Fashion

Beauty

Exclusive! We speak to Carine Roitfeld about her special M.A.C collection

Photography by Lars Beaulieu

Though surprised when she was asked to be a M.A.C face, Roitfeld’s response was a characteristic “Why not?” The image, shot by Sorrenti, is unusual—Roitfeld calls it “risky”—for a makeup campaign. It’s a moody black-and-white, three-quarter-length portrait of her in a slinky slipdress, staring down the lens like a more fashion-y, more French Patti Smith. This departure from the classic zoomed-in, technicolour shot of larger-than-life lashes or juicy pouting lips was Roitfeld’s decision. “I think the beauty of a woman is not just her parts—her hair, the way she’s standing, what she’s wearing—it’s the whole person.”

As anyone who follows fashion blogs knows, Roitfeld is a newly minted grandmère: Her daughter, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, gave birth to her first child, Romy, in May. This role doesn’t seem to sit too comfortably just yet. “‘Grandmother’ always reminds me of old ladies,” Roitfeld says. “But my daughter loved my mother because she always said, ‘You’re beautiful, you’re amazing,’ whereas I was always, ‘bad, bad, bad.’ I’m not sure I can give my granddaughter as much time as my mom [gave Julia], but I hope that she will love me the same way.” The time they do spend together sounds like a treat for both of them. “When you have the baby with you, you have to be very quiet and careful not to wake her up. It’s very relaxing because I can leave when she starts to cry. It’s very calming. It’s like having a joint or something.” This family bonding time must be a respite from the chaos of putting together the first issues of Roitfeld’s hotly anticipated magazine, CR Fashion Book. A much smaller operation than French Vogue, it’s run out of a hotel room at the East Village Standard provided by owner Andre Balazs. “I have a lot of pressure because everything has to be finished within a month, and we are behind schedule,” she says. Yes, there will be a beauty section. “I think women are more into beauty than fashion. They spend a lot of money on beauty creams.”

Having spent years working with models who fall definitively into the “super” category, Roitfeld has developed a healthy perspective on any notion of comparison. “When you spend your time with all these beautiful 20-year-olds, you have to be yourself. You’re not going to be able to be like them,” she says. “I am a different category of woman and I am confident in myself. I’m different but I still have a lot to give, much more than those 20-year-olds. People invite me because of what I bring to the table, because I have done a certain sort of work and I have experience and perspective. I can talk and think—I’m not just a beautiful flower on the table.”