Monthly Archives from March 2006

Perfume Images & Adverts Archive

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May 10, 2009

Chanel No5 Retrospective II: Sem Makes Fun of Coco Chanel {Perfume Images}


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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....

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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!


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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.



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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.

May 8, 2009

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...

Continue reading "When Chanel Used to Mention Prices in Commercials for the No.5: The Sophistication Learning Curve {Perfume Ads}" »

May 4, 2009

Chanel No5 The Movie Available Now {Scented Images}


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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:

http://www.chaneln5.com/en-us#/the-film

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 No 5 with Tautou: The Making of and the Interview: Teasers, Teasers Part 2 {Scented Images}




Leading up to the new Chanel No5 film, here is the making of. Commentary is in French. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet explains that he proposed Tatou to Chanel due to her expressive acting and in particular her ability to convey emotions and meaning with just her eyes. For example, when the character played by Tatou arrives at the train station and does not see her love interest, she has to express all these nuances of expectation and disappointment intelligibly in a second and half versus 10 seconds in a feature movie. Jeunet said that "he knew her eyes".

After the jump, a video interview with Audrey Tautou...

Continue reading "Chanel No 5 with Tautou: The Making of and the Interview: Teasers, Teasers Part 2 {Scented Images}" »

Chanel No5: The New Ad Campaign with Audrey Tautou: Teasers, Teasers - Part 1 {Scented Images & Ads} {Celebrity Fragrance}


Train-de-Nuit-Story-Board-B.jpgThe 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.

Train-Nuit-Story-Board-2-B.jpgI 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.

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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...

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Continue reading "Chanel No5: The New Ad Campaign with Audrey Tautou: Teasers, Teasers - Part 1 {Scented Images & Ads} {Celebrity Fragrance}" »

May 2, 2009

Happy Belated May Day (+ 1): Muguet from Paris {Scented Images}

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April 22, 2009

Diesel Only The Brave Split Screen TV Commercial: Heart, Mind, Nerve {Perfume Images & Adverts}


Only-The-Brave-Bottle-B.jpgA 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)...

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April 7, 2009

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).

April 3, 2009

Lipnitzki Photographs Paul Poiret Les Parfums de Rosine {Perfume Images}

Paul Poiret Rosine and Martine window-displays - as you can see, the name Paul Poiret remained attached to the names of his daughters he used to brand his diversification efforts. © Lipnitzki/Roger-Viollet

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Perfume Rosine - Paul Poiret was well-known for his supercilious attention to the designs of his perfume bottles.© Lipnitzki/Roger-Viollet....


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March 27, 2009

Rochas Fragrances Look towards the Future but by Relying on the Past {Fragrance News} More on Eau Sensuelle (2009) {New Perfume}


Rochas-Eau-Sensuelle-Ad-B.jpgThe 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...

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Continue reading "Rochas Fragrances Look towards the Future but by Relying on the Past {Fragrance News} More on Eau Sensuelle (2009) {New Perfume}" »

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...

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March 20, 2009

New Chanel No.5 Ad with Audrey Tautou by Jean-Pierre Jeunet {Fragrance News} {Perfume Adverts}


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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,"...


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Continue reading "New Chanel No.5 Ad with Audrey Tautou by Jean-Pierre Jeunet {Fragrance News} {Perfume Adverts}" »

March 13, 2009

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).

March 10, 2009

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}


Guerlain-Leenhardt1B.jpgHere 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...

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Continue reading "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}" »

Perfume Images & Adverts Archive

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