Carine Roitfeld Exits French Vogue With ‘No Plan At All’
After 10 years at the helm of Vogue Paris/French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld announced that she’ll be leaving the magazine in January.
She spoke with Cathy Horyn and said “It’s 10 years that I’m editor of the magazine. I think it’s time to do something different.”
Though apparently, she’s not exactly sure of what something different is. “I have no plan at all,” she told Horyn. {On the Runway/New York Times}
It’s doubtful that Roitfeld, who worked closely with Tom Ford during his Gucci days and launched the career of model Lara Stone (who has since gone on to book major campaign after campaign), will have to look far for a new opportunity.
Jonathan Newhouse, head of Vogue publisher  Conde Nast International, told Vogue UK “It’s impossible to overstate Carine’s powerful contribution to Vogue and to the fields of fashion and magazine publishing. Under her direction Vogue Paris received record levels of circulation and advertising and editorial success.”
When we spoke with Roitfeld at the end of the first Fashion Celebration Night (the Paris take on Fashion’s Night Out), she didn’t seem concerned with cloning the everyone’s invited American style event, instead opting for one that required invitations – which obtained by buying a copy of Vogue Paris, but invite required nonetheless. Though much smaller than the night in New York, it seemed to be a financial success for retailers, something no one has been willing to speak about for the US version.
It’s great that Roitfeld is going out strong, though we suspect (hope) it will only be a matter of time before she pairs up with familiar names. Is Tom Ford’s turn as guest editor a hint at the personal projects to come? If there’s anyone who understands taking a break for other creative endeavors and coming back to fashion in their own way, it’s definitely Ford. We’d put money on future plans involving him, even if they aren’t set as of yet.
