Elle is hosting a panel discussion at Barneys next week called “The Mystery of Perfume” —apparently it’s fragrance week here at Fashionista.
The theme of the event instantly made me think of the book Perfume, though I doubt a scent-driven murderer will be discussed at all. Though I highly recommend the novel. But fragrance and what inspires it, how it’s made, etc really is one of the most interesting topics in the beauty world.
Robbie will be there, along with beauty director Emily Dougherty and a few perfumers including perhaps the most interesting one we’ve ever met, Frederic Malle. The man has mad skills when it comes to creating scents, and if you can get him talking about Paris in the 70s, you’ll definitely hear a crazy Karl story or two.
All the details and how to reserve your spot after the jump.
It’s easy, while flipping through magazines and seamlessly perfect luxury advertisements, to forget what kind of work goes into building such perfect little worlds.
So here’s a peek behind the scenes of the shoot of Valentino’s latest fragrance ad starring a kohl-eyed Siri Tollerod, Erin Heatherton, Marloes Horst and a mirror. The song is, of course, written just for this: “Valentino Loves You” by Sophie Carpentier.
It’s most fun to see the comic book-like sketches and instructions detailing the shoot’s order. Hop in!
Mr. Timberlake will be gracing our magazines come September in the ad campaigns for not one, but two Givenchy men’s fragrances: Play and Play Intense.
The suits at LVMH told WWD that they were looking for a new face for fragrance that would be recognized around the world.
“Most importantly, we needed to find a man who could embody the modern elegance specific to the Givenchy brand as well as all the facets of Play,” said Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics N.A..
Until about a year ago, I didn’t give solid perfumes a second glance. Why would I pay $30 for a half-dollar sized tin of fragrance balm when I can get a full bottle for just $10 more?
But then I stumbled across the quirky French fragrance brand Crazylibellule and the Poppies. One swipe of their lip balm-sized Shanghaïjava Blue Orchidée solid fragrance stick and I was hooked.
Now, I’m in love with solid perfumes. I can apply them to discreet spots, like behind my ears and my inner wrist, without having to do that weird, frantic spray-and-rub technique liquids demand. Also, the scents last longer because they’re usually oil and wax based. (Liquid perfume’s alcohol based which makes the scent start off strong and fade quickly.)
Now, every time I’m shopping for a new fragrance, my eyes wander toward the solids. The only problem is that the companies behind the popular fragrances I love treat solid perfume as a novelty, trotted out during holidays to drum up extra revenue. So I was stoked when I saw that Space NK just launched a solid perfume compact of Laughter, one of my staple warm weather scents.
I need everyone else to jump on the solid bandwagon. Am I alone in my newfound adoration? What perfumes would you like to see in a solid form?
For some people, the first hint that spring is on its way is jumping ahead an hour for Daylight Savings. For others, it’s that first day you really contemplate busting out that sundress you ordered on Shopbop three months ago (we miss you already balmy Sunday).
For me, I get ready to break out my warm weather wardrobe when Marc Jacobs releases his summer fragrance Splashes. To go with the re-releases of two of his prior bestsellers, Rain and Cucumber, he’s added Lemon to the mix (on counters now) which means you’re just a few spritzes away from smelling like July.
The $68 price-tag might make you want to protest Sephora, but keep this in mind: I bought a bottle of Rain when it first launched back in 2006, which I spray on myself compulsively. After three years, there’s only about a quarter gone.
So you can think of it as the Costco version of Marc Jacobs, which sounds just about perfect for Summer 09.
Remember those CK One commercials that made you fall in love with Kate in the first place?
They’re back! Kind of.
Coty Prestige is launching a new print/TV ad campaign, launching January 20th (President-Elect Obama’s inauguration day) to add extra resonance to their “We Are One” tag line.
The campaign centers around a song written by one of the campaign’s stars, Jamie Burke, who’ll appear with models of “all shapes, sizes and skin tones.”
(Some campaign images, including one of the bottle that comes with a base complete with a removable MP3 speaker, after the jump.)
..Is anyone else hoping Kate’ll make a cameo in the cast?
The finishing touches are being added, as I type, to Naomi Campbell’s new fragrance commercial, recently shot by legendary photographer Mario Sorrenti in a London Studio.
The ad is said to be a new look for the supermodel who already has an impressive seven fragrances under her belt, all mostly released in Europe.
The name is still unknown, but I can promise you a little floaty dress, lots of pink, gladiator sandals, and a bow and arrow…
Alongside information that the Narciso Rodriguez company has grown 20% every year except 2008 in today’s WWD, was a much more pleasant piece of info, too:
His only women’s fragrance, Narciso Rodriguez for Her (there’s also a Narciso Rodriguez for Men) will be a tough act to follow - it’s been a favorite, especially among editors, since its launch in 2003, and is widely recognized as the original (and more complex) version of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely.
The new fragrance will also come with a new ad campaign - think he’ll use Carmen again?
Scent 79, for both men and women, will debut stateside exclusively at Neiman Marcus in November, (it’s been available in Europe for almost a year).
It’s allegedly crafted “like haute-couture clothing,” combining notes of peach and cranberry with base notes of leather, wood and musk. The minimalist bottle is supposed to reflect the recent streamlined collections - mostly neutral but with pops of vivid color.
The fragrance could stand to be a bit less heavy handed than Raf Simons’ latest collection.
