Former Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld says ‘no one’ wanted to dress Kim Kardashian

Carine Roitfeld, 69, said Kardashian’s brand of stardom initially alienated her from the world of fashion

The former editor of French Vogue has said fashion designers did not want to dress Kim Kardashian because of her “cheesy” reality TV background.

Considered among the world’s most influential magazine editors and stylists, Carine Roitfeld, 69, is the founder of the CR Fashion Book. The biannual magazine is known for its provocative covers featuring some of the world’s biggest stars including Rihanna, Cher, Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, and Kardashian.

Despite the suggestion that 43-year-old Kardashian was being shunned by the world’s leading design houses, “the grande dame” of French fashion was quick to defend the Skims owner.

Having appeared four times on the cover of CR Fashion Book – including in 2013, when Karl Lagerfeld photographed her while she was pregnant – Roitfeld said “she is more than nice and so well educated, and I like her.”

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Roitfeld said some designers had previously been reluctant to dress Kardashian “because people think she was [a] cheesy, reality person”.

“No one wanted to give Kim Kardashian outfits,” she shared. “Why? Because people think she was [a] cheesy, reality person, but she is more than nice and so well educated, and I like her.”

Roitfeld was introduced to Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner, by Riccardo Tisci, the former creative director of French luxury label Givenchy.

(SKIMS/Twitter)

Discussing her relationship with the Kardashians, Roitfeld told the newspaper: “The mother [Kris Jenner] I think is hilarious and very smart, and I’ve met all the sisters, but mostly my favourite will be Kim.”

Elsewhere, Roitfeld briefly discussed how Kardashian’s most recent September CR cover shoot, for which her hair was cropped short and eyebrows were shaved down to two pencil-thin lines, came to be.

In the end, it was as simple as Roitfeld proposing a concept that was different from the way people were used to seeing her – in skin-tight Skims and her long hair parted down the middle – and Kardashian agreeing.

Since her career began with Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007, Kardashian has launched her shapewear collection Skims, founded the skincare range SKKN, and collaborated with haute couture labels such as Dolce & Gabbana as well as FENDI.

She has also spoken about discovering her personal sense of style in the wake of her divorce from West during a past episode of The Kardashians.

Kardashian said she was trying to “figure out” who she is in the “fashion world” after being dressed by the rapper for the entirety of their relationship.

Elsewhere in the interview, Roitfeld was asked how she would style the Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla.

“Black,” she said, explaining how she would dress Kate Middleton. “More black. A lot of black. She only wears black at the funeral, maybe it’s a law in the royal family, but I would dress her more in black.

“Black eyeliner. More Saint Laurent, more Chanel, more French.”

She added that the new Queen would look “fantastic” in a pant-suit.