New 2009 Opium Advert Featuring a Redesigned Flacon {Perfume Images & Ads}
Yves Saint Laurent have released their new advert featuring the redesigned flacon of Opium EDP, which I mentioned earlier. It is a true beauty in person.
The redesign is credited to Stephano Pilati and Fabien Baron. The model is Karen Elson.
I mentioned earlier on that Guerlain was preparing to launch a special edition of their classic men's perfume beloved by women, Habit Rouge. The advertising campaign has started with this new advert featuring an ornate, metalized bottle for the edition Beau Cavalier (handsome rider).
The whole concept of the ad revolves around the idea of a perfume aristocratic enough to belong to a coat of arms and allude to the way of life of hunting parties.
Two Versions of the Ricci Ricci by Nina Ricci Commercial + The Behind-the-Scenes {Perfume Images & Adverts}
There is apparently a cute, girly and mischievous version of the TV commercial for Ricci Ricci by Nina Ricci featuring model Jessica Stam. It plays either in English or French. Here is the French version,
hen there is an alternate version which is sultrier in style thanks to just the change of music and suddenly you start noticing the character's leather gloves much more (they are also more the focus of attention of the camera). It feels a bit more rock n' roll too..
Mini Video Reportage on Grasse Colloquium on Perfumery Trends {Perfume Movies & Adverts}
Perfumers Jean-Claude Ellena and Jacques Cavallier talk to the camera of France 3. The sincerity of creation can find an echo or not in fashion and the public. Despite the creative challenges created by the large yearly output of fragrances, France remains the world leader in the field. L'Oréal executive Jamel Boutiba proposes to see two main categories of perfumes: identity perfumes and perfumes of circumstances or fashion scents.
Martha Stewart The Fragrance Show {Perfume Images & Adverts}
Martha Steward had a whole show dedicated to fragrance on Sept 30, 2009. Highlights are capturing the scent of peony with IFF experts (good demonstration of headspace technique), Aerin Lauder talking about Jasmine Moss, making lavender sachets and planting garlic. We are also officially told that Martha Stewart's favorite perfume is Fracas by Robert Piguet, and more.
As previously announced, a new flanker version of Chloe was launched in October 2009 called Chloe Eau de Parfume Intense. This is the new print advert for it featuring model Clémence Poesy.
It's all in the gaze. How to convey the odoriferous intensity of the fragrance visually? Just look intensely at the camera lens, i.e., you the viewer, and make you imagine how intensely efficient the perfume is going to be in attracting passion, adulation, you name it. The sky is the limit usually in commercial perfumery.
Enjoli, The Perfume for Transition Feminists: An Ad from the 70s {Perfume Images & Adverts}
Enjoli by Charles of the Ritz was launched in 1978 to the tune of "I'm a Woman" a 1962 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller which was paraphrased in the commercial featuring a domestic goddess, a career woman and sex kitten all folded into one person. She can put the wash on the line, feed the kids, bring back the bacon, fry it in the pan and never, never let you forget you're the man.
The official tag line was "The 8 hour perfume for the 24 hour woman."
So retro, so funny (still funny after all these years). Also great 70s looks and dos.
It's a nightmare really. Tell a woman she is an emancipated woman/feminist and she will be your willing slave.
Enjoli is now sold under the Revlon brand name with a vestigial tag line from its 70s heydays: "The essence of having it all,"
Current notes are:
Top Notes: Hyacinth, Tuberose, Galbanum Mid Notes: Jasmine, Tuberose, Rose, Lily of the Valley Dry Down: Sandalwood, Amber, Oakmoss, Musk
Click on the link to watch the commercial and peruse the original lyrics...
Victoria's Secret threw a photo call / launch party for their new perfume called Velvet at VS Lexington Avenue store in NYC today featuring spokesmodel Alessandra Ambrosio. There was a giant cake in the shape of the new fragrance; now that's an idea for a perfume lover party: the flacon-cake.
It reminds me incidentally that last time I visited a VS store I came out with the most unlikely perfume purchase, one that I would have never suspected might even interest me before I stepped into the boutique. But I try to be impartial when I smell and... got won over by the ditziest scent ever. It' all conceptual. As in, it is so ditzy, it's good. Well, at least that's what I thought then. I am afraid of re-smelling it and having to face the fact that you start thinking strange things when you are lured into the ambiance of a VS temple of girlitude.
Pitti Immagine Fragranze 2009: Glimpse at a Perfume Show {Perfume Images & Adverts}
Maison Dorin, a revivalist perfume and beauty brand originally established in the 18th century, has sent us a video of the perfume show that took place in Florence last month, Pitti Immagine Fragranze.
I don't know if this will appeal to people who are not into perfume already, but this is typically the kind of viewing that fragrance addicts call "perfume porn", which means that there are many bottles of perfume to be contemplated, if not smelled...
How to Tame Men with Vanilla According to Sex & the City Author's New Web Series for Maybelline {Perfume Images & Movies}
Candace Bushnell, the author of Sex and the City, has a new web series called The Broadroom created in partnership with Maybelline New York. In episode 2 entitled The Sweet Smell of Success, the scent of vanilla is featured as the key to dealing with difficult men.
"In this
episode, starring Jennie Garth and Jennifer Esposito, the girls let us in on a
few 'other' uses for vanilla fragrance."
In case the trick does not work for you, you can try pumpkin and lavender, which has been shown in one study, if not necessarily to make men nicer, to make them more excited.
Diptyque's Candlelit Version of Beauty & the Beast {Perfume Images & Adverts}
For its launch of a duo of candles to be burned together or separately, Diptyque has imagined "an olfactive production in three acts and two candles created by Kuntzel + Deygas." The video + drawing art here shows the story of two scented sillages emanating from the candles, one is the beast, "a taciturn aesthete" (vetiver, patchouli, violet leaf), the other, the belle "an impertinent elegant" (rose, rhubarb, violet leaf as a common note). Song is Celestial by Tunes United.
TV Comercial for Cumming by Alan Cumming {Perfume Images & Adverts}
The rare movie commercial for a niche fragrance, Cumming by Alan Cumming. Shot in a NYC loft, with a Scottish accent (love the way he pronounces "smoky"..."smooki" and hard-to-suppress giggles over the name of the cologne. Well, it's just his name.
TV Commercial of Helena Rubinstein Wanted with Demi Moore {Perfume Images & Ads}
Wanted, the new fragrance by Helena Rubisntein was launched this summer after a quarter of a century hiatus since Barynia (1985). We'll have occasion to go back to it. For now, you can discover actress Demi Moore, who is already the beauty spokesperson for the Wanted products at HR, advertising the perfume with a younger man as a reflection of her own personal life. The ad was shot by director Olivier Dahan who is well-known in particular for his biopic of Edith Piaf, La Môme, which also inspired an eponymous perfume by Balmain in 2007.
Mariah Carey unveiled the new advert for her upcoming fragrance, Forever. The ad is very much photoshopped to the point where it is hard to recognize Carey. They have given her the taut face of someone who has undergone a not-so-subtle lift surgery and who on top of that is addicted to Botox. Do you think some people are getting confused about what's the in-look? Could it be that the entirely fake "surgical look" might have become a status symbol in some circles?...
Britney Spears Circus Fantasy (2009): "Welcome the Ringleader" {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume}
Britney Spears will release a new fragrance in August 2009 called Circus Fantasy in reference to her current show tour and her Fantasy portfolio developed with Elizabeth Arden. It comes right after Hidden Fantasy. The singer already managed to insert the name and vaunt its allure in a joke on the Letterman Show in the Top-Ten segment the other night (see after the jump).
Luscious fruits, tempting
florals and creamy musks capture the magical atmosphere of the show
with a colorful illusion of fun, sexiness and glamour...
Yves Saint Laurent: Who is Parisienne? -- Qui est Parisienne? - Part 2
The advertising campaign for the new Parisienne scent by Yves Saint Laurent fronted by Kate Moss promises to make a splash on our screens. Here is part 2 of the unveiling: Coming Soon Parisienne. The electric guitar and the leather seem to say that the perfume is a bit hardcore, but in reality the ad acts more like a contrasting counterpoint to a romantic, feminine fragrance whose edge soon softens. You can read our review of the scent here.