His sharp menswear-inspired looks matched with a lighter, feminine scent could get even the most crazed girl through fashion week.
Because what we just heard might knock you off your wedges:
1. Calvin Klein is re-releasing Ck One, presumably to pick up on the 90’s vibe everybody’s really feeling now post-The Wackness.
2. And, instead of getting Kate and Marky Mark to pose topless, they’re getting 90’s favorite Kirsten Owen, who’s also appearing in the Fall Marc ads, alongside IMG babe Guinevere van Seenus.
3. Oh, and Kirsten and Guinevere will joined by… Agyness!
We’re assuming they won’t be wearing much of anything besides Calvin jeans, but whatever, because it don’t matter what you wear, they’re checking out your savoir faire…
When we heard last Fall that Stephen Jones was collaborating with Rei Kawakubo to make his own fragrance, our reaction was kind of like, “Oh boy.”
But WWD has the results of the project this morning, and we have to say, it looks rather special.
The bottle has a certain heft in its look that the Lovely’s and Glow’s of the world are missing. And the little hat box it comes in? Perfect for gifting.
But of course, we’ve yet to actually smell the perfume, which Stephen, who’s usually a maker of hats, describes as “a violet that’s been hit by a meteorite,” which sounds like the kind of one-noter that usually does pretty well. Stephen recently teamed up with Bumble & Bumble for a hairspray event, so we’re also wondering if these are the beginnings of a Stephen Jones beauty division.
The fragrance should hit stores next month, and we’re still hoping he’s planning on making the matching hat he talked about last September.
The whole thing seems so very Stephen, actually, that we’re kind of wondering - where was Rei in this one?
Well, someone at Proctor and Gamble thinks that you do.
The megabrand in charge of most things in your shower just inked a deal with the Canadian singer, according to WWD, and her essence of ick will be on shelves by Fall.
It’s not that we don’t sing Complicated and Sk8er Boi rather frequently in the office, it’s just that the arbiter of Hot Topic insanity might not be the best choice for a personal scent.
Unless you want to smell like bubble gum, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Vans rubber soles, and hockey pucks all at once, in which case, this is probably your new perfume.
The 36th annual FiFi Awards (think of them as the Oscars of fragrance) were last night, and all the winners are in.
It’s no surprise that perfume monolith Coty walked away with five awards, and the recipient of Fragrance Foundation’s Hall of Fame Award was none other than Vera Wang, who has launched quite a few fragrances with Coty, most notably Vera Wang Princess.
But we’re curious what you guys have to say about the awards - do you think Intimately Beckham was the most appealing women’s fragrance of the year? Do you think Daisy Marc Jacobs was a favorite women’s “luxury” perfume? Have you ever even smelled Vera Wang Princess?
So here’s a list of who won in which category, courtesy WWD.
The singer’s been obsessed with the Japanese street style known as Harajuku for years now, and her main source of inspiration shows no signs of letting up.
Her fragrance, a collection of four perfumes called Harajuku Lovers, comes in the shape of four little Harajuku girl dolls, and each scent is a bit different from the others. They’re named after her backup dancers, Love, Angel, Music and Baby.
We have to admit, the little doll bottles would be a pretty adorable gift, or just another decoration to add to the dressing table, but we think we’ve pegged Gwen’s other inspiration -
We’re pretty sure Dempsey’s wife, Jillian - Avon’s Global Creative Color Director - had something to do with Avon convincing him to pose for a scent - and yet, we can’t help but think that Avon has come a long way since our first memory of the brand from Edward Scissor Hands.
We have a feeling this is going to be the most gifted fragrance among junior high couples come December.
Sometimes, perfume contains a note called “civet” which in reality should be called what it is - a French perfume ingredient that comes from the anal gland of the civet cat.
Yes.
And some of the fragrances that contain it? Shalimar, Musc Ravageur and, oh, Chanel No. 5.
Vogue has joined with the Fragrance Foundation to bring you one of the best contests we’ve ever heard of:
The Fragrance & Film Festival.
In honor of the 36th Annual Fifi Awards (it’s like the Oscars for perfume,) Vogue is calling upon the creative masses to shoot a short (2 - 3 minutes!), inspirational film about any of the participating fragrances for a chance to win a trip to the 2008 Fifi Awards in NYC (where the film will be shown to industry execs and celebrities), national exposure on ShopVogue.tv, and, oh yeah, $10,000.
The winner will be chosen based on “creativity and the ability to express the brand identity of the featured fragrance.”
And which fragrances can you choose from for inspiration? Missoni, Gucci by Gucci, Paris Hilton’s Can Can (this is no joke), and Usher for Men and Usher for Women.
Oh, one catch - you cannot make fun of the fragrances in any way, so no to everything that popped into your head when you read “Can Can.”
Fashion obsession Agyness, of course, is the face of the newest Burberry fragrance. And, of course, it’s called “The Beat,” meant to be a combination of attitude and energy (so edgy, so cool, so street, just like her!)
And the fragrance? Reportedly, “woodsy, sparkling and tea-infused.”
As always, Aggy looks stunning. But we’re having a hard time taking her facial expressions in the ads seriously -
There’s something about the middle pose that says Zoolander a little too knowingly.
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Elle is hosting a panel discussion at Barneys next week called “The Mystery of Perfume” —apparently it’s fragrance week here at Fashionista. 
