Nicole de Lamargé

Nicole Salvaige de Lamargé (1938 – April 1969) was a French top model. She was one of the most famous French models of the 1960s and was featured on the covers of major French fashion magazines Vogue Paris, Elle, and L'Officiel.

Before her death in 1969 the Manchester Evening News, regarded her as one of the most well-known faces in France, behind only Brigitte Bardot and Charles de Gaulle.[1]

Career

Nicole de Lamargé's modelling career began in 1958 after she was scouted by the Catherine Harlé agency.[2] Other models of the agency later included Marianne Faithfull, Amanda Lear and Veruschka,[2] the agency was also referenced in Les play boys by Jacques Dutronc.[3]

Catherine Harlé later said that Lamargé basically started her agency, being its first star model:[4][5]

French: Le véritable départ se fit quand, par bonheur, j'ai rencontré une jeune Française de toutes les qualités et de quelques défauts qui nous sont propres : Nicole de Lamargé [The true start happened when, by chance, I met a young French woman gifted with all the qualities and some of the faults that are specific to us : Nicole de Lamargé]

Lamargés first photoshoots were for Jardin des Modes and French Vogue,[6] however she later became the unofficial face of Elle.[5] She began closely with her boyfriend and the Elle magazines art director Peter Knapp across multiple publications (including The Sunday Times).[7][8] She also found success in the United Kingdom working with, Norman Parkinson,[5] David Bailey,[5] Brian Duffy,[2] John French, Guy Bourdin,[2] and more.[9] She was also photographed by Jeanloup Sieff,[10] Willy Rizzo,[11] F. C. Gundlach,[12] and been featured in editorials for Queen,[2] L'Officiel, Mademoiselle,[13] Life, and more. She was featured in a Queen editorial alongside The Rolling Stones.[14]

Lamargé was also known for her ability to transform herself saying to Penny Graham in 1969 'I keep changing my look … you see, I get very bored with my face I don't even think about the change any more. It's just instinct'.[1] Brigid Keenan called her a 'master of make-up' who could transform her face in dozens of ways.[8] Whilst Grace Coddington called her a 'chamelon'.[15] This was demonstrated in an infamous 1966 photoshoot by Peter Knapp which featured de Lamargé before and after putting on makeup.[16]

Following the divorce of Paulene Stone and photographer Antony Norris in December 1965, Stone accused de Lamargé of being "the other woman" and reason for the divorce.[17][18]

After she was featured on the cover of Elle in 1966 wearing pink crepe blouse by Cacharel, over 10,000 copies of the blouse were sold launching Cacharel into fame.[2]

Following her death she was featured in Goodbye Baby and Amen, a photobook by David Bailey celebrating the 1960s.[5]

Grace Coddington has said that during the 1960s de Lamargé was her idol.[15] In 1977 Charles Castle said that she was one of the top four French models alongside Bettina, Simone D'Aillencourt and Praline (Praline also died in a car accident in 1952).[6][19] Her "blue wave" Elle cover by Brian Duffy was referenced in the 2023 book Night Train to Marrakech by Dinah Jefferies.[20]

Death

de Lamargé died at age 31 in April 1969 in a car accident in Morocco.[2] At the time she was on holiday with her second husband Jean-Pierre de Lucovitch.

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1968 Dim Dam Dom Herself (host) 24 August episode [21]
2023 Rembob'Ina Herself Archival footage

References

  1. ^ a b Graham, Penny (7 February 1969). "Five Star Model". Manchester Evening News. p. 9. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Oli (2017-06-06). "Queen Magazine - Nicole de Lamargé - 1965". The Duffy Archive. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  3. ^ Lustig, Jessica (2013-08-22). "Legacy | A History of Picture-Perfect Icons at DNA". T Magazine. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  4. ^ Fabrice Gaignault, Les égéries sixties, Fayard, Paris, 2006 ISBN 978-2213620541
  5. ^ a b c d e "Fabulous Portrait Photos of Nicole de Lamargé in the 1960s". Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  6. ^ a b Castle, Charles (1977). Model Girl. Chartwell Books. pp. 73–77. ISBN 978-0890091296.
  7. ^ Moroz, Sarah (2018-03-09). "The Photographer Who Revolutionized French Elle". The Cut. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  8. ^ a b Keenan, Brigid (2017). Full Marks for Trying: An unlikely journey from the Raj to the rag trade. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 153–154. ISBN 978-1-4088-5227-9.
  9. ^ "Circle patterned projection on Nicole de la Marge, photo John French. London, UK, 1960s | V&A Images". V & A Images. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  10. ^ "Jeanloup Sieff, Nicole de Lamargé, Vienna, Austria, 1961". Ira Stehmann. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  11. ^ "Guy Bourdin, Nicole de Lamargé by Willy Rizzo". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  12. ^ "Nicole De La Marge – Pagina 3". © Pleasurephoto (in Italian). 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  13. ^ "Mademoiselle February 1962". lamodeannees60.70.free.fr. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  14. ^ "ROLLING STONES by NORMAN PARKINSON Nicole de la Marge MARY QUANT Queen". ELEGANTLY PAPERED Vintage Fashion Magazines. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  15. ^ a b Coddington, Grace (2012). Grace: A Memoir. Penguin Random House. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-0812993356.
  16. ^ "La Fotostiftung passe son temps avec Peter Knapp". Bilan (in French). 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  17. ^ "Model Paulene Names Model Nicole". Evening Standard. 21 December 1965. p. 16.
  18. ^ "Photographer's wife names another model". Daily Mirror. 22 December 1965. p. 6.
  19. ^ "LA MORT DE PRALINE MANNEQUIN DE PARIS" (in French). 1952-06-26. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  20. ^ Jefferies, Dinah (2023). Night Train to Marrakech. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0008427085.
  21. ^ Leçon de maquillage | INA (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-24 – via www.ina.fr.
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