If you are a fan of Emmanuelle Alt, Vogue Paris, and IWTBAA, show your love with our brand new tees and mugs! The official IWTBAA tee is American Apparel 100% cotton and fits quite snugly, shrinking one size after cycling through the dryer, so be conscious of this when choosing the correct size. Available in girly style S, M, L, XL (US sizes, complete measurements are listed in inches) in white only. The official IWTBAA mug is white ceramic, measures 4" x 4", and was produced in China. Both the tee and the mug are printed in the US. If you are interested, visit the IWTB Shop for more details. As always, thanks for your support!

I Want To Be An Alt Tees and Mug images © 2012 Kellina de Boer. All Rights Reserved.

The Anniversary

It's hard to believe that today we are celebrating one year of I Want To Be An Alt... one full year of covering Emmanuelle Alt and her vision of Vogue Paris. My deepest thanks to all of you for reading along, but I must admit I am disappointed. In fact, Emmanuelle Alt's first December/January issue of Vogue Paris disappointed me to the verge of disgust. There, I've said it. Her magazine embodies her persona, which is certainly strong and distinct. But for me, it's flat on page after page. I buy my subscription to Vogue Paris partly for the calendar — no calendar this year. Yes, times are tough. But then also to take away our long awaited and anxiously expected guest editor? And in its stead impose her horrendously limited taste in music on us? Merde.

The Tuneoff

So in celebration of IWTBAA's anniversary, I am challenging Emmanuelle to a tuneoff, her 31 favorite songs versus mine... In making my selections, I used Emmanuelle's own criteria for favorite songs as she explained them in her editorial for the December/January issue of Vogue Paris: "Good vibrations. It speaks of love, of friendship, here or elsewhere, it evokes the night, the loneliness, the abysses or the excesses, a song is an emotion. If it affects us, it is in the moment and probably forever: that was my case with the electrifying tempos of Saturday Night Fever and Grease, released a few months apart. The summer flirtations, the hectic dance floors, the dreams with eyes open, the bodies close together, this all goes into remixing the soundtrack of our favorite songs."

Here are hers, here are mine, what are your thoughts?

The Contest

I want to be wrong about her. I want to be wrong so badly that I have decided to host a contest in honor of our anniversary, giving you an opportunity to convince me that I am wrong about her. If you love the style of Emmanuelle Alt as it pertains to fashion, music, magazines, life, now is your chance to voice your opinion. Write an essay about why you love EA and win a prize! The contest is limited to the first 100 respondents and ends on 1 March 2012; please note that the IWTB team is ineligible to play. All submissions become property of IWTB and may be published at my discretion. Now for the important information: the prize! The winner will receive a copy of the December/January issue of Vogue Paris (sans calendar/guest editor), a $10 iTunes gift card, and an IWTBAA tee.

Submit your essay here.

And don't forget to comment below with your personal favorite songs — what music reminds you of summer, flirtations, dreams, bodies close together? what makes you dance?

Emmanuelle Alt photographs courtesy of selfservicemagazine.com and Fashion Spot.

Emmanuelle Alt certainly chose an interesting stage for her retort to my recent request for a tuneoff — the video marking the launch of her new Vogue Paris web site for which she dances and jumps and moves her lips to the syncopated rhythms of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! She and other Vogue Paris staff members are joined by a few models for a fun 80s style video, dressed in faded denim jeans, high tops, and white tees with either the Vogue logo or the word "Go-Go" printed in black.

Emmanuelle Alt "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! film stills © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

I am utterly delighted to present the latest addition to the IWTBAA editorial team — please join me in welcoming Heather Dunhill, our new contributing editor! Heather will be sharing her passion for fashion with all of us, particularly her predilection for Emmanuelle Alt. And now... with no further ado... I will pass the microphone to Heather to tell us more about herself...

It only took covering my first New York Fashion Week for an affiliate of The New York Times in Sarasota, Florida, to confirm that I am a style addict and fashion spectator beyond other natural inclinations toward art, design, and modern architecture.

