ONE AND ONLY
It takes a lot to shave off Kristen McMenamy’s brows, but François Nars did it and made it a symbolic look for the model, catapulting the then-newbie to superstardom. The prolific and talented makeup artist is no stranger to creating iconic looks. He was instrumental in revamping Madonna’s star profile in the ’ 90s in his coffee-table photography collection, Sex; and he gave personality to supermodels we know by first names – Christy, Naomi, Cindy, Linda. Top it all off with an eponymous brand that he developed from a line of just 12 lipsticks to a global cult empire that is now owned by Shiseido. “On the runway, you sell a fantasy – it’s very theatrical. But when I create a line, I think about the women who are actually using them.” He often cites his mother as inspiration. “My mother was always very stylish,” Nars says of the YSL- clad, former model Claudette Nars. Inspired by the photography and designs of the legendary Serge Lutens, a teenaged François enrolled in the prestigious Carita Make- Up School. But it was really a move to New York stirred on by stylist and fashion editor, Polly Mellen, that ultimately saw him cemented as one of the industry’s heavyweights. “What interests me is character. I’ve always been attracted to faces with personality, strength, and a unique quality. That is beauty.” – François Nars