Wednesday 5 October 2011

'Erotic Chic' Fashion Images by Carine Roitfeld

Carine Roitfeld  created gloriously provocative and powerful images as the former Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue, a post she held for a decade, always redrawing fashion frontiers.




Her awaited book - Irreverent - is published today, after a lavish Vampire Ball in Paris last night, attended by fashion stars and movie celebrities.

She is definitely a larger than life character and Irreverent is a visual autobiography and legacy of her fetishistic and erotically charged aesthetic.




Roitfeld probably pushed boundaries a bit too far in the December/January issue guest-edited by Tom FordA styling editorial included 10-year old girls modelling as adults, with sexy clothes, high heels, make up and expensive jewellery.




With all the scandals of pedophilia people become cautious, but probably it was a dream for those beautiful girls. I remember dressing up in my mum's dresses, wear her high heels and riding my bike with a precious stone ring!

Of course, she was not around but managed to find out, only about the shoes, saying I would break its 'soul'! Only later in life I realised what she meant by that.




If you think about the United States, children are dressed up as adults by their own parents to enter silly competitions and to try to get hold of the profitable advertising and film industries and no one seems to bother much about it.

I'm not defending the sexualisation of children but it's important to have the big picture in mind, during carnival I was allowed to wear lipstick (even though I was not a teenager) and I loved it. It was fun, pedophilia didn't enter anyone's mind at that time.

I think it's more important to realise she never pushed violence, anorexia or somebody looking drugged. 




Carine Roitfeld's free spirit and unique vision certainly make her stand out from the crowd and since her departure from Vogue, she has worked with Karl Lagerfeld, guest-edited V magazine and modelled haute couture for W magazine.


"I didn't copy anyone. I love white shoes in winter; I love black underwear under a white transparent shirt. I love masks." Carine Roitfeld




Her unconventional attitude is captured in Irreverent, a book she dedicated to Restoin, her partner for 30 years, because he managed to stop smoking.

I wonder what she'll do next... Whatever it is, I'm sure everybody will be watching her!

Irreverent
By Carine Roitfeld 
(£60, Rizzoli)

PS
If you love fashion books check A Decade of Fashion and Style.