Stella McCartney The Print Collection: Gorgeous Bottles

The popular Stella fragrance by British designer Stella McCartney is given a twist, inspired by the Irene Gardening flower motif featured also on her lingerie line for Autumn-Winter 2011.
Aren't these limited edition Stella bottles with print flowers on them absolutely gorgeous?

Move Over Clive Christian, Golden Delicious gets Blinged!

Clive Christian and his diamond encrusted bottles of haute scents might want to do a rethinking regarding their "costliest perfume in the world" ad routine: DKNY Golden Delicious by US-basedd clothes brand Donna Karan gets totally blinged, with a bottle that is so full of diamonds that it fetches the hefty price of a cool 1 million dollars!

The juice remains the same, but the bottle of DKNY Golden Delicious gets the luxe treatment with tiny skyscrapers ~recalling the urban landscape of New York, the city which served as an inspiration for the DKNY brand in the first place~ encrusted with small diamonds. This luxurious edition will only be available at the Facebook page DKNY Fragrance and the profits will go to Action Against Hunger.

Guerlain Muguet 2011: News on a Seasonal Release

Guerlain lately re-issues a special edition of their delicate and spring-like Muguet each year as a limited edition on the 1st of May (Traditionally the day when muguet ~lily of the valley in French~ is offered as a porte-bonheur, a good luck charm in France).
For 2011, Guerlain's Muguet will be embottled in the apothecary style flacons of re-issued Vega and Sous le Vent, but there will be handpainting on the glass as well!

ETA: You can see the new Muguet 2011 below (pic kindly provided by my reader Rappleya)
ETA2: Upon further research, Guerlain has confirmed that they have updated the design of Muguet 2011 with the one depicted second from top, favouring a sewn label versus handpainting. I admit I'm not particularly enthusiastic on it after seeing the previous design....

3/26/11 update: My faithful and wonderfully generous reader Judy informs us of the latest after seeing the Muguet 2011 with her very own eyes and I quote:
"The new release of Muguet is around 5 ounces, twice the size of the past releases [ed.note: this was amended by other witnesses, bringing the volume down]. Also it is in apothecary-style container, first shown on your site as the new-release bottle , but w/minor changes. The bottle still has the pretty muguet design on the outside. Also, the price is scary, sky-high, around $500, although Bergdorfs is having a "Beauty Week" beginning April 6th, and at that price, if the customer does a pre-sale, the sales person will hold the Muguet til May 1st for the $100 discount."

The design that was meant to be

the udated design for Muguet 2011...

Previously Muguet circulated in the standard quadrilobe with (2009) or without the superimposed atomiser "pouf" (2007) and the flacon fleuri design brough back from 1900 for the Eau de Toilette version for 1999, while the accompanying Eau de Toilette tester of the same year was embottled in the classsic Habit de Fete gold-cutouts style flacon with Millesime 1999 embossed on it. You can find pictures of those attached below.

The concentration for 2011's Muguet is Eau de Parfum and the volume is 125ml for 400 euros.

Previous incarnations of Guerlain Muguet include the following:

Guerlain Muguet flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) with atomiser for 2009

Guerlain Muguet quadrilobe flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) for 2007

Guerlain Muguet in flacon fleuri (originally 1900 design) for Eau de Toilette in 1999

"Habit de Fete" design for Guerlain Muguet, 50ml Eau de Toilette tester bottle, 1999

thanks to Wim Janssens and Mr.Guerlain (Ulrik) and especially my readers Rappleya and Judy who helped disentangle this mess!

New Orleans Museum of Art to Open Fragrance Bottle Exhibition

New Orleans Museum of Art Curator John Keefe and his Department of Creative Arts proudly announce the opening of SCENTS and Sensibility, an appropriately-titled exhibition showcasing 125 objects covering the history of the scent bottle from its ancient origins to the present day. Scents, or perfumes, have been a part of civilization for more than four thousand years and have characterized every known civilization. “Scents and their containers have fascinated the world from Julius Caesar to Coco Chanel,” Keefe said. In celebration of Rene Lalique's 150th birthday, the exhibition includes several of his pieces including the "Hirondelles" piece (depicted) recently reissued by Neiman Marcus.

“Perfume has always been a luxury product and it’s interesting that the bottles accurately reflect different eras,” Keefe said. “Scents and Sensibility is a true representation of changes in styles and fashion. Each vessel is mesmerizing.”

Objects within Scents and Sensibility include scent bottles, powder boxes, talc jars and similar objects made to hold scented contents. Permanent collection pieces as well as those on loan from regional collectors range from approximately 1100 B.C. to the present day. Glass, pottery, gold, porcelain, hardstone and silver are all represented in the collection, as well as some recognizable names: Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Christian Dior, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Peter Carl Fabergé, René Lalique and Stueben Glass. Twentieth-century objects include bottles whom some might look upon with nostalgia, coming from great couturiers such as Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin and Christian Dior, as well as celebrated parfumeurs Guerlain and Desprez.

