While organizing my magazine collection (a part of my never-ending move, going on seven months now), I came across an issue of After Dark, an entertainment magazine with a heavily gay emphasis, from 1977 featuring a long interview with Pierre Laroche. If you don’t recognize his name, you would definitely recognize his work—Laroche worked alongside David Bowie to create the makeup for his most iconic looks, designing the faces of Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane.
As he discusses below, he was born in Algiers in 1946 and came to London in the late 60s to work as a makeup artist. He was hired by Elizabeth Arden, bringing with him heavily kohled eyes and bronzed skin of his native land. Too experimental for Arden, Laroche went freelance, painting models’ faces with his new glitter glam makeup look. Bowie called him, then Mick Jagger took him on tour from 1973 to 1975, and even Hall & Oates hired him for their fourth album cover—Pierre became the face designer du jour for rock’s gods. Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s lavishly darkened eyes and cherry red lips in The Rocky Horror Show? That’s Laroche. Seeking new beginnings he moved to New York around 1976 and appears have to been contracted with Harper’s Bazaar from late 1977 until mid-1982, with his makeup appearing in every issue—definitely “contributing to the American chic” that he so sought in this interview. Through the 1980s he worked for publications from Vogue Italia to Good Housekeeping, but unfortunately, he passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1991.
Alongside the interview are some very fabulous portraits featuring Laroche’s makeup on some very fabulous people: Amanda Lear, Elsa Peretti, Robert Palmer, Norma Kamali (who also appeared on the cover), and Linda Hutton (who appeared with Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth). LaRoche wears Kamali’s rather scandalous jumpsuit made of transparent parachute silk. Listen to my interview with Norma Kamali here.
Face to Face with Make-Up Artist Pierre Laroche
After Dark, June 1977
Text by Mark Zweigler
Photos by Jack Mitchell; photo of Laroche by Patrice Casanova
All make-up by Pierre Laroche
Women's hair by Deborah Tomassino of Cinandre
Because of your great talent my mirror grows. Because of your gift it holds me transfixed, so softly it grows. —David Bowie to Pierre Laroche
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Sighs & Whispers to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.