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Givenchy features their female staff

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:15:40 +0100

Givenchy’s new fragrance for spring 2010, eaudemoiselle, reconnects with the aristo-chic spirit that is so dear to couturier Hubert de Givenchy. In the perfume’s ad, professional model Magdalena Frackowiak appears clad in a long black cape. The fragrance’s packaging also features women’s faces, but you won’t find Magdalena’s among them. No, Givenchy had a surprising idea: organize an in-house casting call among the female employees to choose young Givenchy women to feature on the product. The brand’s CEO, Alain Lorenzo, came up with the idea, and the casting call was organized by the ad agency that works with Givenchy regularly. Why choose staff members rather than professional models? Essentially for legal and logistical reasons having to do with image rights. They would have had to change the packaging every two or three years, and organizing returns for unsold bottles would have been complicated, the house admits. The young women chosen, one blond and one brunette, come from the press office for the one, and marketing for the other. They’ve both signed a contract and will be paid like ‘normal’ models, the brand explains. The idea of the faces, which will appear in golden frames, is unusual: packaging is usually fairly neutral, or at most, adorned with drawings of flowers, but never faces, Givenchy points out. What’s more, the faces on this item are real ‘Demoiselles Givenchy,’ which is even more unusual. While the house isn’t hyping this point, in order to focus on the fragrance itself, they do acknowledge that the idea created a real esprit de corps amongst the staff. Who knows, the idea might well inspire other brands in the future.
- Nicolas Olczyk

A tennis-ball shape from Lacoste

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:11:16 +0100

A bottle in a ball… what an unusual idea! Lacoste thought of it for their latest men’s scent, the citrus-woody ‘Challenge’. It’s true that the bottle itself was already reminiscent of the design of the handle of a tennis racquet. So this limited edition, 1-oz. eau de toilette offers a new nod to the brand’s athletic roots. While the fragrance is unchanged, there are only 9,000 units of this collector’s item for the whole world, so, as the ad says, ’Don’t resist the call of the game’. Sticking to our athletic theme, Lacoste is also proposing, in some selected countries, a sports version of their fragrance Essential: Essential Sport, a refreshing new scent with an azure-hued juice. Lacoste Challenge collectible, 1 oz., 33 euros. April.

A duo with an arty feel from Diesel

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:56:57 +0100

In April, Diesel will be launching the ‘Fuel for Life Summer Edition’ duo. Fans of design and of modern art are sure to like the very colorful look: a turquoise-blue bottle for him, a fluo-pink one for her. Although the brand mentions Andy Warhol and Keith Haring as inspirations, the packaging’s colorful squares might make you think of Piet Mondrian (the painter’s work has already inspired the famous design of L’Oréal’s Studio Line capillary range). As for the fragrances, the 2 summer eaus reinterpret the original duo under a fresh banner. It’s lemon verbena, floating wood and an almost aquatic lavender for him. As for the women’s scent, it intertwines jasmine, cassis berries and an amber-wood note, the whole refreshed with citrus accents, thanks to neroli and bergamot.

Biotherm makes a show of Force

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:56:29 +0100

Proud of their role as leaders and trendsetters in selective men’s skin care, this spring, Biotherm (L’Oréal group) is getting into men’s fragrance, too. The brand’s first scent for men is called Force, and the metallic bottle is like a chrome barbell. The juice, signed Bruno Jovanovic, is fairly classic, blending aromatic, citrus, aquatic and woody notes. The fragrance’s slogan is Live Stronger. Women haven’t been forgotten though, as Biotherm has also scheduled a new scented eau for later this year: Eau de Paradis.

A trio with an arty feel from Jacomo

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:47:26 +0100

In 2010, fragrance brand Jacomo is marking their return to the olfactory scene with an art-themed perfume trilogy christened ‘Art Collection’. Jacomo paired each of the 3 fragrances to a contemporary artist. Eau de parfum 02 (a gourmand, leathery oriental) was illustrated by Cecilia Carlstedt; 08 (a smoky-milky-spicy oriental), by Daniel Egneus, and 09 (a spicy-fruity-woodsy gourmand scent), by Stina Person. While all 3 fragrances are in the oriental family, the artists are all Swedish. The dark-glass bottles are cheered up with an interestingly designed plaque of color whose hue echoes the color of the perfume’s number. The works of art have been reproduced both on the box and on a sheet of tracing paper hand-signed by the artist and slipped inside. It’s an unusual “exercise in style” for the brand, and quite a stretch from their usual form of expression. Jacomo says they are considering extending their ‘Art Collection’ into the future. Eau de parfum 1.7 oz.: 54 euros, 3.4 oz.: 72 euros. For more info: jacomo.com

