure." Unbeknown to Peck, the photographs from the shoot wound up in Purple magazine, which is edited by Richardson's associate, Olivier Zahm. With The Cut making comparisons between the photographer and the recent Tiger Woods revelations, we wonder how many more models will be coming out of the woodworks with their sordid experiences...