From there, I turned on full-creative throttle and went from that five column/week Social Editor stint to being solely style focused. I now write "Fashion IQ" for Sarasota Magazine as well as a style blog in partnership with the regional magazine. Jazzed to be among the contributing editors at IWTB, the blog leader for unusually clever insight on Alt, Roitfield, Battaglia, and Coppola. Between us, I've been secretly Internet stalking (for fashion anthropologic purposes only, of course!) the elusively chic creature that is Emmanuelle Alt in her natural habitat of fashion's finest circles… and, anxious to share....

Heather Dunhill photograph © 2012 Heather Dunhill. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt photograph courtesy of maydele.blogspot.com. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt and her husband, Franck Durand, are a darling couple, shown here with their beloved terrier, Pomme, declaring their love for Nicolas Ghesquière. Due to Fashion Week, they may not even be on the same continent at this time, but I hope the sweet pair finds a way to celebrate their love for one another regardless. Happy Valentine's Day to Emmanuelle, Franck, Pomme, and to IWTBAA lovers everywhere.

Emmanuelle Alt and Franck Durand photograph courtesy of Selfservicemagazine.com.

I must admit that I was a bit surprised when Emmanuelle Alt accepted my challenge to a tuneoff, and she certainly put up quite a fight with her Wham! video, but I think I have the deal breaker right here, folks… Carine Roitfeld has agreed to serve as my proxy for the next round, taking on Emmanuelle Alt in "Let's Get Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. It seems that the more seriously Emmanuelle takes the dance contest, the more Carine smiles…

Emmanuelle Alt and Carine Roitfeld in "Let's Get Physical" by Olivia Newton-John courtesy of jibjab.com.

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott photographed Natalia Vodianova for the cover of the March issue of Vogue Paris. The cover headlines promise "Extrêmement mode, Des podiums à la rue, Tendances, bijoux, beauté, artistes, accessoires..." or in English, "Extremely fashionable, From the podium to the street, Trends, jewelry, beauty, artists, accessories..." The March issue will be available on newsstands 24 February.

Vogue Paris cover image © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

I am excited to present a new feature on I Want To Be An Alt, a recurring column entitled "The Angle On Alt" in which we examine all the latest scoop on Emmanuelle Alt. In the first installment, Heather Dunhill rounds up the highlights of Emmanuelle's New York Fashion Week. Thanks for your thorough research, Heather, it is almost as if we are there, watching the shows with Emmanuelle Alt and her Vogue Paris posse...

The Angle On Alt: New York Fashion Week
By Heather Dunhill

As expected, Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt put a few extra miles on those heels of hers while she made her way from Hudson Street to Pier 57 then on to Lincoln Center to view the New York Fashion Week Fall 2012 collections. Just as we would want our girl to be, she was front row and center for all, spotted with friends like Virginie Mouzat at Rodarte; Capucine Safyurtlu at Theyskens' Theory; Vinoodh Matadin and Inez van Lamsweerde at Ralph Lauren; and seated next to Hollywood stars like Rooney Mara and Emma Stone at Calvin Klein.

Low on the drama scale but still enough to register on the radar screen of fellow guests and New York Magazine’s The Cut, it was reported that at the Altuzarra show, the punctual Emmanuelle was quickly and mysteriously stewarded from her front row seat to another section just before the show began. Shortly thereafter, Carine Roitfeld, former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief, and her daughter, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, popped in to take the two seats adjacent to EA’s initial seating. If you haven’t heard, to say their relationship has cooled is an understatement. Clearly there is a publicist somewhere in New York City with a round of apologies under her YSL belt by now.

On a much lighter note, The Daily overhead Emmanuelle quip at the Alexander Wang show: “No, I don’t make snow angels — I’m very afraid of the cold!” Hmm, random information that makes me curious about the conversation that quote fits into... and it certainly explains her love of warm outerwear!

Follow in Emmanuelle's fashionable steps and view a few of the shows she attended in New York:

Altuzarra

Donna Karan

Theyskens' Theory

Carolina Herrera

Rodarte

Alexander Wang

Diesel Black Gold

Calvin Klein Collection

Ralph Lauren

Emmanuelle Alt photographs © 2012 Andreas Joseph and courtesy of chicagostreetstyle.com and Fashion Spot.

