the beat
E
VER SINCE SHE WAS A
teenager in Paris in the
’70s, Carine Roitfeld
wanted to be a rocker: a
female Alice Cooper, Lou Reed
or Iggy Pop. But a few things got
in the way, says the former Vogue
Paris editor-in-chief and fashion
icon who has 1.1 million Instagram
followers. For starters, she can’t hold
a tune. “I have an ’orrible voice,”
crows Roitfeld, — dropping the “h”
in a seductively French way, while
checking off qualities that otherwise
hit the mark: “I love black. I line my
big, dark eyeballs with black. I love
fishnets with holes. I love concert
tees — my current one is 1981 Clash.”
She definitely has a rock hairdo —
spiky, sexy and stick straight a la PJ
Harvey on the Stories From the City,
Stories From the Sea cover. Plus, she’s
legendary in the industry, considered
a kind of informal adviser to rock
royalty establishing their fashion
world cred.
“Carine is rock’n’roll all the way,”
says Courtney Love, who met her at
a concert Love did at the Givenchy
atelier in Paris a few years ago. “She
has done an amazing job recognizing
musicians and highlighting their
individuality while capturing their
spirit. Because of her, musicians
feel more comfortable expressing
themselves through fashion.” Says
Roitfeld: “I’m happy when peoplesay I have a rock’n’roll attitude.
Fashion is about attitude.”
That ’tude served her well for
Harper’s BAZAAR’s Icons portfolio,
the 18-page, music-themed feature
in the September issue of the
fashion magazine that came out
Aug. 22 and featured Love, DionneWith a single magazine cover, Carine Roitfeld, the influential
French magazine editor and style icon, gives music artists
the industry credibility they need to rule the runways
BY DONNA BULSECOSTYLE
Warwick, Grimes, Travis Scott,
Miranda Lambert, composer-
pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto and, on
the cover, The Weeknd. (The artist
will perform at the Harper’s BAZAAR
Icons Fashion Week party on Sept. 8
at the Plaza Hotel.)
This is the fourth annual Icons
portfolio Roitfeld has done since
leaving Vogue Paris in 2010, with
previous covers all starring musicians:
Ka nye West last year, Katy Perry
in 2015, Lady Gaga in 2014.
“Musicians are the biggest stars,
bigger than actors,” says Roitfeld.
“Designers love the exposure they get
when rockers wear their clothes.”
After wrapping the fall issues of her
own style magazines, CR Fashion Book
and CR Men’s Book (on stands Sept. 7),Roitfeld talked to Billboard about the
interconnected worlds of fashion and
music, her friendship with West and
why Rihanna rules fashion.
How do you choose the icons?
We start by asking who would be our
dream to be on the cover. I also likeRoitfeld, wearing
her signature
black in Cannes
i n M ay, s ay s s h e ’s
a “rock‘n’roll
grandma.”
to have someone who is comfortable
with fashion. We were happy with
The Weeknd, who loves fashion. He
gave 100 percent of his time and is
open to anything.
How do designers and musicians
inspire one another?
Everyone watches Rihanna,
Beyoncé and Kanye. There is a
constant exchange between music
and clothes on the runway and in
music videos. Someone like Rihanna
wears a dress, and people like it and
want it. She always starts trends:
She launched Vetements, wearing itbefore anyone, and is always so open
to a new designer. And she’s been
successful with her Fenty Puma by
Rihanna clothing and shoe line.
What about the gender-fluid
movement in music now, with
artists like Perfume Genius and
Young Thug — has it influenced
the fashion world?
Young Thug — we photographed
him two or three years ago for CR
Fashion Book. I was intrigued by the
idea of a rapper wearing dresses. I
love how Kurt Cobain would wear
a dress like a girl [on the September“ Musicians are the biggest stars,
bigger than actors.” —Roitfeld
The Weeknd, on the cover
of Harper’s BAZAAR’s September
issue, leads the music-driven
fourth annual Icons portfolio.
“He has cool style,” says Roitfeld.36 BILLBOARD | SEPTEMBER 2, 2017Rock’s Fashion
Godmother