Six Degrees of French Vogue - The Fashion World's Game of Musical Chairs

THE SIX DEGREES OF FRENCH VOGUE

Okay yes, we can all admit that the fashion world is more a of a fashion 'community' and a business together and they go hand in hand, AND it works... For the most part. Just recently it seems to be going off track - or possibly I'm just more aware of it because it has been involving some of my favorite geniuses in this ever-changing community.

First this year, news broke that Carine Roitfeld would be stepping down from French Vogue. No real reasoning was given other than her own saying 'she was done' and she had done what she could or wanted to and she wished to move on. -I'll respect that, but this woman brought back fashion blackface and exposed nipples to the land of fashion editorial journalism. She pushed the line for what was accepted and added a power to the magazine. -Anyway, I've already ranted about that in an earlier post :) -Rumors flew that she would go and advise/help Tom Ford with his recent return to Womenswear line in 2011. (which were soon put to an end quick.) Covering French Vogue and co-editing the magazine in December 2010 added to the speculations of what was to come of the powerful twosome. Then just recently this past month it was reported that Roitfeld had been helping style Barney's Fall Campaign, and just yesterday news flew that she had style Chanel's Fall 2011 with Karl Lagerfeld. Whatever Carine does will be amazing so I have no doubt or any left over bitterness for French Vogue's loss of her even though I will miss my fix of the occasional exposed nipple.

Replacing Carine Roitfled as Editor in Chief was Emmanuelle Alt, previously stylist for the house of Balmain under Christophe Decarnin. -She replaced Roitfeld earlier this year and debuting her first cover for French Vogue in April 2011 covering with Gisele. She has said that her take on French Vogue would focus on 'more clothes' and have 'one boob' otherwise no one would be able to tell it was French Vogue. A little saddening to hear thinking of how far it was come, but we shall see if the French appreciate their Fashion journalism more breast-less and possibly more 'Balmain-less'.-

After hearing today's news about Christophe Decarnin's departure from Balmain after his no-show at his Fall 2011 presentation, (of course again rumors began to fly).

It had been reported that Christophe Decarnin was not present at the finale of his FW11 show because he had been 'hospitalized', but was fine. Only until today did official word come out that rumors of Decarnin being in a mental facility were false and that he and the chief had been having disagreements about the brand's direction for a while. Decarnin came to Balmain in 2005 and since then he has added the 'attitude' of the line that makes the Balmain girl look like she rolled out of bed in her studded army coat costing a few thousand and skinny jeans so skinny that the models sometimes looked to be 7 feet tall. The Balmain line under Decarnin gave the female form of sex appeal and power for the girl ready for the front line. No word yet on Decarnin's replacement, but he will definitely go down in history as having his reign for reviving the skinny jean movement.

(Photo credit: NYTimes, AvenueInsider, StylePov)