Former French Vogue Editor Carine Roitfeld Named Harper Bazaar’s Global Fashion Director

The battle of the fashion glossies Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar has long raged. But now Bazaar has a new weapon in its arsenal

International style icon and former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld has been named Bazaar’s global fashion director. David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, has announced that she will collaborate with Stephen Gan, Bazaar’s creative director, on several stories a year, beginning next March 2013. Her coverage – including cover stories — will appear in all 26 international editions for a readership of over 11.3 million.

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Roitfeld has been a very busy girl since leaving French Vogue in 2010. She produced an all-black fashion show for amfAR during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. A month ago, she published the first edition of her new bi-annual magazine, CR, published by Fashion Media Group, which also publishes Visionaire and V magazines. 

She also collaborated on her own distinct smoky eye cosmetics line, CR, with M.A.C cosmetics, launched with a mega-stellar bash in Paris during Fashion Week. Designers Vivienne Westwood, Alexander Wang, Ricardo Tisci, and Valentino attended. Roitfeld and Karl Lagerfeld even danced together. No sign of Anna Wintour, though, which was no surprise.

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Roitfeld wlll reportedly provide her own unique take on key fashion trends each season for Bazaar. And no, not everything will be like her wardrobe — solid black.

“I am thrilled to be contributing to Bazaar, a brand with a rich history of creativity,” said Roitfeld in the news release.

STORY: Conde Nast Bans Employees From Working For Carine Roitfeld’s New Magazine

But after she jumped ship at Conde Nast, whispers of rivalry between Roitfeld and her former colleagues, including Anna Wintour, were rampant. Conde Nast reportedly banned any employees and/or photographers who shoot for Vogue from working for Roitfeld’s fledgling magazine.

But CEO of Hearst Magazine International Duncan Edwards told The New York Times that Roitfeld’s hire is not a throwing down of the gauntlet to Vogue.

“This is all about Harper’s Bazaar, and has nothing to do with anything else,” he replied.

And if you believe that, we have some swamp land in Florida we’d like to sell you real cheap.