I could take or leave Carine Roitfeld as a magazine editor or style guru, but as a fashion industry insider and gossip? She’s great. Roitfeld recently chatted with the Times of London about leaving Vogue, starting her own magazine (CR Fashion Book), style rules and what she thinks of royal style, specifically for the Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla. I enjoyed this interview probably more than I should – she’s very quotable.
She started smoking at the age of 64: “I like it. It’s better than smoking at 20, you know? I started doing tattoos at 68. I have tattoos on my fingers, all the first initials of people I love, dead or alive. And I have a piercing here that I didn’t before, so I keep young, you know? I’m more fun than I was before. And I smoke. My children say stop. I say give me a break.”
How she decorated her new Paris apartment: “Black. Everything is black. The ceiling is beautiful, it’s black too. Black floor, black curtains. All the doors are mirrored with gold, ’ow you say? A bit like Chanel. A lot of pictures of my work, some art that I like. Mostly Seventies. And black.” She eats dinner in bed, “even Indian food, very spicy and bad smell after”, and says she feels 18 years old.
On Kim Kardashian: “No one wants even now to give Kim Kardashian outfits. Why? Because people think she was cheesy, reality person, but she is more than nice and so well educated, and I like her. The mother I think is hilarious and very smart, and I’ve met all the sisters, but mostly my favourite will be Kim.”
The dominance of TikTokkers and influencers in fashion these days: “I understand it’s very important for sales — if Chiara Ferragni [the Italian influencer] wears a dress you sell millions — but there are too many.”
A little Anna Wintour story: Nor is she impressed by the fact that at a dinner last month at the Élysée Palace to celebrate French fashion, President Macron sat next to Anna Wintour. Roitfeld says it was seen by the French as an insult. “She’s important, but if you want to celebrate French fashion you don’t invite Anna Wintour. She still has this power and I don’t understand why. Every time I do a TV show they say, ‘You are the French Anna Wintour,’ and I say, ‘I’m not.’ She is more in politics than me, I’m in fashion. I respect her work very much, and she’s a very good mum, which is important to me, but I’m not like her. I’m totally different. I don’t like to be compared to Anna Wintour.”
Her personal style: Black is generally held to be unforgiving, especially as you get older, but 90 per cent of her wardrobe is black (“I think black makes me beautiful”). The only colour is a smattering of khaki and her shoes, the only print is leopard, and there’s surprisingly little of any of it for a fashion editor: she has five coats, eight jackets, 10 or 15 skirts, a handful of black sweaters. Mainly, though, being stylish at 69 is about having neat nails, clean hair, black mascara and matching lingerie.
On Princess Kate: She once said she’d like the Princess of Wales to be a bit more rock’n’roll but has evidently thought better of it. Today she praises her as beautiful but in a classic way, a woman who dresses well for her body shape and champions British design. She’s very polished, she adds thoughtfully, in fact a bit too polished for her taste … So how would she style her, then? “Black,” she says firmly. “More black. A lot of black. She only wear black at the funeral, maybe it’s a law in the royal family, but I would dress her more in black. Black eyeliner. More Saint Laurent, more Chanel, more French.”
On Queen Camilla’s style: “Ouf, that’s difficult. I think she would be more chic in pant suits rather than long gowns because you don’t believe her. She’s a woman who likes to ride horses, to go in nature. A pant suit would be fantastic on her. Tell ’er, if you know ’er.”
I think Camilla prefers dresses because she thinks she has nice legs, and because the cut of her customized dresses hides the fact that she’s gained weight in her midsection. It happens to most women and I’m not criticizing Camilla – she has every right to wear what makes her feel comfortable. I actually like Cam’s housedresses and admire the way she’s found some flattering silhouettes. But that’s why she doesn’t wear pantsuits. As for Kate… I don’t actually think Kate looks all that great in black? Kate looks good in bright canary yellow, burgundy and any kind of purple-reds (but not yellow-reds). And Kate’s style is all over the place these days because she doesn’t know who she’s trying to cosplay at any given moment.
