It started when a makeup artist applied a black marker over red nail polish—a technique every sixth-grader with a Sharpie would recognize. Dominique Moncourtois, a makeup creator at Chanel, invented a shade that would almost immediately gain cult stature, freeing us from rigid rules and condemning us to waitlist purgatory.
In 1994, Chanel Vamp made its debut on the Paris runways. The blackberry nail color introduced gothic depth and carnal intensity to consumers fed a steady diet of wan neutrals and one-note reds. The response? Ravenous.
