Fragrance Collection 10 - 11

Midnight blue, fig, fictional characters, lily and more: osMoz analyzes the trends of the season. A special report in the guise of a trendbook...
Report by Nicolas Olczyk

New fragrances, classics revisited, collectible bottles: just like 2009, there’s going to be an embarrassment of riches in perfumeries this fall.

What’s new for men?

Chanel is back this year with a fragrance for men’s christened Bleu. The house hadn’t launched a major new scent for men since Allure pour Homme (1999) and its Sport version (2004). To make sure Bleu doesn’t go unnoticed, Chanel chose a legendary film director, Martin Scorsese, and a trendy young French actor, Gaspard Ulliel, for the campaign. Gaultier’s Le Mâle is celebrating its 15 anniversary this year. For the occasion, the designer is unveiling Le Mâle Terrible, an ‘extreme eau de toilette,’ with a drydown that is unexpectedly livelier and less vanillic. Another best-seller for men that’s getting a flanker this year: Boss Bottled.

Twelve years after the original, Hugo Boss has come up with a jazzy, woody-aromatic composition in a midnight-blue bottle: Boss Bottled Night. Night also inspired Saint Laurent for La Nuit de L’Homme Le Parfum, an intense variation with spicy and oriental tonalities. Some other recent launches for men: Bulgari Man, a sweet woody scent fronted by Clive Owen, and Midnight in Paris (Van Cleef & Arpels), a chic, thoroughbred, oriental-leather scent. Internationally, Ralph Lauren is going to be in the news this fall, with a quartet of sporty men’s scents: Big Pony.

New products for women

Women haven’t been forgotten when it comes to big launches this season. With Lady Million and its diamond bottle, Paco Rabanne is hoping to do as well as they have with 1 Million. As for Thierry Mugler, they’re betting on a fairly complex, multi-layered fragrance: Womanity. You’ll love or hate its sweet-and-salty, woodsy scent, composed around a heart of fig. Same visceral reaction to the very Mugler bottle, a sort of Gothic-girly totem. At Yves Saint Laurent, after the successful launch of Parisienne with Kate Moss in 2009, make way this year for Belle d’Opium. In its electric-blue bottle, this little sister for Opium is warmer and more modern than the original. Seduction has pride of place at Fendi, Guess and Gucci, too, with Fan di Fendi, Seductive and Guilty* respectively. Calvin Klein and Chloé celebrate women’s natural beauty, with ‘Beauty’ and ‘Love, Chloé,’ while Lanvin goes for a younger, more romantic feel with Marry Me, a fresh, fruity-floral. Givenchy has brought out a feminine counterpart for Play, with Play for Her, and its intense version.

Bottle news

In the Sport trend, two different brands propose barbell-inspired bottles: Force (Biotherm) and Champion (Davidoff).In addition to posing nude, Marc Jacobs plays an atypical card with a crushed-looking bottle for Bang*. For Play for Her, Givenchy gives their MP3 bottle a feminine twist, with pink or purple hues. In Bleu de Chanel, the novelty comes from the magnetic cap, which slips back into place all by itself. And last but not least, collectors are sure to give in to the temptation of the L’Air du Temps bottle revisited by celebrity designer Philippe Starck… A futuristic bird inspired by Nina Ricci’s classic ‘dove’ bottle.

(*) launch scheduled for 2010 or 2011 depending on the country