A few more things… I think most designers want to dress Kim Kardashian at this point? She’s doing collabs and campaigns with Fendi and Balenciaga, every designer would love for Kim to go to their runway show, etc. As I get older, most of my wardrobe is black as well, but I mix it up with navy and grey. That’s about 95% of my wardrobe.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- , New York, NY – 20210909 – Celebrities arrive on the red carpet for The Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards. -PICTURED: Carine Roitfeld -PHOTO by: JOHN EDDY/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing Featuring: Carine Roitfeld Where: New York, New York, United States When: 09 Sep 2021 Credit: JOHN EDDY/INSTARimages.com
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- Daily Front Row Fashion Awards-Outside Arrivals Rainbow Room Featuring: Carine Roitfeld Where: New York, New York, United States When: 10 Sep 2022 Credit: Janet Mayer/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
She also says women shouldn’t take off their make up at night to optimise the slept in, grained in make up look, as you can see here. I’ll never forget her in a documentary on a shoot with Tom Ford, where the model fainted and was out cold and they kept the shoot going because it looked good with her on the floor. It was gross behaviour and the girl was obviously fainting because she hadn’t eaten. This woman always looks pretty awful; I wouldn’t take her advice on skin care or make up.
Well, she obviously thinks very highly of herself, that’s how people get ahead in the world. She looks great for 69, but is from the generation that invented “Heroin Chic.” So why would she care about the well-being of a model whose job depends on being anorexic/bulimic.
She’s 69?!? I need to work on that thinking very highly of myself thing.
@bettyrose: I don’t think these photos are CR now, they are CR awhile ago. If you google ‘Carine Roitfeld at 69’ you’ll see someone who looks 69 (she threw herself a big 69th birthday party in Paris; apparently the dress code was black).
I can’t with CR thinking smoking is okay, and I’ll also pass on wearing makeup to bed. That’s a huge No, if you want to take good care of your facial skin. About the style advice for those aged 69: ‘neat nails, clean hair, black mascara, and matching lingerie.’ Yes, it all makes sense. I would add: stay hydrated, use lots of moisturizer, get a good night’s rest, exercise diligently (including face yoga), and eat well! Also, do NOT take up smoking!
Makeup to bed–major nope. If you are African-American (dense skin) and also have oily/T-zone action happening, that’s asking for trouble. Soap and an occasional face scrub works fer me…
@BeanieBean – omg, you’re right. Googled her and she looks awful. At her party, looks like she’s been on a bender for several days with no sleep.
She looks at the very most 55. She looks amazing.
@T-REX: LOL, that’s bc she was *in* her fifties when those were taken. She does not look like that now, she has aged a lot in very few years. After menopause, many of us women age faster but for her I would say the new bad habits are already showing their consequences big time. If you are going to smoke, doing it once you are already old is a better choice than when you are young, but it’s still not good for you and will show.
My first thought at the thumbnail picture of CR was, “is that an age progression picture of Cara Delevinge.
OMG Can’t is anything but polished with the 💩 she wears. Yes Can’t likes to theme dress and if she wore more black it would match her evil black heart.
More black eye-liner? What she wears now looks awful. More and she’ll look even older and more haggard. As it is she looks mid-50s anyway. I’ve never even heard of this broad. Makeup is toxic enough without sleeping in it. Gah.
I LOVE color. But I own a LOT of black because it’s simply easier for my lifestyle and job. My work style has had to change because of what I do for a living now. It’s a much more casual environment – but I can’t wear jeans (which I would love to be able to do). So I have had to create a sort of semi-casual capsule work wardrobe. And black features heavily.
Same! I love color but black is easy, doesn’t stain, works for every occasion. Plus it is so much easier to find affordable but chic pieces in black. Finding clothing in strong colors that also looks like good quality is HARD. Too often, the flaws are more visible in a bright color or the color (if done wrong) cheapens the look.
Black is amazing and amazingly chic. I love what Truman Capote wrote in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” when describing Holly Golightly’s style, that the deliberate simplicity of her clothes allows her whole being to shine.
The downside IS that it can be unforgiving, especially on someone’s face. It’s the color equivalent of the dark, straight parted hair—your face is carrying all the visual weight (think Kate during the entire Caribbean tour). So no…I think more blacks on her might make her look even more harsh. She should do more prints and softer makeup, with face framing hair (but not the tragic butterfly she’s been sporting). If she was someone who was aging gracefully before our eyes, that would be fine, but the insistence on Botox and fillers has made the eyebrow and jowl situation too noticeable/unnatural that she herself is using a bunch of visual diversion tactics.
I don’t agree about black eyeliner on Kate. She tends to overdo the eyeliner and it’s very aging on her.
