Walking in the stylish shoes of Pascale Taurua

Featured art: Elegance Hermès Et Manolo Blahnik by Pascale Taurua. A signed limited edition hand varnished giclée on canvas, £695.

A model artist

Pascale, born on the Pacific island of New Caledonia, studied art with a teacher who turned out to be a very proficient forger, so she was well-versed in classical paintings and techniques. She won a competition in New Caledonia with her first piece and was picked up by a gallery who wanted to show her work; other galleries internationally soon expressed interest, too.

Pascale had a hugely successful career as a model and was voted Miss France in 1978. She left the title behind after six months, however, as the lifestyle was not for her. However, her life as a model and beauty queen provided her with inspiration for her art.

“Everything in fashion took a very special turn for me when I was a model in magazines and especially when I was crowned Miss France,” says Pascale. “It was a short period of time but still has marked my life. The positive thing about being Miss France was that it gave me a way of thinking that I could use; that we should not be at the mercy of others.”

This has meant that Pascale’s style mixes the power of fashion and the power of women to create paintings which are both beautiful and strong.

Love of fashion

She may have moved away from working directly the world of fashion, but Pascale still has a huge interest in it – and her son works for French designer Jacquemus - and applying this knowledge to her art. “Fashion for me is very interesting,” she says. “With the high-end labels like Chanel, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, there is a huge team of people involved in every aspect of the design and manufacture, and in that way, fashion becomes art.

“These dresses are worth the high prices they command, but there are not many people who can afford them. I’m not on that level and I create things that are more accessible. High-end fashion is the best, however, and to me, Paris is the height of fashion.”