Carine Roitfeld is, inarguably, the coolest. With her smudged eye makeup, artfully unkempt French style and disarmingly warm personality, the former editor of French Vogue makes Anna Wintour’s ice queen shtick look hopelessly square in comparison.
But Fabien Constant’s “Mademoiselle C,” which chronicles Roitfeld’s departure from the magazine and the launch of her New York-based “fashion book” CR, seems aimed mostly at insiders. Perhaps those who’ve faithfully followed the Parisian editor’s career will be riveted by footage of planning meetings with her staff, the minutiae of fashion shoots and interviews with her grown children. They’ll certainly enjoy appearances from Roitfeld’s inside circle: Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Tom Ford. As a distinctly not-insider, though, I would have benefited more from a broader portrait of the woman herself, and how she became such a legend.
Still, the degree to which Roitfeld’s adored — not just revered — in the fashion world is refreshing to see. As one CR staffer puts it, “Everyone she has around her she treats with the same amount of respect and love.” In an industry known for its divas and bad behavior, that’s no small praise.