When Carine Roitfeld took the helm of Vogue Paris in 2001, she transformed the magazine into a chic, risk-taking publication. Today's news of her resignation surprised many people, including those who admired her unusual and unique style. We've put together 20 of the best covers from her reign at the magazine. Some are sexy, some are soft, but all have that Roitfeld touch we've come to love.
>> Paul Rowland is heading into his first major show season as head of Ford's women's division. Though he recently said that as he aims to reinvigorate the 64-year-old agency, adding that his vision "is very different from [Ford co-founder] Eileen Ford’s," the first show package showcasing his stable of models — which gives a first visual idea of his brand presentation — does pay tribute to the Ford Model of yore. Teased wigs, retro twinsets, and pearls adorn the likes of Tao Okamoto, Karmen Pedaru, and Alana Zimmer. As Models.com points out, "Irony is the original Ford girls (sans the Rowland twist) looked something like this, all white gloved and be-hatted."
>> The sounds of bombs dropping, bullets whizzing, and quotes from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider ("You don't think I'd go vaulting into thin air for nothing, do you?") punctuated the sci fi sountrack at Jil Sander today, with models criss-crossing the X-shaped runway in knit rompers and sharply tailored jumpsuits. Every single one tromped around in black mid-calf flat boots, while sheer panels stretched down from their tweedy jackets and short slashes revealed themselves in an otherwise buttoned-up collection.
Raf Simons seems to have joined Marc Jacobs and Miuccia Prada in going archival this season — he pulled out the plaids that Jil Sander first used during the early '90s. Another change for the designer: casting models of color — Joan Smalls, Rose Cordero, Sun Feifei, and Mengyao Ming Xi all populated the runway today. Brazilian sensation Alicia Kuczman, meanwhile, scored the exclusive.
>> A casting surprise was promised, and Miuccia Prada delivered: Victoria's Secret regulars like Doutzen Kroes, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Bianca Balti all walked the labyrinthine runway — perhaps as a one-up to Givenchy, who cast Adriana Lima, and Balenciaga, who cast Kerr, in recent seasons. Also populating the Fall 2010 Prada cast: Lara Stone, Catherine McNeil in her first runway turn since a year ago, Mariacarla Boscono, Rose Cordero, and opener and closer Samantha Gradoville.
The show was preceded by cartoons portraying feminine cliches like "He loves me, he loves me not" while front rowers complained about the anchovy canapes handed out, but once the show started, it was all beehive hairdos, cat-eye librarian glasses, and A-line skirts in muted tones and vinyl-like finishes. Busts were enhanced with rows of ruffles and strategically placed darts, while knee-high pleated socks were finished off with pointy-toed patent pumps. A slow jazz soundtrack played, and the whole look — cable knit sweaters, sketchy plaid — earned a chorus of Mad Men comparisons. Apparently, when asked backstage, however, Miuccia said she had never seen the TV show. A video of the Prada show can be seen here.
>> Rose Cordero's Solo March 2010 Vogue Paris Cover Marks First for Black Model Since 2002 —Rose Cordero was photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott for Vogue Paris's March 2010 cover, marking her first Vogue cover and the first Vogue Paris cover featuring solely a black model since Liya Kebede's in May 2002. (Noemie Lenoir had a solo cover for the magazine's June/July 2008 issue, but she shared the honors with Laetitia Casta). [Models.com]
>> Interior Designer to Alexander Wang, Now to the Models? —Last night, Natasha Poly, Victoria Traina, and Alexander Wang teamed up to celebrate the launch of interior designer (an co-owner of Edon Manor boutique) Ryan Korban's signature website at the Soho Grand Hotel. Korban and Wang have been close friends since they went to college together — they collaborate often, on Wang's offices, for one — and Natasha Poly's up next — Korban will be doing an apartment she has yet to buy. No doubt, he'll have more models than just Poly to add to his client list soon — we counted over 25 showing up to the fete, including Maryna Linchuk, who palled around with Poly, Jessica Stam, Hanne-Gaby Odiele, Mirte Maas, Olga Sherer, Iris Strubegger, and Rose Cordero. One more tidbit that Poly let fly: she may not be doing the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for the second year in a row — she has to choose between that or a shoot in Morocco. [Style.com, Modelinia]
>> This evening at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts, Rick Owens had a bit of a seating situation, leaving a number of guests standing and unhappy. One editor reportedly decided "standing is the new front row," and WWD later noted: "If you’ve outgrown your venue, move on. Otherwise, there’s no excuse for double-booking seat upon seat."