Actress Nora Arzeneder is directed by Paolo Roversi in the TV commercial for the upcoming Idylle by Guerlain. The musical score is hyper classic but admittedly effective with the choice of Singing in the Rain to illustrate the theme of a golden rain which is meant to be a metaphor for love. The Making-Of is directed by Marc Baillif.
Watch the exclusive video of the making of the Idylle spot at Joyce.fr (French commentary by Roversi with English subtitles)
Keira Knightley Plays The Night Porter for Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
The new Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel advert has been unveiled. It features a topless Keira Knightley which looks like she is playing a sleek and sophisticated version of the much more sulfurous and pathological character of Lucia Atherton in The Night Porter by Liliana Cavani...
This fall, Prada will add a new feminine amber fragrance to its library of ambery scents which started with Prada in 2004. L'Eau Ambrée (lit. Ambery Water) is the new one to appear in September 2009. It was composed by Daniela Andrier of Givaudan who has been unofficially acting as a kind of in-house nose for the brand. L'Eau Ambrée is based on a main vertical accord of lemon, wild rose and amber...
The commercial for the new fragrance Orange by Boss taps into the British youth culture vibe of the 1960s. The song is Drive My Car by the Beatles sung here by The Hot Rats. The bottle is really nice, different with this hippie, new-age 7-chakras concept and the spot puts the flacon to good use. The making-of is after the jump,
Bebe Eau de Parfum (2009) {New Fragrance} + Launch Party Pictures with Francis Kurkdjian & Co
Fashion label Bebe founded by Manny Mashouf will launch its third fragrance called Bebe Eau de Parfum on August 20, 2009 in the US market following To Be (1996) and Bebe Perfume (2001). A greater advertising effort will be carried out this time around according to WWD to avoid repeating the lack of exposure given to Bebe Perfume which was popular but only to a restrained circle. The first Bebe To Be fragrance is also now recognized as a faux pas in that its name was too close to CK Be. Hopes are up.
"The target audience for the scent ranges from 18- to 34-year-olds, with
a "sweet spot" at 24, said Spinn. "They are hip, sexy, cool and
romantically playful,"...
Tian Tian Pocket-Sized Air Freshener Comes in Handy When...
Instead of pronouncing the F word, you can simply offer a 3D representation of someone passing gas on the subway or in the elevator, in one of those confined spaces from which there is sometimes no escape the second it happens...
Kate Moss Vintage (2009): The Ad, The Notes {New Perfume}
One of the most anticipated celebs scents this fall is Vintage by Kate Moss, the fourth fragrance launch for the top model. Vintage has been in the news for a while (see here and here), but now come the more concrete details.
The scent is said to be a fruity-floral oriental with powdery and fresh facets...
Yves Saint Laurent is inviting you to count the days before their major feminine fragrance launch fronted by Kate Moss, Parisienne. You might be twirling your toes on the beach or taking it slow but meanwhile it doesn't mean glamor is taking a rest. So today is J-14 in the Parisienne calendar...
A Young Al Franken Gets a Friendly Olfactory Tip: You Need Heavy Changes Ego Spray {Perfume Images & Adverts}
The new junior senator of Minnesota Al Franken who was a comedian in his previous life played in the movie Tunnel Vision in 1976. In it there is a passage where he pins his difficulties in dating chicks on body odors. Not so, answers his pal. What he really needs is Heavy Changes Ego Spray in 15 varieties: Smart Ass -- Rock Star -- Little Boy -- Biker -- Sensitive Artist -- Bisexual -- Englishman -- Aggressive -- Mama's Boy -- Homosexual -- Certified Public Accountant -- Petulant -- Macho -- Super Macho -- Extra Super Macho.
Nice spoof on the superficial remedy that perfume can represent in some cases. It may mask an odor but not a personality problem. At the same time, it can get fixed with a spritz of the right formula. There is always a better formula somewhere
Roget & Gallet Love The Dior Port-of-Call Concept {Perfume Images & Advert}
Apparently Roger et Gallet think that the Dior idea of selling fresh eaux de cologne by evoking the atmosphere of port of calls in the summer is great (see ad for Escale à Portofino and ad for both Escale à Portofino and Pondichéry below). The new advert for their line, which includes the latest Bois d'Orange, uses the tag line "Summer port of calls" as if each Roger et Gallet perfume held the promise of an exotic escape by sea wayfare. It is less glamorous than the Dior ad but hopes to tap into the same vein.
Spring & Summer Notes: Peonies Red, Pink and Yellow {Scented Images of the Day}
I was eager to plunge my nose in the spumy peonies as soon as they appeared last spring. Peonies always remind me of one day in spring in my childhood when I arrived at the country house of a friend for the Easter holiday. As soon as I got out of the car I was welcomed by the sunny, undulating spectacle of gusts of wind blowing hard on a large seemingly frenzied bed of peonies which despite their mass were dancing as if in a wild ballet, surging episodically like rustling waves of foamy silk chiffon. The froufrou sound they made against the wind is still in my ears. I ran towards them in order to instinctively hug them and we were all laughing hard trying to prevent them from breaking but also a little out of our minds of happiness to be able to dance with the wind and flowers so soon after we arrived. The flowers seemed to be about our heights...
Video Interviews with Perfumer Daphne Bugey & Designer Arik Levy + Issey Miyake A Scent Movie {Perfume Images & Adverts}
A Scent is the new feminine perfume to be introduced in September by Issey Miyake. Described as "green, floral, and woodsy" it is also "an emotion like a vital breath found in the heart of nature."
The perfumer is Daphné Bugey -- see short video interview,
Cascade by Chopard launches next month. Here is a sneak peek at the behind-the-scene video for the commercial featuring model Michaela Hlavackova. The song is In a Manner of Speaking by Nouvelle Vague. Photographer Philippe Demarchelier shot the ads which were art-directed by Jérôme Faillant-Dumas, Love.
Guerlain Presents Idylle with Nora Arzeneder & Ora Ito {Fragrance News} {Perfume Images}
Guerlain held a presentation of their upcoming women's perfume Idylle on June 17, 2009 at their Champs-Elysées boutique with fragrance spokesperson actress Nora Arzeneder and designer Ora Ito who conceived the bottle (he is on the right)...
Burger King Flame (2008/2009): Overtones of a Whopper {New Fragrance} {Perfume Images} {Celebrity Scent}
Burger King just introduced in the UK their meat-flavored personal perfume called Flame. They launched it last year in the US to wide popular appeal. The concept of the advertising campaign was so right-on that the vial spray perfumes sold out in 4 days. The scent was then faced by a Mr. Burger King, this time it is fronted in the same outrageously campy style by British celebrity Piers Morgan best-known internationally as the host of Britain's Got Talent and supporter and crush of singer Susan Boyle....
Well, I think Chanel need to put Obama on the No.5 to double their sales. He has obviously become the other perfume icon. I am starting an Obama perfume watch here as the trend appears to be prolific.
Have you noticed all the Obama perfumes, air fresheners and what not cropping up lately? After an early trend-setting Potus 1600 (well, it's really Obama who was the trend-setting agent), it's become a wave. For example, check above some roll-ons of the scent called Obama issued for Inauguration Day. Below, grab some Obama air fresheners.Next, watch after the jump the packaging for Change EDP with the whole Obama family pictured, then a spoof commercial using a bottle of Bond No9 Little Italy, it seems, to turn it into Eau de Obama. There is also a cologne called Yes We Can by Parfums Deray. And it's just a short selection.
Charisma just seems to scream for perfume or is it starting to look like a regular personality cult phenomenon? But why perfume?....
"For Inauguration week, a bunch of merchants set up a large Barack Bazaar outside the DC Armory and RFK Stadium." by Philliefan99
Paris Hilton Holding Her FiFi Award & Siren {Perfume Images} {Celebrity Fragrance}
As announced previously, Paris Hilton was the recipient of the FiFi award for Celebrity Perfume of the Year. She entirely deserves this award and absolutely not for the contents of the bottles she sells of course but because of the imagery she sells. She exemplifies what a glamorous-cum-trashy attitude can bring to the image of the fragrance business. In her hands is a message of attractive easiness...