The perfume for sultry, rock n’ roll nights

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:42:58 +0100

In 2010, Gaultier’s Ma Dame reveals a new facet of its personality, as an eau de parfum. The fluo-pink bottle gives way to a glossy-black / neon- pink combo. According to the house, the fragrance has become ‘a spicy floral with a black-vinyl rose effect’. The three key notes in the eau de toilette – rose, musk and cedar wood – are still there, but the result is more carnal and nocturnal, thanks to a black rose garbed in patchouli and pink pepper. In addition, to celebrate the launch of the eau de parfum, there’s a competition on ma-dame.com: the most glam-rock entry wins a VIP pass for a fashion show, as well as Jean Paul Gaultier accessories. Eau de parfum 1.7 oz.: 68 euros, edp 2.5 oz.: 84 euros

Is hand-made the latest status symbol?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:12:59 +0100

On a fragrance market with more and more new product launches, the word ‘rare’ still sometimes gets its fullest meaning. Rareness is often conditioned by high prices or by extremely limited editions. But there is another option: hand-made. When you open the packaging protecting a bottle from niche brand Amouage, you find a little note: “Thank you for your purchase. I wrapped this product for you personally … “ and the person’s signature at the bottom of the note. Such attention to detail is a pleasant surprise for customers, who are used to a certain standard, based on automated production methods rather than personalization. But some procedures have resisted automation, and can not be reproduced by machine, or not to the same standards, anyway. That is the case for baudruchage, which is still done by classic houses like Chanel and Guerlain. The manual-only technique calls for applying string or sealing wax to seal fragrance bottles. At luxury waxer Rigaud’s, one person is specialized in tying the house’s signature knots, which adorn all of their products. Handmade can also mean hand-painted or -gilded bottles. Annick Goutal, for instance, proposes hand-painted limited editions of her fragrances every year. But hand-made can even refer to the fragrances themselves. Swiss brand Tauer Perfumes launched ‘Memorables’, a collection of hand-made fragrances, the first of which is called ‘Une rose chyprée’. ‘Each of these fragrances is like a luxury chocolate,’ confides the designer, the selected ingredients are rare, and the presentation is done entirely by hand, in Switzerland. For fans of hand-made items, the Internet even provides a shopping site dedicated to “all things hand-made”: Etsy (etsy.com). “Bath & Beauty” items have their own, good-sized section.
- Nicolas Olczyk

Rivers inspire fragrance designers

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:12:26 +0100

Emblematic of the ‘destinations’ theme that bas been in vogue in perfumery for the past few years, Hermès’ Un Jardin sur le Nil has been a huge success. This gently refreshing unisex scent is the second fragrance in the house’s “Jardin” (garden) collection. It’s also the first in a new kind of fragrance with a river theme. Early 2010, two new unisex scents invite us to drift down the world’s waterways. For Annick Goutal, Ninfeo Mio is an invitation to discover a secret Italian garden, Ninfa, with the Ninfeo River running through it. The composition is citrusy and woody, with sweet and fruity green inflections. On the banks of another Italian river: Ciane flows through Sicily, near Syracuse. The atmosphere is recreated by another new unisex scent, from Parfumerie Générale this time. Papyrus de Ciane is a green-woody eau with a lush, mossy trail. As our planet has a nearly infinite number of lovely rivers with exotic names, fragrance designers have found an endless vein to mine.
- Nicolas Olczyk

Actress Tilda Swinton gets into perfume

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:49:30 +0100

After Spanish actress Rossy de Palma, another actress, British this time, will be launching her own fragrance in partnership with niche brand Etat Libre d’Orange. Tilda Swinton, who will be 50 this year, has starred in films like Vanilla Sky, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Michael Clayton – winning an Oscar for the third. The name of her perfume, ‘Like This’, comes from a 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi. Mathilde Bijaoui, perfumer at Mane, has composed a fragrance with notes of mandarin orange, ginger, pumpkin, immortal flower, heliotrope, neroli, rose, vetiver and musk. In addition to this new fragrance, scheduled for March 13, E.L.O. is planning another launch for September 2010: Archives 69. Photo: Wikimedia

Prada has fallen under the spell of tuberose

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:38:00 +0100

After orange blossom in 2009, this year Prada revists their fragrance Infusion d’Iris via tuberose. The usually heady, spicy tuberose takes a soft, colorful turn here. In Infusion de Tubéreuse, the tuberose has fruity tonalities reminiscent of plum or certain berries. You’ll also notice a creamy, floral, slightly soapy facet. On the skin, the scent gradually slides towards very sweet, ambry-woody-musky tonalities. The ravishing package (see photo) was inspired by patterns on the house’s accessories. Compared to last year’s “orange-blossom” version, this stunning limited edition seems to have been given more care – for both the fragrance and the packaging. THE fragrance for the coming season? Quite possibly, especially since even those who don’t care for tuberose may well appreciate it here. Eau de parfum 1.7 to 12 oz., bath and body range. Prices range from 39 to 184 euros. Launch date: April 2010.