Balade Sauvage for New Dior Sauvage Fragrance: Selling America to Americans

It is no secret that the newest Dior fragrance for men is called Sauvage and is fronted by Johnny Depp. Taking its cue from the famous (and revered) classic Eau Sauvage, but going of course to a whole different direction, I found the following commercial clip mighty interesting for the following reasons, brought to my attention thanks to my dear reader Cacio.

First of all, we've seen perfumers talk before in press clips, but never before, if memory serves me right, in such a scale. This is a mega production that uses a whole panoply of cues: the materials of the fragrance, the link between scent and memory, director shots of parts of the commercial we might never see in the cinema and online, and a...voice over.

Francois Demachy, the Dior perfumer behind this creation, is given the veneer of an American movie-goer's memory of a memory: of the voice overs of movies to follow, of trailers. In constant anticipation of what will follow, not what is in front of you. Trailers have this paradox into them, you see. Watching a trailer, especially nowadays, is like having seen the movie, or at the very least the very best parts of the movie. It aims to catch your attention, to make you exclaim "wow, that looks like an excellent movie" and make you seek it out and pay the ticket to watch it in full, but at the same time it also leaves you with the partial satiation of having actually experienced the movie (at least they do to me). Possibly this commercial clip is doing the same for the fragrance. In constant anticipation for the smell to come it sort of gives away the clues into what it smells like. It delivers before it actually hits the nostrils. Maybe I'm too critical, that could be. Maybe I prefer a little bit of mystery.

The other thing is that this clip, and the official commercial as well, tries to sell very American things to -I suppose predominantly- Americans. Which is funny, if you think about it, since Christian Dior is one of the Frenchiest brands and the official commercial is directed by that most French of French directors, Jean Baptiste Mondino, responsible for some of the most iconic images in advertising ever.

The semiotics reads like a lexicon of symbols: The desert, the wide open space, the open road, the deserted fairgrounds, the light that glimmers at the end of the road, both an effect of heat and distance and the cinematic familiarity of the camera lens showing you the experience instead of you actually experiencing it. Laundromats and wild horses, and most of all heavy Mustangs or similar cars traveling outside the urban landscape. Francois Demachy the perfumer stands atop the skyscraper of offices and dreams of the anticipation of open space, or the memory of it, it is not clear. Johnny Depp on the other hand buries his past in the dirt of the desert to divest himself of memory.

In the end, Sauvage stands as an invitation to fondly recall what we already know (the images and the ingredients of the perfumes, even those openly admitted to be synthesized, which is a nice touch) or to explore something that lies ahead and we don't? It all depends on the audience that views it, their experiences, their associations, their familiarity with what is being shown.

What do you think?

The One That I Want: Gisele Performs for Baz Luhrmann in Chanel No.5 Commercial

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 sanctioning that Brad Pitt commercial (and patching things up last season with a Marilyn tape transcript). Well done Chanel!

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: 
The most incredible Chanel No.5 commercial ever is from 1982
Chanel No.5 Through the Years: Iconography and Advertising
Clips of old Chanel No.5 commercials
Collective PerfumeShrine Posts on Chanel No.5 (scroll)

L'Incendiaire by Serge Lutens: the enigmatic commercial

Serge Lutens films a lonesome trip to the desert with a voiceover for his Paris Palais Royal release of L'Incendiaire fragrance. The masked loner looks like he's going to set fire to himself, but doesn't in the end. The otherworldly feel is compelling to watch.

L'Incendiaire is part of the Palais Royal line of fragrances in the bell jars, formerly under the auspices of Shiseido, alongside the fabulous cosmetics (lipsticks, foundation, makeup tools etc.)

For a full review of L'Incendiaire, you might want to check my review on Fragrantica. I'm going to post a more "personal" one on these pages too, soon. Price for the new L'Incendiaire by Serge Lutens is 600$US.

Dior J'Adore: New Commercial Is Officially Breaking Up with Old Dior Clientele

"Mr. President, it is not only possible, it is essential. That is the whole idea of this machine, you know. Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy... the FEAR to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision-making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday machine is terrifying and simple to understand… and completely credible and convincing."

~Dr.Strangelove

It's only been a few hours I've announced the reconciliation between LVMH (Dior being a major brand in their portfolio) and Hermes and the new spot for Dior J'adore perfume (trailblazing the relatable body products/cosmetics) has officially rolled out.
You can watch it here.