Britney Spears's Faux Gay Perfume Ad for Mo {Fragrance News - Perfume Images}
After the authentically faux Louis Vuitton perfume ad that was circulated some time ago, we now have the official faux and authorized fragrance ad for Mo by Britney Spears.
The singer recorded a TV ad for theNewNowNext awards to pay homage to her reportedly significant gay following by acting in a pastiche of her own perfume ads for Curious, Believe and In Control which are portrayed as steps of progressive self-realization leading her to the Mo revelation...
Paris Hilton Siren Teaser 3: See Paris's Siren Tail in New Advert {Perfume Adverts} {Celebrity Fragrance}
Paris Hilton and Doug Reinhardt at the Cannes Festival on May 21, 2009. She is dressed a bit siren-like here but the ad is different.
Fun, fun, fun. I received the press kit for the upcoming Paris HiltonSiren which will debut in June-July 09 and I can offer The Scented Salamander's readers the first sneak peek at the new advert. So here is teaser #3:...
Chantal Thomass Osez-Moi! (2009): Scent of a Boudoir {New Perfume} {Fragrance Advert}
Lingerie mistress Chantal Thomass has introduced a new women's perfume cheekily called Osez-Moi! (something like "dare try me!"). The designer says that it is "a very feminine fragrance in line with my lingerie: precious details and noble materials with a touch of the unexpected." Thomass was inspired by the atmosphere of a boudoir and admittedly by what is to me in fact a fragrance genre, theboudoir perfume (my characterization). Usually this involves a powdery note and the fragrance is made to feel intimate and sensual evoking the ritual of coquettry and beauty of a woman.
The copy also adds that Osez-Moi is a composition that "...plays with contrasts: vintage and modern; romantic and avant-garde; technical and poetic."...
Chanel No5 Retrospective II: Sem Makes Fun of Coco Chanel {Perfume Images}
Here is a caricature of Coco Chanel by Sem (Georges Goursat) dating from 1923 which makes fun of the great couturière. He turns her first name into a dirge, in reference to the origins of her nickname: Coco stuck with Gabrielle Chanel after a song she used to perform in a cabaret in her youth.
In 1923, two years only after the official launch of the No5 by Chanel, the perfume bottle shaped after the Place Vendôme in Paris is showcased already hinting at its future iconic career....
Happy Mother's Day: I Promise to be a Good Mother & Mother Always Used Too Much Perfume {Scented Images}
Happy Mother's Day to our US-based readers!
I Promise to be a Good Mother by Jamie Diamond, 2007
Today, I found two images that I am posting about for slightly different reasons. I Promise to be a Good Mother by Jamie Diamond taken in 2007 is immediately pleasing to the eye thanks to the cheer joy that emanates from the picture and the dynamism and playfulness of the mother-child interaction. We all can relate to this simple expression of happiness although there is the possibility that it might be painful for some to watch, so "vanilla" it is in appearance and a far cry from what a number of people have experienced. Yet despite this ideal moment captured in time, the title of the work turns the composition into more of a reminder that this perfect moment is seen as more as set against the frailty of life and the challenges to come. But the photography remains optimistic in essence because it says that you can always look up to that moment in time, later on, to remind you of how joyous and generous the mother and child love can be, and of what promise it held. One day, in a very long time, the child will be able to look at this photography and marvel at how young and full of hope and life his mother was.
Mother Always Used Too Much Perfume by Patrik Andiné, 2008
In the next picture, which is more complex, less easily legible I was attracted by the title of the work: Mother Always Used Too Much Perfume. The painting is by a Swedish artist called Patrik Andiné and dated from 2008. I find it interesting because the relationship between son and mother is a central expression of the painting but in a very distanced way; it is a sense of distance emphasized by the presence of a curtain between the two invisible, absent-present protagonists. The mother is all-present, yet invisible to the eye but not to the sense of smell. The symbolism is very economical with a strong emphasis on the notion of limits and threshhold (of tolerance). The painting is seemingly about a complex, love-hate relationship and as one interested in perfume in the context of society it is interesting to see perfume be clearly seen and used as a symbolic language about human relationships.
When Chanel Used to Mention Prices in Commercials for the No.5: The Sophistication Learning Curve {Perfume Ads}
I was foraging You Tube for some retro Chanel No. 5 ads to add some historic perspective on the advertising of the most famous perfume in the world, when I came upon two that made me smile. What you see is that while as always sophisticated women were featured to turn the No. 5 into an aspirational fragrance, back in the 1970s they did not hesitate to show a price list at the end of the commercial or even have Catherine Deneuve tell you the prices of the different products.
You can only say that there was a sophistication learning curve for Chanel No. 5 advertisers if you compare those ads with the more recent ones that are made to look like glamorous trailers for Hollywood feature movies. Jacques Helleu and Baz Luhrmann were very conscious about that new model. Helleu even said that Luhrmann's Chanel No. 5 film is NOT a commercial, it is a short movie. And Chanel got even more publicity for the huge amount of money the brand spent on the Nicole Kidman non-ad. As Helleu delineated his mission back then to Luhrmann: how are you going to help No. 5 stay No. 1?
And so now, god forbid, no prices are whispered at the end, not even with a distinguished British accent or a sexy French one.
The 1970 British advert makes an implicit parallel between art and perfumery: if you are an aesthete and appreciate the fine arts, then the No. 5 is part of your universe...
Chanel No5 The Movie Available Now {Scented Images}
No more waiting. Despite the fact that the official date for the launch of the Chanel No5 film is tomorrow May the 5th, it's already available at the following link:
I just watched both the 2' 20" version and the 60" version. My preference goes to the short version which I find much more effective at suggesting the olfactory power of a perfume. You get the message much more efficiently with fewer distractions. The shorter film focuses more exclusively on the emotions triggered by the scent of Chanel No5. You immediately pan to the scent trembling in the flacon, no doubt, of longing and passion. The theme of the movie was seduction through scent and this captures it well. The song is Billie Holiday's I'm a Fool to Want You.
The film is a more internalized version of what Chanel no5 can do for you. The Baz Luhrmann ad with Nicole Kidman was more about show, glamor and celeb culture and ultimately less romantic and sentimental. The concept has evolved from a one-night stand kind of attraction to one that can be described by the promising French expression et plus si affinités...
Chanel No5: The New Ad Campaign with Audrey Tautou: Teasers, Teasers - Part 1 {Scented Images & Ads} {Celebrity Fragrance}
The new ad campaign with Audrey Tautou for Chanel No5 is very impressive. I think it beats the preceding one with Nicole Kidman as if following a potlach logic: each time you have to best what took place the time before.
It occurred to me that Chanel No5 is perhaps the only "celebrity fragrance" as in the sense of the perfume being itself a celebrity rather than meaning as usual a perfume fronted by a celebrity. That perfume needs to wear some dark shields.
I received a wealth of material to share with you, dear readers. First off, the news is that even the City of New York is participating in this extravaganza as they have accepted to call May the 5th 2009, Chanel No5 Day to honor the most iconic fragrance in the world and the launch of its latest advertising campaign. Tomorrow New Yorkers and visitors will be breathing the air of Chanel No5 Day! No word about spritzing the scent into the atmosphere, but if they could they would.
Not content with this symbolic dedication, Saks 5th Avenue in partnership with Chanel will rename a part of the famous 5th avenue, AVENUE No5, from May 2 to May 10! I think this might even beat the Opium folly in NYC that the Yves Saint Laurent people organized back then.
Tomorrow is also the official launch day of the advertising film shot by film director Jean-Pierre Jeunet entitled Train de Nuit (Night Train). Like for the introduction of the No5 fragrance in 1921 which was strictly controlled by Coco Chanel so as to put all the stars on her side (she was notoriously superstitious), the new ad commercial is scheduled to be released to the world on May 5 at 12:00 pm on www.chaneln5.com...
Diesel Only The Brave Split Screen TV Commercial: Heart, Mind, Nerve {Perfume Images & Adverts}
A viral marketing ad campaign for Diesel's new cologne Only The Brave (see also launch party) features a creative split-screen commercial, based on 3 distinct videos, aiming to play mind games with the viewer "...bizarre scenes that
will
leave your mind tripping over what the heck you've just watched! Diesel
says
it's more than cologne: It's a way of life."(cf. press release)...
