This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.Samira Nasr’s May Editor’s Letter: Introducing the Beauty Issue

Samira NasrThu, April 23, 2026 at 9:23 PM UTC

0

Samira Nasr’s May Editor’s Letter: On BeautyChaumont-Zaerpour

"Hearst Magazines and AOL may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

I moved to New York in 1994, which coincided almost precisely with Chloë Sevigny’s emergence and subsequent dominance of all that was cool and downtown. I shopped at X-girl, the cult skate brand founded by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and stylist Daisy von Furth, and Sevigny modeled in their now-legendary guerrilla runway show in SoHo that year, put on by Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze. She has this singular ability to make an article of clothing instantly covetable. It’s not something you can teach; it just is.

Setting aside her inimitable style, Sevigny is deeply committed as an actor to making films that fit in with her artistic values; she takes risks and supports new independent filmmakers. These are qualities that align with what we’re all about at Harper’s Bazaar, and so I am so thrilled to celebrate Sevigny with this cover, shot in Paris by Chaumont-Zaerpour and styled by Robbie Spencer. “I think that I have carved out something because of what I’ve stood for to people,” she tells our deputy culture director, Laia Garcia-Furtado, in the accompanying cover story. “I have a loyalty to my fans and what they’re expecting or want of me.”

Dress, Chloé. Tights, Calzedonia.Chaumont-Zaerpour

May marks our annual Beauty issue, and I find the way Sevigny represents beauty, as well as her perspective on it, refreshing. “If you were always touted as ‘the most beautiful woman in the world,’ it must be just really, really challenging,” Sevigny says. “I don’t have that. I’ve never felt that.” Beauty that exists outside of convention, or what is expected, is always closer to the truth.

It’s a sentiment that rings true for the painter Lisa Yuskavage, who walked Garcia-Furtado through her studio as she prepared for her upcoming show at David Zwirner gallery. Her fleshy, exaggerated, and color-bathed portraits of women’s bodies have invited high praise and harsh criticism. “I think honesty is beautiful,” she says in our Voices section. “I think art is really at its most graceful and beautiful when you give viewers the feeling that they’re not alone in this world.”

Advertisement

Our Beauty issue also means it’s time for our annual Skincare Awards. As someone who is skincare obsessed, I always look forward to seeing what our beauty team—helmed by beauty director Jenna Rosenstein—selected as the best of the best after months of rigorous testing. I’ll always spend my last dollars on deli flowers and a pot of face cream.

Matthieu Blazy in his own clothesJeremy Everett

Elsewhere in the issue, our fashion news director, Brooke Bobb, profiles Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy. In just four collections, he has breathed new life into the house and fashion overall. His Métiers d’art collection, which was set in the New York subway and is the focus of this story, simply blew everyone away. As a New Yorker, I got the feeling he was holding up a mirror to something we don’t see or pay enough attention to: the stories and style of those around us, all of us connected and crossing paths.

“No one needs a new bag or a new jacket,” Blazy tells Bobb. “Chanel has to be a dream.” Certainly, he has invited us to dream with him, to see things differently.

I’ve started to pay more attention to the people I pass on my subway commute: how they express themselves, the details that bring them and, in turn, me joy—like an older woman with her hair in two braids and a little crochet hat. I hope this issue invites you to find beauty in your everyday.

You Might Also Like

Grace Jones’s Career in Photos

Michelle Pfeiffer’s Style Evolution Through the Years

Goldie Hawn’s Style Evolution Through the Years

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”