Forget the impressive staging of the fragrance commercial itself, the Top Kapi/Mission Impossible cascades, the theatrically choreographed motions of former Martini-girl Charlize Theron (which lipstick color does she use here, anyone know?), the gold dress, or the actual slogan "the future is gold" (I needed that, personally). The single thing to really note is they do know that they're letting down their old clientele and breaking up with them in so many words…"the past can be beautiful, a memory, a dream, but it's no place to live".

Riiiight, when you have rendered your perfumes unrecognizable by those loving them and cherishing them for years on end, it is "a sacrifice reuired for the future of the human race" as per Dr.Strangelove.

Additionally, can't resist: what the hell happened to Charlize Theron's face? It used to be pretty perfect (and more sensual) to begin with.

You tell me, in the comments.

Related reading on PerfumeShrine: 
Dior J'Adore: perfume review and history/guide to flankers/limited editions
Optical Scentsibilities: the Neck Rings
Dior J'Adore: the Jean Jacques Anneaud commercial critique 

Guerlain Unveils Shalimar Souffle de Parfum Commercial

Somehow I'm not entirely convinced: why keep producing fragrances that bear no resemblance to the classic Shalimar perfume and keep naming them Shalimar this or that? The lovely Shalimar Parfum Initial edition is a loss in market terms (and a loss to us perfume lovers of great juice), for this very reason.
On the other hand, I recognize the need to ride on the coat-tails of an established brand and to keep reviving this brand by introducing junior customers to it, even by name.
This is the case with CK One, L'Eau d'Issey (Miyake), Dior J'Adore (preparing another commercial for fall 2014 themselves), Davidoff Cool water  and their million "flankers". This is the raison d'être of flankers, come to think of it. It just looks a tad weird from such a historic house as Guerlain, but it isn't really.

Surreal Mums and Old Spice Rejuvenated for the 21st Century: The Mom Song Commercial is Brilliant

"Now he smells like a man and they treat him like one.". There in a nutshell you have everything you ever wanted to know about the appeal of the Old Spice products. Old Spice is manly and it makes women treat you like a man. A man, not a boy. Yes, dear reader, we're putting the scalpel on the newest goofy Old Spice commercial which has surreal, frumpy and constantly hovering mums lamenting -in song!- how their little boys have changed gears and are on the way to hell on a handbasket because they changed into Old Spice which draws feminine attention in a way not yet dreamed of. "I didn't see it coming, but it came in a can". Indeed!

Affectionately referred to as "the mom song" the new Old Spice commercial is in my opinion doing everything it sets out to do (which makes it a success): namely drawing the attention span of young males into seeing an old standby with fresh eyes. And it has such a weird, goofy, upping the ante factor cleverly built in that it can't help becoming viral.

As my perceptive reader who sent me the clip, Cacio, puts it: "Old spice was, quintessentially, grampa, certainly not something that could appeal to teens. In recent years they've been trying to reposition themselves to capture the vast male teen bodyspray market (where Axe seems to dominate). Hence a series of funny, zingy, parodistic ads, like the cult machoman ad* of a few years back which managed to be both ironic and convince males that it was after all ok to wear scents. Now this one in an even more surreal type of humor, explicitly directed at teens."

 It's unfortunate that the commercial has generated such grumpiness at dedicated fragrance groups (such as on Basenotes) who worked themselves up because -really- the target audience isn't the repeat buyers of the Old Spice in the familiar white bottle with the little ship on it and the tiny conical stopper, but the teenagers and college frat boys who buy the big spray cans sitting next to Axe/Lynx at the drugstore and the supermarket shelves. Where I'm disagreeing, sorta, with Cacio above is that Old Spice is not repositioning themselves. They have already repositioned. The commercials are the optical affirmation and seal on this repositioning. The old grampas are, alas, dying away and a new market is emerging. Instead of lamenting the "loss" of one, let's rejoice in the harvesting of another. Old Spice still smells quite good. In fact much much better than the various variants of Axe do and many, many boys' mothers online and in real life are thankful for this. Aren't you?

*Those have become modern classics and deservedly so.

