Kate Moss for YSL

I recently came upon this rare commercial clip from 1994 – Kate Moss for YSL’s Opium fragrance, directed by the great Satoshi Saikusa. The extremely talented and demanding cinematographer – the late Jean-Yves Escoffier – checked every eyelash, every molecule of makeup. He drove me crazy…and made me a better makeup artist.

At this time Kate was just evolving from the teenage waif in denim she had come to be known as, into the world of couture. Even though she was not the typical YSL model, she crossed over and was even chosen by Helmut Newton for the campaign we shot around the same time (see below).

For Opium, made her up as the quintessential YSL woman: sophisticated, elegant and intriguing – ivory skin, dark velvet eyes and deep red lips. Her sad tears were really little drops of glycerin. Hey, it’s all make believe! She remains one of the most versatile models on the planet, and this clip is one of my all time favorites.

The video quality is not very good, and if any of you stumble upon a better version floating around out there in cyberspace, PLEASE share it with me…thanks! I know it was featured in the 2011 documentary Kate! The Making of an Icon.

Kate Moss – YSL Opium print ad

Kate in a YSL campaign. Photo: Helmut Newton

To see more of Kate Moss for YSL, visit the advertising page of my Helmut Newton archive:

Tags: advertising, GLAM, high fashion