Fashion Icon Carine Roitfeld Talks Life, Creativity & Business

Carine Roitfeld sits between SPIEGEL journalists Britta Sandberg and Claudia Voigt in her Paris apartmentFormer Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld sat down with Germany's SPIEGEL Britta Sandberg and Claudia Voigt in her Paris apartment.

Reflecting on the normalcy of her life, Roitfeld says she is enjoying her new-found freedom. For starters, she has given up her tight skit -- her uniform -- replacing it with a no-name T-shirt from Los Angeles, corduroy jeans by Current Elliot and satin shoes I had custom-made in violet. The only glamour is on her feet.

Her 10-year ride at French Vogue was 'a hell of a lot of fun', says Roitfeld, continuing:

But, toward the end, it unfortunately got less and less fun. You used to be able to be more playful, but now it's all about money, results and big business. The prêt-à-porter shows have become terribly serious. The atmosphere isn't as electric as it once was, and they now have about as much charm as a medical conference. But it takes just one good fashion show to get things exciting again.

Today's Fashion Is Without Dreams

Always willing to put her great mind to work, Roitfeld is asked what's changed in fashion. She answers that fashions don't let people dream any more. Fashion is no longer a promise or an escape. Today's customers buy objects -- typically handbags.

SPIEGEL tells Carine that her publisher says the time for being provocative and trashy was over. Roitfeld answers with words that echo our own sentiments on that question: 'I'd put it this way: Fashion needs glamour, provocation and broken taboos.'

Defending some of her bolder journeys into provocation, we hear a vintage Roitfeld response to being called the woman who invented 'porn chic'.

Yes, of course. Fashion has to be given free rein and only a small number of restrictions. I never used any photos that my children shouldn't see; that was my benchmark. The little girls wearing makeup were never naked; it said "No Smoking" under the pregnant woman; and why shouldn't old people kiss? You must be allowed to play. Anything else is terribly boring. I've also painted white models black and later red, which (the French anti-racist NGO) SOS Racisme complained about.

Doing a bit of backtracking on Carine Roitfeld, we note that she told CNN who did a 2009 spotlight on her 'I'm very happy here (Vogue Paris). And then the French mistress of chic added " . . . but I'm sure something new is going to happen in the next year.'

Carine Roitfeld on CNN Revealed-1

Talking about being a 56-year-old woman in fashion with SPIEGEL, the French sensualist says that when one is constantly dealing with 16 or 18-year-olds with perfect bodies, not a single wrinkle plus airbrushing, you must be happy with yourself when looking in the mirror. If you can't remain young at heart and keep a rock 'n' roll attitude, you won't be able to deal with it.

Carine Roitfeld already has plenty of new projects in the works — the Fall 2011 Chanel campaign, consulting work for Barneys, her biographical retrospective book with Olivier Zahm that comes out in October 2011 — plus, she mentions that she's working on "a book with Karl Lagerfeld," and adds, 'Who knows? Perhaps I'll become a muse for designers again.'

Carine Roitfeld on CNN Revealed-2

As for rumors that she was considered to replace Anna Wintour at American Vogue, Roitfeld says that was never a possibility. Roitfeld told SPIEGEL. 'Anna Wintour is the most powerful woman in the global fashion industry, the first lady of fashion. She's a politician; I'm a stylist. They are two very different jobs. Incidentally, despite all the rumors, she is actually very nice.'

Roitfeld also admits that the fact that a nipple can't be exposed on American Vogue is much too restrictive for her sense of creativity.

Carine Roitfeld and husband ChristianFamily has always been important to this French icon, and Carine credits her family life for providing a lot of stability in her life. She's been married to the same man -- husband Christian --  for 30 years and has two children living in New York.

Enjoy also the CNN focus on Roitfeld. They are well done, highly informative and give readers a real sense of the woman behind the fashion headlines.

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