"There's Something About You Girl that Makes me Sweat"

Givenchy music video for the brand’s new fragrance Givenchy Very Irrésistible Electric Rose starring Liv Tyler, the face of current Givenchy perfumes (waste of beauty if you ask me, but of course you didn't so I'll shut up now).
The fragrance will be available for purchase in stores in April 2012.
The clip is choreographed by Bianca Li and filmed by Swedish director Johan Renck.
The music is a cover of INXS's "I Need You Tonight"

What do you think?

Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison: the new commercial with Melanie Laurent

Mélanie Laurent is the new face for Dior's Hypnotic Poison perfume, after Monica Bellucci (who is currently advertising Swedish brand Oriflame skincare).
Directed by John Cameron Mitchel, the new Dior Hypnotic Poison commercial is set in the Louvre (witness the characters seen almost under the wings of the "Nike of Samothrace" , thus named after the island of Samothrace) with the two lovers following each other in at the Daru staircase and the room of Classic Greek Antiquities (You can see Artemis on the hunt for a split second). Hypnotic Poison is a classic, we get it. The commercial...hmmm, not so much. Not bad, but it takes a bit more to compete with Parian marble.



According to the Dior site, Hypnotic Poison mingles "Four contrasting facets – intoxicating bitter almond and carvi, opulent Sambac jasmine, mysterious Jacarandra and sensuous vanilla and musk– make for a compelling, bewitching fragrance fusion. Intoxicating and extravagant".

Why the new Chanel Coco Mademoiselle commercial with Keira Knightley in Beige is Ultimately Undewhelming

Chanel has just released their new 2011 commercial for Coco Mademoiselle starring Keira Knightley in what has to be the most bootylicious outfit out there for the brand (evah!) and I'm grumbling with a sense of disappointment. Before you start calling me a picky bitch, hear me out and see if you agree.


The commercial is gloriously saturated in rich, peachy-golden neutrals, echoed through settings, clothes and protagonists' colouring. The Ducati is eye candy. Keira, on whom I never was particularly big, looks gorgeous in sprayed-on beige & black as well, don't get me wrong! Whereas gowns with decolletage and bare arms let her skeletal glory show to much discomfort and to thinspiration for teens (apparently!), a fitted catsuit which hides her ribcage and, on the contrary, puts accent on her meatier parts (those thighs, that butt) suits her just fine. I was about to give a wolf's whistle upon seeing her riding, ass pert on that Ducati motorcycle, director Joe Wright hedonistically shooting it from the back for a brief while~wait, was it three whole seconds?~ but then remembered my XX chromosomes and restrained myself. Lots of guys won't, though, obviously because they don't have a matching set (of either chromosomes or butt cheeks), and that's the whole point: The message is Keira in Chanel has something going on for her, something wild, something sexy! So will -hopefully- every girl she's gifted with it. Perfume after all is largely the fantasy of hanging a Ferrari porte-clefs on your humble Fiat, isn't it?

But haven't we seen that before? Or is that too much teasing makes the heart go butter instead of aflutter? I'm surprised they chose It is a Man's World (interpreted by Joss Stone, yet again!) instead of Wild Thing by The Troggs as the soundtrack: Keira's certainly a wild thing if the full 3:20 minutes are to be taken into account: she makes pretty eyes at the photographer, with whom she has some sort of relationship. She shoots her as herself, the face of Chanel (a bit a la David Bailey) and then she leaves him all...frustrated, shall we say, leaving out the window. Sneaky minx...


But then the song choice does make sense after all, going straight for bull's eye actually: This is Chanel's positioning of Coco Mademoiselle as for the "powerful" young woman, the seductress, the one who yields the power of her appeal over those she meets; to the point that she doesn't actually need them anyway. She onanistically can leave them behind; her power lies within herself. The full commercial, the teasers and interviews which preceeded it said clearly this is Chanel emasculated, a Chanel superwoman, an androgynous figure ~certainly true for Keira's boyish figure, true for Gabrielle Chanel as a young lass too. But we're not dealing with an Amazon; far from it!

