SHARE THIS
THE VIOLET FILES
FILED UNDER
SHE'S SO VIOLET
The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear.
Written By Evelyn Crowley
Photography By Ben Hassett
Makeup By Violette
Hair By Tomi Kono
Nails By Alicia Torello
Styled By Elizabeth Sulcer
CHANEL IMAN: The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit
The Scarlet Lip
inspired by Bianca Jagger
BEAUTY CREDITS

FASHION CREDITS
  • STYLING BY ELIZABETH SULCER
  • ERIC JAVITZ PILLBOX HAT WITH RUSSIAN VEIL NETTING
CHANEL IMAN: The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

— Chanel Iman, Model / Photography by Ben Hassett

The Modern Winged Eye
inspired by Linda Evangelista
BEAUTY CREDITS

FASHION CREDITS
  • STYLING BY ELIZABETH SULCER
  • HEATHER HUEY BLACK HAT WITH FRENCH VELVET DOT VEIL
A name like Chanel Iman isn’t suited for everyone. (Actuaries, headmistresses, and Supreme Court justices spring to mind). But in this instance, the name and the model who answers to it are the perfect match. Charming, beautiful and always ready with a smile, the 23-year-old model captured the fashion world’s imagination eight years ago, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down, or even pausing to catch her breath.
Born Chanel Iman Robinson, the Los Angeles native always dreamed of being a model. At an age when most children still don’t know how to tie their shoes, she was practicing her runway saunter and devising outfits that would stand out among her classmates. “I wanted to have the best look,” she says. “And, little fashionista that I was, I usually did.”
 
By 15, she’d blossomed into a bona fide head-turner with a beauty that evoked both lissome grace and fresh-scrubbed wholesomeness. A third place win that year in the 2006 Ford Supermodel contest catapulted her into the spotlight and — virtually overnight — she found herself among the most sought after faces in the industry, with campaigns for Bottega Veneta, Ralph Lauren and Victoria’s Secret (who anointed her an Angel in 2010). “I missed my prom to go to the Met Ball,” she recalls of those heady ingénue years. “But it was worth it.”

Today, Chanel is as busy as ever. When not on a fashion shoot (yes, that’s her dancing the tango with A$AP Rocky in the September Vogue), she’s started exploring the realm of dramatic arts. “I definitely want to do some film and television,” she explains, with her signature self-assurance. “That’s my next journey — to be a great actress.”

For her VIOLET GREY photo shoot, Chanel put her acting skills to good use, channeling style icons Bianca Jagger, Josephine Baker, and Linda Evangelista in a character study of lost glamour.

Below VIOLET GREY flips the script with a character study (of sorts) of the model herself.

Character
Study

Here, a few surprising facts about Chanel Iman that VIOLET GREY picked up during an intimate chat with the model. 
CHANEL IMAN: The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit
The Scarlet Lip
inspired by Bianca Jagger 
BEAUTY CREDITS 

FASHION CREDITS
  • STYLING BY ELIZABETH SULCER
  • LEVIEV OVAL-SHAPED DIAMOND RING
SHE’S LEARNED TO SAY “NO” 
“When I first started [modeling] I was very young. I was like this little doll that everyone just played with. So I could look really good or really horrible depending on who got their hands on me. But as you grow as a model, you figure out what works for you and you learn to say, ‘Ok, you can’t do this, you have to DO this.’ People can think you’re being a diva but you’re not. I used to go to bed crying because I knew I could look better than how they were making me look. So I had to learn how to stand up for myself in that way.”

