Of course, this could just be a clever back patting session; Guerlain's creative team may hope to portray themselves as a house of such astounding luxury, young women may yet have aquired the means to appreciate it…

Thank you all for engaging in this lively and respectful debate. :) We may have different opinions, but I really appreciate it when we can all share our thoughts without belittling each other. Thoughtful discussions have always helped me expand my horizons and look at issues from another perspective.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Enjoy your perfume adventures, wherever they may take you.

Hugs!

violetnoir – Thank you for your very measured response to my provocative post! I struggled with the same aspect of the comment: how can somebody “like Guerlain” if they don't wear the fragrances? Then I realized that statement describes me pretty well! I think there is a lot of respect among perfumies for the classic genius (if you will) of the Guerlains, so people like me (and Robin, I think) “like” Guerlain and would dearly love to enjoy wearing most of the scents.

ambroxan, I appreciate your last comment. I am a voracious reader and a sometimes writer with many published author and/or academic friends, and I am very bored with the defeatist “there are no classics written anymore” argument. I've never thought literaure stopped with Joyce (or Proust!), just as I think perfumery didn't end with the justly lauded Guerlain classics.

I rather agree with Tigs. But I also understand violetnoir

Nevertheless, why not just admit that in order to enable classic Guerlain fragrances (and not only Shalimar – or Vetiver that I wear) to resist time… other new launches, younger, more commercial have to be done. Many brands will be born, many other will die. Of course, many of us are fragrance lovers, we like to discover 'petits bonheurs' and hidden creations. But after products like Mahora and Coriolan failed, a 'success' like L'Instant & L'Instant pour Homme are not enough for a international brand like Guerlain. I'm quite against launches every year for a brand. But without new customers, new products, new image, certain brands simply die. Obviously, I don't think about Guerlain at first sight. But we, fragrance addicts, must be aware that without this new fragrances, fragrances like Nahéma, Diorella (Dior), Fleurs de Fleurs (Ricci) or many others would simply disappear. With much more regret that thinking that 'these new launches are commercial crap'. If we want perfume to have a Future, let it have a Present. I react here whereas I'm generally rather discreet, but when some of us talk like this, it makes me think of the 70-80 year old embittered perfumers that I see sometimes and that say : 'Oh. Today is not like Yesterday. Then, we did great creations. Now perfumery is over'. It's a bit sad, I think.

ambroxan

30 year old, Paris

But I do agree that Guerlain, like anybody else, has to remain profitable or else perish, and I sympathise. And I would agree that some of the older ones are just not considered “wearable” by modern standards, or at least not likely to attract new customers — although as an old lady I have to object to calling them “old lady” scents — and that Guerlain has to move with the times. I just wish they'd manage to create something both profitable and groundbreaking. In that sense, L'Instant was a disappointment, although I do think it is a nice scent. But 100 years from now, will it be considered a classic? I rather doubt it, although hey, what do I know.

Therein lies the question and the very “twisted” nature of this new marketing campaign. The pitch and the phrasing do not make much sense to me, although I understand that Guerlain is trying to tap into a broader market.

And my snobbish perfumed sensibility says “Right on!” to that. :):) The more people that that buy Guerlain fragrances, no matter what they are, and come to love and admire their beauty, the better.

Hugs!