To my mind the era of the Glamazon has died alongside Helmut Newton and his photographs of women as mistresses of all they survey. Keira and Coco Mademoiselle are ~let's be honest~ too cute to even entertain the thought that they yield so much power. This is why it was necessary to have Keira pronounce it "not too sweet, not too overpowering, not flowery" in interviews, lying -yes, lying- that she used to wear men's scents blah blah blah....And therein lies the trap: Coco Mademoiselle does exhibit a fragrance structure of pretty & quite sweet flowers atop a rather masculine loud patchouli and vetiver base: a five o'clock shadow shows underneath a checkbone meticulously dusted with Nars Orgasm. Nevertheless, that five o'clock shadow doesn't come home bringing the bacon, doing a real job, taking it like a man. She still relies on tried & true feminine wiles sprinkled with promise and only has the motorcycle and boots to show for toughness. And what's more she proclaims to the whole wide world she's open for business, Coco Mademoiselle having aquired ~through use and abuse~ the inferred message of "come on big guy, I'm here waiting for you to hit on me, all smoky eyed, and martini at hand". Now that Coco Mademoiselle is everywhere, some of the mystique has gone and this new commercial doesn't help much. And nothing of it is Keira's fault. But they had been going for it since a while, so why am I complaining?

The first Keira-Chanel commercial, showing the stylish thief, who burgles through an open window to put on those gorgeous jewels and who then appears in a long red dress at a gala from which she leaves alone, much amused with herself, in my opinion exhibited real style, a sense of feminine independence and a playful desire for adventure. What does this newer one communicate? How to be a cock teaser? Chanel, you've come a long way; hopefully the Ducati doesn't stop here...

What do YOU think?

Natalie Portman in Miss Dior Cherie 2011 Commercial

The sighs of Jane Birkin under Serge Gainsbourg's classic (and racy) "Je t'Aime...moi non plus" song are accompanying a new sexy siren of the 2000s: Natalie Portman, the newest face for Miss Dior Chérie, again directed by Sofia Coppola (as reported previously)and a viable Oscar contestant for her performance in Black Swan. It's funny to contemplate that the previous music choice for Sofia's commercial a few years ago was a tune by Brigitte Bardot, the very person who first sang the controversial orgasmic song by Gainsbourg; that version was revoked by her husband Gunter Sachs nevertheless. Serge then turned to Jane Birkin to record it to the outcry of the Vatican and the song became immortal in that version.

Nowadays it doesn't sound half as controversial as it did, but is the new commercial for Dior really reflecting the free sprit of the 60s and early 70s in an age that is so conservative despite the bom-bom swaying in hip hop videos and the public display of intimate personal details? "I am the wave, you the naked island"? "I go and I come in between your loins"? I think not...
Apart from a little suggestive play with a tie (posing as both a blindfold and a sort of leash) you'll have to squint your mental muscles into perceiving any more sexual innuendo in the Natalie Portman commercia!. The video is more romantic cliche than racy, although it's certainly more man-to-woman interactive than the previous "I fell fine trailblazing across Paris by myself" commercial by Coppola.
Talk about Natalie Portman stripping for the spot only resulted in her vaguely beginning to remove a few clothes with no more titillation, unless a bath tub scene where she's immersed up to her neck wearing sunglasses is considered risque. It looks like a shot from "Garden State"really, maybe a tip of the hat from the director. Sofia Coppola however really knows how to direct the whole into making us want to douse ourselves in overpriced Eau. Taking in mind I have an aversion to the overly sweet character of the original Miss Dior Chérie (but I do like L'Eau version), I find this is quite a feat! What do you think?

NB. The commercials are set to accompany the latest reformulation of the Eau de Parfum by head Dior perfumer F.Demachy.

Natalia Vodianova for Midnight Pearl: perfume video

Supermodel Natalia Vodianova, with her perfectly girly features, is advertising a new perfume by Swedish cosmetics company Oriflame, called -fittingly, since it comes with some natural pearls attached on the bottle- Midnight Pearl.
I think it's an impressive commercial. Enjoy!



The bottle, a collectable item, was designed by French jewellery designers Stephanie Bascou and Marie Cluzel, known for their collaboration with the world famous Baccarat brand for the crystal jewels. Their work was awarded in 2005 with the prestigious Tahitian Pearl Trophy for the most innovative design of black pearls.
Midnight Pearl is painted in a glamorous shade of dark blue, in heavy glass. There is a pendant in the form of black pearls at its neck, which can be worn on a necklace or a bracelet attached through a chain. The perfume name is engraved in the center and the flacon is refillable.