Halle Berry & Ellen de Generes Demonstrate Perfume Showmanship {Fragrance Images & Ads} {Celebrity Perfume}
It's kind of silly, but it happened. Halle Berry went on the Ellen de Generes' TV show to promote her new perfume Halle. What happens next is not your usual style of perfume advertising although Letterman came up with the idea before: De Generes uncorks the bottle of Halle and pours it into glasses then takes a swig. Halle Berry follows and not wanting to come across as, ahem, not-fully-standing-behind-her-product even drinks her Halle-on-the-Rocks bottoms up.
Don't try this at home kids, you might get hurt.
The perfume segment starts at 5 mn or so and lasts about 2 mn (more perfume bites towards the end).
Rochas Fragrances Look towards the Future but by Relying on the Past {Fragrance News} More on Eau Sensuelle (2009) {New Perfume}
The probing of Rochas's intentions regarding the development of their perfume business under the new aegis of in-house perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez sheds light on the philosophy of the fragrance brand. As the perfume brand is preparing to launch Eau Sensuelle in April 2009, a flanker to Eau de Rochas, WWD got some interesting quotes from the people involved in the project...
More about Maison Francis Kurkdjian {Fragrance News} {Perfume Images}
Forbes is running three stories about luxury bespoke perfumers in recession times as part of their series "Thriving in the Downturn" and amongst those there is a video-reportage about Francis Kurkdjian's work...
New Chanel No.5 Ad with Audrey Tautou by Jean-Pierre Jeunet {Fragrance News} {Perfume Adverts}
The first stills from the new commercial by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet for Chanel No. 5 have been released featuring actress Audrey Tautou and model Travis Davenport. The story manages to allude to the universe and era of Gabrielle Chanel in a number of indirect ways by situating the narrative on the Orient-Express with its Art Deco aesthetics, and showcasing an Audrey Tautou dressed in an atemporal manner yet reflective of Chanel's casual style and liking for sailmen's trousers for example, an outfit she wears on several known pictures of hers. In less allusive ways and very symbolically present, one finds the number 5 interpersed in the images of the movie which ends on the famous two intertwined Cs logo.
Less obviously night-time glamorous and glitzy than the ad shot by Baz Luhrman with Nicole Kidman five years ago, the TV commercial nevertheless makes a point to convey the idea that Chanel is all about ultimate luxury even when the tone has become more intimate. Jean-Pierre Jeunet who already did Amélie with Tautou was quoted as saying that
"Even in the world of advertising, it can be said that the house of
Chanel works in an unparalleled level of comfort, which allows you to
go to the absolute limits,"...
Latest Thierry Mugler Angel TV Commercial with Naomi Watts {Perfume Ads} {Celebrity Fragrances}
This perfume commercial features the latest spokesperson for Angel by Thierry Mugler, actress Naomi Watts. I was reminded to post about it upon seeing the commercial story board for Black Star by Avril Lavigne (please see next post).
Stills from Lettre de Paris by Roger Leenhardt (1945): Les parfums il les faut dans la rue et non dans un jardin longuement désirer... {Scented Images & Perfume Adverts}
Here are 5 stills from the documentary by Roger Leenhardt entitled Lettre de Paris (Letter from Paris) a love letter to Paris shot during the summer of 1945 together with cinematographer Noël Ramettre, a year after the liberation of the French capital city. In this 22 mn documentary Leenhardt pretends he is sending news of Paris abroad and to the provinces to those who cannot come to see by themselves and who must be missing the city they have not been able to visit during the war. The director's love for Paris is palpable. The film is like a series of picturesque and sometimes funny postcards celebrating the renewal of life...
Valentino EDP & John Galliano EDP Ads: Genealogical Link Spotted {Perfume Images & Adverts}
The newer ad with model Natalia Bulova for Valentino EDP, new this spring
As we all know, popular culture thrives on patterns of repetition, and advertising culture is no exception to the rule. Sometimes the similarities between two adverts are willed and purposefully made to feel obvious as in the case of Hypnôse Homme and Hypnôse Femme by Lancôme. When the similarities are spotted between two different perfumes for two different brands, this taking place within months of the launch of the first one, it leaves you wondering whether Valentino is not taking a risk at appearing to have been overly fascinated by John Galliano and lacking ideas. The theatrical smoky purple eye with a dramatic elongated dark eyebrow contrasted with a milky-white skin were just too irresistible to let go of. The romantic vampish look, where the new black is purple-fuschia and the new pink is also purple-fushia, is the image to retain these last two seasons.
The older ad with model Guinevere Van Seenus for John Galliano EDP, new last fall
Christina Aguilera Perfume Sold Out In Less Than A Week Thanks To Coat Hangers {Perfume Images & Ads}
A genius ambient marketing campaign organized on the guerilla mode by Mizbala Advertising Agency in Israel allowed Christina Aguilera perfume to sell out in less than a week at the national level. The advertisers using the naughty-sounding tag line "Sometimes it's all you need to wear" of the original commercial subverted it by using sedate coat hangers instead with a sample of the perfume attached to those to entice passers-by. The coat hangers became like an obsessive refrain seen everywhere and that was then repercuted in the media...
Lanvin L'Homme Sport (2009): Fronted by Rafael Nadal {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Men's Cologne - Adverts}
As announced previously, Lanvin is counting on the celebrity-recognition effect of world champion Rafael Nadal to promote their new men's scent called L'Homme Sport by Lanvin. It can be hard sometimes for consumers to orient themselves in the maze of L'Homme and Sport-tagged masculine fragrances so it is almost an obligatory step for companies to choose a unique differentiating element in their advertisements, at least....
Christian Lacroix Absynthe (2009): Let The Mystery Unfolds {Perfume Images & Adverts}
The absinthe drink has retained an aura of things forbidden and dangerous even while it has been made legally possible to consume it anew today. While all alcoholic beverages can be candidates to mystical ascents as sung by poets like Omar Khayyam for wine, absinthe continues to hypnotize slightly more thanks to its sulfurous bohemian history and its precious emerald-green color which promises depth of experience.
Fashion designer Christian Lacroix has interpreted the color of absinthe for his Absynthe upon Avon more in the direction of Chartreuse green judging from the visuals. He was, like all of us, attracted by its mystery saying,
"Absynthe, a mysteriously mesmerizing 19th century potion known as the
green fairy, is still one of the world's most seductive mysteries.
Irresistibly inviting, dangerously captivating - a great inspiration to
my fashion and newest fragrance."...
Hugo Boss Hugo Element (2009) The New Cologne & Commercial {Scented Images}
Here is the new TV commercial for the latest Hugo Boss fragrance, Hugo Element, which is currently running on TV with the comforting and carefree tag line: "Anywhere in your element". The ad is fronted by actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He will be appearing in a new movie in 2009 called Shelter, with Julianne Moore. He also just finished shooting From Paris With Love, with John Travolta (via press release).
The music is Extreme Ways by Moby also found on the soundtrack for The Bourne Identity.
Odore Di Femmina by Johan Creten {Perfume History & Facts}
Odore di Femmina by Johan Creten
This is a picture of a female torso in ceramic called Odore di Femmina created by Johan Creten while he was artist in residence at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres. It was meant to be an illustration of the perfume by the same name created by perfumer Françoise Caron for the 2007 exhibition Essences Insensées...
I Never Noticed Lacoste Pour Homme, Until... {Perfume Images & Adverts}
...I saw this commercial ad for the cologne Lacoste pour Homme featuring model Ian Lawless. There is such a discrepancy between the conservative and even arguably dull packaging for the scent and the ad which is meant to reach out to the closeted sensualist the cologne is obviously targeting (???) It took me by surprise, I have to say. The tag line is "Style on Skin" (and nothing else),
Prada Amber on the Silver Screen: Fallen Shadows {Fragrance News} {Scented Images}
Prada who would get bored if they had to run conventional advertising campaigns for their perfumes is once more turning to the silver screen to help promote both Prada Amber and the arts.
