Nicole de Lamargé

Biography

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.

== Career == Nicole de Lamargé's modelling career began in 1958 after she was scouted by the Catherine Harlé agency. Other models of the agency later included Marianne Faithfull, Amanda Lear and Veruschka, the agency was also referenced in Les play boys by Jacques Dutronc. Catherine Harlé later said that Lamargé started her agency, being its first star model:

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, however she later became the unofficial face of Elle. She began working closely with her boyfriend and the magazines art director Peter Knapp across multiple publications (including The Sunday Times). She also found success in the United Kingdom working with, Norman Parkinson, David Bailey, Brian Duffy, John French, Guy Bourdin, and others. She was photographed by Jeanloup Sieff, Willy Rizzo, F. C. Gundlach, and featured in editorials for Queen, L'Officiel, Mademoiselle, Life, and more. She was featured in a Queen editorial alongside The Rolling Stones. Lamargé was 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'. Brigid Keenan called her a 'master of make-up' who could transform her face in dozens of ways. Whilst Grace Coddington called her a 'chameleon'. This was demonstrated in an infamous 1966 photoshoot by Peter Knapp, which featured de Lamargé before and after putting on makeup. 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. 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 success. Following her death she was featured in Goodbye Baby and Amen, a photobook by David Bailey celebrating the 1960s. Grace Coddington has said that during the 1960s de Lamargé was her idol. In 1977 Charles Castle said that she was one of the top four French models alongside Bettina, Simone D'Aillencourt and Praline (Praline died in a car accident in 1952). Her "blue wave" Elle cover by Brian Duffy was referenced in the 2023 book Night Train to Marrakech by Dinah Jefferies.

== Personal life == de Lamargé was the partner of Swiss fashion photographer Peter Knapp. She later married Jean-Pierre de Lucovitch.

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

== Filmography ==

=== Television ===