Midnight Pearl is a floral woody fragrance with opening notes of sweet pear, orange blossom and freesia. The heart progressed on frangipani, peony and jasmine, on a base of oriental-woody notes of oud, cedar, vetiver and patchouli. The perfumer behind the creation is Marie Salamagne.

New Dior Homme Commercial Directed by Guy Richie

The new Dior Homme commercial titled Un Rendez-Vous stars suave Jude Law engaged in ~apparently~ some role-playing sex game with a girlfriend (introducing Slovak model Michaela Kocianova who has a ridiculously predictable thick accent and sounds like Elmer Fudd!). The news is it's been directed by acclaimed British director and ex-Madonna-spouse Guy Ritchie. “You know who I am,” Law growls as Michaela Kocianova helps him slip into his pants, obviously made at the Dior ateliers. “I know who you are. You know where I’ve been. I know where you’ve been….” The dialogue is left at that (it's sounding all too repetitive or is it just me?)— and it’s never quite clear who Law is talking to. Then Law jumps into a vintage car and speeds off to the Eifel Tower. Nice touch to have the girl wearing his cologne, Dior Homme is great on women's skin too! (Have been enjoying it myself)



Greaaaaat, now what do YOU think? I'm a little stumped myself (Isn't it a little confusing? There's some back and forth between past and present all while they're talking on the phone). I like Guy Ritchie's cinematic work on the whole.
And what's that with famous cinematic directors reprising commercials for perfumes lately? (see Scorcese and Chanel Bleu)

More reading about the Ritchie-Dior film: Whiteblog.net

clip brought to my attention via popwatch

Parisienne limo sex?

I just got sent the full 60-seconds commercial of Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent with Kate Moss. Did I mention they went a bit overboard with the raunch? Or is limo sex (or the memory of sex fantasized in limos) still popular? I think the pouting on Kate Moss shows that she's taking it far too seriously. In my opinion a good reminiscence of frantic sex should employ a little self-depreciation, some humour, some tears, some laughs...
Check it out on this link.

What do you find irresistible?

Liv Tyler looks all fetchy, hot and silly insouciant in the latest Very Irrésistible commercial for parfums Givenchy, shot aboard a motorboat on the river Seine and its ponts in Paris. I can accept the bare back dress (although it does get chilly in the evenings on the Seine), but if you have ever driven a motorboat you know it speeds so fast you need to have your hands on the steering wheel at all times or you might bump into something in such an enclosed space as a city river. Stilettos are also a no-no for any deck involving wood (the owner would sledgehammer you if you dared step a foot on it with anything pointy!), but I realise I must be splitting hairs and it's all in the name of le glamour. At least she has an acceptable accent on the French part of the name!
The jazzy tune was composed especially for the ad by Nicolas Errera.



I think I prefer the original Very Irrésistible 2003 commercial with Liv. It's more playful somehow and suits her to a T...You can watch it clicking here.

Check back later for reviews of the newest Neil Morris Vault fragrances!

Clip originally uploaded by modelstvcm2 on Youtube.

I want to be loved by you

I am overdue for an article submission so no big post today, but for your delectation some old commercials for Chanel No.5 that haven't circulated much.
Soon I will come back with an expanded historical review on No.5.
There is also an article concerning Chanel NO.5 in The Telegraph by renowned journalist Kate Shapland, which has a wonderful illustration by Richard Gray. You can read it here.



The first American commercial with Carol Bouquet by Ridley Scott:



And the French version by Bettina Rheims:
(She's saying:
You hate me, right?
Say it! Say it that you hate me.
Its a disturbing fealing, really disturbing.
Because I want you! I want you so much that I think I'm going to die...



Ah...cultural differences.

Chanel No.5 Through the Years

The renewed interest in Chanel No.5, due to the new advertising campaign with Audrey Tautou, reaffirms what has been a shared secret: "The powers that be at Chanel claim that a product bearing its name (be it in the form of scent, soap or bath oil) is sold every six seconds". And that the production, shot before the unfolding of the current economic crisis spared no costs: "A crew of 25 people reportedly worked on it for three weeks last May, filming everywhere from Paris to Limoges and, of course, Turkey". [source: Independent]

