L'Arte di Gucci: fragrance review

The era of tailored chypres has come and gone and the new genre taking their place is smoothing the contours out into woodier and muskier avenues; yet every so often the perfume enthusiast gets a hankering for something that would be akin to grabbing someone by the (leather) lapels and kissing them square on the lips with gusto. L'Arte di Gucci is such a potent, slightly daring, borderline fearsome composition that would have you questioning your sense of appropriateness or fashionable compatibilty possibly (you might as well wear rugby-player's size shoulder-pads, this smells so out of place today), but enjoying every minute of it, nonetheless.

One MakeupAlley member notes: "If Divine's L' Inspiratrice is the good girl who always wears slips beneath her dresses, pearls and heels out to dinner no matter where she goes, and finds red nail polish too garish, L' Arte wears short skirts with heels, winks at all the boys, and never has to buy her own drinks".
By the minute you open up that vicious-looking box (all black opaqueness and glossy finish) and hold the funnily, yet friendly-shaped bottle you realise just what we lost by abandoning the powerhouses of the 1980s for ever; several nose-tingling masterpieces, that's what!

L'Arte is certainly one of the best releases from the Italian house, past and present, coming out rather late, in 1991, so it's probably natural it's tracing its roots in elements already featured in Paloma Picasso Mon parfum (the intensity of leather and the spiced oakmoss and patchouli blend), Niki de Saint Phalle (the herbal accents, starkly green) and most of all Diva by Ungaro (the astoundingly chypre tonality of its lush rose and the powdery clout). No perfumer is known, alas, so if you have this info, fill me in, I'm intrigued.
If you like your roses shaded, dark, thorny and abstractly woody-powdery (nay, "perfume-y" and very expensive smelling!) and if Guerlain's Rose Barbare, Lady Vengeance by Juliette has a Gun, Sisley's Soir de Lune, Rose de Nuit by Lutens and even Voleur de Roses by L'Artisan have hinted at delights which you always meant to further explore, look no further than the Gucci portfolio and this inexplicably underrated gem. Brassier than the above, L'Arte's prolonged dryout of mossy, powdered leatheriness is enigmatic and full of tawny smoothness.

L'Arte di Gucci wraps its intensely rosy heart garlanded with hypnotic, greenish narcissus into a luminous, characteristic aldehyde burst (evoking half part soap and the other part slightly overripe fruit) like a whirlwind into one of my favourite 80s pop tunes, Kim Carne's Betty Davis Eyes; hysky-voiced, with a swagger in her stride, dressing to impress. Yet the astounding thing is those were more innocent times than today, "pure New York snow" and all notwithstanding. I guess this fangled vampire with "lips sweet surprise" and luminous, deeply honeyed eyes which reminds me of tailored curvaceous suits that yes, Betty Davies might wear, preferably after a manipulation or two, is more girly and good than taken credit for.
"And she'll tease you, She'll unease you, All the better just to please you..."

Long discontinued, it can still be found sometimes online (there is a 1oz bottle available at Amazon right now) and on Ebay,although for alarmingly increasing prices.
The unusual bottle was designed by Serge Mansau and is presented in opaque black in the miniatures circulating.

Notes for L'Arte di Gucci: Bergamot, fruits, coriander, aldehydes, greens, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, mimosa, tuberose, narcissus, geranium, orris, amber, musk, oakmoss, patchouli, leather, vetiver.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Chypres series


Evelyn Tripp by William Klein, photo Smoke & Veil from 1958 Vogue via Loose Leaf Tigers.
Bottle pic via Ebay

Couture Couture by Juicy Couture: new fragrance

The brand responsible for velour tracksuits decorating the behinds of It Girls across the USA is coming out with their third scent, after Juicy Couture and Viva La Juicy.

According to Thread.co.nz Megan Robinson: " 'New York, New York, so good they named it twice...' Perfume companies seem to be taking this advice to heart with the recent release of Ricci Ricci by Nina Ricci, and now, Couture Couture by Juicy Couture". The fact that it is a misnomer needs little pointing out, but the term couture has been used very loosely for a long time now. Perhaps Rachel Joe, celebrities' and celebrity stylist on whom the newest fragrance has been based on picks up some couture designs for her wealthy clients for formal affairs, but other than that, let's not reference the glory days of Balenciaga and Givenchy, now shall we?


Perfumer Honorine Blanc from Firmenich composed Couture squared with top notes of pink grape, orange flower and mandarin, a heart comprised of plum, honeysuckle and star jasmine, and base notes of sandalwood, amber and rich vanilla. Sounds perfectly predictable! (yet potentially pretty).

Eau de Parfum Spray 30ml $99.00 / 50ml $138.00 / 100ml $184.00 / Body Lotion 200ml $79.00 / Shower Gel 200ml $69.00. Official launch is predicted for 12 February 2010.

Valentino Perfumes Bought Out by Puig

Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Lowe, Massimo Dutti, and Prada perfume sectors will be joined by Valentino perfumes under the umbrella of Spanish Fashion & Beauty Group Puig starting 1st of February 2011. The news of the international fragrance licence obtained (which will span many years) has been just announced right when the Wall Street Journal publishes an article about Procter&Gamble putting an end to their collaboration with the Italian brand named after the famous designer.

