Julia Restoin-Roitfeld likes to say that fashion was “always around” when she was growing up. This typical bit of understatement pretty much summarizes her iconoclastic approach to building a career in the fashion industry: Rather than assuming the role of heir apparent to, say, her mom—Carine Roitfeld, editor in chief of Paris Vogue—Restoin-Roitfeld has charted a path through the family business as peripatetic as that of any average Parsons grad. There was the internship at Visionaire, another one working with Craig McDean, some freelance gigs, a little modeling on the side. Normal-normal. Now, Restoin-Roitfeld is coming into her own, on her own. The up-and-coming art director conceived the new Rock & Republic ad campaign set to feature in September’s fat fashion books, and more projects are underway. Here, she talks to Style.com about keeping fashion in the family.

How did you connect with Rock & Republic?

My friend Keegan Singh works with them as a consultant, and he introduced me. I pitched them my idea for a campaign, and here we are.

Singh styled the shoot, which stars your brother (and Malgosia Bela). Was it strange working with Vladimir? I mean, it’s got to be a stretch to have to look at your brother in terms of those model-y qualities like, um, sex appeal.

Everything was very professional. And part of the reason we cast Vladimir, in fact, was that the campaign seemed to call for a real guy, and not a model. I mean, that was my pitch—the previous campaigns weren’t embodying the strength of the brand’s name, and its products, and I felt like it was important to express a rock “attitude,” in an authentic way, rather than do something like, oh, here’s a bunch of guys pretending to be a band and fake-playing the guitar. When I think “rock attitude,” I think confidence, I think strength; the choice of model reflects that. You have to be yourself, not someone playing a role.

You’ve done some modeling yourself—the Black Orchid campaign for Tom Ford, for example, and you’re in the new Gap ads, as well. Does that experience influence the way you think as an art director?

Well, seeing the business from a different perspective is always interesting and helpful. I’d say the same thing about working with Craig McDean—interning for him gave me another point of view.

And surely, there’s another point of view that comes from watching your mom work. Were you ever wary about going into the family business, as it were?

I don’t really think of myself as being involved in the “family business.” I’ve done some graphic design and a bit of consulting, I’ve worked with people like Fabien Baron and done jobs for VMan and Zac Posen and Teen Vogue. I’d like to add packaging projects to my portfolio. This is my career. I always wanted to do something artistic; art direction, that came naturally.—Maya Singer

Photo: Courtesy of Rock & Republic

MoonSpoonSaloon, a new addition to the calendar, was much-hyped in the lead-up to its show. A collaboration between artist Tal R and former costume designer Sarah Sachs, it aims to create 99 looks for its inaugural season, with each look available in a limited-edition batch of 99. Its debut at the Royal Danish Theater was very much art for art’s sake. Ballerinas performed interpretive dance in the clothes, which were court jesterlike in their use of primary colors and voluminous fits. On the other end of the spectrum was denim line Won Hundred, where everything behind the season’s collection was recorded in meticulous detail. Liner notes listed 50 ideas designer Nikolaj Nielsen liked and 50 ideas he disliked when conceiving the current line. A second page offered a rundown of the David Lynch-esque video that ran during the show, even listing key symbols for guests to look out for. The actual clothes, in contrast, were refreshingly bare-bones, and standout pieces for women included a boxy twill jacket and baggy drawstring jeans.

Malene Birger’s show is a do-not-miss on the fashion week calendar. The Danish designer is an icon in Copenhagen, and the dramatic By Malene Birger collection was enjoyable for both longtime fans and the newly converted. A tough-but-sweet vibe ran strong; black leather knee-high spats were paired with bright floral separates and billowy chiffon skirts. While some looks—though beautiful—borrowed a little too heavily from Marni, Birger really hit her stride with more classically Danish pieces like her sheer smock dresses and tunics. All of the pants, ranging from classic uptown trousers to a sophisticated take on the drop-crotch peg-leg style, were impeccably tailored, and the jewelry and handbags (Birger is of the "bigger is better" school of thought) were covetable.