The new commercial {presented here} is a more haunting version with a nod to traditional values compared to the all dancing, outright-glamour-and-paparazzi-escaping of the one with Nikole Kidman some years ago. Shot by Baz Lurhman the fiary tale "I'm a dancer" routine was a modern, upbeat version ~with more thigh shown~ of the Roman Holiday scenario: VIP who finds true love at the side of a mere mortal, if you recall your Audrey Hepburn collection correctly. Funnily enough, Kidman looks nothing like Audrey Hepburn in her super-tall frame and attenuated blonde features, although Tautou does bear a passing resemblance thanks to the immense doe-eyes of both brunettes.
The current No.5 commercial reprises the romantic scenario "feminine classique" with a nod to the story-telling fantasy unconventional style of the OVNI, aka an anything-goes-style in which a sense of parody might be injected or the fantasy materializes. The latest Jean Pierre Jeunet commercial for Chanel No.5 uses angle-shots, photography and editing style which err on the side of romanticism, rather than the parody he had exhibited in Delicatessen or the follow-the-pale-faced-gamine-with-doe-eyes of Amélie. The invocation of the bottle in the reflections of lights from the window panes of the Orient Express train however, the warm saturation of colours, the bird's eye angle at the end showing the protagonists hugging while the interlocking CCs are left to shine on the mosaics through the fade-out are all masterful choices of film direction. The final shot reminds me of the bird'eyes shot of the fateful couple shot by Francis Ford Coppola in his Dracula (a film full of intertextuality in itself).

Chanel always paid a lot of attention to how they presented No.5 to the world and I took the initiative to present a little retrospective through the years a propos the latest:

The first illustration for No.5 featured famous illustrator's Georges Goursat/Sem stylised silhouette of a flapper, the fashion for liberated women being to embrace the new fragrance; the flowing dress in typical 20s flapper style, the bobbed hair, the ecstatic hands in the air. This was not an advertisement nevertheless (Sem was known for satirizing Chanel in his previous attempts) but an acknowledgement of the popularity of the new scent to its intented audience: the fashion-conscious and the hip.

© ADAGP

Next Coco Chanel herself posed at the Ritz Hotel suite where she stayed to photographer François Kollard in 1937, the grandeur of the suite and the majestic fireplace echoing the luxury of the fragrance.

The tradition of pampering connected to No.5 persisted through the years through advertisements which hinted at the rapture and sense of luxury which its use provoked.


Marilyn Monroe ~although never chosen by Chanel herself as a spokeswoman for the fragrance~ became the best ambassadress and advertising vehicle of the brand in 1960. She revealed in an interview which asked her what she wore during her schedule that Chanel No.5 was her choice of bed attire. A indelible memory was scratched in the flummoxes of people's minds to this day and No.5 became legendary to people who had never thought of perfume before! Certainly not in those terms!

Ali Mc Graw and her more down-to-earth strong beauty took the torch in 1966 when she posed with her dark features as the face of Chanel No.5. The choice showed the emphasis which Chanel placed on their American audiences even then.


The 70s were scattered with print and TV ads of classically beautiful Catherine Deneuve (once upon a time face of Marianne, the French national emblem), the one who has been more closely related into people's minds with No.5. Ironically Deneueve was opting for Yves Saint Laurent for her clothes and for Guerlain for her perfumes! It doesn't matter: think of Chanel No.5 and some old ad depicting Catherine Deneuve is certain to pop up in your mind.


Unknown beauties were continuing to feature in advertisements or Chanel No.5 but the glamour and joie de vivre were always featured when the famous number was brought forth.


The last French face to front Chanel No.5 in the late 70s (in memorable Ridley Scott directed commercials) and all through the 80s, was Carole Bouquet. The French actress wasn't the most talented one to come out of the country but her beauty and chic radiated through the pages in classy sexiness.


It was the bottle itself which took center stage in the pop images reminiscent of the Andy Warhol technique before the Nicole Kidman contract in 1985. Actually Warhol never made any reproductions of the No.5 bottle: it was a gesture of homage.

Estella Warren, swimmer, model and actress, was the early 2000s face for Chanel No.5 in what was an unforgetable campaign of commercials filmed by Luc Besson reprising the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale in a most imaginative and creative melange. The print ads were visually striking, but not the same thing at all.


And then there was she who was at the height of her Hollywood career after worthy choices following an infamous divorce from Tom Cruise: Nicole Kidman had arrived and securing a contract to front Chanel No.5 was its apotheosis.