Until December 31, 2008 Amber is the main character of a short animated film entitled Fallen Shadows by James Lima shown in 300 Italian movie theaters before and after the main feature. The Fallen Shadows campaign also appears in the press in Italy, UK, and US...
Chanel Paris-Moscou Silent Movie by Karl Lagerfeld: Flawed Coco - A Look at the Pre-Fall 2009 Collection {Cultural Notes} {Scented Images}
A kind reader sent us a link to the short movie by Karl Lagerfeld entitled Chanel Paris-Moscou depicting Coco before Chanel in 10 mn. I wrote an earlier post about it on our sister blog Beauty & The Salamander and Octavian Coifan from 1000 Fragrances also posted his thoughts here.
The movie is both fun and funny. Lagerfeld showcases Gabrielle Chanel's indomitable self-confidence, her mastery of the art of the mauvaise foi, her expert delivery of vacheries, her militating bitchiness (she disses Paul Poiret, her rival)...
Cossack-uniform inspiration for a Chanel dress that is both sober and opulent. It strikes me as being perhaps the most Chanel outfit in spirit of the collection without being slavish and a mere copy of the previous glories of the house, with that same potential for turning into a classic, pared-down look that is essentially timeless.
Could My Favorite Cologne Have Been Tweaked? {Ask Marie-Helene}
Hoyts German Cologne postcard from Hannibal1107. The word "lasting" takes on a new meaning today.
I received a message that I thought would be of general interest to readers, so here it is.
Don't hesitate to chime in!
"I've
found myself in one of those situations people infrequently find
themselves in when the ordinary and routine so often taken for granted
turns in to some Hitchcockian head-scratcher.
I purchased D&G The One at the Duty-Free in London
Gatwick November last, a newly-released fragrance I was happy to try
since Light Blue had been so compatible with my desire for
understatement with scents.
Anyway, when I ran out, I replaced it at Dillards in Barton Creek
Mall in Austin. It had only just arrived and my brother and I each
bought a bottle.
I ran out again a couple of days ago, and that's where the story
begins...
Elizabeth Arden Babani Adverts 1920-25: Mission Civilisatrice & Early Perfume Layering in 1925 {Perfume Adverts}
I found a series of interesting adverts by Elizabeth Arden about their early Babani fragrance co-label. Babani was presented as a partner of the Arden brand located in the French capital - Babani of Paris - with that implicit allusion to a French legitimizing process in the field of perfumery that was important in those days. The perfumes were said on the ads to be bottled in France and imported to the USA, for consumer reassurance.
The house of Vitaldi Babani was established ca. 1895. They were known for their oriental imports and their bohemian-style embroidered silk velvets. In 1919, Maurice Babani was the second couturier after Poiret and before Chanel to introduce perfumes as part of a fashion label. More so than Poiret and less so than Chanel.
There is above a 1923 advert that mentions several Babani scents: Ambre de Delhi, Ligéia, Yasmak, Ming, Afghani, Daïmo, Jasmin de Corée. They are alluring because they are offered as being both rare and exotic. One of the main tag lines for Babani was in 1920 "Parfums inconnus d'Orient et d'Extrême-Orient" (lit. Unknown perfumes of the Orient and Far-East). The "unknown" part was dropped by 1923.
What was exported also, we can easily understand, was not just French essences, but Parisian chic.
In an another 1923 ad (not shown here), Babani clearly addressed themselves "To American women" via Arden in a sort of magical prophetic dervish-like way, bringing them in one stroke of the perfume-advertising pen, fine-fragrance civilization. It was, in a way, modeled after the prevalent colonialist ideology of the period, the idea that there existed a mission civilisatrice, but extended here to the new world in the particular field of beauty. The collection of Babani fragrances was itself very much in tune with an Exposition-Universelle mental framework where all the best goods from the colonies were episodically laid at the feet of urbanites.
In 1925 (below), we find more explicitly stated the marketing and aesthetic proposition of layering the Babani fragrances (not more than two at a time here; up to three elsewhere) to capture that even rarer essence, the unique reflection of your personality. It is a concept that is now systematically explored by Jo Malone for example, but more from the standpoint of the harmony between the scents themselves than from that of your own personality or mood, although the latter emphasis appears a bit with L'Artisan and other brands...
Photos courtesy of the Society of American Perfumers
This year, the Perfumers Choice Awards 2008 wanted to place their event under the guidance of two inspirational quotes from two women captains of industry to help members of the profession make the final selection of the winners for the PCAs awards (please see previous list of nominees). One is a reminder about the necessity to be creative and is from Coco Chanel who said "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different," and the other is about the simple pragmatic reason for promoting standards of excellence and is by Estée Lauder who liked to remind people that "If you put the product into the customer's hands, it will speak for itself if it's something of quality."
Perhaps these remarks intervened in an era when advertising for beauty and fragrance products was less important than it is today and image less critical, but one can still, despite this evolution, and in fact, more so than ever precisely because of these new developments, agree with these premises.
The winners for 2008 are:
November 12, 2008
The American Society of Perfumers 2008 Perfumers Choice Awards Winners Announced
Acqua Di Biella in Dresden & Frankfurt: The Perfume Window-Display Project {Perfume Images & Adverts} {Fragrance Decoration}
Here are two pictures of Acqua di Biella window displays from two different cities, Dresden and Frankfurt in Germany. The first one was picked by the brand and I thought that the second one, part of their collection, was noteworthy, with its elaborate, classical-world theme...
Monica Bellucci Plays Daughter of Eve for Dior Hypnotic Poison Ad {Perfume Images & Adverts - New}
The new ad for Dior Hypnotic Poison with actress Monica Bellucci. The tag line is Dior est mon poison (Dior is my poison).
An advertising that plays to the stereotype or archetype of Eve. The bottle of Hypnotic Poison becomes or rather suggests the (red) apple Eve bit into as she was seduced into it by the serpent in the garden of Eden.
After Eve/Monica Bellucci gets expulsed from Eden she takes on the attributes of the snake in order, in her turn, to ssssseduce unwitting men.
However Dior in their kindness have posted a big enough community warning sign.
Monica Bellucci thus becomes that multi-secular female public enemy # 1 figure at the very same time that her husband Vincent Cassel is playing the role of public enemy #1 Mesrine in his latest movie.
Perfume Ad with Nicole Kidman for Chanel Eau Premiere {Perfume Images & Adverts - New}
Chanel has started publicizing a sumptuous ad campaign for their latest Eau Première with, surprise, actress Nicole Kidman as its face. The publicity I saw (and which I did not see in their earlier press documentation) is a luxurious four-page spread that looks as if the support were photography-paper quality with a peel-off perfume sample tucked in a glossy enveloppe.
We are showing you the first two pages today as they appeared in Elle Magazine this week...
Tony Sirico Paolo Per Uomo (2008): The Sopranos' Touch {New Perfume} {Men's Cologne} {Perfume Ads}
As a follow-up to our initial announcement, here is a sneak peek at the advert for the upcoming new cologne inspired by actor Tony Sirico titled Paolo Per Uomo (Paul or Paulie for Men). It is inspired by his Soprano character Paulie Walnuts. The tag line is: "Make it known you mean business."...
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is organizing an exhibition on fashion and sports called Fashion V Sport which started on the 5th of August 2008 and will run until the 4th of January 2009. Within it, sensory artist Sissel Tolaas has set up an olfactory thread that runs through the exhibit, creating a second invisible exhibition entitled Bodisme only discernable to the nose, thus developing further her work on human body odor.
The scent installations on display are to be found in each of the four sections of the exhibition:
"DARE A 'clean' sweaty body without bacterial interaction
DISPLAY A sweaty body overlaid with deodorant/ artificial smells
PLAY A sweaty body's unique 'smell fingerprint' that carries natural messages in pheromones, bacterial interaction,
DESIRE A custom-made simulated body smell as a base scent with added molecules on top to communicate the desired message"...
Avon Bond Girl 007: Interviews with Gemma Aterton, Olivier Cresp + TV Ad {Fragrance News} {New Perfume Advert}
Ok, so you weren't able to make it to the world premiere of the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace in London yesterday (you wanted to have first dibs on the new Avon fragrance Bond Girl 007 of course).