The big star on hand at Malene Birger was Lene Nostrom, who you may remember from her pop band Aqua’s hit single "Barbie Girl." I told her she looked great. "Thanks! The sweater is Alexander McQueen, the leggings are Kova & T, the bag is Chanel, and the shoes are Nicholas Kirkwood," she said. Fans take note: Aqua is gearing up for a reunion tour this fall.

I took some time on Saturday to walk through Gallery, one of two big trade fairs going on simultaneously with the shows. One of the standout displays was Monies, a revered Danish jewelry line from husband/wife team Gerda and Nicolai Monies. Buffalo horns, amber, and rare gems are some of the natural materials found in their dramatic pieces (rings as big as your hand, necklaces that drape to the knee). They’ve collaborated with Donna Karan and Christian Lacroix, among others, and have freestanding shops in Paris and Geneva. It’s hard to believe they were showing me the more conservative pieces ("We save the really special pieces for Paris," whispered the saleswoman), but I swooned over this tangle of shiny ivory beads.

Across the way I saw Peter Jensen manning his own booth, so I went over to say hi. Though it was his men’s Spring ‘09 collection on display, he was kind enough to give me a sneak preview of the women’s line, debuting in September at London fashion week. The inspiration? Jodie Foster. "We looked mostly at ‘Hotel New Hampshire’," he said, "Jodie had a strong, masculine look there that I loved, but we also took elements from ‘Freaky Friday’ and ‘Silence of the Lambs’." I snapped this sweatshirt (note the "Jodie" and "JF" screenprints) because it encapsulates Jensen’s hilarious regard for American culture.

Copenhagen fashion week ended on a spirited note with Henrik Vibskov’s show. No one seemed to mind the almost two-hour delay, perhaps because it wasn’t the designer’s fault, but instead because he opened the show to the public, asking only that ticketless attendees play a trumpet song to gain admittance (if you didn’t have a trumpet you could pay 70 kroners). Once the melee at the door had settled and the lights dimmed, the show highlight was Vibskov—himself an avid percussionist—front and center with his drums, playing live to the show soundtrack. Though he’s mostly known as a clothing designer in the U.S., throughout Europe Vibskov is regarded as a multi-disciplinary performance artist. The strongest looks in the show featured his signature print work, shown on a baggy women’s pant and a colorful men’s wool sweater. The after-party began on location immediately following the show, but yours truly headed back to the hotel to begrudgingly prepare for the trip back to New York.

Photos: MoonSpoon, Vibskov: Courtesy of Copenhagen fashion week; Nostrom, Monies, Jensen: Romney Leader

Book your Brazilian at J Sisters and reserve your business-class seat soon; the fashion flock is about to get one more reason to head to São Paulo. The legendary Daslu boutique is opening a second flagship on May 29 in the Cidade Jardim mall, an upscale collection of stores in the city’s Morumbi neighborhood. The original Villa Daslu became famous for high-flying clientele arriving via helicopter, free-flowing Champagne, a women-only policy in most of the shop, and, of course, a flock of salesgirls culled from the city’s social classes. The new store will echo Villa Daslu’s design influences, with abundant natural light and neutral tones. The biggest news is that the iconic “Dasluettes”—attendants in French maid’s uniforms—will receive a fashion makeover, trading in their black uniforms and white aprons for a khaki and white color combo. The store tops out at nearly 20,000 square feet and will feature Daslu’s in-house brands along with major international names such as Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, and Valentino. Is Madison Avenue next?—Sameer Reddy

