"...[François Nars'] book, a lavishly illustrated, oversized monograph, features portraits of the fashion elite in cosmetic overdrive, from socialite to porn star, from hairstylist to hat designer to Hollywood royalty. The model Shalom Harlow appears as Snow White showing her panties. Sylvia Miles, in a tuxedo, never looked better."

"François Nars sends off the century with style. In X-RAY, the French photographer gives us 240 pages of captivating faces--from socialites to supermodels to street punks--that capture the essence of of-the-moment cool and natural glamour. Nars first picked up a camera in 1997 when he couldn't find an affordable big-name photographer to shoot the campaign for his makeup line. Having spent 20 years hanging around sets with the world's best image makers, Nars realized he knew exactly what he wanted--and how to do it. "It was better than any photography school," he says of his experience while on a break from a German Vogue shoot. He immediately began work on a book of portraits of people from around the world whose looks he loved, shooting everyone from Vincent Gallo to Blaine Trump (Donald and Ivanka, too). His clean, bright style magnifies his subjects' sensuality, while his makeup artistry--from a dab of lip gloss to full fledged fantasy--showcases his vision, even if, he says with a laugh, it doubles the amount of work for each portrait.

"I think all the beautiful people in the book look beautiful in their own way," he says. "There's a softness around them. I tried to capture what's intense and honest about them"--as well as what's playful. Shalom Harlow, dressed as Snow White, flashes her bottom. Kate Moss looks pure and hopeful as an Oz-bound Dorothy. And Bijou Phillips--just up from a nap--wiggles her elf ears. Asked how he was able to get such cheeky shots, Nars explains, "It wasn't like work for these girls. It was more like a Halloween party."

"This collection of portraits is not about fashion, though fashion is present. The world of the stylish is disappearing, diluted from wine to water by the media. This book is my attempt to distill that elite at the turn of the third millennium. I had the privilege to photograph many of my icons who filled my dreams as a boy. But style is not simply the purview of the privileged. I also had the pleasure of capturing on film people who aren't famous, have no designer clothes, and would never be seen at an awards show. Rich or poor, well known or unknown, of all different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, each of my subjects has a style and personality that I felt deserved to be recognized.

In these "X-Rays" I tried to expose each person's individuality in one true moment."

François Nars is creative director and president of NARS cosmetics, with over one hundred boutiques worldwide. His work is featured on the runways of designers like Versace, Valentino, Dolce + Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and Karl Lagerfeld, and on the covers of prestigious magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Italian Vogue, W, ELLE, and Allure. He has collaborated with such legendary photographers as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, and Patrick Demarchelier. Born in France, Nars lives and works in New York City.