I have translated Emmanuelle Alt's editorial for the February issue of Vogue Paris from French to English. Oddly, I was impressed with her description of Las Vegas, her way with words is growing on me.

Rendez-vous désormais très attendu de l'entrée de saison, le spécial collections de Vogue met le cap sur Las Vegas, ville des faux-semblants, du clinquant et des rêves fracassés. Sous le feu de millions de néons acidulés, l'œil trompeur des fantômes d'Elvis ou de Sinatra, dans un tourbillon où le jour et la nuit se confondent, les looks phares de l'été prochain entrent en scène. Meneuse de cette revue de style? Daria Werbowy, la top model aux yeux de chat et jambes lianes, assure le show à elle toute seule. Une odyssée extravagante qui ne devrait pas déplaire à Marc Jacobs, créateur à l'aura de rock star qui a transformé la maison Louis Vuitton en cathédrale de mode. Alors qu'il est à l'honneur, le mois prochain, d'une exposition à Paris, il évoque sa carrière, sa vie, son goût de l'art et ses rêves. Autre invité de marque de ce numéro, Douglas Kennedy. Champion du best-seller, l'écrivain américain expédie son héros à Vegas, dont il fait le cadre d'une nouvelle exclusive. Envoûté et révélé à lui-même par cette cité de l'excès où tout est «larger than life», il décidera d'y rester. Dans la vie comme au jeu, les voies du hasard sont impénétrables.

Rendez-vous now with the long awaited coming season, as the special collections of Vogue head for Las Vegas, the city of sham, tinsel, and shattered dreams. Under the fire of millions of neon tubes, the eye is fooled by the ghosts of Elvis or Sinatra, in a whirlwind where day and night merge, the looks of next summer appear on stage. The ringleader of this review of style? Daria Werbowy, the top model with cat's eyes and legs like vines, providing the show all by herself. An extravagant odyssey that should not displease Marc Jacobs, the designer with the aura of a rock star who transformed the house of Louis Vuitton into a fashion cathedral. As he is being honored next month, with an exhibition in Paris, he talks about his career, his life, his taste for art and dreams. Another distinguished guest in this issue, Douglas Kennedy. Champion of the bestseller, the American author sends his hero to Vegas, which is part of a new exclusive. Bewitched and revealed to himself in this city of excess where everything is "larger than life," he decides to stay. In life as in the game, the ways of chance are mysterious.

View the video of Daria Werbowy shot by Inez & Vinoodh and styled by Emmanuelle. 

Vogue Paris editorial image © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt photographs © 2012 Condé Nast and courtesy of nymag.com and  stylebistro.com. All Rights Reserved.

Congratulations to Kamila Brudzynska, the winner of the first official I Want To Be An Alt essay contest! Kamila will receive a copy of the December/January issue of Vogue Paris (fondly known as the music issue), a $10 iTunes gift card, and an IWTBAA tee. Thanks to everyone for their submissions; I hope you will join me in congratulating Kamila in the comments below.

The Style Of Emmanuelle Alt
By Kamila Brudzynska

Nowadays, Emmanuelle Alt is one of the most influential women in the world of fashion. She has been the editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris for one year but she has been present in the fashion business much longer. Why do I love her? Emmanuelle and Paris fashion are the crucial reasons I am going to study journalism with French. I know it is a little bit naive but one of my biggest dreams is to work in the fashion industry someday, maybe even with Emmanuelle. I would really like to know the secrets of her work and see all the processes of creating a new issue of the magazine. I know there are plenty of people who want the same thing but I also know that dreams can come true and I will fight for it.

Emmanuelle's style is so amazing for me. I am a huge fan of her way of chic and casual elegance. Her professional style and the private one are perfectly different. I fall in love with her stylizations in photo shoots at the first sight. I was really impressed. Since then I have been following all the news about her and her work. You really should see my happiness when I found your web site! I think it is great that when she styles, she chooses not only the clothes which she likes but also those which are or will be trendy. This is something that is similar between me and her. I pay attention both to outfits which suit me and to the ones in which others look good.

