Carine Roitfeld became the face of Christopher Kane’s collection of self-portraits

When Christopher Kane debuted his Central Saint Martins MA collection in 2006—an unapologetically sexy creation of slinky lace dresses in bold hues, adorned with hardware hoops and shimmering Swarovski crystals—he attracted a significant French following. “Carine Roitfeld always protected me. She took off my clothes, wore them,” Kane smiles at the magazine’s former editor-in-chief. Fashion Paris. “She’s a rock star!”

It’s no surprise that Kane’s designs have caught the attention of the unofficial queen of seductive chic. Back in mid-August, when Kane’s classmates were obsessing over the huge avant-garde designs of Martin Margiela and Rei Kawakubo, the Scottish outsider was using lace to explore the feminine images of Victorian widows and sex workers, an obsession with the ornamentation of Faberge Eggs and the costumes of child beauty pageant stars, and a concern for what his famous master’s teacher Louise Wilson would think of tousled, underwear design, which he dreamed up in his bedroom. (Obviously she loved them.)

Just recently, when Kane was looking through old copies Fashion Paris, pondering who might star in the ad campaign for his craze-inducing comeback collection for Self-Portrait (as the first designer for London brand Resident), came across an image of glamazon model Doutzen Kroes, styled by Roitfeld, in one from their designs. “I thought, oh my God, oh my God!” Kane says, gesticulating wildly. “It must be Karin!”

Christopher Kane debuts his CSM MA Fashion collection at London Fashion Week 2006.

ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

Lara Stone in one of Kane’s first outfits at the 2017 Met Gala.

Penske Media/Getty Images

Such exclamations of glee are par for the course when Kane and I meet one dark afternoon at Self-Portrait’s Farringdon design studio, where, along with brand founder and creative director Han Chong, the designer has spent months admiring samples of ruffled lace and sickly lilac crystal. pink and yellow. As an avid Christopher Kane fan who wore the brand’s feathered disco ballgowns on her wedding day, I—like many industry insiders—felt a gut punch when the brand folded in June 2023. So I can hardly contain my excitement. Kane’s 30-piece collection is a maximalist mille-feuille of textures that harken back to his earliest designs: think silk jumpsuits with crystal straps, form-fitting chainmail dresses accented with lingerie details, peek-a-boo dresses and cutout pencil skirts. exposing the thighs. These are the things that laugh in the face of quiet luxury, designed for hailing taxis in heels as you make your way from one champagne party to the next, where the wallflowers are unlikely to respond. “If I were a girl, I would murder for these things! Kane laughs. “They’re hot, they’re sexy, they’re amazing.”