Yeah, generally speaking, I don’t think Kate looks good in strong makeup. She’s best suited to soft, well-blended “pretty” makeup.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t black eyeliner something you move away from as you age?
Yes. But this woman is going through some kind of Late mid life crisis if she also thinks it’s smart to start smoking.
I think maybe she smokes for weight control. Not loving the eyebrows but she’s certainly thin. If she’s pushing 70, maybe she’s done the math and decided by the time the wrinkles caused from smoking show, she’ll be too old to care.
Yes. And can someone tell me why most fashion designers, and editors and the like usually dress and look like crap. I get Wintour’s hair is her brand. But she looks like crap. Andre Tally or whatever his name was. Those mu-mus were horrible. And who was the lady who dressed the sex and the city show? Every picture I’ve ever seen of her she looks like a clown. Plus she dressed SJP as one also. And these are the people a lot of woman look to for what to wear.
I found everything she said kinda depressing. She doesn’t strike me as someone who is confident and knows what is going on. Her interview struck me as someone who is panicked about aging and her relevance and is trying to pretend otherwise. Just her take on Khhhate is so very wrong as to dismiss everything else that she says.
Atorontogal. Agree. I also think black eye liner works best on very dark eyes, or for a dramatic look on lighter eyes. My eyes are incredibly dark to the point they can look black. I use dark brown liner for day, and black only as a going out, night time eye. Kate’s eyes are already over lined and they aren’t overly dark; she’d look ghoulish imo.
Think it depends on your eyes and how well you apply. Meghan sometimes wears darker eye make-up and it usually looks really good. But her eye shape is really different. Think you gotta find what works best. Older women can prob do some heavy eye make-up looks if done well.
I suspect black eyeliner becomes even more of an annoyance once your life really starts getting busy (career, family, juggling bills and a home, hobbies, etc.) Putting eyeliner on early in the morning when I was bleary-eyed and barely sentient stayed a one-time thing for me–and with good reason.
I actually never looked particularly good in black eyeliner. I figured out pretty early on that a charcoal grey or midnight blue looked so much better.
Kate already wears black eyeliner and looks like a raccoon most of the time. She also did not pull off black in the unphotoshopped photos during the funeral events. She looked tired and drawn out. Carrie is basing this opinion on the Chris Jackson specials.
I am certainly not a fashion forward person, but I don’t understand how CR is a style icon. Maybe she does a fabulous job styling others, but her personal outfits are simply nice, not amazing, and her makeup is tragic. Too heavy eyeliner and eyebrows. They overshadow her facial features, which seem nice.
I’m with you on this. I get Vogues from multiple countries (American Vogue has got to be the worst of the bunch and I cancelled my subscription). Carine Roitfeld was a great editor and her styling for campaigns has been good. But the woman herself looks dreadful at points. These photos are good; up close she looks pretty done in. This is fine! She’s 69 but let’s not forget she knows how to get a good photo taken. She does have a unique look, which is great. “Bad” makeup was part of her thing for years, and it’s great that she continues what she likes, but now it weighs her down and ages her.
@sparrow – I cancelled my Vogue subscription TOO! I cancelled Vogue the month Kim & Kanye were on the cover! i have not had a Vogue since; not even the September edition.
Harper’s Bazaar is a much better fashion magazine.
Hi BayTampaBay. I recall starting out on American Vogue, one of my final pick of countries, and I couldn’t believe how nothing it is! It is incredibly slim, cheap in production quality, and packed full of blah. I remember asking on here whether I was getting something different from what the US subscribers and buyers were getting, but commenters said, no, that’s truly it. I cancelled after that. I sometimes get W, and Harper’s Bazaar, like you. Tatler. Basically, all of them. I grew up with Vogue and Elle. Prefer Vogue. I must have gone through 100s of them, and wish I’d kept them – some are collector items now.
I’ve kept my Bazaar subscription but let American Vogue lapse, though I did appreciate their focus on minority and independent designers during the Me Too push a few years ago. Honestly, I think a lot of the problem is with the fashion industry itself. In my opinion, very few designers are making good clothes anymore, they just throw together a bunch of “looks” for a runway show so they can sell more perfume and accessories. Very little of it is actually wearable. It’s a little better in Europe (I’ll roll with Dries van Noten until the wheels fall off), but the big houses are a big yawn these days.
