Carine Roitfeld: Between Audacity and Elegance
An undisputed icon of fashion, Carine Roitfeld has shaped the industry with a resolutely avant-garde vision and a bold freedom of expression that has redefined the codes of glamour. Former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, founder of CR Fashion Book, and an influential consultant for major fashion houses, she embodies that rare alchemy between subtle provocation and timeless elegance. Her sharp eye, infallible intuition, and passion for visual storytelling have made her one of the most influential figures in contemporary style.
But it is also through photography that Carine Roitfeld has left an indelible mark. As a muse and close collaborator of legends such as Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, and Inez & Vinoodh, she has always infused a strong aesthetic and daring storytelling into the images she directs, helping to create powerful visuals where attitude prevails over mere appearance. Her keen eye and sense of staging have shaped the publishing world and crafted an aesthetic that transcends trends. Her approach to photography, where emotion takes precedence over mere aesthetics, has contributed to redefining fashion editorials, pushing the boundaries between sensuality, transgression, and sophistication.
A leading figure in the fashion world, she continues to surprise by exploring new creative territories. For the first time, she will be present in Milan for Design Week, where she will unveil her olfactory wardrobe of nine perfumes along with her brand-new Home Collection. On this occasion, she will launch exclusively her XL-sized candle Forgive Me, a creation that promises to embody all the sensuality and mystery that define her.
In the meantime, she takes on the challenge of our Questionnaire, an exercise in which she reveals her influences, inspirations, and her unique relationship with imagery.
Website: www.carineroitfeld.com
Instagram: @carineroitfeld
Your first photographic revelation?
Carine Roitfeld: My family photos, neatly stored in small albums.
The image-maker who has inspired or still inspires you?
C.R.: Richard Avedon or Robert Mapplethorpe.
If you had been a photographer, which image would you have loved to capture?
C.R.: I was a photographer—I shot two advertising campaigns for Jean-Paul Gaultier. But if we’re talking about an existing photograph, I would mention Will McBride’s portrait of Romy Schneider.
Romy Schneider, Paris 1964 © Will McBride
The image that moved you the most?
C.R.: The ultrasound of my granddaughter.
And the one that made you angry?
C.R.: A portrait of me by Juergen Teller, hidden under other photos—I couldn’t bear the reality.
And which photograph changed your world?
C.R.: My first Gucci campaign with Mario Testino.
Gucci F/W 1995 © Mario Testino – Styling Carine Roitfeld
What interests you most in an image?
C.R.: An image that isn’t trendy, one that withstands time while maintaining its presence.
What’s the last photo you took?
C.R.: A screenshot on my iPhone of the title image from the series Becoming Frida Kahlo, celebrating the unibrow!
A key image in your personal pantheon?
C.R.: A 1997 photo of Eva Herzigova, The Butcher, for The Face magazine, taken during the mad cow disease crisis.
The Butcher © Mario Testino for The Face (1997) – Styling Carine Roitfeld
A photographic memory from your childhood?
C.R.: A picture of my brother and me with my grandfather. My brother’s beauty and my own awkwardness.
In your opinion, what is the essential quality of a great photographer?
C.R.: A photographer who loves people and whose vision captures the most positive truth within them.
An essential photography book?
C.R.: Cecil Beaton.
What was the camera of your childhood?
C.R.: A Kodak Instamatic.
And the one you use today?
C.R.: A Leica with its elegant leather strap—I wear it almost like a necklace, super attitude.
Your favorite addiction?
C.R.: The excitement of a new project.
The best way for you to disconnect?
C.R.: Netflix. For two hours, my mind is elsewhere.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
C.R.: First, the mirror must have good lighting—if it’s an elevator mirror, I don’t even look! Aging has its perks: as eyesight weakens, we see ourselves less sharply.
Who would you like to be photographed by today?
C.R.: Someone I know and trust—Sebastián Faena.
An image to illustrate a new banknote?
C.R.: The cover of a Nirvana album with the baby swimming toward a dollar bill.
Your greatest professional extravagance?
C.R.: Creating the G-spot photo for Gucci.
Gucci S/S 2003 © Mario Testino – Styling Carine Roitfeld
A visual memory that marked your career?
C.R.: A teenage look from Harry Lance in ELLE magazine, which my mother subscribed to. I was 14 and dreamed of that culotte suit with a sleeveless jacket and patch pockets, like a photographer’s or hunter’s vest.
What question would make you lose your temper?
C.R.: After a fashion week, people asking me questions about fashion!
What is the last thing you did for the first time?
C.R.: Tattoos.
A place you still dream of discovering?
C.R.: I’ve traveled a lot and don’t really feel like moving anymore, but I’d love to see the last whales in Antarctica.
A place you never tire of?
C.R.: The Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Rue Daru in Paris.
Your biggest regret?
C.R.: Not fighting hard enough for some magazine covers I truly wanted.
How has the rise of social media changed the world?
C.R.: It made me famous in my world.
Which ones do you use regularly and why?
C.R.: More than social media, I constantly use Google—for everything from looking up medication to checking the spelling of a name. I’m curious!
Color or black & white?
C.R.: Black & White.
Daylight or studio light?
C.R.: Daylight in the studio.
Which city do you find the most photogenic?
C.R.: Paris.
If God existed, would you ask Him to pose for you or prefer a selfie with Him?
C.R.: A selfie—to prove He exists.
If I could organize your ideal dinner party, who would be at the table?
C.R.: A mix of the living and the dead—Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Liz Taylor, Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Christopher Walken.
The image that represents the current state of the world?
C.R.: One that cannot be looked at.
If you had been a photographer, what kind of photos would you have taken?
C.R.: Photojournalism.
If you had to start over?
C.R.: I’d want to be on stage, a singer or an actress. The energy of an audience must be an incredible adrenaline rush—like Freddie Mercury at Wembley!
What would you like people to say about you?
C.R.: That I’m unpredictable and always where no one expects me to be!
The most essential thing people should know about you?
C.R.: I never leave home without wearing perfume. That’s what inspired me to create my fragrance line as the ultimate accessory. I have an olfactory wardrobe of nine scents and a home fragrance collection too!
One last word?
C.R.: I just want to be free—to arrive whenever I want, to embrace a certain carefreeness.
