It's no secret that the American line Fresh, founded by Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg in Boston in 1991, who are famous for their apothecary aesthetic, innovative at time of launch, and their simple but not simplistic concept, have been bought by LVMH since 2000. (Is there any brand who has escaped their acquisitions I wonder)
the London Fresh boutique
With that fact in mind LVMH decided to open a dedicated counter of Fresh at the beauty space of Galleries Lafayette Haussman, the biggest Parisian department store, after years of absence from the French market.With 23 boutiques globally and counting Fresh is growing strong. Will the brand become the next Acqua di Parma?
In an advertisement from the 1950s where l'eau de parfum is advertised as nouveau et magnifique, to stress its "being talked about by the French" concept, Revlon Inc, purveyor of such timeless things as Cherries in the Snow lipstick, sells the idea of Intimate. Intimate launched in 1955 and was from the beginning advertised as premium stuff.
late 1950s
Even in the dark...he'll know it's you. Intimate never shouts, but oh! how it whispers.
One can almost picture the Madison Avenue ad men working on these lines with all the gusto of Don Draper's team from Mad Men.
And yet, despite the rather anachronistic (and sexist) implication that women wear perfume to appeal to men, isn't that tag line what fragrance is about? Creating an invisible mantle, I mean, marking your presence into space and into perception via an emanation that is denoting both your taste and your intentions, whatever those may be.
1968
By the 1960s it seems like the mood of the fragrance had become less cocktail hour, long dresses and stoles with compact clutches under one's arm, and more "intimate" companion to every day occasions.
Its message also became ambivalent.
Intimate, it's really a man's fragrance said the slogan., making you imagine that it championed the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the transgression of sexual and social mores.
Until you read beneath it and discovered it prompted men to buy their girlfriends this in order to enjoy it themselves. So in essence it still made woman purchase perfume to use as a sexual predator.
Even in 1971 Revlon said "Intimate communicates". This sexy animalic chypre fragrance did communicate. A ferocious appetite for intimacy of the horizontal kind.
1964
Intimateby Revlon also appeared in another ad form the 1960s fronting a college types couple at the library in the 1960s, which was tagged thus: "cherished as one of the world's 7 great fragrances" Makes you wonder which were the other six! Care to guess? Please do so in the comments. ads via vintageadbrowser and ebay
The end of August signals both the end of summer vacation "in vivo" (because the in vitro experimentation continues) and the anticipation of autumn. Therefore expectations and feelings are quite mixed, though the first days of September invariably put a spring to my step. Here are some of the things I do, think, use these days; more to come come September when all the exciting things launch. Please share yours in the comments!
Wearing
I'm on a strict T-shirt diet. They're plain with no fussy details, they have a scooped neck and quite short sleeves for maximum coolness and they come in a wide array of cool colors: aqua, salmon pink, fuschia, canary yellow, white of course, emerald green, Prussian blue...They've been a god-sent during the hot days of August. and they go with everything.
Putting an impressive bib-necklace on top is enough to make an outfit. This one I've worn a heck of a lot of. It looks ultra cool up close since it's glazed and looks like liquid glass is overlaid over the snake print. Lots of compliments on it.
I intend to follow through with this practical fashion trick during the cooler autumn days opting for thin jumpers with long sleeves.
Reading
Derrida, Between the Blinds. It's anyone's guess why I chose to read this in English and not its original French or in a Greek translation (oh wait, probably because there is no Greek translation of this one AFAIK). I found it on Amazon and it looks intimidating enough to keep people off my back during commutes. I might even learn a few things! :-D
Listening
I discovered the Montreal Guitar Trio and the California Guitar Trio just a little while ago. Here they perform one of my favorites (on many levels) from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (originally by Ennio Morricone)/Reel Matawa (by Richard Matawa) at Montreal in 2009.
Sniffing
Acqua di Parma Colonia Ambra
A gorgeous interpretation of ambergris (and woody notes) mixed into the structure of classic Cologne. It doesn't smell citrusy though, instead it smells like a stranger you want to jump his bones. It's unisex and very appealing packaged too. Review to follow.
Narciso Rodriguez L'Absolu For Her
Another variation in the endless variety of NR perfumes, this one takes the familiar musk core and injects a healthy dose of jasmine and tuberose. It feels the way it sounds and will have Rodriguez fans perking up their ears this autumn I bet.
Prada Infusion d'Amande
As soft and purring as a kitten by the fire, this once limited edition has made a re-appearance. With come-hinter tonka bean, velevty heliotrope and bittersweet almonds, it's a great transition into the soft textures of the fashions for Fall 2015.
Preening
I'm testing out a new thing for the following months: a copper plum eyeshadow. I'm using Oriflame Copper Plum eyeshadow (these are singles and inexpensive so experimenting comes cheap). This is the effect I'm aiming at, surrounded and deepened by a little greyish taupe in the crease. Isn't it pretty?
And now on to you. What are you doing at the moment?
In a totally typical of 1970s sensibilities pose and text, this print ad for 4711 Eau de Cologne reinforces the idea of scent as a well-being gesture. A luxury for every day, a quotidian gesture of pleasure after the bath or shower, the complement to your soap.
The scent of 4711 Eau de Cologne typified a whole generation in Greece; everything was bathing in it, it seems. But the memory and generational seal hasn't vanished. There came Greek equivalents like the lifestyle Mirto cologne which came in lemon, reminiscent of 4711, and in lavender, to be shared by the whole family as shown in the below commercial from the 1980s.
"You wear Mirto and you feel the coolness.
You wear Mirto and you feel the freshness.
You wear Mirto and you feel so much better,
Mirto, Mirto, Mirto"
There is also the continuous presence of the concept of Eau de Cologne in a retro style context in contemporary culture too!
Rous (in the music video below) recorded the song 4711 in 2013, in which it's incessantly referenced how the singer loves the trail of his fragrance wafting from his girlfriend after having sat at the back of his motorbike or from his left-over blouse in her apartment and just how much he loves it when strangers ask what cologne he wears. A genuine case of sensory pleasure becoming intellectual stimulus!
But the piece de resistance is probably this incredible commercial for 4711 from 1971 I found on Youtube. Tagged "the Body Cocktail" it puts the fizz in cheese; not a cheesy bone in its body. Enjoy!
Today would have been Coco Chanel's birthday, had she been around and withstanding the scrutiny for her infamous past. No matter what anyone has to say about the lady herself and her tumultous personal life, her enduring style has really changed the way we see fashion and how women dress themselves. That's you see the advantage of avant-garde; making history.
Chanel's characteristic use of jersey fabric, pants for women, that do not resemble the harem, the trademark quilted handbags, two-toned pumps, pearls and costume jewelry, the freedom of fluidity & movement in her jackets, the stark usefulness of neutral colors such as beige, white, black and navy and her philosophy of function vs. decoration have made Chanel an icon of the 20th century and a true liberator of women from the constrictive garments of La Belle Epoque. We owe her that much.
Her fragrances of course couldn't but follow her unerring sense of style. The famous Chanel no.5 was followed by many others, notably No.19 commemorating her birthday on August 19th. This is what I am wearing myself today, reveling in both its sharp galbanum and vetiver cutting through the humidity (thick like it could be cut with a knife) and luxurious enough with its orris background.
So in her own honor, please find some related articles of mine on her style, beauty advice, iconography and of course perfumes. And please share your own experiences with Chanel beauty & perfumes in the comments!
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