The next best thing is to listen to Gemma Aterton talking about the perfume, take a peek at the behind-the-scenes and even - surprise! - listen to perfumer Olivier Cresp explaining his ideas for the perfume he helped create. It had to be both attractive and dangerous, says he. I am ready to believe Avon can put the equivalent of some kind of
perfumery glutaminate of sodium in their scents because their Wish of
Happiness seemed to operate exactly at that level.
So we get the addictive part for the drydown but then he adds that the top notes are sparkling. Is that supposed to mean dangerous as in an overdose of champagne?
Watch the commercial and then the interviews after the jump and let us know what you think!
Perfumers: Honorine Blanc and Annie Buzantian Artistic director: Aerin Lauder Gender label: feminine; men could make it their own if they care to remember Macassar oil Notes: Italian Bergamot, geranium oil, cinnamon SFE, Golden Amber, Ylang Ylang absolute, Bulgarian Rose absolute, Honey, Incense, Vanilla and Sandalwood. Characteristics: modern soft ambery oriental with slightly old-fashioned styled florals Personality: soft, sensual, warm, courteous, graceful Wearability: a cinch Price point: $$ (Eau de Parfum) and $$$ (extrait) Bottle: "The parfum
bottle cap is adorned with semi precious stones of tiger eye, smokey quartz
and red agate. The eau de parfum bottle cap was inspired by an exquisite
hammered gold necklace and matching bracelet Aerin received as a gift from her
grandmother Estee." Perfumes discussed: Estee Lauder Intuition, Yves Rocher Voile d'Ambre (just for pointers), Bourbon French Parfums Heliotrope
Estée Lauder Amber Ylang Ylang is the second installment in the Private Collection series inaugurated with Tuberose Gardenia last year. The Private Collection is the equivalent of the concept of the private reserve for luxury alcohols. It aims to bring an enhanced experience of refinement to customers by paying more attention to the raw materials used, letting them speak for themselves if you will.
It is apparent to me now that the collection bears the personal mark of Aerin Lauder: Amber Ylang Ylang just like Tuberose Gardenia bespeaks of a certain brand of soft femininity and social grace. Exotic flowers that could be let loose as unruly, heady and erotic (tuberose; ylang ylang) come here to adorn perfect decoration-magazine pages (or silver-screen imagery) letting go of their reputation for unpredictability in exchange for a touch of gentility. Instead of using the word "polite" I want to use the term "courteous".
Aerin Lauder explained the inspiration for the perfume,
"To me, a perfect evening is a private one, spent at home with family
and friends. So the fragrance captures the essence of an
enjoyable evening in a warm, inviting room filled with the luxurious
textures of wood, velvet and cashmere. "Private Collection Amber Ylang
Ylang represents the relaxed intimacy and quiet comforts that we love
to come home to at the end of the day."
And again,
"For me, there is nothing more inviting and warm than rich browns and gold - brown velvet couches, gold accents in lamps, tables, vases and frames,"...
Everyone Has a Fragrance, Even Hollyoaks! + Am I Normal? Body Odour (2008) {New Perfume} {Celebrity Fragrance}
I am not sure I need to smell this one but it is so fun to see everyone and their neighbors getting to deh-ve-lo-peh a perfume that I couldn't resist posting about Hollyoaks by Hollyoaks, the new indispensable fragrance for soap opera fans...
Miss Dior Chérie: The Official Ads & The Unofficial One + A Perfumista Hit by Reverse-Associations {Perfume Images & Adverts} {Scented Thoughts}
Here are the new print ads for the fragrance Miss Dior Chérie shot with model Maryna Linchuk. Sofia Coppola has been hired by Dior to film the TV commercial version of the ad featuring the same model but the latter has not been released on the net yet as far as I can tell.
And here is an anecdote about the perfume: last summer as I had feasted on ripe French-bred strawberries and some were left on the table and forgotten, I started smelling Miss Dior Chérie in the air in a very distinct manner after a while. It is only after a few quizzical moments that I realized the strawberries smelled exactly like the strawberry note in the perfume, complete with its chypré overtones. I don't know if the scent of these strawberries have been enhanced or if Miss Dior Chérie just captures the natural scent of this varietal wonderfully, but it was funny.
I have been doing involuntary reverse-associations more and more by the way. I smell this cumin and I think, mmm, it smells like L'Autre or that other cumin and mmm, it smells like Kingdom...talk about living in a different world! It does not happen systematically but it looks like the world of perfumes is taking on a life of its own...
John Galliano by John Galliano (2008): Edgy Violets {Perfume Review & Musings}
John Galliano perfume ad featuring his muse: the fragrance just launched in Europe. Expect to see it in 2009 in the US and the Middle East
John Galliano by John Galliano
The Skinny:
Perfumers: Christine Nagel and Aurélien Guichard Artistic Director: John Galliano Fragrance company: Selective Beauty Gender label: feminine; could be worn by a man in the spirit of a 19th century men's floral scent thanks to its tobacco and hay nuances; perfect for a modern dandy Notes: aldehydes, violet, iris, rose, musks, woods Characteristics: classic florals perceived through the filter of memory meet real-life realistic atmospheres = arty superimposition of freshly ironed couture dress on powdery lipstick-y floral bouquet and more Personality: soft, tender, romantic and edgy Wearability: easy - the "edge" might be too much for some Price point: $$ Perfumes discussed: Berdoues Violettes de Toulouse, Borsari Violetta di Parma, Creed Love in Black, Editions de Parfum Dans Tes Bras, Guerlain Insolence EDP, Penhaligon's Violetta, Stephen Jones, Lalique Eau de Parfum, Caron Aimez-Moi
The Review:
The Larger Context: Violets Then & Here & Now
Major fragrance and flavors producer Symrise said in February 2008 that the scent of violet would be one of our notes of predilection in the future, and indeed we have seen this forecast, or perhaps better put, industrial push come to realization. They announced, amongst other things, that there would be "...a redefinition of classic notes like vetiver or violet..." I was mildly surprised to have to imagine that one of the signature trails of the 19th century bourgeoisie, when floral bouquets and soliflores were overwhelmingly in was supposed to waft anew in the near future as if reflective of our deep hidden meaningful unconscious need for it, only it just had to be brought to the surface. Why a violet "craze" redux now? What could its meaning be? Is it simply the tail end of the 2007 iris comet (see Galore of Iris Perfumes), a note often associated with it? Was this just a fashion diktat we ought to disobey like the violet, purple and plum colors trend of this fall 2008? And are we really begging to tattoo violet perfume, metaphorically speaking this time, into our skins as was fashionable for some at the peak of the violet mania?
The mid 19th century and early 20th century perfume-history chapter is full of excess and passionate addiction to this scent which was considered to be the epitomy of what "delicate" is meant to express. Violet was perceived to offer an "unsurpassed delicacy", an ideal and naturally refined aroma although many formulas were in fact attempts at capturing the illusion of the real thing. It is thus important to note that despite the label "violet" (soliflores) a good number of people were in fact aware that in many cases violet perfumes were illusory renditions of it. What I find very interesting in this case is that these original sources show that the so-called naturalism of 19th century taste in perfumes was actually linked to a higher level of perception of the abstractness of floral fragrance compositions than our contemporaries commonly think. The idea of a simple violet scent might sound charmingly naïve in retrospect but in fact 19th century perfumistas were much more astute consumers of it than we think...
Photo Album for the 180th Anniversary of Guerlain {Perfume Images & Adverts}
I love this picture of a flacon of Shalimar being delicately combed at the Guerlain Orphin factory
Joyce.fr has put together a nice photo album to celebrate the 180th anniversary of the house of Guerlain. Some rarer pictures appear, especially those of ancient Guerlain cosmetics.
Don't tell me it's true they discontinued Secret de Bonne Femme! I loved its aerial consistency, its smell, its mother-of-pearl color, not to mention its adorable blue indigo glass jar. It was a feel-good traditional face cream that had managed to survive since the Belle Epoque (1904) into the 21st century.
A Guerlain cream made with bear's fat, la Graisse d'Ours Liquéfiée
Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy: The Ad {Perfume Images & Advert} {Celebrity Fragrance}
You can now contemplate Britney Spears in her new, freshly-minted ad for her upcoming fragrance Hidden Fantasy to be launched in December 2008, as previously announced. It was taken a week or so ago.