For personal style amongst the editors, I watch Sarah Harris and Chioma Nandi of British Vogue, and Christiane Arp of German Vogue.
Dara–agreed, the fashion industry was struggling even before covid. One gets the feeling it doesn’t want to design attractive, useful clothes–it wants to push an image increasingly out of touch with even fashion mavens. And the magazines that used to be regarded as aspirational are still more shaming and push-expensive-crap than they should be.
Roitfeld is certainly a character but Kate got the memo by showing up in all black the other day. Maybe Keen will shift her attention to Roitfeld as her muse? That would be highly entertaining.
HOW is this woman 69 years old?!? She looks amazing! I miss her as the editor of French Vogue.
I thought Emmanuelle Alt was good, too. But, yes, like Wintour, Roitfeld was her country’s “Vogue”. I thought Shulman at British Vogue was pretty dull and wrong for the job.
Yes Kathy should wear lots of black eyeliner and really heavy mascara on those lower lashes. A heavy orange bronzer will give her that back from vacay look and more costumes to give her that Village People vibe.
I’m a big fan of wearing lots of black. Love it. A few days of bold color thrown in here and there but yeah a lot of black. Don’t know that Kate needs to wear a lot more black though. As for more eyeliner on Kate? The issue is that she needs a more updated way to apply her eye liner. What about a smoky brown or brownish-gold look? Idk just something that isn’t what she is currently doing.
@Jais – agree on Kate’s eye makeup, it’s usually not well-done – bad blending, too harsh, too amateurish. Meghan, by contrast, is a master class in a great smoky eye. Even if she’s wearing a lot of eye makeup, you always see her, not the cosmetics.
Jais. Agree. I love black, or black/very dark navy with white near the face (which brings light to your face and concentrates the view on you). Colour and pattern, to me, draw attention to you as an object with clothes on. I like the focus to be on my face. I tend to wear really good quality neck scarves wrapped tightly to add something, perhaps colour or pattern. Wasn’t it Sonia Rykiel who said there’s only one true colour for clothes, and that’s black.
Hm, why don’t I believe her about the smoking? She’s been described as bumming cigarettes from people in the past.
I know someone who quit smoking by promising themselves they could take it up again at 65. They were late 30s at the time I think. It worked, they’re on smoking hiatus 😂. Funny to hear someone else would do it.
Are we talking about the same Kate? She said “…a woman who dresses well for her body shape and champions British design..” I don’t know that the latter is true but the former is definitely wrong. Kate doesn’t seem to understand her own body shape and never seems to dress for it correctly.
I don’t think she’s wrong. It’s weird, but I actually think Kate’s best looks were at the funerals for Philip and The Queen. She looked the most regal, IMO.
I love Carine. I even saved some issues of when she did Paris Vogue – she had a real vision and edge.
More black eyeliner, wear more black to go with her black, black heart. Katie won’t give up her bad wigs and ratty wiglets. She can’t be helped.
I actually think Kate does look good in black, I think it suits her. But I also love to wear black so maybe I’m biased lol.
I’m not sure how Kate could wear more black eyeliner, but maybe she means she needs to wear her eyeliner in a different, more dramatic way? Kate has done her makeup basically the same since she was in her 20s and styles have changed and her face has changed, so she needs to update her look some. (I am not totally shading her here because I also do my eyeliner the exact way i did it in my 20s and I need to update it but am not sure how. If i’m not using the Naked eyeshadow palette then what am I even doing!?!?!!)
I think Kate would look better if she ditched the kohl liner on her lower lashes and maybe used a simple liquid eyeliner to create a gentle flick on her upper lashes.
Wow. I don’t know who this lady is but she’s so… sexy!? Such a lovely body and her full eyebrows make her look really youthful. I would be extremely happy to look like this!
I believe she broke her back, falling down seems to ring a bell, and is in continual pain. However, she is obsessed with ballet and uses this as her main exercise. I think it’s had a good effect on her body.
I don’t think “turn into a Jackson Pollock canva” is helpful fashion advice for Kate, she’s struggling enough already…
My mom is very chic and used to wear black constantly until she got into her 70s. She then let her hair go grey and started wearing color all the time.
I hate those make up videos that say « if you’re over 40, you shouldn’t do this….». It’s like don’t tell me what the f&ck to do! Yes bright lipstick looks a little bit harsh now but I will continue to wear my black eyeliner. I just look washed out without it.
