You many have heard me say a time or two how much I adore Debbie Harry. Back in the day there was no one like her… in fact there is still no one like her. She was and is one part rock goddess, one part Marilyn Monroe and one part just pure genius. I still hope to be her when I grow up. So of course I already have my eyes on the soon to be gracing your favorite Nars counter Warhol collection which features the Debbie Harry palette among other amazing launches.
Why Andy Warhol? “Why not Andy Warhol?” Nars, founder and creative director of the brand that bears his name, told WWD. “I have always surrounded myself with Andy’s work and even paid tribute to him in my past collections — Edie Eyeshadow, Chelsea Girls Lip Lacquer, etcetera. This just seemed like the right time to do [a bigger effort]. Even more than 20 years after his death, Andy continues to be one of the most influential figures in both contemporary art and pop culture. Andy said, ‘If everybody’s not a beauty, then nobody is.’ This is the same sentiment I wanted to bring to life with Nars — a forward-thinking attitude toward beauty, and the encouragement to inspire self-expression, creativity and artistry in the women who wear it. It seemed like a natural fit to create a collection that Andy himself might have a hand in if he were alive today.”
“I first discovered Andy’s work from Andy Warhol books my parents had when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old,” said Nars. “I remember being so drawn to the colors — so bright and graphic. I loved the painting of Marilyn Monroe, his silk screens, the movies, the photographs and the Polaroids.
The overall Nars Andy Warhol Holiday Collection is split between two offerings – a Sephora exclusive is set to launch Oct. 1, and a separate offering for department and specialty stores, which set to launch Nov. 1.
Sephora’s collection is an homage to Warhol’s Pop Art, with vibrant and colorful shades. Debbie Harry Cheek and Eye Palette, $65 is inspired by Warhol’s 1980 paintings of the Blondie frontwoman. Kiss Mini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss Coffret, $55, features five new lip glosses housed in a soup-can container emblazoned with Warhol’s lip print. Walk on the Wild Side $39 includes a silver illuminator, a mini It nail polish and a mini Orgasm Larger Than Life lip gloss. Three new eye shadow palettes — Flowers 1, Flowers 2 and Flowers 3 are each $55.
The department and specialty store lineup captures the spirit of Warhol’s Silver Factory with the edgy black and white energy of the screen tests and the color of the silk screens. The $200 Silver Factory set includes the Silver Factory Multiple, a new shade; new Shadows Trios; Chelsea Girls Pure Matte Lipstick; Desire Blush; Via Veneto Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, along with a lovely large domed eye shadow brush and blush brush. The $75 Edie set, named for Edie Sedgwick, comes in a film canister printed with a shot from one of the startlets original screen tests with Warhol. Beautiful Darling, $49, is named for the well-known transvestite Candy Darling, one of Warhol’s most prominent muses and the star of many of his films.
The $35 Photo Booth set is a mini nail polish lineup featuring brand new shades. Three different eye shadow palettes — Self Portrait 1, Self Portrait 2, Self Portrait 3, each $55 — offer new shades and Warhol quotes selected by Nars on the compacts.
A 16-item holiday color cosmetics collection will be sold as well in both Sephora and specialty stores.
The initiative is the largest licensing effort done to date by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, said Michael Hermann, its director of licensing.