The main theme is red, red, red and the fantasy seems to be to spend a fall vacation on planet Mars observing leaves turning from red to hopeful green...
Sean John I Am King: The Ad {Perfume Images & Adverts}
You may have followed the news with us regarding the upcoming launch of I Am King by Sean John, which comes with a message. Here is a sneak peek at the advert for the fragrance that will appear in national books from December 2008.
From the press release,
"Sean John Fragrances introduces "I Am King," the newest men's fragrance
from Sean "Diddy" Combs. A decadent and sensual scent for the power
players of the world - "I Am King" is designed to inspire those who
dream big and want to live large - the ultimate, empowering fragrance
for today's modern man.
A little dose of fairy-tale does not hurt in times of recession as someone was telling me off the record. Paris Hilton has thus turned into the celebrity version of a sweet Tinker Bell to promote her new fragrance Fairy Dust; she seems to have left the branch of the flacon of the latest Van Cleef & Arpels Féérie who were also inspired by the magical world of Disney's pixies this fall 2008. Meanwhile Lolita Lempicka is reactivating a scintillating version of the little mermaid franchise with Fleur de Corail...
Gucci by Gucci pour Homme TV Commercial with James Franco {Perfume Images & Adverts}
This is my favorite masculine ad so far. When Dior Sport pour Homme and Guerlain Homme are trying to capture your attention these days on the airwaves and the street even, and do by the way, but lack a little something, like a real presence, this ad for Gucci by Gucci pour Homme with actor James Franco is able to deliver a concentrate of masculinity.
This must be the first time I pay closer attention to Franco: he is charming, sexy and I realized, looks like James Dean, to whom he is made to resemble even more with his moody, brooding pose. Ah yes, he also bears the same first name. Discovery of the day.
Stephen Jones Launches Fragrance At Dover Street Market {Scented (Party) Images}
Stephen Jones in black regalia to match his inkwell of a perfume flacon
Milliner Stephen Jones who described his first signature scent as being "... a violet that's been hit by a meteorite," resting on both an "innocent" and "otherworldly" interpretation of the delicate floral scent, just launched his fragrance at Dover Street Market in London. Adrian Joffe, president and managing director of Comme des Garçons insisted that he and perfumer Antoine Maisondieu were only there to second the milliner in giving birth to his dream perfume "The idea for us it to produce, not create. We wouldn't want to do a
perfume with someone if they didn't have a creative spirit,"
On a side fashion note, Stephen Jones is the designer behind the hats for the upcoming biopic about Chanel, Coco Avant Chanel.
Tame Jungle for Guerlain at Opéra Garnier {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses} {Scented Images}
We announced the other day that the house of Guerlain was taking to the street for their new perfume, Guerlain Homme.
The jungle display at Opéra Garnier for the new Guerlain Homme looked nice but the atmosphere was flat. The only emotional reaction the event elicited in me was a smile after I heard, several times over, the line from the Guerlain Homme commercial by Jean-Paul Goude booming across the street: "pour l'animal qui dort en vous" " for the animal that sleeps in you". Contrasted with the sedate ambience and the unconcerned or weary airs of the tourists resting on the steps of the opéra, many of them white-haired, it was rather amusing.
This attempt to reach out to urbanites where they are to be found, on the street, seemed to be marred by a lack of staff support from Guerlain. If the decoration was pleasing to the eye and the Goude commercial well-visible and audible from a distance, the impact on passers-by seemed minimal. A couple of fragrance models were supposed to cover the large stretch of sidewalk girding the front of the opera house and they were huddled together in exactly the same spot joking between themselves while spraying almost absent-mindedly on strips of paper without offering any eye contact to their consenting victims. The lack of conviction was palpable. There were no Mojitos in sight to refresh potential customers and I realized after leaving the scene that the air smelled of nothing...
Picture of the Guerlain Jungle Decor at La Défense {Scented Images}
Here is a picture of the 150 m2 set-up by Guerlain at La Défense to showcase their new cologne, prior to it opening to visitors.
So, if you have the time you can swing by to get a spritz of Guerlain Homme until 19h 30 today. They are distributing alcohol-free Mojitos, samples and coupons.
New Fuel for Life Unlimited Commercial {Perfume Ad}
Diesel has set up a micro-website for their new flanker to Diesel Fuel for Life, Unlimited. You can watch the commercial which is like a cross between the movie Barry Lyndon and a pajama party set in the Jazz Age. The new scent is being advertised as "for women only".
Paco Rabanne 1 Million TV Commercial {Perfume Ads}
Wear the perfume, snap your fingers and see what happens. The commercial for 1 Million by Paco Rabanne, for men, could be a variation on the it's-a-click-away experience in the internet age. Here everything is a snap-of-the-fingers-away.
Model Matt Gordon is the fantasized big player/dreamer who makes all his desires come true.
TV Ad with Anne Hathaway for Lancôme: Ooh La La, C'est Magnifique {Perfume Ads}
Here are two slightly different versions of the TV commercial for Magnifique by Lancôme featuring Anne Hathaway. The second one is for Macy's and skips on the "You are unique, you are Magnifique" line.
Both the TV and print ads were shot by Peter Lindbergh. The male model is Roman Seefeldt.
Lush Sees Link Between Naked Backsides & Packaging {Scented Picture of the Day - Perfume Images & Adverts}
Nudity on the street was a chosen theme for Agent Provocateur to advertise their lingerie line at the beginning of this year. Lush, another British beauty brand, is now seeing a link between proud derrieres offered to the four winds and a green message protesting the overuse of packaging in the beauty industry.
Perfumer Carlos Benaïm Presents Bulgari Jasmin Noir {Scented Photo of the Day - Perfume Images & Adverts}
Once in a while you get to happen on a publicized picture of a perfumer holding his or her oeuvre. Most often treated as "éminences grises", men and women of the shadows in the recent past in order not to deflect attention from the brands, they now appear more frequently in the limelight.
Here is a portrait of perfumer Carlos Benaïm presenting his latest perfume, Bulgari Jasmin Noir (he is also the author of the more widely known and wonderful Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds). You can see other pictures from the fragrance bash thrown for the new Bulgari scent here.
I don't know if I have shared one particular Franco-American TV anecdote with you before on this blog, but it is worth retelling in the context of the "controversy" unleashed by Eva Mendes posing suggestively for the upcoming perfume by Calvin Klein, Secret Obsession. But first the context. As we all know, there are no-nos everywhere, the interesting part is that they differ according to the predominant cultural values that are exhibited or advertised by said-culture or sub-culture. In other words, certain things are done in the open and others recede in the background but it is safe to assume that it is not because sexually suggestive images are deemed improper for wider TV-consumption that America is a less sexually active country than others which would, officially, not bat an eyelash at the sight of Eva Mendes's nipple or backside and more generally speaking, soft erotic choreography staged by Fabien Baron to sell Secret Obsession...
More on Romano Ricci & Juliette Has A Gun {Perfume Images & Ads}
Thanks to Octavian, who called my attention to a video on You Tube where Romano Ricci is explaining his line of perfumes Juliette Has A Gun, you can discover more of the personality of the founder of this new-generation-Ricci (of Nina-Ricci fame) niche perfume house,
Bijan V.I.P. (2008) {New Fragrance - New Perfume Ad}
Here is the ad for the new duo of men and women fragrances by Bijan called V.I.P., from Beauty Fashion, June 2008.
The ad concept: playing the celebs card without hiring any. Suggestion to the consumer: just pretend you are one, adopt the attitude and the accessories and subito presto you look glamorous and famous.
Striking Advertising for Guerlain Homme: Animalistic Sense of Smell Honored {Perfume Images & Adverts}
"The quintessence of animal instinct, yet for this very reason often repressed or misunderstood, the sense of smell is our Guerlain man's constant ally..."
Jean-Paul Goude who is well-known for his strikingly creative visual style has designed an intriguing story and stunning visuals for the upcoming Guerlain Homme perfume. His advertising for Chanel Egoïste is one of the most unforgettable ones I have seen; he considers it by the way to be his best work in advertising. In France, he also left his mark on the collective psyche by organizing an over-the-top parade on the Champs-Elysées for the bicentenary of the French Revolution in 1989.
