Posted by Kevin
on
12 August 2009
Thanks to “old” Givenchy marketing and publicity, whenever I see or hear the word “Givenchy” I think of Hubert de Givenchy. In ‘candid’ and professional photos he always looks at ease, and I don’t know anything about his private life…and that’s a GOOD thing. When the man or woman behind a brand is “mysterious” (or just plain circumspect) it’s easier to approach the brand’s products in a way that’s personal, a way that’s not besmirched by or connected to the designer’s life and personality — his or her drug use, dieting and exercise regime, sex life.
Every time I go into my local Nordstrom store and spray on some Armani Privé Bois d’Encens, the Armani sales person tells the same old “Creation Story” — how young Giorgio always went to church with his grandmother and loved the incense-infused services; Armani asked his perfumer to recreate the church-incense aroma with Bois d’Encens. Being susceptible to imagery, now, when I spray on Bois d’Encens, I imagine the too-tanned, white haired head of today’s 75-year-old Armani on a six-year-old boy’s body and see a classic Italian grandma, black dress and stockings, lace veil pinned to her head, pulling little Armani down a cathedral aisle, censers swinging and smoking all around them. I don’t like other people’s faces (and life stories or fantasies) intruding on my perfume experiences.
Justin Timberlake is the “image” of Givenchy’s two new men’s perfumes: Play and Play Intense, and he comes with a lot of baggage…
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Posted by Robin
on
10 October 2008
The Six Scents Fragrance Initiative is a new, ongoing collaboration between Symrise, Metaproject and Seven New York. The group plans to launch six new fragrances every year with a percentage of the proceeds going to charity. Six Scents: Series One will launch next month, and will benefit Designers Against AIDS' International AIDS Awareness Education Center in Antwerp, Belgium.
Each of the six fragrances was developed by a celebrated designer working in conjunction with a Symrise perfumer. The fragrances for Series One, curated by Joseph Quartana of Seven New York, are:
Fragrance 1: Urban Tropicalia ~ by Alexandre Herchcovitch. According to perfumer Joachim Correll, “The inspiration for this fragrance was driven by the way that Alexandre creates fashion: The creative liberty he uses to design fashion which can be used equally by men or women…”
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Posted by Robin
on
24 August 2008
Jil Sander has launched Style Pastels, a trio of limited edition variations on the 2006 Jil Sander Style fragrance. All three of the Style Pastel fragrances were developed by perfumers Bernard Ellena and Lucas Sieuzac.
Jil Sanders Style Pastels Blush Pink ~ a powdery-woody floral; the notes include neroli, violet, heliotrope, soft woods and amber…
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Posted by Angela
on
21 August 2008
If I hadn’t known that Amouage Jubilation 25 was new, you could have convinced me that this was the perfume that the snake dabbed on Eve when he handed over the apple. You could have told me that the scent of Jubilation 25 so mesmerized Adam that when he bit into the apple he thought it was something wholesome, like a vegan burrito, instead of a naughty apple, and I would have believed it. After all, Jubilation 25 smells like a blend of flesh and paradise.
Amouage released Jubilation 25 in 2007 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Lucas Sieuzac, who won Fashion Group International’s Rising Star award in 2004, hit it out of the park when he created Jubilation 25. The Amouage website lists Jubilation 25’s top notes as tarragon, rose, lemon, and ylang ylang; its heart as davana, labdanum, rose, and frankincense; and its base as amber, musk, vetiver, myrrh, and patchouli.
Surprisingly, given the list of notes, Jubilation 25 smells to me like a carnal, sheer rose-fruit chypre with a dusting of cumin and a twist of lemon. It is a woman’s smell, not a girl’s, and a confident, sensual woman’s smell, at that…
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Posted by Robin
on
27 June 2008
Givenchy will launch Givenchy Play, a new fragrance for men fronted by pop star Justin Timberlake, this coming September.
Givenchy Play will be available in a “regular” and an intense Eau de Toilette, both centered on amyris wood. The Eau de Toilette will include notes of bitter orange, grapefruit, black pepper and patchouli; the Intense version features bergamot, tangerine, pink pepper, vetiver, tonka bean and patchouli…
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