To celebrate the opening of this fragrance-filled showcase, the Museum will host a free opening reception featuring Hove Parfumeurs from 6-8 p.m. on June 30, 2010. Hove's owner Amy can Calsem Wendel will educate guests regarding how her unique local boutique crafts fragrances using indigenous Creole materials. A full cash bar featuring frozen "couture cosmos" will be available in honor of Chanel, Givency, Dior and other couturiers highlighted within the exhibit. Brennan's Courtyard Cafe will remain open as well, offering a selection of pastires, soups and coffee. This opening event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will remain on display until October 24, 2010.

Wednesdays are FREE for all Museum visitors. Louisiana residents with valid photo identification: Adults, $8; Seniors (65 and up), $7; Children 3-17, $4; Children under 3, free. Out-of-state visitors: Adults, $10; Seniors (65 and up), $9; Children 3-17, $5; Children under 3, free. Free Wednesdays and discounted admission for Louisiana residents is made possible through the generosity of The Helis Foundation. Admission to the adjacent Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, featuring work by 61 artists, including several of the 20th century’s great master sculptors is always free.

photo of Rene Lalique bottle for the perfume Les Hirondelles.

Paco Rabanne Lady Million: Bottle like a Diamond

The new feminine fragrance by Paco Rabanne, Lady Million, is packaged in an impressive diamond shaped bottle with the spray mechanism incorporated in the design. Looks stunning as far as Im concerned. I don't know how the fragrance will smell (like a million bucks, they'd want us to believe obviously), but if you missed the news about the latest launch, you can read it all in this article.

Guerlain Shalimar Charms & Eau de Shalimar Charms

Two new limited editions from Guerlain are launching:

Guerlain Shalimar Charms Eau de Parfum Spray 75ml for £71.50 and Guerlain Eau de Shalimar Charms Eau de Toilette Spray 75ml for £62.00

"The desire to experience sensuality, feminity, mystery...to succumb to SHALIMAR ÉDITION CHARMS, whose bottle decorated with Oriental motifs, evokes the splendours of India. Slender arabesques unfurl their delicate volutes over the bottle and box.

They are inspired by the motifs on the rings worn by Indian women on every occasion, along with the embroidery admired on the shimmering colours of ceremonial saris. A blue silk thread is wound around the neck of the bottle, holding the famous golden "signet" engraved with the double G."

Obviously the new limited editions pay homage to the origins of the history of Shalimar and its story about being inspired by the famous eponymous gardens. Pretty stuff, no doubt! The juice is exactly the same as the regular editions of each perfume.

Frequent Questions: All about the Guerlain "Umbrella" Bottle

There is such a plethora of bottles designs at the historical house of Guerlain that the perfume bottle collector is spoilt for choice: With a history that can be traced back to 1828, when Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain opened his first shop on Rue de Rivoli in Paris and covering almost two centuries, Guerlain has produced over 300 fragrances and an equally impressive number of bottle designs. Out of them all some are more worthy of mention either due to their beauty or their proliferation. One of them which covers both grounds is the "umbrella bottle", thus referenced due to its elegant shape that resembles a closed umbrella pointing downwards.


The "umbrella" bottle (officially known as "flacon de sac", bottle for the purse) started its illustrious career while head perfumer was Jacques Guerlain, in 1952 and continued under his grandson's, Jean Paul Guerlain's tenure as well. Its span of production covers easily more than 2 decades, until the end of the 1970s. All the perfumes that were circulating during that time-frame in extrait de parfum (pure parfum) were encased in this famous design, with the single exception of Nahéma (1976).

Despite several sellers on auction sites and Ebay stating it as Baccarat crystal, this design is assuredly not. The official Guerlain archives state three verreries producing moulds for it:
Pochet et du Courval, Brosse and Saint-Goabin -Desjonquères, all in the quarter of an ounce size. Rarely however is there a mark of which verrerie produced the flacon style in question, contrary to some other bottle designs in the line. Early specimens of the "umbrella bottle" have been sporting the name-label directly on the flacon, while later ones have a string from which two ends unite under a hang tage with the name of the perfume. Each of the extrait presentations had a different box, reflecting the themes and colour-schemes that inspired the original fragrances as well, as depicted above. From left to right, we can see the pink and green case with the two G interwined for Chant d'd’Arômes (1962); the zebra-printed Vol de Nuit presentation, inspired by far away travels and corresponding to the Saint-Exypéry travel novella of the same name; the chequed ivory of the legendary Jicky (1889); in silver tones lies the Jean Paul Guerlain creation inspired by Chagan's novel Chamade (1969); next there is the classic lithography of L'Heure Bleue (1912) and Mitsouko (1919); the iconic Shalimar is encased
in regal purple velvet, while the aqua-toned sleek box is for Parure, a plummy chypre creation by Jean Paul from 1974.