Please look at Perfume Shrine posts on Chanel No.5 commercial short-films through the years, clicking this link: Advertising Series part 1, I don't want to set the world on Fire.

She Spoke about Perfume in a Very Unconventional Way

The Chanel commercial we have been waiting and commenting on previously is finally here, the magic enfolding aboard the Orient Express en route to Istanbul. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring French actress Audrey Tautou and mole model Travis Davenport on the soundtrack of Billie Holiday's "Im a fool to want you".
Please be sure to check out the official link of Chanel as well as it presents the back-story and the details on the making of as well as commentary by Taurou and Jeunet.



According to the director Jean-Pierre Jeunet:
"I've always loved night trains and their magic: its the perfect opportunity to create an encounter in suspended time. I really liked the idea of a woman meeting a man. They both think about each other, but continue on with their own lives, left with the regret that they didn't make contact with the other person. I love to play with destiny and coincidences... I knew that the story would revolve around the mesmerizing effect of the scent in the womans wake. We had to give voice to the intangible."

Excellently done and we will return with another Chanel post with commentary very soon!! In the meantime, you can read more on Chanel on Perfume Shrine following this link.


Clip originally uploaded by ROPtv on Youtube

Let the real Vincent Cassel stand up!

Yves Saint Laurent parfums chose Vincent Cassel for their campaign for their latest masculine La Nuit de L'Homme (haven't tried it yet). The clip is short and to the point with the emphasis firmly on the attractiveness pulse of joli-laide Vincent (thanks to the scent, we're led to wishfully think).


music : remix of "Suite Espagnole,op 47,n° 5 : Asturias" by Isaac Albéniz *
director : Gaspar Noé
actors : Vincent Cassel, Eliza Cumming, Sarah Freitas
production : Paranoid Projects
location : Grand Palais, Paris, France

*You can hear the original Albeniz suite here. (I have been fortunate to have accompanied this on the piano alongside a famous guitarist and it's as beautiful and as fiery as you'd guess from the recordings).

Personally I much prefer Cassel (whom I consider one of the very best) in darker, more nuanced roles than the smirking, alluring, self-mocking almost play-boy character. His charisma is so palpable you can't take off your eyes off screen despite him not being the prettiest of men. Or is it because of it? In any case, since I am not the only one to find him a prime material for darker associations, I decided to ask you what you would choose to have him front and present two clips.
First here is a little video made by a fan I found on Youtube with the appropriate tagline "Sometimes villains can be so much more fascinating than heroes" (That's when a great actor has been chosen instead of those "wooden" mannequins with the crew cut they often use is my guess!). The chaacter of Jean-François de Morangias as enacted by Cassel comes from the movie Le Pacte des Loups/Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and the song "Behind Blue Eyes" (a cover of the original Who song by Limp Bizkit) aptly highlights the strange allure of Vincent's baby blues...



In the more profound, thought-provoking and very distrubing (yet compelling) film of director Gaspar Noé (again, what a change of pace!) Irreversible, he is the tangibly real, tormented hero of acts that cannot be undone. The film unreals in reverse chronological order, acting as a study on the destructive nature of cause and effect, and how time does not allow things to go back. Highly recommended viewing, the same way Un Chien Andalou is, that is it definitely throws you out of your comfort zone (it's one of the most walked-out films in the history of the Cannes Film Festival) or might even traumatise you for life. The clip only gives a glimpse of what happens (so you're safe! do take a peek)



I realize cinematic art and commercials cannot be compared, but I will continue to lobby for the merging of the two...

La Pacte des Loups clip by pommekitty, Irreversible trailer clip by onomkeerbaar on Youtube.

Interrupted by Death: The Lost Chanel

The road to hell is paved with the best intentions, a saying goes. Sometimes, it's not one's actions that prevent those intentions to materialize into good deeds however, but something more sinister, more unexpected intervenes; like the grim hand of Death, wiping out in one sweep everything, leaving behind only unfulfilled dreams, plans and unfinished projects. One such project was a commercial for Chanel for a new feminine perfume that was to be completed and aired by 2008 and as we have been talking about the new flanker of Cristalle yesterday and the two upcoming films about Coco Chanel's life the other day, it seems appropriate that we should tackle it now while the flow is running.
The fragance was meant to revolutionize the concepts of fragance families and the commercial was set to be directed by British-born director of Italian extraction Anthony Minghella (most famous for his work on The Talented Mr.Ripley, The English Patient and Cold Mountain). He died a year ago, at the premature age of 54, due to complications from cancer operation before being able to realize the project. The late artistic director Jacques Helleu was naturally involved, but preceding Minghella to his deathbed by a few months he was also absent during the final critical stages. Therefore this little rememberance on Perfumeshrine today is both to Minghella's honour ~exactly one year later to the day today~ and to show how an iconic brand visualises its inheritance as a constant memento of a sense of history; the rich history of Chanel.

