photo by Karl Lagerfeld courtesy of Interview
"French Vogue is now "so Carine" in its aesthetic that it's hard to believe she only took up the reigns 10 years ago. Her departure in January carries with it the knowledge that, though it might well retain its influence, French Vogue will never be the same...."
- Interview magazine
I'm not one to repost stories, but this one is toooooo good. Karl Lagerfeld interviewed Roitfeld for Interview magazine and it gives a great back story on Roitfeld's legendary career as well as life after French Vogue. Karl Lagerfeld, a long-time friend and collaborator, spoke with Roitfeld in late July in Paris and shot a few pics. Here is the Q&A, for the full article go here.
photo: Stephane Feugere, courtesy of Interview
KARL LAGERFELD: How far can you take an image?
CARINE ROITFELD: I think that when you're taking pictures with my principles, you can try anything. Dare to do a lot of things—dare with sexuality, dare to break taboos as long as it remains photogenic. As long as I find an elegance and beauty in it, I am not afraid to tackle anything.
LAGERFELD: I think it was Marlow who said, "There is no beauty without some strangeness in the proportions."
ROITFELD: Exactly. I think that something needs to be weird in order to have a real beauty. Beauty can be quite boring, especially if you're talking about beauty that doesn't last. And what lasts is exactly the thing that maybe wasn't pretty at first—it comes over time to be beautiful or interesting or exciting—
LAGERFELD: For example, during the golden age of movie stars, there were plenty of actresses who were deemed unattractive at the start of their careers, but struggled and finally appeared more beautiful and more iconic. Sometimes that idea of being truly iconic has something to do with not necessarily being beautiful and thus trying harder.
David Sims for Vogue Paris, March 2006