Ebay prices for these flacons fluctuate between $75-125, depending on the condition of the bottle and label as well as the existence or not (and subsequent condition of course) of the presentation box.

Less usual versions are those including a leather-pouch such as the one depicted for Liù (1929): It was a special edition for the USA only. (The very concept of this flacon is carrying it in the purse, hence "flacon de sac" being its official name in archives, yet the ideal of luxurious travel via American airlines ~very en vogue during the 1950s and 1960s~ was the source of inspiration for several 'travelling" paraphernalia of which some specimens are truly beautiful).









Much rarer and thus highly collectible is a special edition of Vol de Nuit which is commemorating the nuptials of Prince Rainier of Monaco to Grace Kelly in 1956. The box has a lovely inscription on the inside silken panel, dedicated to the marriage of the prince and the Hollywood actress, bearing the date of the wedding as well (Monaco, 15 Avril 1956). Guerlain always knew how to romanticize their art, allowing us to dream a little...

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Guerlain series, Fragrance history, Frequent Questions

thanks to Dominique Chauvet/Milan for original photography.

New Exhibition and Books on Perfume: Annick le Guerer & Pierre Dinand

Annick Le Guérer, historian and no newcomer when it comes to fragrance and smell writing, is coming out with another exciting tome, titled Quand Le Parfum portait remede (When fragrances produced a cure), reprising the title of the exhibition she helped organise at St.Antoine L'Abbaye (June 14th till November 11th 2009).
The exhibition proposed a new approach to the prophylactic and therapeutic use of scent, going back to the beginnings of materia medica, when smells were considered to serve as remedies to a pleiad of ailments. Discovering the Medieval scented waters which were recreated in the 19th century, its distillation found way into the glossy pages of a book by Annick Le Guerer and (hold on to your seats, this is exciting!) olfactory illustrated by perfumes which have been rejingled by master perfumers Daniela Andrier and Dominique Ropion of Givaudan and Internation Flavors & Fragrances. Visit the official site for more info.

50 Years of Design reprises the work of acclaimed flacon designer Pierre Dinand, the man who almost single-handedly has optically enriched our appreciation of fluted crystal and innovative shapes appearing on our vanity cases and in our bathroom shelves and a living legend. His creations are too many to list in their entirety since he was producing half the bottles produced in the last 30 years, (well-known triumphs include Opium, Calandre, Eternity, Ivoire, Fendi, Madame Rochas, Obsession, L'Occitane bottles, the Mure et Musc limited edition mure flacon...) but after so many years in the industry he now dedicates most of his time to sculpture. His work can be seen at the Oita Kaori-no Mori Perfume Museum, Kiushu, Japan. The book will feature illustrations, photographs and stories about some of his most aesthetically triumphant and commercially successful work for perfumery. To be eagerly anticipated this coming winter.

Pics via lesamisdu7.com and Pierre Dinand site.

Monolithe Travel Sprays for By Kilian fragrances: at long last!

If you have been one of those people who have been enamored with some or all of the By Kilian fragrances (such as the wonderful rosy jamminess of Liaisons Dangereuses or the less intriguing Cruel Intentions, reviewed on these pages), but annoyed by the concept of the super-luxe box under lock & key and the inability to buy the available refills without first investing in the whole kaboodle of the expensive presentation, you will be thrilled.

Perfume Shrine is bringing you the welcome news that Cognac heir Kilian Hennessy's By Kilian brand will be introducing a travel purse spray, called Monolithe, in spring '09, designed with the familiar Achilles' Shield design which is the signature of L'Oeuvre Noire (ie.the first lineup of By Kilian fragrances in black packaging and noir-ish intent). The design is, well, monolithic, I guess, in its columnal glory with some textural interest.
Refillable, Monolithe travel spray will be available for filling with 4 refills of 7.5ml/0.4oz each in Prelude to Love, Love, Beyond Love or Liaisons Dangereuses . Availability and price: 95 Euros, starting March wherever By Kilian scents are sold (like Aedes for example).
Considering that the usual standard price of the By Kilian line is US$225 for a 50ml/1.7oz bottle and $115 for a 50ml/1.7oz refill or ~if you want to have a constant source~ $2,500 for the small "barells" of perfume), it sounds like a more approachable solution for many perfume lovers, even if ml per ml it is not so economical. Rejoice!