INCLUDING PORTRAITS OF:
Jarl Allard, Joey Arias, Ellen Barkin, Nicolas Barruyer, Susanne Bartsch, Jibby Beane, Tamara Beckwith, Clara Aker Benjamin, Kelly Bensimon, Marisa Berenson, Helmut Berger, Vibeke Knudsen Bergeron, Sandra Bernhard, Manolo Blahnik, Judy Blame, Betsy Bloomingdale, Michael Boad, Ingrid Boulting, Nicola Bowery, Hamish Bowles, Tim Burton, David Cabaret, Cameron, Naomi Campbell, Oribe Canales, Tom Cashin, Betty Catroux, Carlyne Cerf, HRH Marie Chantal of Greece, China Chow, Francesco Clemente, Nigel Coates, Lysa Cooper, Cindy Crawford Quentin Crisp, David Croland, Morgan Curtis, Sophie Dahl, Joe Dallessandro, Rebecca Danenberg, Cecilia Dean, Garren Defazio, Bree Delano, Catherine Deneuve, The Divine David, Meghan Douglas, Anh Duong, Edgar, Csaba Egri, Karen Elson, Linda Evangelista, Lucie de la Falaise, Daniel de la Falaise, Jason Fidele, Brad Fitts, Bridget Fonda, Frauke, Ines de la Fressange, Vincent Gallo, Sciascia Gambaccini, Sharon Gault, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Boy George, Taiana Giefer, Trish Goff, Karen Park Goude, Denyce Grave, Bettina Graziani, Juliette Greco, Pascal Gregory, Georgina Grenville, Emma Griffiths, Dayle Haddon, Patti Hansen, Bethann Hardison, Matthew Hardren, Shalom Harlow, Marie Helvin, Rhea Henderson, Jacky Henu, Carolina Herrera Jr., Lauryn Hill, Jane Holzer, Yvette Horner, Kirsty Hume, Anjelica Huston, Lauren Hutton, James Iha, Iman, Marc Jacobs, Jade Jagger, Varla Jean Merman, Cedric Jimenez, Beverly Johnson, Jay Johnson, Grace Jones, Justin, Daryl K, Yas Kaneko, Nan Kempner, Kenzo, Kiara, Brent King, Eartha Kitt, Kelly Klein, Julia Koch, Countess Koulinksky, Susie Kruger, Nina Kulmala, Kurt, Sophia Lamar, Amy Lamé, Salim Langatta, Larissa, Amanda Lear, John Leguizamo, Juliette Lewis, Gunilla Lindblad, Ryan Locke, Cynthia Lomes, Michael Loomis, Isaac Lubow, Stephanie Lum, Lypsinka, Marcel, Penny Marshall, Jeremy Martin, Hope Masheikhof, Kiara Mastroianni, Johnny Mastrosimone, Maxwell, Mary McFadden, Stacey McKenzie, Kristen McMenamy, Alexander McQueen, Polly Mellen, Sylvia Miles, Kylie Minogue, Thorsten Molsgaard, Susan Moncur, Anthony Monnerot, Tanga Moreau, Alanis Morissette, Paul Morrissey, Kate Moss, Mr. Pearl, Carolyn Murphy, Claudette Nars, Dave Navarro, Chandra North, Erin O'Connor, Rifat Ozbek, Iris Palmer Duchesse d'Orleans, Alexandre de Paris, Anita Pallenberg, Anna Pawlowski, Kembra Pfahler, Bijou Phillips, Anna Piaggi, Paloma Picasso, Pinkietessa, Lisa Marie Presley, Andrée Putman, Jacqueline de Ribes, Jaime Rishar, Carine Roitfeld, Isabella Rossellini, RuPaul, Marcel Salina, Philip Sallon, Fernando Sanchez, Daniel Sand, Susan Sarandon, Marcus Schenkenberg, Marina Schiano, Annabella Sciorra, Jeremy Scott, Nick Scotti, Chloe Sevigny, Stephanie Seymour, Debra Shaw, Lisa Marie Smith, Michael Sodini, Speedy, Lisa Stansfield, Steady, Lady Jacqueline Stockdale, Steve Strange, Ray Strauz, Jeff Stryker, Anna Sui, Sunniva, Stella Tenant, Eric Thal, Teri Toye, Philip Treacy, Penelope Tree, Ivanka Trump, Blaine Trump, Donald Trump, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Sylvie Vartan, Donatella Versace, Verushka, Vesna, Raphael Vidal, Tatiana Von Furstenberg, Diane Von Furstenberg, Alexandra Von Furstenberg, Natasha Wagner, Edwige Walls, Marc Wedgewood, Rebecca Weinberg, Isabelle Weingarten, Alek Wek, Amy Wesson, Joel West, Jocelyne Wildenstein, Dain Wilkerson, Kim Williams, and Patti Wilson

TRADE EDITION
Hardcover, 11 x 15 inches, 256 pages, 3 double gatefolds, 241 four-color photographs
ISBN 1-57687-035-9
Please contact us for price and availability.

COLLECTOR'S LIMITED EDITION
Signed and numbered slipcased hardcover
ISBN 1-57687-036-7
$215.00