Prada Candy L'Eau: new fragrance & the film to promote it

Wes Anderson, in an interval between his takes for his upcoming "The Grand Budapest Hotel", has teamed up with director Roman Coppola to make a mini-movie for Prada's newest feminine fragrance, a flanker to their successful Candy perfume, called Candy L'Eau.

Lighter than its predecessor (and recognizable thanks to its more pastel-hued packaging), Candy L'Eau blends white musk, caramel, benzoin, sweet pea and citrus notes. Available in 30ml, 50ml and 80ml bottles, the fragrance is available exclusively at Selfridges UK from March 28, set for an international launch in the end of April (some markets will get the new fragrance in late May-early June).

via belezzaesthetica.it

The little film features Léa Seydoux again as Candy, a fun-loving French ingénue who has not one but two suitors surprising her with balloons, birthday cake, and Jacques Dutronc's "L'Idole" on the background. [There will be a third part, coming up soon]. The Nouvelle Vague influence and specifically Jean-Luc Godard is unmistakeable (and Dutronc is a wink) And don't you just love how Léa stuffs herself! (A touch of realism and also a hint of the "gourmand scent" character of the Prada Candy fragrance.)

 





EDIT TO ADD: the third and final part is here.



Question: Prada (and Miuccia herself) are Italian, Roman Coppola is Italian-American and Wes Anderson is American. Why is the film in French? (I doubt that "Mission Impossible" starring Léa Seydoux has had trouble with English). Probably because it's an homage to Nouvelle Vague but still...that kind of Parisian utopia is largely a film creation, perpetuated by clever marketing.

Perfume Recommendations According to your Zodiac Sign

Astrology is a minefield for any scientist such as myself, steeped as it is in a cloak of half-truths and half-lies about the universe and as old as man himself, but there is no doubt that it is an entertaining past-time, especially if you disagree with it. Purists would of course argue that specifics, such as ascendants, moon signs, Lilith positions, personal chart of houses and other intricacies would account for much variation within the generic 12 types and that much is true.

via astrologicalchartinfo.com

Astrology combined with perfume sounds like too much of a guilty pleasure (don't you just love the perverse pleasure of breaking out the Secretions Magnifiques on a Virgo, who should be most appreciative of its chlorine-like nuances?)
and we're in the pleasuring business, so here it is: a small perfume guide into the zodiac circle (For all practical purposes, and for better or worse, I'm restricting myself to standard Western astrology for the moment).

Sun illustration from the Nujum al-'Ulum (Stars of Sciences), a manuscript from the 16th century AD,  probably commissioned by 'Ali' Adil Shah II of Bijapur, India

The recommendations are lifted off The Perfume Zodiac by John Oakes: I only included the perfume names recommended by him for every sign, but in the book there is a description of each one, some more recommendations meant as "wild cards" (when straying from character…) and some more distinctions on a table that recommends which fragrance to wear at which time (day/night), at which age (young/mature) -commentary with which you might disagree-, on which skin colour (fair/dark) [ditto] and which season(summer/winter). Alas they only include scents marketed to women (is it because it is assumed that women are more eager to follow astrological recommendations?) but as usual on these pages, men will flock and freely adopt what they feel suits them regardless. Since most people into perfume don’t abide by the strick rules set by Oakes I didn’t think it was necessary to elaborate, plus I'm sure the publishers would disagree anyway. But the zodiac recs are fun, not to be taken TOO seriously, so please do get the book if interested in further exploring the subject; it’s quite fun reading and oddly educational about perfume too.


GUIDE TO PERFUMES ACCORDING TO YOUR STAR SIGN
Aries : Le feu d’Issey, Calandre, Ma griffe, Escape, Ferre original, Rive Gauche
Taurus : Femme, Fendi (original), Casmir, Chanel #5, Chanel #19, Roma
Gemini : So pretty Cartier, Bulgari pour femme, Joy, Yvresse, Jean Paul Gaultier classique, Champs Elysees
Cancer: Romeo Gigli, Amarige, Boucheron femme, Diorissimo, Cabochard, White Linen
Leo : Coco, Knowning, Gio, Donna Karan NY, Dolce Vita, Panthere
Virgo : Mitsouko, Arpege, Amazone, Parfum d’Hermes, Sublime, Nahema
Libra : Dolce & Gabanna original (red cap), Cabotine, Paris, Organza, 24 Faubourg, Deci Dela
Scorpio : Shalimar, Poison, Obsession, Must de cartier, Allure, Narcisse Noir
Sagittarius : Jicky, Quelques Fleurs, Madame Rochas, Crabtree&Evelyn Evelyn, Pleasures, Coriandre
Capricorn : First, Bal a Versailles, Youth Dew, Ungaro , J’adore, Private Collection
Aquarius : Eau d’Eden, Anais Anais, L’eau d’Issey, Diorella, Jaipur
Pisces : Samsara, 1000 Patou, Vent Vert, L’heure bleue, Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum, Dune.