According to the WSJ the reason has been underachievement. "P&G produces a number of fragrances for Valentino, which is owned by U.K. based private-equity fund Permira. But sales never reached the heights of P&G's other fragrance licenses, including those with Gucci Group and Dolce & Gabbana, which last year launched a makeup line.[..]P&G wants to weed out underperforming brands to focus on its more competitive products. The company has been moving into luxury beauty products, including the expansion of skin care line SK-II and its acquisition of high-end men's grooming lines such as The Art of Shaving".

Created in 1960 by Valentino Garavani, the firm operates in 70 countries through a network of 1250 points of sale, of which 66 are stand-alone boutiques. Puig is no stranger to an illustrious past either tracing their history to 1914 when they began their operations in Barcelona and currently employiong 3500 employees turning out an impressive 1000 millions of euros in 2009.

Although at the moment of the WSJ announcement there was no official statement from either the P&G or the Puig side, we have just heard from both this very morning: According to Stefano Sassi, general director at Valentino, the choice to work with Puig had to do with "their experience on the luxe sector and their attachment to quality". Mr.Sassi went on to emphasize how important he considers not only Puig's prospective aid to reach the house's goals commercially, but also to cement the notoriety of Valentino fragrances on the market's consciousness. The move aims to extend the potential of Valentino products for long-time objectives and to consolidate its brand name, while Marc Puig, CEO of the group Puig adds that the acquisition of Valentino will enrich their portfolio with "an image that communicates a fantastic potential".
The crux of the matter is that Puig is much better to Valentino than P&G, due to their more glamorous and more beauty-oriented approach. The fragrances produced are not bad either, while there have been some concerns from perfumephiles over the treatment that P&G has reserved for some of their own brands, such as Jean Patou and their diminishing line of fragrances.

This latest move can only be indicative of a greater shift happening at the luxury market right now, as we had tentatively mentioned about the commotion at LVMH the other day, what with their perfumers talking up about perfumery restrictions at last and Tony Blair posing as a strong candidate for business counseling services to them in order to open up new markets. Which those markets will be and how sustainable the luxury sector will be in them is matter for discourse.

pic of Stefano Sassi of Valentino via fashiontimes.it

Six Scents the Spa

It is between jardin des Tuileries and place Vendôme, on the rue Castiglione (Ier arr.), in Paris, that Six Scents, the niche brand of perfumes, is opening their first day spa. The move is ingrained to SLOW LIFE™ ~Sustainable - Local - Organic - Wholesome - Learning - Inspiring - Fun - Experiences~ a concept by Sonu et Eva Shivdasani, and has been introduced at the Maldives in 1995. The idea takes on the guise of an urban sanctuary for Paris with architecture Pierre David that takes into consideration the values which Six Scents stands for. Giant cocoons made of pliable wood resembling bamboo shots will host detoxifying and aromatic services meant to make the visitor unwind.

New Chanel Ad Filmed by Martin Scorcese

Apparently the film maverick is joining forces with the prestigious fashion and beauty firm for one of their upcoming commercials. Chanel has a great tradition to upkeep anyway and their latest commercials have been stellar one way or another, be it the operatically self-parodying of No.5 with Nicole Kidman by Baz Lurhman, the sophisticated Parisian burglar in Coco Mademoiselle with Keira Knightley or the romantic aboard-the-Orient-Express with Audrey Tautou filmed by Jean-Pierre Jenet for No.5 again. (No.5 being the test by fire for the brand).

Latest reportage states that "David Lynch is confirmed to have filmed an installment of Dior's string of commercials featuring ambassador Marion Cotillard in Shanghai, and now it's confirmed that as rumored, Martin Scorsese is working with Chanel. The director shut down a section of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York last Friday, and the owner of Moto, a restaurant in the area, confirmed Scorsese was filming a Chanel commercial" according to Fashionologie, who took the information from first-hand witness Jeni Avins who took some photos for Dossier (click to see the location shots). The über-hipster (and über-Chasid) Williamsburg is an unusual locale, but who knows New York better than Scorcese? (Woody Allen comes to mind, but I haven't heard of Chanel banging down on his door yet).
Chic Report adds that French actor Gaspard Ulliel (appearing at the Chanel Fall 2009 RTW show in Paris last March) and Canadian model Ingrid Schram are starring in the production as well. Scenes have also been shot underground in the midtown Manhattan subway (this theme reminds me of Berlin-set Prada's commercial to the lines of Thunder Perfect Mind by Jordan Scott, Ridley's daughter; her father incidentally has been the directot of some of the most imaginative Chanel commercials to date).

There is no indication which scent the commercial targets, although a source tells me it's about No.5 (in which case it would again involve Audrey Tautou, hot on the heels of her Mademoiselle impersonation in Coco Avant Chanel). Then again, isn't there some incosistency between the Jenet outlook and Scorcese's one? By the time it rolls out (around the end of the year, we will know).

EDIT TO ADD: As of Februrary 18th, according to WWD, the Scorcese advertisement is for the new Chanel fragrance for men! Will update with further info as it becomes available.
According to Magali Bertin from French Vogue, the fragrance is called Chanel Pour Homme. Here I'm a little stumped: Is it a new fragrance substituting the old, classic Chanel pour Homme (Chanel For Men, in the US) or does it mean it's a revamping of the classic through a new advertising? The former is rather more probable in view of perfumery restrictions. Andrea D'Avack, president of Parfum et Beauté at Chanel doesn't give any more info for now. And do bear in mind that the next Chanel according to the trademarks issued is -as we had predicted back in August 2008- called Bleu de Chanel (which might be marketed to men but is very improbable to have been budgeted for a big commercial by Scorcese).
We'll see in September when the commercial will hit our screens, I guess.