Kate Moss: Her Allure Photo Shoot
PHOTOS: Mario Testino (5), Dan Medhurst (3)
1/8Moss's much-photographed face has inspired works of art, including a portrait by Lucian Freud, a solid-gold statue in her image, and two holograms. Asked why she thinks she is such a powerful inspiration for artists, she replies modestly, "I must be a bit of a blank canvas." Pause. "Or something." In fact, her skills at interpreting the fantasies of art directors and fashion editors make her as much in demand today as she was 20 years ago. "At a shoot, I'm really aware of everything," she says. "When they do makeup, sometimes I can't see what they're doing, but I can feel it. I know what I look like, even when I can't see what they've done. I know how to compose myself." Fox-fur-and-velvet shrug by Dennis Basso.
2/8These days, it takes more than fire and ferocious dogs at a photo shoot to unsettle Moss, but in her early days of modeling, she admits she had some insecurities. "I didn't like my flat chest," she says. "I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to have a tit job.' Can you imagine?" Posing nude was also a challenge, she says. "I used to be so scared about 'Oh, I don't want to show my body.' Now that I've shown it, it doesn't bug me about my moles, or 'This isn't big enough' and 'That's not smooth enough.'" Today, very little seems off-limits for the free-spirited Moss—including the intimate details of her self-tanning habits. "I don't mind a bikini bottom. My husband likes lines on the bum—men like white bums, like a frame," she says. "Like a bull's-eye?" someone at the shoot asks. "Exactly," Moss replies. "I don't do it on the boobs, though—I try not to have a white boob." Fox-fur coat and velvet dress by Marc Jacobs. Velvet-and-Swarovski-crystal shoes by René Caovilla.
3/8Moss's usual beauty routine consists of "a bit of blusher—what you call bronzer—a bit of an eye, and an eyelash curler," she says. For the Allure cover shoot—Moss's ninth—makeup artist Tom Pecheux started with a black pencil on the upper lash line and brown pencil on the bottom, dusted on shimmery beige eye shadow, and added mascara. After blending matte bronzer onto Moss's cheeks, he applied peach blush, then filled in her lips with pink-y nude liner topped with clear balm.
Moss's look can be re-created with the following: Rimmel London ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Black, Rimmel London ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Brown, Rimmel London Glam'Eyes Quad Eye Shadow in Smokey Brun, Rimmel London Match Perfection Blush in Light, and Rimmel London Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Pencil in Rose Quartz. Spray tan by St. Tropez (for which Moss is a spokeswoman).
4/8Given the womanly refinement of her look today, it's hard to recall the archetype that Moss embodied in the grunge-rock era of the early '90s: the waif. After appearing nude in ads for Calvin Klein perfumes in 1993, she became a lightning rod for criticism of the "heroin chic" aesthetic. "It was horrible, especially the anorexic thing," Moss says. "The heroin, I was like, 'Oh, it's ridiculous. I know I don't do heroin. Just because I wear a bit of black eyeliner that's smudged....' But the anorexic thing was a lot more upsetting, to be held responsible for somebody's illness. I wasn't anorexic." Goat-hair jacket by Adrienne Landau. Silk georgette tank by Isabel Marant. Polyester-and-leather shorts by Rag & Bone. Hat by Eric Javits.
5/8People are forever trying to imitate the Kate Moss look—rarely successfully. To hear Moss describe it, her approach to fashion and beauty is simple. "I try and be a little bit chic," she says. "I wouldn't wear sweatpants. I wouldn't wear a twinset." And whatever she wears, she makes a point of making it her own. "With confidence, I think anyone can get a dress and make it their own. I don't think you should have it off the runway and wear it like they want you to wear it. You know, with their hair and makeup—their woman. I just think it's boring. You have to make it your own. That's what fashion is all about."
6/8Moss is famous for being fun, on the set and off. She married one rock star, Jamie Hince—the guitarist for the Kills—and dated another, Pete Doherty, as well as actor Johnny Depp. Now, some of her best times are spent at home with her ten-year-old daughter, Lila, who has watched The Devil Wears Prada ten times. "She's got a desk in her room with a phone.... She puts a little outfit on and picks up the phone: 'Hello, Miranda Priestly's office. Can you hold? Patrick Demarchelier on the line!'" Moss throws her head back and cackles. "I died when I heard her do it. So funny. She doesn't have a clue who it is, but it's word for word. She wants to be Anne Hathaway." Here, Moss dances for photographer Mario Testino, who has worked with the model for over 20 years and calls her his muse.
7/8"Even at her most glamorous, Kate has a natural ease," says hairstylist Sam McKnight. To convey a sexy, unfussy feeling, he raked a palmful of volumizing mousse from roots to ends and dried Moss's hair with a round brush, then pinned it into 12 sections. After the hair cooled, McKnight smoothed it with a Mason Pearson brush. He finished by misting a texturizing spray all over for shiny, undone bends. On her own, says Moss, "I use that Moroccanoil stuff, and then I blow-dry it upside down and brush it. Maybe I'll give it a back-comb at the top." And her one cardinal hair-care rule? "Always clean hair. That's a must. If in doubt, wash it."
8/8Never far from the gaze of a camera, Moss says she has learned to deal with fame, sometimes the hard way. "Never complain, never explain" is the advice her ex Johnny Depp once gave her, and she has put it to use through more than one scandal. She has the remarkable ability to bounce back, and remains one of the few models who can still command a magazine cover, now most often the territory of A-list actresses. "Everyone's a celebrity. But I'm kind of a celebrity now, so even though I'm not an actress, people know my name. I'm not just a face," Moss says matter-of-factly.