You can also find astrological recommendations on these links :
A niche selection of recommendations, courtesy of Luckyscent
International discussion of real people on Fragrantica boards
Sampler packs per sign on The Perfumed Court decanting site

Some (indie) perfumers also manufacture specific "zodiac signs perfumes", such as used to do Ayala Moriel. Sadly those are no more (apart from a couple on Etsy), but I'm sure if you asked nicely and she had the ingredients at hand, she might repeat the recipe for a commissioned work.
It looks as though Roxana of Illuminated Perfume indulges too in some sign-related recommendations amongst her line. Another one is Alexandra Balahoutis of Strange Invisible Perfumes, specimens of her work you can witness on the picture. Estee Lauder only this last holiday season brought out a limited edition collection of solid perfumes and compacts (in her regular products, please note) taking the guise of each of the 12 star signs.

There are various  other  examples of scented products/fragrances (in various permutations) on Amazon, though I have no experience with them. Last but not least, in passing, let it be said that sculptress Niki de Saint Phalle, well-known to perfume aficionados thanks to her pine-forest smelling chypre eponymous fragrance, had issued a line of limited edition bottles bearing her designs of each of the zodiac signs.

Niki de Saint Phalle "Sagitttarius" via luraastor.blogspot.com

Perfume Quote: Guerlain Jicky- "witty without being coarse"

Our hero is in Paris with various characters of repute or disrepute, whereupon he visits the author Colette. Impressed by her perfume, he describes it as "kinky".

via slate.fr

 

"The room smelled of her perfume (at some point I asked her what it was, and Colette said: " Jicky. The Empress Eugenie always wore it. I like it because it's an old-fashioned scent with an elegant history, and because it's witty without being coarse--like the better conversationalists. Proust wore it. Or so Cocteau tells me. But then he is not too reliable.)"
~ From Truman Capote's "Answered Prayers"*

via quoteauthors.com

*appearing in Susan Irvine's guide & echoed by ewojdula/mua

The winner of the draw...

...for the Burberry Brit perfume bottle is ccdouglass. Congratulations! I will need your shipping data so I can have the prize in the mail for you, so please email me using Contact. Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Changes at Guerlain & Goutal: Repackaging & New Boutique Image

Two well-known French brands belonging to bigger business groups are doing a twist on their presentation and in some cases possibly a rethinking of their products. Guerlain and Goutal need no introductions, as any perfume lover is familiar with their well-loved iconography. Yet, this seems about to change in some ways.

 To take first things first, Guerlain is changing the pattern of making and selling one of its lower sellers, Jardins de Bagatelle (reviewed on these pages). "As of 2013, the original Jardins de Bagatelle bottle is taken out of production. It is being replaced by the bee atomizer, with a green label. It will only come as Eau de Parfum, while the Eau de Toilette is being discontinued." [source]

Jardins de Bagatelle eau de toilette is therefore no more and the revamping into an Eau de Parfum in the bee bottle can only mean one thing: a single size and a spiked price. [Lady Jicky, if you're reading, please stock up on Jardins de Bagatelle in Eau de toilette]. Well, at least they didn't move it into the Les Parisiennes line which is boutique-exclusive and much more expensive. Cessation of the production of a difficult and unique bottle for the fragrance in favor of a more generic and easily recognizable one is probably adequately reasoned by the cost vs. profit equation.

On the conceptual front, Peter Marino is in the midst of renovating the legendary 68 Champs-Elysées headquarters in Paris; works are in full swing as the reveal is set to be revealed July 2014. The last renovation of the flagship Guerlain was completed in 2005 by Andrée Putman, right when the sponsoring from LVMH practically signaled a new era for Guerlain (even though the take-over was in mid-1990s, it took some years for the new direction to start showing). Perhaps with Putman recently deceased, the renovation is indeed a new leaf.

Annick Goutal, on the other hand, is enjoying a renewed expansion thanks to solving its distribution problems a while ago under new patronage. The first step of renovation comes with Les Colognes Goutal. Not entirely new, since the Colognes reprise the beloved scents of Eau d'Hadrien, Neroli and Vetiver, all classics in their own right, yet the repackaging of Les Colognes Annick Goutal proposes a more distinctive and more generous presentation: the bottles become larger, at 200 ml of liquid, more elongated, with a simpler, solid matte gold cap and a white label with the Annick Goutal insignia in gold and a curvaceous gold edge.The colognes will retail at 135 euros.

The whole line will be color-coded anew for a more distinctive look and the boutiques will follow the new look, come April 2013. According to Christina Möller-Theulle, international marketing director for parfums Goutal, the new concept will be for the shops to become an experience in their own right through a facelift of the displays and the color-coding of the collections. The Saint-Sulpice shop marries the ironwork staircase with the butterfly wings which have become an emblem for Goutal, while the rue de Castillogne boutique juxtaposes the concrete floors inlaid with gold ivy with a carved, semi-fluted gigantic display. The company is very much interested in the Asian market, seeing as Goutal is the leader in niche fragrances in Japan with their Petite Chérie, and are accordingly planning on opening "selling booths" in both China and Thailand.

With thanks to Mr.Guerlain and AlbertCAN.