Yesterday, Telegraph caught up with Carine Roitfeld, the former Vogue Paris editor and purveyor of all things Parisienne, to talk about her new publishing venture, CR, and her evolving influence in the fashion biz. But what I noticed to be especially interesting about the interview was Roitfeld’s remarks about the “business” side to editorial, and how it’s changed significantly in the magazine industry over her lifetime. As a professional in fashion editorial content, see how Carine’s insight and experience can be useful to bloggers:
How Bloggers Have Changed The Fashion Game
First, she notes that the internet is responsible for the era of the super-editor. Like the 90′s supermodels, images of these super-editors now are gracing the popular blogrolls and street style shots (even though some of them, like Roitfeld, are old enough to be grandmothers).
As she noted in the article, “People are very curious and they want to know everything. So before it was the supermodels or the photographers, and now it is the ‘super-editor.’ Anna [Wintour of American Vogue] became a super-editor. Me, I have a strong character and a strong personality, but 10 years ago – before the blogs – nobody knew me.”
Carine Roitfeld Left Her Day Job, Too
In terms of the fashion industry, and editorial versus advertisements, she says that while working under the Vogue structure she did not have much freedom, “It’s true, you are not free to do the project like we are doing today [with Mac]. You are not free to work with Karl Lagerfeld and the advertising. You are not free to help a designer. So now I can open all the perspective in front of me. I change job so I have a lot of possibility.” (Leaving your day job to pursue your own creativity, does this sound like any of you, fashion bloggers?)
How She Thinks Of Advertised Content Versus Editorial Content
Roitfeld notes there will be a difference with her new biannual glossy, CR Fashion Book, in terms of editorial and advertised content, “When I started 30 years ago at French Elle, we never do the shoot thinking if Jean Paul Gaultier was advertising or not. We were totally free,” she says. “But now I understand it is a business and you have to pay attention to the people who put money in your magazine. But there has to be a limit or otherwise you are not a journalist anymore. But this magazine is going to be totally different than what I was doing before, with a new dream team.”
“It is a lot of pressure that I put on myself. I could live very quietly, do advertising to earn money.” But even at an age where she could comfortably retire her career, she wants to continue pushing the limits she tells Telegraph. “The last Joan of Arc of fashion – it will be me.”
Roitfeld’s career is one to be admired — what do you think about her opinion on advertisements versus editorial content?
[Image credit: Getty]
It is so important to un-link editorial exposure and ad dollars! Fashion becomes boring if only the big advertisers are featured in the editorials. As bloggers we should be pushing discovery of new designers and visions and not following the herd.
Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,
JZP
http://www.DeliverMeDiamonds.com