If Carine Roitfeld were to be cast in a fairy-tale movie, Tim Burton’s catalogue seems to be top of mind.
“Because I’m very gothic, I could be ‘Corpse Bride,’” the French stylist and fashion entrepreneur deadpanned, before a second idea occurred: “Maybe ‘Edward Scissorhands.’ I could be his girlfriend.”
Roitfeld was in the throes of matching models to the 28 dresses she commissioned for the amfAR Gala Cannes on May 23, for which she settled on a fairy-tale theme.
Carine Roitfeld and Edgar Ramirez at the 2022 amfAR Gala Cannes.
Stéphane Feugère/WWD
Designers took to the theme like Snow White to woodland creatures, with Versace dressing Tinkerbell, Miu Miu Rapunzel, Maison Margiela Cinderella, LaQuan Smith Little Red Riding Hood and Richard Quinn Alice in Wonderland, to name a few.
Other participating fashion houses include Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Prada, Jacquemus, Off-White, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, Homolog, Dolce & Gabbana, Courrèges, Saint Laurent, Rick Owens, Alaïa, Givenchy, Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs, Rabanne, Loewe, Dsquared2 and GCDS.
“Honestly for me, it’s the most exciting amfAR show I’ve done, because the looks are really great thanks to the fairy-tale theme, and all the dresses look really good together,” Roitfeld said in an interview. “It should be quite fun.”
This is the 15th fashion show Roitfeld has masterminded for the annual charity event during the Cannes Film Festival, having explored various themes including all-black, disco and movie-star style.
In total, the shows have raised more than 17 million euros for amfAR. The special dresses paraded are auctioned off during the event.
Over her long career as a stylist and editor, Roitfeld has attended many fashion shows with spectacular fairy-tale moments, most recently John Galliano’s Brassaï-inspired fall 2024 Maison Margiela Artisanal couture show.
She lauded Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo for her transporting spectacles for Comme des Garçons. “Sometimes, they are very fairy tale. It make you dream after the show, whether you understand or don’t understand what was the meaning of the show,” Roitfeld mused.
Further in the rear-view mirror was the Paris-Edinburgh collection that Karl Lagerfeld designed for Chanel in 2012. “It was almost snowing, so beautiful, so poetic — an homage to Franco Scottish monarch Mary Stuart,” she recalled.
To exalt the fairy-tale dresses she commissioned for the amfAR gala, Roitfeld called on many fashion friends to help, including casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro, hairstylist Olivier Schawalder and makeup artist Hugo Villard.
“Carine’s fashion show has been central to the success of the amfAR gala over the past decade and we are extremely grateful for her passion, dedication and, of course, style,” said Kevin Robert Frost, chief executive officer of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
The nonprofit organization’s gala raises funds for further AIDS research and usually features stellar performances, with Cher the headliner this year.
Cher is to perform at the amfAR Gala Cannes on May 23.
Courtesy AmfAR
Roitfeld confessed that she toyed with the idea of putting the legendary singer in her fashion show, but then realized, “she can’t play another character. She’s almost a fairy tale herself.”
The exclusive black-tie event at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc spans cocktails, a seated dinner, plus the live auction, during which one-of-a-kind luxury goods, experiences and art are also sold off by famed auctioneer Simon de Pury.
The Foundation for AIDS Research, more commonly known as amfAR, conscripted Demi Moore as the host of the evening.
Sponsors for the evening are headlined by Chopard and the Red Sea International Film Festival, along with Homolog and DraftKings. Other supporters of the event include Gérard Bertrand, Piper-Heidsieck and Rumor Rosé.
One of the most coveted tickets of the international film festival, amfAR Gala Cannes has raised a cumulative total of more than $265 million for AIDS research.
AmfAR supports AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education and advocacy. Since 1985 it has invested more than $635 million in its various programs and awarded more than 3,800 grants to research teams worldwide.
The late Elizabeth Taylor, amfAR’s founding international chairman, hosted the first amfAR Gala Cannes in 1993. Cher and Moore were part of the event’s early success, attending and chairing amfAR Gala Cannes in 1996 and 1997, respectively.