After abruptly leaving the publication she helmed for 10 years, speculation about former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld‘s next move has been relentless. Would she work with Tom Ford? Head to Harper’s? Take on consulting work? Start her own publication? The question, at least for now, has finally been answered. Roitfeld was hired by Barneys New York to be part of a multifaceted initiative that has her “serving as guest editor and stylist — as well as muse and inspiration — for fall, collaborating with photographer Mario Sorrenti and Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman,” according to WWD.
The move, which fits in with all of the recent shuffling that has gone on at Barneys since CEO Mark Lee took over, will see Roitfeld styling and editing the Barneys Sorrenti-shot advertising campaign, catalog, and fall mailers, and will further make use of her background as a stylist as she will also work on the Madison Avenue flagship’s September windows. I wonder how Simon Doonon, who was recently “promoted” from creative director to creative ambassador-at-large and long responsible for the department store’s famed window displays, feels about all of this.
When it comes to New York’s major department stores, Barneys is certainly the most fashion forward so it will be exciting to see Roitfeld’s aesthetic plays out in the coming months and New Yorkers (and street style photographers) will be happy to know that she plans to spend a lot more time in the Big Apple to focus on this new project.
As for the future, Roitfeld told WWD, “I am sure that one day I will, even if it’s not my own magazine, do special stories for magazines and maybe something on the Internet. I have projects and opportunities coming on. The only sure thing I know is that I will keep my freedom. I can be a muse for a designer, I can do work for some magazines, and do advertising, and maybe something like Barneys, but still keep my freedom.”
Images: WWD