Eheheh. One of the joys of being African-American is that one learns real early to ignore “if you are over 40” advice. 😈 It’s just another way of shaming women into a box and promoting ageism. As well, how do these folks know what looks good on everyone?
Absolutely 💯
I wanted to know what Carine thinks about all the buttons. Missed opportunity.
She thinks Kate is polished and that it’s o.k. to smoke? This woman is clearly a moron and no one has noticed.
Love the shade at Anna Wintour…”she’s more into politics, I’m into fashion”. Lol
Eh, I don’t agree with wearing more black for Kate – in my opinion it’s an overwhelming colour on her. I think Kate looks better in navy or other dark, cool colours rather than black, especially close to her face.
I’m no professional, but I would put her more in the “cool winter” category, because the more intense, bright colours tend to wear her, and not the other way around. Blue-based colours always suit her better. I also think that’s why the “bronde” hair has never worked for her at all- too many yellow tones around her face. Sorry, I’ve been on a spree of colour analysis videos on YouTube!
Totally agree about Kate’s “season” and her hair color. It makes her look sallow and washed out. A rich chocolate brown would do her wonders! Make those green eyes pop!
Also, isn’t it great how they’ve created all those “sub” seasons, so it’s no longer JUST summer/autumn/winter/spring? I think it’s made the whole concept so much more accurate! I’m black hair/brown eyes/cool beige skin, and my bff is dk brown hair/blue eyes/fair pink-toned skin. Were both winters, but there are definitely some colors I can wear that she can’t, and vice versa. Now we know that I’m a Deep Winter, and she’s a Bright Winter
Black eyeliner should be banned on anyone over 50. It looks too harsh, is aging and is generally applied way too thick regardless of age. Only 20somethings can pull it off.
I’m 50 and wear it every day. My eyes look undefined without it. I have olive skin and dark hair though.
@Linder That advice only applies to white people.
While on makeup. Is anyone else as lazy/strange as to do this?! I prefer liquid bases to powder, but hate the time spent blending either product. Anyway, if I know I’m going to be cooking loads or ironing a heap of clothes, I block in my makeup and just let the day’s steam ease it into place. It can be great. Someone tell Kate!
Kate already wears eyeliner when she cosplays as Diana.
I’ll weigh in on Camilla. The photo of her in the Gumby jumpsuit is why she doesn’t wear pant suits.
Gumby jumpsuit, lol. Brilliant.
If someone suggested I wore black, I wouldn’t. I would feel such a child, as if I should be honoured to be directed by someone “who knows”. I bet her stylists were running round, grabbing black stuff, saying heavens Kate you’ve been mentioned by Roitfeld. I would go for a much more sophisticated approach of OK, I’ll wear black, but later so it doesn’t look like it’s on the say so of someone else. But not Kate! It’s like when there’s a huge rush to buy an “it” item from a high end high street shop. I rarely buy it because everyone else is, but, if I do, I put it at the back of my wardrobe for years down the line, by which time it looks different from everyone else and I don’t look so desperate to be dictated to.
When this chat with Times of London happened?
Has Princess Kate been wearing more black since then?
But I agree that it looks great on her.
You can see her very black, white and gold apartment here. I personally think it’s a little bit depressing though I do love her sleeping bag concept bed.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzeRbTFMskW/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Thank you for the link, Normades. The colour scheme is truly awful and surprisingly tasteless. I’d find it very unsettling to be in such a dark context. It reminds me of the look an 80s teen boy craved back in the day.
I must be tres chic because all I wear is black … which is easy except when you’re trying to find a specific black sweater in a wardrobe filled with other black sweaters.
Mostly black decor, though? No thanks.
(She looks more her age in the Insta video linked by Normades above. And her apartment looks like the setting of a Bret Easton Ellis novel.)
I first heard of her on season one of Making the Cut.
Loved her comments, and finding out about her penchant for black, it’s no wonder she adored Esther.
Esther won a spread in CR Fashion, after winning Haute Couture week, which was in Paris.
Anyway. Season one is fantastic, the next 2 are rather sad.
I used to wear mostly black because it made getting dressed easier, but when I really looked at my coloring, I realized black and navy weren’t particularly flattering on me. I now try to avoid it and olive green has become my neutral. Black really doesn’t look on everyone, even if it’s slimming. I’d rather look healthy and glowy than skinny and sallow.