Brazilian model Renne Castrucci is the star of the show for the new Guerlain cologne having been asked to embody a man that has not forgotten his animal side. As the press release says the effect is supposed to be "...andevery woman on earth will long to be "Jane". or even Bagheera."...
Sarah Jessica Parker Talks About Covet Pure Bloom {Perfume Images & Adverts} {Celebrity Fragrances}
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker talks about her latest Covet Pure Bloom explaining it was inspired by the scents of Hawaii and of the Pikake flower in particular. To her, it is more of a seasonal fragrance and offers something more unique than Lovely although the latter is admittedly full of social graces. She says that she wears all of her perfumes "religiously".
Covet Pure Bloom is currently exclusively available on HSN. A kit including a 1.7 oz bottle of the new scent and a solid perfume compact of Covet, the second one of her perfumes, is available for $52.
•• Explanation of the Prada Infusion d'Homme Cultural Project •• 9 Movies for 1 Cologne {Perfume Adverts}
Following up on the critique of the launch party of Prada Infusion d'Homme (see previous post), here is another point of view that explains the conceptual and artistic ambitions of Prada's non-conventional perfume advertising project, which actually aims to encourage the workings of your imagination rather than immediately make you buy the product. It is an anti-impulse-buying position and more about becoming attached to the universe represented by the perfume, its unmistakable coolness and sense of difference, thus touching upon one of the big instincts for perfume-buying: to set yourself apart with a few drops of scent and delineate your personal space in a society that can be alienating,
"Prada has launched a project that distances itself from traditional perfume advertising to obtain more coherent results with its contemporary vision of the world of today’s men.
This cultural project overturns traditional thought and breaks away from the usual easy approach to follow a new experimental path. It prompts and encourages a specific thought process in the viewer that elicits absolutely personal sensations.....
•• Upcoming Major Feminine Launch for Guerlain •• {Fragrance News}
The new in-house perfumer for Guerlain, Thierry Wasser, explains to L'Express that as Guerlain launches on average 20 perfumes a year, that "one can't do everything". The next major Guerlain feminine launch will thus be the fruit of his collaboration with Annick Menardo, an ex co-author of fragrances. She also created Bois d'Arménie for Guerlain.....
•• Tom Ford White Patchouli (2008) •• Black & White All The Way {New Fragrance} {New Perfume Advert}
Following an early spotting of the upcoming new Tom Ford feminine fragrance fronted by singer Erykah Badu, we now learn that White Patchouli will be launched in September 2008. Tom Ford said,
"For this project, I wanted to reinvent patchouli," [...] "I loved the idea of mixing patchouli with white florals. We used patchouli orpur, which takes out some of the darker, smoky notes of patchouli. We mixed that with peony, bergamot, and jasmine" Additional notes include rose, coriander, and ambrette seed."......
The Musée International de la Parfumerie Will Reopen This Fall {Fragrance News} {Perfume Advert}
After announcing last year that the Musée International de la Parfumerie (International Museum of Perfumery), located in the south of France in the historical center of perfumery that Grasse is, would reopen in early 2008, the inauguration was delayed but is now scheduled for October 18, 2008, according to Fashion Mag.fr
On your right, an ad for the famous Papier d'Arménie from the 1890s, which is part of the Museum's collection, showing its purifying properties: it roots out evil angels and other miasma of that same order. The tag line is "Parfume, Assainit" (Perfumes, Cleanses)
Supermodel Kate Moss, who unbelievably looks like she is only 16 on some of her recent magazine ads, but looked more human in Berlin on June 13 in Berlin, i.e., 34, just went there to launch her newest and second scent titled Velvet Hour.
The ad campaign is shot by Mert & Marcus and features a feline Kate Moss luxuriating in a scintillating deep blue lamé dress while her new perfume looks like a smoking gun of seduction. The tag line reads "Embrace The Night" and sounds like a more sophisticated perfume than her debut one, Kate Moss.....
Montana En Turquoise (2008) {New Fragrance} {New Perfume Ad}
Montana has issued a new limited-edition feminine fragrance for this summer called Montana en Turquoise. It is meant to evoke the Caribbean and is bottled in the signature sculptural flacon for the brand. You are perfume and live under a parasol by the big blue turquoise sea.
The scent is described as a fresh marine floral and features notes of ocean spray, bergamot, lily, white orchid, vanilla bean, musks, warm wood.
It is priced at 44 €.
Image: Images de Parfums; available at News Parfums
After reading an article (see next post) about the kind of perfume ads that normal guys would prefer over the glamorous ones such as that of The One featuring Matthew McConaughey (we also learn that the dressed version is for the US market) and Lynx being quoted as the epitome of that style, we went to see if Youtube had them.
Lynx is the name for Axe in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK.
Kenzo Jungle pour Homme (1998) Advert with Satya Oblet {Perfume Adverts}
Kenzo Jungle Homme was created by Olivier Cresp and launched in 1998. It has notes of Maté, nutmeg, musk mallow seeds, Atlas cedar, blue cedar from Lebanon.
The 1999 advert features model Satya Oblet, who is now the new face for the Airness range of masculine fragrances. He recounts that he saw his luck turn after he'd bleached his hair citing the fact that his dark skin was a problem for him to land modeling contracts. It's impossible not to notice him now!
There is an interesting dossier on Joyce.fr offering a retrospective of the history of Chanel No. 5. The images are well-worth discovering. As zakuski, we have selected three that we thought were particularly captivating. The top one is the first advert for Chanel no. 5 drawn by Sem in 1921 (see also the Sem candles issued by Maxim's of Paris). The ad with actress Carole Bouquet dated 1997 and photographed by Dominique Issemann is the sexiest we have seen with her....
Piguet Fracas Ad - Spring 2008 {Scented Images & Adverts - Niche}
This is one of the new adverts for Fracas by Piguet issued to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Fracas (1948) despite emanating from a small niche house has managed to become a classic reference in the world of tuberose scents and feminine fragrances in general, thanks to the patte (lit. paw) or strong signature of perfumer Germaine Cellier. The style of the image is a throwback to the 1930s-1940s when the couture house was clothing elegant fashionistas from the tout Paris.
We note that niche perfume houses seem to be interested these days in relying on classic visual marketing and construction of brand image rather than just word of mouth on the quality of the jus. But they still save on bottle design as often the same flacons are re-used for different compositions by contrast with the luxury i.e., department-store brands.
Video Interview on the Perfume Industry {Scented Images}
The following video interview is excerpted from a DVD titled "Au coeur du parfum" put out by Givaudan. In this 4: 42 mn segment you will see a short interview with Gérard Delcour the president of the Comité Français du Parfum and a slightly longer one with perfumer Christine Nagel.......
Estee Lauder Sensuous: 4 Adverts To Reach Everywoman {Fragrance Adverts}
Estee Lauder have unveiled their upcoming fragrance Sensuous to the press last week. The brand explained their featuring of four different spokesmodels for the perfume as an attempt to reach a broader audience which could identify with more images of women.
Interestingly, they did not feel the need to take the route of affirmative action to do that, which some new women's TV shows in the vein of Sex and the City have partially tried to do this year. This choice comes in the context of other perfume companies which have opted for a single representative spokesmodel issued from a minority group in the US......
If in 1998 Caron chose an étoile ballet dancer, Patrick Dupond, to incarnate the image of masculinity they wanted to project for their classic lavender cologne Pour Un Homme (For A Man), in 2008 it appears much more controversial to present a type of man that is as far removed as one could dream of from the new take on masculinity commonly dubbed "metrosexual".....
Ted Lapidus Altamir (2008): The Trail of Orange Blossom {New Fragrance} {Men's Cologne}
Fashion design brand Ted Lapidus has released a new masculine perfume called Altamir. The scent is described as an oriental featuring a delicate yet intense note of orange blossom further encased in an orange-y accord.
Last year, Jean Paul Gaultier put the spotlight on this floral note in his (officially) gender-bending masculine fragrance, Fleur du Mâle....
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