NARS x Pierre Hardy Collection For Summer 2013

PIERRE HARDY FOR NARS
AN ULTRA MODERN COUPLING OF CONCEPTUAL COLOR

In a bold new collection for NARS, designer Pierre Hardy brings his fresh color palette to the iconic beauty brand. Inspired by his Summer 2013 shoe collection, Hardy’s offering includes five color-forward nail polish pairings and two richly-hued blushes.

Nail polish duos come housed in a small shoebox with dust bag (a nod to Hardy’s own footwear packaging), while the high voltage blush palettes go graphic with shimmering gold overspray of the designer’s signature cubic print.

Designer Pierre Hardy is known for his modern, graphic aesthetic. An editorial and celebrity staple and cutting-edge leader in the shoe category, Hardy’s conceptual collections are acclaimed for their clean lines and structural volume.

In partnering with the Paris-based designer for the Pierre Hardy for NARS Collection, NARS continues to assert its fashion heritage with a bold, color-forward collection.

A Q&A WITH PIERRE HARDY

What drew you to NARS? Why NARS?

For me, I was very interested in collaborating with a brand that has a real identity. NARS is a brand with a real identity – a very specific sophistication and a very specific kind of woman. It is different from what I am doing in my own collection but in the same way I can see links and correspondents. Because it is a totally different range of products, another field of fashion, it was very exciting for me.

Perhaps this was totally unconscious, but if I would have created a cosmetic company, I would have dreamed it would be like NARS. The packaging is beautiful – the matte black, the colors, the density, the image of communications – everything was so current. It’s what I already love, so it was not even a question.

How does makeup fit in with what you do?

In my designs, I love to play and interact with the body. The shoe is very much about interacting with the body because you change the way you move, the way you stand, the way you feel. So it’s not only physical, it’s also emotional. It’s about perception. Makeup is the same. You make yourself up, and you feel different. That is very interesting for me.

In my work I’m using leathers and metals and wood – it’s very substantial. Makeup is the opposite of that; it’s very subtle. With makeup, you change the color, you change the shadow, you change the darkness or the lightness of something – and suddenly a face is transformed.

How does this collaboration tie into your own most recent collection?

I tried to draw out the idea of this collection to the ends of the fingers and to the cheeks and transform these colors from toes to hands to nails to face. We tried to make the colors as similar as possible to the leather of the collection.

NARS Pierre Hardy Summer 2013 Sharplines

NARS Pierre Hardy Summer 2013 Easy Walking

NARS Pierre Hardy Summer 2013 Boys Don't Cry

What was the inspiration for your own line’s current collection?

It was a lot about color composition, like making a painting. The image of the collection is totally abstract, just colors. It was good for translating into cosmetics because this palette could be applied to many things and treated in many textures. For me it was about simplicity. Something that appears clearly to you, that is not complicated.

For me, it’s more about colors and shades together, shapes together, contrasting or harmonizing. The biggest difference with makeup is you have to think about the face, and when I’m starting a shoe collection I’m thinking about the leg. Then I work with different types of feelings and silhouettes, colors and textures. I always try to make it clean and defined – to speak about legs and feet and then the rest of the body by consequence. But makeup is about the face and, ‘Which features should we emphasize?’ It’s all thinking about the body, and in fashion we address the body in different ways and with different means but I think the basic preoccupation is basically the same: choose what you want to emphasize and what tools you need to achieve it.

What is it that you like about the shade pairings of the nail polish duos?

To me it was about almost like playing a game, coming up with a little scenario for each pairing, like a mini story concentrated into colors.

With the navy and orange, it’s more like a sporty, dynamic relationship. It’s almost like a sport outfit; it could be a pair of trainers.

With the dusty pink and the coral, it’s a very feminine harmony, more like two shades of the same mood or moments of the same women.

The lavender and yellow – these colors are very weightless, like the happiness that you could find in Palm Spring or Miami in the 60’s. It is a very feminine moment, very fun and it’s also very new because it’s not the classic feminine colors; it’s a yellow and almost blue that is used in the provocative fashion of the 60’s that I love.

The burgundy and coral – for me this pairing is very sensual and also sophisticated – darker, more secretive.

The rose gold and camel – for me has a very cool, feminine and architectural feeling. The colors have this modern femininity and describes an attitude that matches the name.

With the gunmetal and black it is like a game where you can show a bit of your dark side. The pairing is slightly dangerous, slightly feminine and much like makeup where you are able to create a character.

The pink grapefruit is bright, feminine and daring.

The tiger lily to me has a Mediterranean feeling – warm, dry and tropical.

How important are a woman’s accessories – like nail polish, shoes, and jewelry – to her overall look?

What I love about fashion is that it’s a way to escape from the gravity of everyday preoccupation. That’s a good thing. Fashion – nail polish, shoes, makeup, jewelry – it’s all an escape and a way for your mind to play with your appearance. It’s essential. It’s a quest, in a way; in history the human being has been in search of perfection, of beauty, of new shapes.

What type of shoe should every woman have in her closet and what color nail polish should every woman own?

A lot! Variety is important – for a woman’s feet, and for her hands.

What do you think a women’s shoes closet says about her?

I think it’s like your different selves you have in boxes. Different characters you can play. A word that also comes to mind when talking about a women’s shoe collection is “appropriate.” Her shoe collection, like her makeup, must be appropriate. The wrong makeup on a person is horrible but the right makeup is beautiful.

You and François Nars are boutique neighbors in the West Village of New York City. What are your favorite places to visit when you are here?

I always try to see the galleries in Chelsea, where I have an apartment. They are fantastic, I love Paris, but after seeing the galleries in New York, the galleries [in Paris] do not compare.

The Whitney museum that would be my second home if I could. For me it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Everything: the floor, the ceiling, the windows, the lights, the entrance, I love everything.

Restaurants- for Japanese, Omen, I used to love Matsuri but it closed. My favorite, top of the top, is The Four Seasons. It is fantastic, like a movie; you feel transported when you eat there. The power of the place makes you feel like a different person and it transforms you. ABC Kitchen I also love.

One of my favorite things to do in New York is shop. It’s more interesting for men to shop here than in Paris. I buy almost everything in New York. A lot of the men’s shops are very interesting such as Margiela and Odin, also Matters and De Vera.

I love finding more casual clothes in New York too, like Save Khaki, or the Levi’s store. What I love about New York is the high-low thing. Even Patagonia and Paragon Sports – the very sporty stores – are great, and you can only find them in the US.

How does the city of Paris influence your work?

It’s like the air I’m breathing. Paris is very intimate and protective and human. In Paris, there is something that built us or something that builds the people differently. It’s something structural – of course you can learn and change and travel, but still there is something that balances you, a balance that you can control and appreciate.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Paris? What about a favorite neighborhood or area?

One that I love is Le Dauphin and Le Chateaubriand which are both nearby my showroom. At Le Dauphin the food is really inventive and the place is amazing, designed by Rem Koolhaas. The Chateaubriand is very famous and classic with a gastronomic menu that I love. For Japanese I love Kai, it is very good.