Showing posts with label Sophie Labbé. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sophie Labbé. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Diane Kruger for Calvin Klein Beauty

German actress Diane Kruger has been announced as the new face of Calvin Klein’s upcoming women’s fragrance launch, Calvin Klein Beauty. Highlighted for her recent work in “Inglourious Basterds”, the stunning starlet is well known for her remarkable style, and joins a brand roster of fashion and beauty icons that includes Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Christy Turlington, Natalia Vodianova and Eva Mendes.

The positioning is interesting: “This is one of our largest fragrance launch events ever,” noted Walsh "an upscale offering, positioned firmly at the premium end of the Calvin Klein fragrance portfolio". Hence the price difference of +5% versus Euphoria, another Klein fragrance and one which is popular.
Kruger attended the Costume Institute Benefit the other night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, celebrating the night with Francisco Costa, Calvin Klein Collection’s Women’s Creative Director. Her look for the evening was in line with the Calvin Klein aesthetic of clean lines and understated elegance. Calvin Klein Beauty will debut in autumn 2010 and Diane Kruger will star in the global print and television advertising campaign.


Added 6th May: The juice for Calvin Klein Beauty is described as a new interpretation of the lily, “a sophisticated flower…that is the essence of femininity…radiant and powerful”. The calla lily also plays a key role in the heritage of Calvin Klein fashion, and was most recently channelled by Costa in his autumn/winter 2010-11 Calvin Klein Collection Runway Show. Labbé has combined ambrette seeds, jasmine and cedar wood to create a “neo-lily” fragrance. “It was an emotional brief…and I was inspired by the Calvin Klein woman who is feminine, sophisticated and radiates generosity, charisma and true inner beauty,” she explained. The gold-coloured juice is presented in a curved flacon, set atop a glass base. A metallic silver ring encircles the glass, while the metallic silver cap is said to evoke the sculptural shapes that are fundamental to the Calvin Klein aesthetic. The outer carton is a glossy white, with a silver halo.
[source]

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Advertising perfume, New Face, Upcoming relases.

Diane Kruger, shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, on the cover of T Magazine.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Cologne du 68 by Guerlain: fragrance review, history and comparison

Once upon a time there was a deep blue, carriage lantern with a clear stopper holding the purple creature of the night, la belle de nuit aux violets that is Guet Apens. She made her debut via the magic of nose Mathilde Laurent 10 years ago (1999) when Guerlain had its first inflow of funds from LVMH's initial investment. But the spell would be broken at midnight: this carriage was a pumpkin and limited editions are called limited for a reason; fairy godmothers can do no exceptions, no matter how talented! Was the sobriquet non sonours enough to English-speaking ears? Was there a rival fairy-godfather? No one outside Guerlain knows for sure in this fairy tale. Still, the fairy dust was too addictive and the recipe too delicious to be left at that. One belle was put to bed for an eternal slumber, another came out with a slight retouche by Jean Paul Guerlain three years later: she was simply named No.68(limited edition). The numerological Moerae were unstinting to her: 68 would be her charms and virtues, almost as many as the Napoleonic bees which adorned her herculean (250ml) physique. The resinous, powdery, vanillic juice at her core bore ties of consanguinity with both Guet Apens and Terracotta. But she too had to leave her slippers behind for fair princes to pick up in desperate hopes; she's no longer made in that guise.

Years passed in Guerlaindom and suitors came and went empty-handed, until someone realised that the address of their flagship store on the Champs Elysées in Paris is too good to pass up (after all every self-respecting maison has their address emblazoned on something) and Guerlain Cologne du 68 was born, seemingly Athena-like from Zeus' head, but in fact through the artistry of Sophie Labbé in 2006. What better of a constant reminder of the abode and shrine character of that emblematic boutique in the market?

First the new unisex Cologne du 68 came in the brave, Titanic size of 500ml. The age of the Titans was inaugurated by Les Exclusifs de Chanel and progressed from them. Size did matter! Later, masterminds at the Guerlain and LVMH headquarters realised that more customers could be lured in, if a more modest size was introduced and who wants to feel antagonized anyway? Enter the 100ml/3.4oz size which now circulates. And how does this new sprite smell? Completely different than her other, previous, stupendous incarnations; yet prodigiously good! Guerlain sang its siren song: "Fresh spices of cardamom and coriander blended with citrus fruits are warmed with hot spices of pepper and ginger for an everlasting scent [...] a sumptuous composition with 68 of the finest raw materials gathered from all over the world. Both fresh and spicy, it will win hearts with its ultra-modern facets, long wearing scent and beautiful, tall minimalist bottle."

Guerlain Cologne du 68 is ~if not fairy-tale like~ a feat of masterful work: It utilizes a sophisticated composition interplaying rich scents that conspire to give the full spectrum of aroma with no more general descriptor possible than the ambiance of a warm citrus shimmering under the spell of spices. A masterful combination of floral, spicy oriental, aromatic, herbal green and even clean elements with a powdery iris-vanillic-tonka finish that anchors it firmly in the Guerlain tradition; yet thoroughly modern, eminently wearable, fit for every occasion. The drydown is warm, rather sweet and lasting with blonde woods and slightly powdery notes that put it in flou.

The tall cylindrical bottle is appropriately unisex, well-made with the wooden cap recalling the one on Terre d'Hermès. The purpotedly 68 ingredients show up on the label, apothecary-style.

Notes for Guerlain Cologne du 68: bergamot, green mandarin, lemon, clementine, orange peel, blood orange, sweet lime, grapefruit, basil, fennel, star anise, lavender, bay leaf, cypress, elemi, thyme, myrthe, bigarade, mandarin, petit grain, lemon petit grain, pear, violet greens, lierre, gentiane, seve, blackcurrant, freesia, lily of the valley, hazel leaf, cyclamen, cardamom, coriander, black pepper, pink berry, nutmeg, ginger, jasmine, frangipane, magnolia blossom, orange blossom, peony, rose, carnation, ylang-ylang, lychee, fig, blackberry, immortelle, lentisque (mastic), opoponax, amber, benzoin, vanilla, cistus, heliotrope, iris, tonka bean, sage, musk, patchouli, agarwood, cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, vegetable musk, praline, myrrhe and lichen.

Available for $100 for 3.4 oz/100ml at Neiman Marcus and at Guerlain boutiques the world over.

Cinderella illustrationg by Gustave Doré, from the 19th century, via logoi.com .Pic of bottle by Kittyfishstyle/mua

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