A cosmetics queen reveals what she really values
The effortlessly chic Violette Serrat talks make-up, Murakami and a maison d’art. She shares her favourite things for the A Muse column in our summer issue.
The Paris-born make-up artist and founder of a vegan beauty brand leans into ’70s style.
My style signature is . . .
A big, bold lip colour. I am obsessed with colour, probably because I started my career as an artist. I like to be chic, but lean more towards minimalism. Blazer and jeans is my uniform but I do like to have fun – I’ll often add sparkle with sequins.
The fashion label I love is . . .
The Row. I really am obsessed, like most fashion people. My grab-and-go staple is a blazer from The Row. Alexandra Golovanoff, who is a fashion designer and journalist – all my cashmere comes from her. And I buy a lot from Courrèges. It has a very elegant ’60s vibe, which I’m drawn to even though my own style is more ’70s.
“I’ll often add sparkle with sequins,” says Serrat, photographed in Sydney last month. Dominic Lorrimer
The watch I most often wear is . . .
My vintage Rolex. My stepfather bought it for me for my 30th birthday. It was my dream. It’s a men’s Rolex from 1976 and I was in love with it for a very long time. I’m scared to lose it or damage it, so I don’t travel with it. I should relax but it’s so precious, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it!
A great extravagance I once bought was . . .
In July, I bought a yellow Chanel 22 bag. I was travelling non-stop, I was working so hard; I really felt like I needed a gift. It was my first Chanel bag. I took my daughter who said, “Are we buying me a present?” I said: “No, today the present is for me.” It’s a gorgeous colour, it’s enormous and you can actually use it.
The fragrance I wear is . . .
Avec Amour by Violette_FR. It’s the first product I made; I wanted it to capture the essence of the brand. It has vetiver and bergamot. It’s warm but fresh.
If money was no object, the artist I would collect is . . .
Yves Klein. When you see Klein’s work in real life, it is astounding. He managed to balance darkness and brightness – it’s very tricky but he perfected it.
Serrat was photographed at Sydney Living Museums’ Vaucluse House. Dominic Lorrimer
What I always have on hand, for when friends pop by, is . . .
A good wine. I’m a burgundy girl.
My idea of a good time is . . .
Travelling with my kids – who are nine months and four – and my husband. The kids love to travel. We recently went to Mallorca and had the most relaxing time.
It’s important to teach kids how to travel – to be patient, to learn from other cultures . . . these are invaluable lessons. We are off to Greece soon.
But don’t expect me to . . .
Party. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I am open to everything.
My failsafe gift is . . .
A beautiful coffee table book – anything that inspires travel or filled with photography is a winner.
From left: Yves Klein, Untitled Anthropometry, (ANT 97), ca. 1960; a 1976 Rolex Datejust; Avec Amour fragrance by Violette_FR; Chanel 22 bag.
A film I saw recently and loved . . .
Painkiller. I love documentaries. With two kids and a business, I do find it hard to watch a feature film. I haven’t even seen Barbie, which I am very keen to watch.
Australians seem to love it, but French people are like, mmm. I will have to make up my own mind.
A book I read recently and would recommend is . . .
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I love Japanese literature; it’s so spare but loaded with symbolism. Each word transmits so much emotion.
An architect I admire is . . .
Ricardo Bofill, a Spanish architect who specialised in modern, mid-century architecture that also played on organic shapes. To me, his work is art. I love how he used very stark shapes and made them softer and more inhabitable.
My approach to interiors is . . .
Warm and zen with a few symbolic details filled with love, like framed artwork and photographs. I am minimalist when it comes to interiors, and heavy on organic materials.
My favourite art gallery-museum is . . .
Amelie, Maison d’art in Paris. It’s by appointment only. Amelie curates the room before you arrive, based on your preferences for art. I buy at least two pieces from her every year, so she does a good job. Amelie was in finance before she moved to the art world, and she is really something else. I’ve acquired mainly female artists until now, but I did recently buy a piece by a male artist.
My favourite hotel is . . .
The Aman in Tokyo. Sitting in my in-room onsen, looking out over the lights, is something I will never forget.
A place overseas that I’m impatient to get back to is . . .
Tokyo. I love that everything in Japanese culture is intentional, every gesture is imbued with symbolism. Japanese people have so much respect for tradition, but they also mix the old with the new. I did a tea ceremony once and it was like watching a choreographed dance. And the food; you cannot find a bad meal.
The summer issue of Fin Magazine is out on Saturday, October 14 inside AFR Weekend.
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