SHE'S AN UNAPOLOGETIC FLIRT
“I flirt all the time without even realizing it. I have to watch myself. I’ll flirt at work. I’ll flirt on vacation, at a restaurant. It doesn’t matter. As long as I feel a connection with somebody, I’m down for a flirt. Of course, it’s all innocent and it doesn’t lead to anything. But what’s life without flirting?”
CHANEL IMAN: The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit
The Powder Blue Eye
inspired by Josephine Baker
BEAUTY CREDITS

FASHION CREDITS
  • STYLING BY ELIZABETH SULCER
  • I.D. SARRIERI BLACK LACE CORSET AND PANTY
  • CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN HEELS
SHE’S LOW-MAINTENANCE
“When I know I have a huge shoot, I’ll just go into the sauna and steam out my face. Product-wise, I don’t really do much because I sometimes think products make me break out . I just use normal soap and water and moisturizer. My brows are really important to me but I’ve never plucked or waxed them. I’ll just fill them in with Anastasia brow kit.” 

SHE HAS A GENEROUS SPIRIT
“After I started modeling I was able to help my mom out and buy her a car. That’s when I realized, Ok, I’ve made it.”

SHE KNOWS THE BEST IS YET TO COME
“I’m 23 right now and I feel like I’m still trying to figure it out. Maybe in another two years I’ll have it all together. So maybe 25 is the age at which a woman feels her most beautiful just because she’s survived her teenage years and early twenties.”

I missed my prom to go to the MET Ball...but it was worth it.

— CHANEL IMAN, MODEL 

CHANEL IMAN: The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit
CHANEL IMAN: The model channels three iconic beauties from yesteryear | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit
The Powder Blue Eye
inspired by Josephine Baker
BEAUTY CREDITS

FASHION CREDITS
  • MAO PR BLACK SILK CORSET 
  • HEATHER  HUEY BLACK HAT WITH FRENCH VELVET DOT VEIL

The Artist
& Her SET  
ESSENTIALS

French makeup artist Violette divulges the tips and tricks she employed using four indispensable products from her shoot with Chanel Iman.   
THE ARTIST & HER SET ESSENTIALS: Makeup artist Violette transforms Chanel Iman | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

— VIOLETTE, Makeup Artist, PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN HASSETT

Tom Ford - Shade & Illuminate Intensity Two
Shop Now

1

/

4

 THE MULTI-PURPOSE HIGHLIGHTER
“To make a winged eyeliner look more defined and beautiful I do not use any eyeshadow but add a hint of cream highlighter from this contouring palette to the inner corners of the eyes, the brow bones and along the cheekbones.”

—VIOLETTE, MAKEUP ARTIST

Tom Ford
Shade & Illuminate
Intensity Two
Shop Now
Dior - Diorshow Waterproof Mascara Catwalk Black
Shop Now

2

/

4

THE BOLD EYE BALANCER
“When I create an eyeliner look that is very strong I like to keep the top lashes natural and apply lots of mascara to the bottom lashes.”

—VIOLETTE, MAKEUP ARTIST

Dior
Diorshow Waterproof Mascara
Catwalk Black
Shop Now
Bobbi Brown - Blush Nude Pink
Shop Now

3

/

4

THE DARK LIP COMPANION 
“To balance a dark lip, I chose this blush because it doesn't have shimmer and allows the skin to look fresh and pretty.”

— VIOLETTE, MAKEUP ARTIST

Bobbi Brown
Blush
Nude Pink
Shop Now
Dior - Diorshow Brow Styler Universal Brown
Shop Now

4

/

4

THE BROW DEFINER
“The Dior brow pencil has a very pointy, sharp tip that allows you to really draw in little lines to mimic brow hairs. Always brush the hairs upwards first, fill in the sparse areas with the pencil, then brush the hairs back into place.”

— VIOLETTE, MAkeup artist

Dior
Diorshow Brow Styler
Universal Brown
Shop Now
FILED UNDER: GIFTS
Fleur
Du Mal
X Violet Grey
#GIVEVIOLET
For underpinnings that will match her pout.
Fleur Du Mal X Violet Grey Peony Bombshell
View More
Fleur du Mal - The Peony Bombshell

IN POLITE
SOCIETY

“ ”
In polite society, the road to temptation is paved with RED lipstick.

 — violet grey 
Tweet This