I like to call Emmanuelle "Kate Moss among editors." They both are independent to some extent, though we must not forget about their obligations to Condé Nast and contracts. Moreover, they are both themselves in their private lives. Kate wears whatever she wants and sooner or later it will become "must have" for every woman, Emmanuelle has a few rules and she does not break them (for example wearing neutral colors, her dislike for skirts). They are considered rebels in the world of fashion. What is more, only their families know their true personalities. Emmanuelle does not like showing her private life too much, she talks about her children and husband but in a very reserved and careful way.

I have to honestly admit that Carine Roitfeld was a better editor-in-chief. When Carine and Emmanuelle cooperated with each other they were the best team. Maybe this is the solution which Emmanuelle needs? Maybe she has not got the best "dream team" right now? I am not saying that people are working in the magazine in a bad way but maybe Emmanuelle is still working on establishing mutual understanding and when she finds it, she will be able to do her best with Vogue Paris. Carine was definitely a great editor, her stylizations always included something amazing and she wears incredible clothes, she is an icon. Nevertheless, for me it is not enough. In my opinion, Carine is so deeply devoted that it mirrors her. It seems that Emmanuelle has got a bigger distance. She is creating fashion for fashion, not for money, power, or scandals, she is just doing her job in a fabulous way. I am not saying that Carine was not a professional but she seems to have exaggerated with this what she did.

In conclusion, I think that Emmanuelle Alt is an amazing woman. Fashion is not boring for her and she still loves it and fashion loves her, too. She is never a fashion victim. One year cannot define her work as an editor-in-chief. She still can make big things in this business. I believe it is worth waiting for her Vogue Paris.

Emmanuelle Alt photograph © 2012 stockholm-streetstyle.com. All Rights Reserved.

Garance Doré produced a fabulous series of short films throughout Fashion Week and I was excited to see that one of her Paris segments features Emmanuelle Alt in "Pardon My French/Les Parisiennes." Among other fascinating subjects, Emmanuelle discusses the inspiration behind the cover image of her March issue of Vogue Paris. As an added bonus, Isabel Marant appears later in the segment.

Emmanuelle Alt film stills © 2012 Garance Doré. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt photographs © 2012 Condé Nast and courtesy of zimbio.com, nymag.com, grazia.it, afterdrk.freshnet.se, teampeterstigter.com, and marieclaire.com. All Rights Reserved.

Vogue Paris cover image © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt's husband, Franck Durand, served as art director for the short film advertising the Pierre Balmain Fall/Winter 2012-13 collection and it is everything you would expect from Balmain — sexy, chic, noir. Directed by Martial Schmeltz, the black and white film features models Melissa Stasiuk and Adrien Sahores in a flirtatious dance set to the tune of "Romy" by Bruno Alexius, originally composed in 1964 for a project by Henri-Georges Clouzot that he never completed. Clearly Monsiuer Durand shares his wife's affinity for strong, stark images.

Balmain film stills © 2012 Balmain. All Rights Reserved.

Below is the editorial written by Emmanuelle Alt to introduce the March issue of Vogue Paris and my translation of her words from French to English.

La mode, ses propositions radicales, ses décalages luxueux, ses coups de folie, ses états de grâce, sont le fil rouge de ce numéro. Comment l'interpréter ? Comment se l'approprier ? Du défilé à la réalité, la série photographiée par Inez & Vinoodh invite à suivre son instinct, à libérer son imagination. Du total look du créateur à sa variation soft, taillée juste pour soi, c'est après tout une affaire d'invention personnelle. Comme de passer la frontière entre le jour et la nuit, le naturel des matins clairs et le glamour sophistiqué du soir. Mais la mode 2012, c'est aussi des temps forts. Sur la top Natalia Vodianova, des pièces phares de créateurs remixent la vague nippone des années 90 et chorégraphient la silhouette de futur. Le futur, c'est qui inspire Sarah Burton, brillante designer qui, sans gommer l'héritage de son génial mentor, insuffle une magie renouvelée à la maison McQueen. Sa collection est la sensation de la saison. La mode flirte t-elle avec l'art ? Pour Cindy Sherman, artiste américaine majeure, les métamorphoses de l'apparence sont en tout cas un thème récurrent, obsédant. Alors que New York lui consacre une rétrospective, son vrai visage est dans Vogue ce mois-ci.

