The cult status of some perfumes, alongside the demand from a vocal audience online, has resulted in several companies re-releasing fragrances that we thought gone for ever. This the case with Venezia by Laura Biagotti, Yohji fragrances, the Patou Ma Collection line of vintage perfumes, or the 2014 relaunch of the three Helmut Lang fragrances (Helmut Lang eau de parfum, Helmut Lang eau de toilette and Cuiron).
Now they're re-issuing another cult favorite,Tea for Two, much lamented and fetching high prices on auction sites, as well as an oldie from the 1980s, Eau de Caporal. Both are going to be part of the permanent collection with retail availability later this year.
L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Eau du Caporal was originally composed by the founder of the brand, Jean Laporte in 1985, and was an aromatic fougere laying mint over lavender and oakmoss adhering scentwise to an outdoorsy rough image of a military man. L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Twois the original smoky tea, an aromatic spicy from 2000 composed by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, reminiscent of Lapsang Souchong brews and something of a reference; a witty blend of black tea and gourmand delights, gingerbread and honey.
Every new commercial for Chanel No.5 is a small idyll and the reason isn't very hard to see: we're talking about the perfume industry's most sacred totem. The amount of ink and gigabytes spent to write about No.5 (and the whole Chanel mythos) is spilling forth and my cup filleth. But still I was left sort of mesmerized upon watching the latest Chanel No.5 video commercial, directed by Aussie maverick & iconoclast Baz Luhrmann (who might possibly never surpass his Romeo & Juliet 1990s film adaptation, but who's interesting and relevant all the same).
The credits come full circle as Luhrmann had directed the 2004 commercial starring a fledgingly scary-looking at the time (notice the eyes) Nicole Kidman as "a dancer" (but really a celebrity) who pushes away Rodrigo Santoro (then becoming famous through his participation in 300) in what was an almost bankrupting filming for the French brand of luxury goods. The couture gowns designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the jewelry, the body suit and high heel pumps, the chauffeured limos, the skyscraper views, the dancing routines, the red carpet exit, the Debussy music…
Luhrmann doesn't really cut down on budget for the new Chanel No.5 commercial for 2014 and again uses a well known male actor to his feminine heroine, the giga-super-model Gisele, this time Game of Thrones' Michel Huisman. In fact this is the first time that the heroine in those commercials doesn't shy away from a man, but seeks him out.
But what really stands out is the genius use of music, Lo Fang's extra slow (like, 5 times slower than normal) cover of The One That I Want, the famous Grease song that vindicated a generation or two.
Even though I was initially skeptical on the choice of Gisele standing as the face of this iconic French perfume, when it was first announced, this was mainly because she doesn't embody any of the cliches that we come to associate with either Chanel (brunette, small framed, very smart but quirky looking) or the French "chic" (lots of simple black & white, Cleopatra-cut bobs, red lipstick and a spattering of rather unhealthy habits). But seeing the film, I can't deny that apart from a couple rather "void" gros plans at her face on the surf board, I find myself convinced.
Of course I disagree with Lurhmann that Gisele embodies the multi-tasking character of Coco Chanel (a much more manipulative and sharply street-smart woman, what in Greek we call "καπάτσα"), but she looks good (in not only gorgeous-gams-and-hair way, but also convincing in her anxiousness during role playing). Additionally the fact that the director and scripting didn't get her to speak any lines is clever; why shatter the perfect image? It's all played through direction, something that shows very well in the 3-minute long film (shorter snippets of 30 and 60 seconds will play on TV screens during the countdown to Christmas).
Lurhmann, a man known for his grandiloquence, also makes use of some personal leitmotifs: the Queensboro bridge driving-through shot which he used in his Nicole Kidman commercial for No.5, his The Great Gatsby and now for the latest Chanel commercial, for one. To Baz it's a shot out of Fitzgerald's novel that suggests inner turnmoil, much like the Brooklyn bridge stands out in filming as a symbol of faith in industrialization (or even the unification of America, such as in Atlantis poem by Hart Crane).
