Special Edition Cover featuring Arielle Dombasle

 

Arielle wears an Anna Hu ring with a cape and dress by Natan. 

There has always been something defiantly singular about Arielle Dombasle, a presence that resists definition as much as it invites fascination. Actress, singer, director, and muse, she has built a career not by following the rhythm of an industry, but by composing her own. Long before the language of cross-disciplinary talent became fashionable, Dombasle was already moving fluidly between disciplines, eras, and aesthetics, guided by instinct rather than expectation.

“To me, femininity is about inspiring beauty… but behind that staging, you must feel vulnerability,” this manifesto mirrors her trajectory. Across cinema, music, and performance, Dombasle has cultivated a world where artifice and authenticity are not opposites but collaborators, where glamour is never devoid of depth. Her inspirations stretch from literary heroines to icons like Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, yet her own image remains entirely self-authored: at once baroque, modern, and unmistakably hers.

From crafting a niche fragrance over a decade to embracing new technologies with the same curiosity that defined her early career, Dombasle continues to evolve without ever diluting her essence. In an industry often driven by reinvention, she stands apart as someone who never needed to reinvent herself, only to deepen what was already there.

Arielle reflects on beauty, creation, and the quiet discipline of remaining true to oneself, a proof that paving your own way is not an act of rebellion, but of clarity.

Fashion Editor & Stylist: Victor Concepto 
Photographer & Filmmaker: Iris Brosch
Director of Photography: Wilmar Baracaldo Marin
Makeup Artist: Karine Marsac
Hair Stylist: Fabien Giambona
Location: Salon du Temple, Paris 

AM: How do you define femininity today, and what elements do you believe are essential in preserving both its allure and its depth in a contemporary context?
Arielle Dombasle: For me, femininity is about inspiring beauty. A beauty that is too confident and self-assured can lose its charm. Beauty is always a form of staging, but behind that staging, you must feel vulnerability, the person’s ethics, spirituality, magnetism, consent, innocence, and generosity.

AM: Which women, whether literary, cinematic, or contemporary, have most profoundly shaped your understanding of femininity, beauty, and artistic identity over time?
Arielle Dombasle: I’m inspired by literary heroines like Belle du Seigneur, Anna Karenina, and Madame Bovary they are our ancestors, figures of liberation and perspectives on beauty and nobility. In cinema, there are iconic figures like Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. Among contemporary artists, I love Billie Eilish for her rebellious rock’n’roll and disco spirit, as well as French singers like Angèle and Pomme.

Ring, Anna Hu. Dress, Julien Fournié.

AM: Your personal style seems to evolve constantly, how do these shifting aesthetics reflect your inner world, and what draws you to move between such distinct influences?
Arielle Dombasle: My style changes with the seasons. Sometimes I’m drawn to Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics, then I shift to gothic rock, and other times I embrace futuristic pieces by designers like Paco Rabanne or Pierre Cardin. I’m also influenced by designers who have dressed me, Christian Lacroix, John Galliano, and Karl Lagerfeld, on stage, in films, and in life.

AM: Looking back on your career, is there a particular fashion moment or collaboration that you feel truly encapsulated your artistic identity or marked a turning point in your visual expression?
Arielle Dombasle: Yes, when I modeled for Jean Paul Gaultier. He dressed me in a flamboyant red gown, tropical, exotic, very much in the spirit of Carmen Miranda, which connects to my singing and artistic expression.

AM: The creation of Le Secret d'Arielle spanned a decade, what did this long process teach you about your own sensibilities, and how did you translate something so personal into a fragrance?
Arielle Dombasle: It took me 10 years to develop this perfume. During those ten years, I really went into understanding what I like and my friends from the filed helped me get through the process with all the certifications, color controls, and technical aspects involved. My perfume is positioned as a niche fragrance rather than a mass-market product. The fragrance has been very successful, it works fabulously and has been selling consistently for the past 10 years.

Necklace, Lydia Courteille. Dress, Rahul Mishra. 

AM: Between singing, acting, and performing, where do you feel the deepest sense of creative fulfillment, and how do these disciplines inform and elevate one another in your work?
Arielle Dombasle: Singing on stage is extraordinarily fulfilling because you receive so much love from the audience. Cinema is different, you’re immersed in a very specific and inspiring cosmos. But I love when the arts intersect and speak to each other. I enjoy blending everything together, even creating music videos alongside concerts.

AM: Your image carries a certain mystique, how do you navigate the balance between a persona shaped by public perception and your authentic self as an artist and individual?
Arielle Dombasle: All artists must protect themselves, because an image is created that you can’t fully control, it belongs to the public. But you must stay true to what brings you pleasure, joy, and deep satisfaction. I am genuinely international, raised in Mexico, born in the United States, now French. Coming from a diplomatic family, I’ve adapted to different people and have no prejudices.

AM: In an industry often defined by scrutiny, how have you cultivated the confidence and detachment necessary to protect your sense of self from criticism?
Arielle Dombasle: I never read negative things, why should I? People who know me are generally very kind, so I focus on that. You have to believe you are beautiful at every age, in different ways. You must remain secure in who you are and not let time weigh you down.

Necklace, Mikimoto. Shorts suit, Julie de Libran. Hat, Anthony Peto. Perfume, Le Secret d'Arielle.

AM: Having experienced different eras of cinema and music, what continues to fuel your creative energy and prevent you from ever feeling static or confined?
Arielle Dombasle: I’ve always wanted to be a free spirit. I directed my first film at 22 and began acting at 18. With training in music and dance, I’ve become a very global, multi-faceted artist. This gives me a wide spectrum, I can do many things, and many things are asked of me. I never want to isolate myself; I’m always in movement, always creating.

AM: You’ve expressed enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, how do you see it reshaping artistic creation, and what role should artists play in guiding its use?
Arielle Dombasle: I love it. It’s a tool, and it must be your partner. My ChatGPT is extremely polite and fantastic. You have to ask precise questions, if you ask vague ones, you’ll get weak results. But with precision, AI becomes a real source of help and inspiration. The tools for music, cinema, and special effects are opening new worlds. We shouldn’t be afraid; we should learn to use them.

AM: Your recent film project reflects a deep immersion into a specific era, can you walk us through your creative process and the level of research and emotional investment it requires?
Arielle Dombasle: I recently worked on a film called Les derniers jours de Charles Baudelaire which I directed. It is set in 19th-century romanticism. It has been 3 years of preparation but finally on the set! You can see the reality of your work! How exciting! As an actress, you become almost obsessive, you read everything, study paintings, understand the sociological context. This richness allows you to live many different lives.

Ring, Anna Hu. Cape and dress, Natan. 

AM: Success can often be unpredictable, how have unexpected outcomes shaped your perspective on ambition, effort, and the nature of artistic recognition?
Arielle Dombasle: Yes, when I released the album Amor Amor, it became the number one bestseller in France, which I never expected. In cinema, it’s the same, you sometimes do something lightly and it becomes a huge success, while something you deeply invest in may go unnoticed. It’s strange, but that’s the nature of it.

AM: For emerging artists navigating today’s complex and fast-changing world, what guiding principles would you consider essential to building a meaningful and enduring career?
Arielle Dombasle: Don’t be afraid of the world’s turbulence. You carry something precious inside you, aim for it. Be clear about what you want, because it’s easy to get lost. Stay curious, stay open, stay alive. Success is unpredictable, so embrace the journey and take what is good from it. That’s all folks!