Those in the fashion industry who worship at the shrine of Tom Ford’s Gucci collections (secret services occur every Friday at 3 a.m., we hear, behind a wall accessible from a street in London that will open if you tap the symmetrical cobblestone 3.41 inches to the right of the ebony doorframe with a stiletto heel, first with just the weight of two lipsticks, and then a second time as though you were having sex standing up) probably never expected his relationship with Carine Roitfeld — one of seemingly perfect chemistry and unstoppable momentum — to be his undoing. And it wasn’t — it was hers. That is, if you count her resignation from French Vogue as her undoing, which surely it can’t be, as the woman is phenomenally successful, so cool it’s embarrassing, and a recognized force in the fashion industry. Cathy Horyn’s piece in the Times today on Emmanuelle Alt’s succession to the French Vogue throne gives some credence to the rumors that Roitfeld was fired. Apparently the controversial December issue by Ford — which included an editorial of 6-year-olds made up like grown models, and a salacious Western-themed spread called “Pussy West” — was the culmination of a string of differences between Roitfeld and Condé Nast.
What happened to Ms. Roitfeld was this: she offered to resign, according to several individuals close to the matter. She was frequently absent from the office, on shoots, and when the issue of her management came to a head, she offered to resign. She may have been bluffing, hoping she would be asked to stay, but her resignation was accepted.
