What Perfumes Does Karl Lagerfeld Keep in His Bathroom?

Peeking into celebrities' private lives has been the collective, flesh-eating story of our modern urban lives; there's simply no way of avoiding it and we've been conditioned to expect our daily dosage of carnage. To that end Karl Lagerfeld exposes his bathroom himself to Harper's Bazaar, photographic his Parisian apartment and his array of skincare and haircare (you'd expect the latter) comprising Creme de la Mer, Elseve, Kerastase, Dior, Shu Uemura and Klorane Dry Shampoo (an intriguing revelation is that he uses it to make his hair look whiter than it is!). But what fragrances does he keep beside the newspapers?

click to enlarge (via harper's bazaar)

On his counter I can spot two Serge Lutens bottles (my money is on either Sa Majeste la Rose, Douce Amere or Arabie), Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial as well as the classic Shalimar in the black limited edition bottle "Black Mystery", Balenciaga Paris, Chanel Les Exclusifs Eau de Cologne (this was made to his exigency, so it makes sense to always stock it and use it) or even more possibly No.22 since the name is short on the bottle, as well as Guerlain Cologne du 68 or alternatively his own Karleidoscope which shares a similar looking bottle. I also spot a silvery can of Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance on an upper shelf.

What? No KL fragrances?

The Year of Chanel?

2009 has been in many fragrant ways so far a marked year for Chanel, due to their 100th anniversary: what with the new Chanel No.5 campaign which prompted us into an images retrospective, the new Cristalle Eau Verte and the wider distribution of Les Exclusifs Beige online. But it's shaping up to also be a heavily charged optical year for them as well!



The famous photographer Douglas Kirkland was commissioned in summer 1962 by Look Magazine to follow and photograph Gabrielle Chanel for a story on her. Initially sceptical, later enthusiastic, Chanel posed for a series of classic photos that are now shown in a rare exhibition between May 9 to June 6 (Mon-Sun 11am-7pm) on the third floor/ VIP Salon of the Honolulu Chanel Boutique in Hawaii (2116 Kalakaua Avenue), curated by James Cavello of Westwood Gallery, NYC. The choice isn't random: The Honolulu boutique, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, was the first Chanel boutique to open on American soil. The special occasion will be marked by an exclusive preview display of the Paris-Moscou collection and the creation of a limited edition J12 white watch with blue sapphires. 10%of the proceeds from photo purchases will be donated to the Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation. So if you happen to be on Hawaii in the course of the month, you know what to do.

For those ~like me~ who appreciate the artistry of a good arts coffee-table book in all its glossy paper glory, a new issue is celebrating Coco Chanel, the myth, as well: Called Mademoiselle Coco Chanel Summer 62, it is written by Karl Lagerfeld and featuring the photos of Douglas Kirkland taken in the summer of 1962, as decribed above. Soon widely available. You can pre-order through Amazon!



Additionally, Chéri, the novel by Colette (written in 1920) recently filmed starring Michelle Pfeifer and Rupert Friend, has been one of Karl Lagerfeld's much prized books. Thus it formed the inspiration behind the photography behind the 2009 Spring Summer Accesories Catalogue for Chanel. The novel describes the love affair between an older former courtesan, Léa de Lonval, and her younger lover, Fred Peloux (affectionately called "chéri", ie.sweetheart) to whom she passes all her experience only to be disillusioned when he ultimately abandons her to marry the very young daughter of one of his mother's friends. The two lovers are incarnated in the campaign by Jerry Hall and Baptiste Giabiconi, shot by Karl Lagerfeld. The social mores of La Belle Epoque, known to Mademoiselle Chanel herself, are beautifully illustrated, none the less so in these exclusive images for Chanel.



And a funny interlap for the grand finale: The face of the upcoming Guerlain feminine fragrance, Idylle, singer and actress Nora Arnezeder, has been photographed by Karl Lagerfeld himself for the May issue of American Elle magazine in a story called "Karl's Diary", from where this dreamy black & white photo.



Related reading on Perfumeshrine: Two biopics on Coco Chanel, Interrupted by Death: The Lost Chanel, Chanel Les Exclusifs

Kapsule by Karl Lagerfeld: new fragrances ~Light, Woody, Floriental

Karl Lagerfeld is best known for a few things: his trademark ponytail, his eye-glaring weight-loss, his prolific churning-out of numerous collections for several brands (Chanel, his own, Fendi etc.) and his perfume fetish. The latter got manifested not only through his own personal choices (one of which is the immortelle-rich Eau Noire by Dior's private line, at the same time when he donned the Heidi Sleiman suits on his newly thinspirational figure), but through the fragrances under his own name. From the old Chloe (which got reformulated recently into a completely new fragrance)and the spicy KL to the discontinued Sun, Moon, Stars and Photo for men.

Now Karl is launching a new unisex line, called Kapsule, (with K standing for Karl?) in collaboration with Coty. The press release is talking about aiming to en-Kapsule-ate the French market, whatever that might mean. The aim of Lagerfeld is making a quality perfume that will be affordable.
Somehow, Coty as the investor can be a blessing and a curse: It might signify a low markup that will aim at wide distribution, great team and PR and prove very successful commercially (example: Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker) or it could equal a celebritoid vibe on the mind of perfume buying audiences that is sub-par in quality (example: all the usual suspects, I'm afraid). At any case, the Coty team are not novices and they know what they're doing.
For Karl Lagerfeld the project has acquired a -shall I say it?- rather "niche" touch: from the sparse bottles to the unisex proclivities. The names which evoke fragrance families are gently evocative of the newest trio of Guerlain Carnal Elixirs/Elixirs Charnels, although much less playful in their intent. Also the different perfumers behind the different versions within the same range is another niche trait.
Everyone is doing their own version of niche! Niche is the new mass-market, obviously.

The new line will nevertheless be issued in three versions, each aiming to capture its own audience:
Light will be fresh and summery, with notes of bitter orange, jasmine, nutmeg, clove and musk.(transparent blue bottle; nose: Mark Buxton)
Woody will be focused on cedar on an amber background with accents of plum and and moss. (dark blue bottle; nose: Olivier Cresp)
Floriental will be the most delicate with tea leaf aroma,ivy leaf and violet notes. (red bottle; nose: Emile Cooperman)
The names which evoke fragrance families are gently evocative of the newest trio of Guerlain Carnal Elixirs/Elixirs Charnels, although much less playful in their intent.
Bottles are simple and solid, designed by Lutz Herrmann: squarely built with a round label, each one tinted a different colour.

Expect to see the Kapsule collection by Karl Lagerfeld from October 2008, starting with Paris exclusively at Colette and Parfumeries Marionnaud and rolling out in Germany and US in November. Early sights of the range can also be caught by autumnal travellers who will see it in travel retail (duty-free shops). In the US Neiman Marcus will have them as an exclusive.
30ml/1oz or 75ml/2.5oz eau de toilette spray for €37/$59 and €68/$108 respectively.

Pics and info through wwd.and Vogue.fr