Photo: Courtesy of Daslu

Glamorous fantasy reigned at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering spring ball last night. “My daughter saw me and said, ‘Mommy, you look so beautiful. You look like a princess,’ ” said Muffie Potter Aston, the event chair. “I said, ‘Remember that story of Cinderella?’ She said yes. I said, ‘At midnight, these jewels disappear.’ ” She wore a necklace by Bulgari, the evening’s corporate sponsor, of cabochon rubies, sapphires, and emeralds with diamonds. Elsewhere, chat centered on what else but “SATC.” “I loved the ‘Sex and the City’ movie. It was really real. In the Vogue magazine shoot, there was André [Leon Talley] and there was Plum [Sykes]. They really strove for authenticity,” said Andrew Saffir. Tory Burch countered that the fashion industry “has never been depicted in the right way. It’d be interesting to take ‘24,’ and look at it from a fashion standpoint.” But who would play Jack?—Blythe Sheldon

Photo: NEIL RASMUS/PatrickMcMullan.com

The section of the fashion flock trying to place Julie Gilhart’s crisp and lovely white tiered gown should think back to January’s Earth Pledge fashion show, where an impressive list of designers, including Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, and Christopher Bailey, created one-of-a-kind looks from renewable, sustainable, and reusable materials. “It’s Giambattista Valli,” explained Gilhart, lifting her train to show it off. “It’s organic cotton, but you’d never know.” Gilhart’s boss at Barneys, Howard Socol, however, had another take on the slightly frothy dress. “When we run out of napkins, we can use Julie’s dress,” he cracked at dinner. Well, we suppose that’s one form of recycling.—Meenal Mistry

Photo: Hannah Thomson

“I needed a signature,” says Dres designer Andres Throckmorton Stickney, explaining the genesis of his perforated leather goods, which are available at Opening Ceremony. “You see a woven bag, you immediately think Bottega Veneta. I wanted to create that kind of instant identifier.” Guatemalan-born, Brooklyn-based Stickney actually got his fashion start making ethereal, ethnic-inspired ready-to-wear, and further expanded his design palette with stints at Ralph Lauren Purple Label and TSE. But as far as he’s concerned, perforated leather works with just about any aesthetic, because the growth sector of the fashion economy is in post-modern mix and match. “You go to cities in the developing world, and there’s a Chanel store in sight of an industrial plant, with a woman out front selling handmade stuff out of a basket. That’s the future,” he posits. “Plus, if you’re anywhere warm, you want a belt or a bag that breathes. So, you know, not only does perforation look cool, but it’s got a value-added.”—Maya Singer

Photo: Nicola Kast

Though summer is just getting underway (or so we hope), it’s the nature of the fashion business to look ahead a season. While I’m certainly not ready for a return to winter temperatures, I am looking forward to wearing something from Julia Jentzsch’s Fall ‘08 collection, preferably one of her cleverly seamed lean jersey skirts, salt-painted silk cocktail dresses, or her belted rain capes, all of which were loosely based on the life and work of by Lee Miller and forties work wear. “I’m inspired by subtle and abstract [things], rather than direct inspirations—and always a mix of several different references,” says the German-born designer, who’s done stints at YSL (under both Alber Elbaz and Tom Ford) and Calvin Klein. “I want to create new possibilities for clothing by merging future technologies with luxury fashion.”—Nancy MacDonell

Photo: Courtesy of Julia Jentzsch

“Sex and the City” overkill took a backseat last night at LACMA in Los Angeles, where Patricia Field participated in a Q&A session hosted by the museum’s Costume Council and Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore. Seated before a sold-out auditorium of fans, the Emmy Award winner elaborated on style secrets from the film and divulged details about her signature look. “I’ve never been into fashion,” she confessed, “but I’ve always been into old Hollywood.” That would explain the revelation of a teenage crush on Ava Gardner. And her comparison of Sarah Jessica Parker running to Fred Astaire dancing. Also revealed: Field’s favorite place for sourcing unexpected finds is an annual trade surplus show in Las Vegas, and she’s working on a collaboration with Brit retailer Marks & Spencer that will debut in October. We caught up with her after the talk and asked her if she’d always wanted to be a stylist. “Oh, I don’t know. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer, but I just wanted to be rich.” So who would play Fields in the biopic? Sip of vodka, followed by several seconds of silence. “Amy Sedaris!”—Linlee Allen

Photo: Jemal Countess/WireImage