News & pic via Magali Bertin vogue.fr

Beautiful bottles in time for Christmas

Just in time for Christmas, perfume companies have issued or re-issued beautiful bottles for their precious fragrances to entice us to buy perfume for ourselves and others. The packaging of perfume does play a part in our choosing a particular fragrance and although I for one would go for my holy grail even if it were packaged in a milk carton, I have to admit that pretty bottles and evocative design does make me daydream. Sometimes the bottle proves to better than the scent, which seems like a disappointment but at least you are left with a beautiful bottle on your dresser, which is better than being left with a bad one (and aren't there lots of those?) That's some sort of consolation for the visual part at least.
Some of the bottles that have caught my eye recently are the following. I amassed them here for your delectation.

First comes the limited editionCaprice de star by Thierry Mugler, the new bottle for his infamous Angel for Chistmas 2006, pictured above. ‘Caprices de Star’ translates as “On the Whims of a Star” and is the bottle for the parfum/extrait. A stunning blue-and-white star-shaped crystal objet which cradles an ultra-concentrated scent (and Angel being what it is, you can only imagine) built around the eau de parfum’s mouth-watering oriental facets. The parfum retails for €160 for 20ml or 2/3 fl.oz. Available from major department stores.

The Dior offering for this Christmas, named Midnight Charm, is a fresh and sparkling departure that mingles Italian mandarin orange with green and fruity notes. The heart reveals a "peach-skin accord" blooming over a floral bouquet of Egyptian jasmine and Moroccan rose. The base has a mouthwatering touch of "glazed chestnut" (a French Christmas specialty; marron glacé which is really really yummy, it makes me salivate as we speak), amber and the musky sweetness of "skin" notes, all enclosed in a bottle that is inspired by the classic Dolce Vita bottle, now interpreted in silver and mauve. Avaialble at major department stores.

For our gentlemen friends the bottle that has captured my fancy is none other than that of Victor and Rolf's Antidote. "While Flowerbomb (for women) is preventive, Antidote is a cure", the advertorial on Osmoz says. Which explains how avant-garde couturiers Viktor & Rolf chose the name for their first foray into men's fragrance. An olfactory extension of their ready-to-wear line Viktor & Rolf Monsieur, Antidote has a complex construction, like a bespoke suit. It blends sensuality, freshness and elegance by using an amber-wood potion; the emerald-hued juice is contained by a black cap with a wax seal that seems about to reach meltdown and is very much to my liking indeed.
Antidote is described as a lush woody Oriental, overloaded with flowers. It has been built around 4 facets. A floral facet, (encompassing a bouquet of jasmine, violet, peony, freesia, orange blossom and more), a spicy facet (blending cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and nutmeg), a woody, almost leathery facet (blending patchouli, gaiac wood, white cedar, sandalwood and oak moss) and for the final course the amber facet, tinted with vanilla and musk. Fragrance designers: Alienor Massenet and Pierre Wargnye, IFF. Available at major department stores.

The bottle of Nuit d'amour, the latest boutique Guerlain following Plus que Jamais from last year, on the other hand is very exclusive; but it is so old fashioned and heavy in its bacarrat crystal that is bound to procure little cries of excitement by the lucky lady that receives it. The juice purpotedly is not as interesting, which is a shame, but today we are focusing on the packaging and the superficial rejoice of seeing a pretty bottle, so for once I am willing to bypass that. For those interested however it includes notes of pink pepper, lychee, rose, violet, iris, sandalwood, musk. Available from Bergdorf Goodman in the US and directly from the Guerlain boutique in Paris. The baccarat crystal flacon is priced at $2600; while the regular 60 ml size is $390. It might as well stay on the screen for all I care...

On the contrary, the limited edition of Mure et Musc by L'artisan parfumeur is a re-issue of one of their best selling fragrances and the succulent crystal bottle is good enough to eat which prompted them to bring it back again for those interested in adding it to their collection. A very tempting, gorgeous presentation. Available at Aedes in the US and from L'artisan boutique.

Burberry seems to be on an roll with their hugelly successful Brit scent witness the limited edition of Brit Red last year) and for this Christmas they brought out a trully spectacular limited edition bottle with golden tassels on a faceted crystal to resemble the brand's plaid in relief. Available from major departement stores.

The 24 Faubourg extrait is not new, but it is so beautiful in its crystal bottle with the golden drop of the jus inside that it merits a place in this post today. Trully classy scent of orange blossom on a bed of amber and one could not go wrong with getting some. One of the cases when there is no deceptive apperance. A modern classic that never fails. Highly recommended.

And because no crime is accomplished if the starring culprit isn't yet involved, Yves Saint Laurent parfums have gone out of their way to present this smashing new collector's edition of their mesmerising Opium fragrance. Enamel designs of oriental flowers over the solid lacquered black of the bottle, it's eye-catching on the screen as it is live in the shop, making mouths water from the loveliness. Which begs the question: do I need to add this to my massive Opium stash? I guess it does.


Pics come from: Escentual, Amazon, Guerlain rep, L'artisan rep and fashionmag.fr. Many thanks!