KEEPING IT REAL: Despite her fondness for top models while at the helm of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld put herself in the “real people” corner as guest editor of the spring fashion issue of VMan, due on newsstands Feb. 14. “Valentine’s Day,” Roitfeld purred over the line from her Paris apartment.
Indeed, she assembled the cast as if imagining a dinner at her place — a few celebs, chefs, mechanics, architects, a fireman — none of them hard to look at, or looking uncomfortable in their designer duds. “I like men trendy, but not fashion victims. It’s more effortless,” Roitfeld said. “When you work with real people, you can’t impose something.” Indeed, she’s convinced casting is crucial to depict male fashion as “it’s men who give personality to the clothes they wore.”
Roitfeld scored hot French actor Tahar Rahim for the cover, shot by British photographer Nick Knight, with whom Roitfeld collaborated for the first time, raving that the images are “very new for a men’s magazine.” Another buzzy credit line goes to Michael Avedon, grandson of the late Richard Avedon, who did portraits of up-and-coming artists using, like Bruce Weber, film instead of digital. Other snappers in the issue include Karl Lagerfeld and Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who shot young bullfighter José María Manzanares. Other soon-to-be-boldface names in the issue — part of a young Hollywood feature — include “The Hunger Games” star Alexander Ludwig and Chord Overstreet of “Glee.”
Roitfeld made an exception to her real-people rule for her bonus pinup calendar, featuring Victoria’s Secret babes and other supermodels, shot by Willy Vandeperre.
The cover price for the 168-page issue is $5.95, and it has a total circulation of 85,000. At press time, advertising pages were up 21 percent. Roitfeld characterized her dalliance as a men’s editor in chief as a “one shot,” but look out for her at a few shows during Men’s Fashion Week in Milan, where Giorgio Armani is set to host a cocktail gathering Monday at which Roitfeld is to sign copies of her book, “Irreverent.”