Feminine, lyrical and nostalgic. NARS’ most ethereal makeup collection to date is a product of a collaboration with French photographer Sarah Moon. Li Ying Lim speaks to both of them about the extraordinary process.
Feminine, lyrical and nostalgic. NARS’ most ethereal makeup collection to date is a product of a collaboration with French photographer Sarah Moon. Li Ying Lim speaks to both of them about the extraordinary process.
In the ’70s, I was really obsessed with photography, fashion and makeup,” François Nars recalls. “Sarah [Moon] used to shoot those campaigns for Chanel and Carita. Those were some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. They were like paintings.” The beauty maestro cultivated a discerning eye for fashion at a very young age, as he started sketching the faces of models captured by renowned photographers such as Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and of course, Sarah Moon.
Having brought many of his inspirations—such as Bourdin, Steven Klein and Andy Warhol—to various collaborative collections over the years, Nars decided to turn to Moon this year. “We contacted her to see if she was interested. We thought maybe she was going to say no,” says Nars. But it all came together with a little help from stylist and friend Patti Wilson. “Patti has been very good friends with Sarah for many years. Of course, that helped, and Sarah already loved NARS makeup. We were lucky [because] it was easy to have her say yes.”
Born Marielle Warin, Moon took on her current pseudonym in the ’60s when she went from model to photographer. Her wide-ranging fashion portfolio includes Biba, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Chanel. “Every picture is like a painting or colouring, so whatever she photographs becomes a piece of art,” explains Nars. “When you have artists like that, then their art stays forever.”
Initially, the plan was to delve into Moon’s archives as he had done with his collections with Klein and Bourdin. “But she said, ‘I don’t want to give you old pictures. I’d rather shoot something for you.’” Nars and Moon got straight to work, conceptualising the colours and photographs for the collection at the same time. The colours are, first and foremost, a dazzling work of Romanticism, dreamy shades and painterly hues, much like Moon’s personal masterpieces. “We were on the same wavelength and there was so much trust. I knew her vision of beauty so well from so many years [of being a fan]. She loved those dusty colours—greys and blacks, and dirty colours that you can’t tell the colour of, really. And this love for strong reds,” describes Nars of the process.
Nars elaborates further, “It was the easiest collaboration I have ever done. For somebody like Sarah, it was a dream, because she just followed her own [discourse] and did it. It was amazing for us to see what she would come up with because when you get an artist like that you want to see the purest [art form from her].” The affection and respect were definitely mutual. “It was kind of a coincidence that some things that I liked, he did. The foundation, the transparency, the frailty and strength really came through,” Moon affirms.
The campaign for the Sarah Moon for NARS collection took three to four days to shoot in Studio Rouchon, Paris. Nars divulges that Moon is fond of forming a special connection with her models before every shoot. “Codie [Young] was chosen by Sarah because she had worked with her many times and she loved Codie’s body language and the softness of her body. She had no bones, almost— like a rubber doll. It’s very strange,” Nars continues. “Many people often say my work is romantic, but this is really about finding this woman that is delicate yet strong, and always very modern,” Moon elaborates. “I never know what I’m looking for, but I recognise it when I see it. I know that I’m looking for something authentic. Inside those frames, what I’m looking for is grace.”