Fashion, its radical propositions, its luxurious shifts, its fits of madness, its state of grace, these are the common threads of this issue. How to interpret it? How to appropriate it? From runway to reality, the series was photographed by Inez & Vinoodh who were encouraged to follow their instincts, to free their imaginations. The total look of the designer has a soft variation, cut just for oneself, it is after all a matter of personal invention. Like crossing the border between day and night, the natural in the morning light and the sophisticated glamour in the evening. But fashion in 2012, it is also strong moments. On the top is Natalia Vodianova, the key pieces of the designers remix the Japanese wave of the 90s and choreograph the silhouette of the future. The future, this is what inspires Sarah Burton, the brilliant designer who, without erasing the legacy of her great mentor, instills a renewed magic at the house of McQueen. Her collection is the sensation of the season. Fashion flirts with art? For Cindy Sherman, a major American artist, the metamorphoses of the appearance are in any case a recurring theme, obsessive. Whereas New York organized a retrospective, her true face is in Vogue this month.

Vogue Paris editorial image © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

This aptly titled editorial by Emmanuelle Alt sparked my interest in the April 2012 issue of Vogue Paris, "Attitude" is the name of the game and Arizona Muse plays it well. She is all attitude in the shots by David Sims, clad in a sultry array of black leather, denim, and Lycra designed by Chanel, Mugler, Mark Fast, Norma Kamali, Dsquared2, Plein Sud, G-Star Raw, Balmain, Céline, and Erès, among others. I love Arizona's cocky expressions throughout, très drôle.

Vogue Paris editorial images © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Vogue Paris cover image © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

As of yesterday, Vogue Paris is officially publishing vogue.fr in an English version as well as the French; I do not see Emmanuelle Alt's editorial in English on the site so I am delighted to present my translation of her description of the April issue.

Une irrésistible envie de séduire, sans frein, sans tabou, préside à ce numéro. Des podiums à la page, de cuir au jean, de la couture au dailywear, on joue, on mixe, on twiste. Le show, c'est la vie comme elle vient. L'héroïne, c'est soi. Tulle, soie, gazar, taffetas, organza… mais aussi vinyle, métal argenté, sequins : qui a peur de la haute couture, ce rêve issu d'un savoir-faire valant son pesant d'or ? Pas Vogue. Dans les loges des Folies-Bergère, notre photographe Mario Sorrenti déride et lifte ses codes, nostalgie au placard. S'il est le Woody Allen de la profession, pour son esprit, son humour; l'Israélo-Américain Alber Elbaz n'en est pas moins le créateur qui marquera la récente décennie. Avec lui, chez Lanvin est née une nouvelle féminité. Happy birthday, dear Alber ! De la couture au cinéma, il n'y a qu'un écran : n'est-ce pas, dans les deux cas, la même machine à fabriquer des rêves ? Twixt, c'est le titre du dernier Coppola. ‹‹Un film directement puisé aux images de mon inconscient››, nous confie ce géant. Son entretien dans Vogue est exclusif. Tout comme ces photos par Bert Stern de Marilyn, icône platine, mythe glam inoxydable.

An irresistible desire to seduce, unbridled, no holds barred, presides over this issue. From the runway to the page, from leather to jeans, from couture to dailywear, we play, we mix, we twist. The show, this is life as it comes. The heroine, this is so. Tulle, silk, gazar, taffeta, organza ... but also vinyl, silverplate, sequins: who is afraid of haute couture, this dream from a knowledge worth its weight in gold? Not Vogue. In the boxes at the Folies-Bergère, our photographer Mario Sorrenti brightens and lifts its codes, nostalgic for the closet. He is the Woody Allen of the profession, for his wit, his humor; the Israeli-American designer Alber Elbaz is no less the designer to mark the recent decade. With him, the house of Lanvin originated a new femininity. Happy birthday, dear Alber! From couture to the cinema, there is a screen: is it not, in both cases, the same machine that makes dreams? Twixt is the title of the latest by Coppola. "A film drawn directly from the images of my unconscious, " says the giant. His interview in Vogue is exclusive. Just like these photos by Bert Stern of Marilyn, platinum icon, stainless steel glam myth.

Vogue Paris editorial image © 2012 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.