The commercial of Chanel No.5 featuring Gisele isn't as dreamy as the Audrey Tautou Chanel commercial (who unsurprisingly did embody French cuteness to a T), which had been directed by Jeanne Pierre Jeunet, but it's rather charming all the same. For instance, I absolutely love the clever association of "chills" in the lyrics to the water bubbles shown and the famed zing of aldehydes on the top perfume notes of this most classic floral aldehydic fragrance. And I also smile watching the very cute mother & daughter spraying a cloud of perfume in the air ritual]. The Chanel commercial, especially for something as timless and "old" is better mannered than Dior's latest J'Adore 2014 commercial (which basically told us off if we romanticize any sort of timelessness). Assuredly a step into the right direction after the catastrophe of sanctioningthat Brad Pitt commercial (and patching things up last season with a Marilyn tape transcript). Well done Chanel!
The new fragrance by Editions de Parfums, ‘The Night’, is aiming for the rich in scented heritage market of the Middle East. Master perfumer Dominique Ropion’s first composition for Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle that speaks the language of Middle Eastern perfume, The Night is a rarity for more reasons than one.
Unlike classic "oriental" perfumes which have been composed to correspond to a French perfumery tradition interpreting, rather than replicating, the ways and tastes of the Middle East, the newest launch by Malle is set to be a true oriental, yet, given the expansion of the tastes of the western customer thanks to niche offerings, a welcome addition to a aficionado's collection as well.
Malle opens up on the composition of "The Night" in the following terms: "Unlike perfumes called Oud which contain at best a trace of this precious raw material, if any, ‘The Night’ is built on an unprecedented proportion of Oud from India which Dominique has mixed with a generous amount of Turkish Rose and Amber." The perfume is purported by Malle to be the one with the richest percentage of natural Oud in the market, with a price to correspond, naturally.
The counter and fragrance will be launching in store by the end of October and Frederic Malle The Night by Dominique Ropion is exclusive to Bloomingdale’s – Dubai in the Middle East. {NB.The info comes from the official store source}
Price is reportedly 850$US for the 100ml bottle and 755$ for the 50ml bottle.
Launching October 2014, the release of the new haute parfumerie collection celebrates the new modern direction of the MUGLER fashion house under Artistic Director, David Koma, and Director Of Development, Marketing and Communications, Virginie Courtin-Clarins.
Les Exceptions symbolizes the dynamic revamping of MUGLER fashion and fragrances. Blends of original alchemies and inventive, unique ingredients come alive in five exceptional fragrances that characterize the essence of MUGLER: Chyprissime, Supra Floral, Fougere Furieuse, Oeintal express and Over the Musk. Created in France by renowned noses Olivier Polge and Jean-Christophe Herault, MUGLER Les Exceptions reinterpret and magnify the great blends of traditional fine perfumery.
Each Art Deco-inspired bottle with its streamlined, faceted design - decorated with a playful metal stirrup clip - showcases the distinctive luxury and provocative architectural design that is the House of MUGLER.
The 80 ml (refillable) EDP sprays will be available nationwide starting October 2014 on www.mugler.com ($225)
“But then fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.”
― Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot'
Even though the temperatures are nowhere close to bringing out the woolen-patch jodhpurs, the heavy jumpers and the nautical pea-coat I associate with a chair by the fire, I have played with a little light, merino wool scarf these past few crisp early mornings before the sun would rise high on the sky making me tie it on my purse's handle. Sprayed with The Different Company's latest launch, Une Nuit Magnetique, felt indeed like an old friend that I had missed. In more ways than one. Une Nuit Magnetique by The Different Company looks dense and heavy on paper, as floral orientals sometimes do, but becomes a warm alcove of ambery woods on the skin, no rough edges, no hyper-sexualized dirty tricks. It bears the signature style of plush yet lightweight compositions for which its composer, the perfumer Christine Nagel, is acclaimed for. The sensuality of the cozier notes is unmistakeable, never cloying, a transparent "oriental" chord built on benzoin and rose with quite a bit of musk and a hint of what feels like the famous Prunol base, that enveloping material that gives a sort of raisin and mulled-in-sweet-wine plums tinge to so many classic masterpieces, from Rochas Femme to Shiseido/Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois, and on to modern iterations (see Mon Parfum Cheri par Camille by the brand of Annick Goutal where it's coupled with a very strong patchouli note). However the character of Une Nuit Magnetique remains ultimately undecipherable, despite the familiarity, almost an enemy to parsing.
I have just published a full review on Fragrantica on this link.
Fragrance notes for TDC Une Nuit Magnetique:
Top: ginger, bergamot and blueberry;
middle: Egyptian jasmine, Turkish rose, tuberose and plum;
base: benzoin, patchouli, amber, musk and woody notes.
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