Carine Roitfeld Wants to be the ‘Joan of Arc of Fashion’; Will Launch Biannual Mag to Link ‘the Runway and the Real Woman

Karl’s turn as guest editor at Metro wasn’t just about Karl. (OK, it was mostly about Karl). But the issue also features interviews with some of his favorite people including Azealia Banks (who performed at his house last week), Florence Welch (who performed at his spring show), Haider Ackermann (his preferred replacement at Chanel) and, of course, Carine Roitfeld, his partner in crime. Since any interview with the former Vogue Paris EIC is gold, we couldn’t wait to read and share the best parts. Click through to learn more about her relationship with Karl, not being “porno” anymore and new details on her forthcoming magazine, due out in September. Will she ever run out of interesting things to say?

On the first time she met Karl Lagerfeld:
We never forget the first time with Karl. He invited me for lunch and I was like, “Oh la la! What can I tell to Karl?” He’s so incredible and knows so many languages. I was very insecure. But for me it was very fun, and easy immediately. My father was raised in Germany. And Karl was happy to talk about this German singer my father loved. He really knows about everything.
On the book she’s working on with Karl:

I’m back to working with him more as an editor. We just finished a book about a little black Chanel jacket. I dressed all of these people in the Chanel jacket, sometimes it’s very big, sometimes it’s very small. Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker and different people, even a little 3-year-old girl. It will be released in March.
She cries often:

I’m crying very often, you know. I think it’s my Russian blood. I’m a very emotional person. I’m someone if I go to see Bambi, I cry. It’s true.
She doesn’t want to be known for being “porno” anymore:

I don’t want to repeat the same cliché I had for 30 years. Everyone says I’m the queen of porno chic. I want to be chic, irreverent and special, but not porno anymore.
She doesn’t read Vogue Paris anymore:

I don’t read Vogue Paris, honestly. I want to make a break. It’s like when you have a divorce, you don’t want to go back. And we don’t have kids in common, so…
She’s responsible for Riccardo Tisci getting the job at Givenchy:

I’d love to create a special place for young designers in Paris. I remember meeting Riccardo Tisci, who is now at Givenchy. One day, I was in Milan. It was after the Gucci show and someone said I should go to see this young designer. After the show, I go backstage and he was so surprised to see me, he was almost crying. Givenchy was looking for young designers and I told them to have a look at him. I was the link. And now I see it.
Some new details on her forthcoming magazine, on track to launch in September.

I’ll start out doing two a year and it will launch in September. I’m coming from Vogue. So it’s difficult to do another magazine after Vogue with less money. So I want to do something totally different. I want to be the Joan of Arc of fashion. I want to be the link between the runway and the real woman.


Tekst & Foto's: Vogue Paris