To a soundtrack of crashing waves and with Gareth Pugh front row (Owens attended Pugh's show yesterday), a stream of sculptural shoulderpieces, long loincloth-like skirts, slicked back hair (glue sticks were used to keep it in place) and crinkled metallic bubble dresses exited backstage. Suvi Koponen made her first appearance since her smattering of shows at New York Fashion Week, but most striking was Owens's sudden casting of models of color — Georgie Baddiel, Kinee Diouf, Aminata Niaria, and Rose Cordero all made appearances; his shows have been entirely whitewashed since the Spring 2005 season, when he also cast four black models.
>> The 96-page September issue insert The Imagist teased back in June turned out to be for V: Paul Rowland, founder of Women and Supreme agencies, photographed 19 of his models in studio back in April with help from stylist Nicholas Grasa. His inspirations were "Joel-Peter Witkin, paganism, mysticism, vampires, witches — all the things I love," and V has a video of the shoot in action, which required Hannelore Knuts to have raw meat draped over her chest and the rope holding it together lit on fire on both ends. The supplement will be available with V61 in select cities.
Maybe this whole project is the start of a move into a new arena for Rowland? As V puts it: "Rowland, whose lavish and intricate agency show packages are the talk of the industry each season, has a creative verve that extends beyond model agency moving and shaking, and into photography and fine art. After this outing, however, he might need his own magazine as well."
>> IN THE LOOKING GLASS —The upcoming June 2009 issue of W features a 30-page editorial: a portfolio of the season's best new faces, as chosen by Craig McDean, with Karlie Kloss and Sigrid Agren heavy on rotation; appropriately, Sigrid is said to have her first major cover out this week. Four girls are rumored not to have made the final cut, but Ranya Mordanova, Rose Cordero, Madisyn Ritland, Bara Holotova, Jourdan Dunn, Viktoriya Sasonkina, Karlie Kloss, Amanda Laine, Imogen Morris-Clarke, Dorothea Barth Jorgensen, and Nimue Smit all did — Models.com has a trio of previews. [Models.com, Models.com, Models.com, NY Model Management]
>> For Spring 2009 more than ever, brands stuck with campaign models who guarantee a sell — supermodels like Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss for Versace or Claudia Schiffer for Yves Saint Laurent, Daria Werbowy for Roberto Cavalli — or the classic blonde hair-blue eye combination that Toni Garrn and Anna Maria Jagodzinska's campaign sweeps represented. Also of note for the season, Prada and Balenciaga's decisions to go with big groups of models — eight and ten, respectively.
With Fall 2009 campaign season under way, it sounds like at least a couple of brands have decided to break from that latter part of last season's formula — Wayne Sterling of The Imagist reports:
"It is too early to say and too tenuous to reveal who's holding/confirming what these days but rest assured it is the striking and the extreme that seem to be filtering into the next phase. Among the buzz I picked up by some art directors is a disenchantment with the 'multiples' ideal, that concept of an army of models rocking as many of the looks from the show as possible while waving as many possible it-bags as can be crammed into a double page. Two VERY big brands have already gone 'Only Girl.'"
The most likely candidate from that description of packing the models in seems to be Prada — so does that mean Prada is one of those already-decided brands, and Miuccia's current favorite exclusive Ymre Stiekema is going to finally get a main season campaign under her belt?