I have been fortunate to be able to see the storyboards for the commercial and in its own way it tells its own story, shown here by the hand of illustrator Andy Sparrow. The script was to be written by author Michael Ondaatje (his is the author of the worthwhile novel, later filmed, The English Patient so the connection with Minghella was there), although the few tidbits that remain are not indicative of his undoubtedly smart would-be contibutions. The male lead would be Patrick Wilson and the female lead was to be negotiated between several options, including supemodels snatched up by other firms in the meantime or celebrity offspring. Nothing of all this materialized, so we can picture whomever we please in the cute, round face of the heroine with the slanted eyes under the bobbed hair.


The commercial opens on the 1920s Seine riverbank with a wideshot showing a most romantic Paris in period attire.


Two people meet under the lamps. He's buying flowers, she greets him.



They're embracing when he asks "Are you wearing perfume?"



"Yes, but it's a secret..."



The mystique of the elusive fragrance is left hanging in the air, almost whispered or not quite as they walk on past one of the many Parisian cafés, leaving us to dream a bit...

What the fragrance would be named or smell like never really revealed itself beyond the closed doors at le studio Chanel. It was a secret project, secretive like Coco heself liked to look at the audience during a defilé so she would tuck behind the famous mirrored staircase and she could see everyone's expression yet nobody could see her ~she also monitored the sales floor by looking at the mirrored staircase~ as the 1962 photo by Hatami or this Frank Horvart photo from 1958 on the left shows! The mirror notion is a symbol for a look into both the esoterica of one's personality in times of introspection as well as a reflection (an eidolon, if you please!) on the brand's own core. Magic is done with mirrors and fun-fairs are resplendent with transforming mirrors that reveal hidden dimensions and sides of one's look. Perfume can act like a mirror that can be accurate, or alternatively distorting in a grotesque or burlesque sense, depending on our own aspirations, humour and sense of self-constaint. It's no accident that mirrors play an integral visual and symbolic part in the latest Keira Knightley commercial for Coco Mademoiselle directed by Joe Wright!
The plain, austerely chic packaging of iconic Chanel perfumes is also a tabula rasa, a secret mirror on which to reflect one's own personality, inducing no preconceived evocations. Ikki Miyake's "No. 19 Susashi-Kotoba `Perfume,' " artwork shown at the Chanel Nexus Hall in Ginza as part of the DanDans exhibition, was a whimsical play on the Chanel perfume bottle; yet it captures Chanel's secret quite well. The secret is that we can mentally squeeze ourselves into a chic Chanel flacon much like the model is being immersed in one on this stiking photo.

Please read a moving tribute to Anthony Minghella by his three-times collaborator Jude Law published in the Obsever last December.

Thanks to Andy Sparrow, hackelbuy.co.uk, shelterinteriordesign blog

STR8 to the movies

Of all the very successful commercials of the Sarantis Group for their fragrances (C-THRU, B.U., Xpose etc) the ones which made more of an impression to me due to their very cinematic and sensuous nature are the ones for the masculine fragrance STR8 (ie. straight), titillating without being vulgar and with small details that make them a little "story" in themselves.

The constants are cars, American "heavy" cars in particular with their big skeleton of steel, expanses of skin mapped like roads, darkness and light, liquid drops oozing like pearls and teeth (mechanical and otherwise) gnawing on soft parts...

The first one set the tone under the haunting notes of Motorpsycho's Stalemate with its rhytmic staccato echoing the editing "cuts".



The one to follow had a gothic-vampiric feel seen through the masterful direction of Eric Barbier and the jazzy ambience of The room by Sillyboy.



The newest one makes the very American Kerouak's On the Road take a whole new dimension with the long-winded J.Butterfly from the longplay "From One Human Being To Another" by Mourah.



All clips originally uploaded on Youtube.