It is now almost the end of May, and while it is too early to tally up the launches and pick favorites, I cannot resist making a list of upcoming fragrances that spark my curiosity. It is not a complete list of new launches, by any means, but simply a list I keep for myself of new perfumes that catch my eye for one reason or another. They may be coming from a brand I like, have an interesting story behind them or just seem like they could offer something different.
• NEW: Serge Lutens El Attarine–attar, everlasting flowers, Serge Lutens’s Morocco… It sounds like a Lutens classic in the making. Exclusive collection.
• NEW: Serge Lutens Serge Noire –Another exciting Lutens to anticipate. Export collection.
• NEW: Tom Ford White Patchouli, Italian Cypress, Arabian Wood–White Patchouli is coming in September, and it is going to be a fragrance based around patchouli, a counterpart to Black Orchid. The notes include dark, smoky patchouli, peony, bergamot, jasmine, rose, coriander, ambrette seeds. Italian Cypress and Arabian Wood will be the new fragrances in the Private Blend Collection. They will commemorate the opening of Tom Ford boutiques in Milan and Kuwait.
• NEW: Prada Infusion for Men–a masculine counterpart to Infusion d’Iris. Features notes of neroli, iris pallida, vetiver, cedarwood, incense and benzoin. Sounds simply wonderful!
• NEW: Lancome Magnifique –Lancôme Magnifique is an olfactive interpretation of the color red. The fragrance, a spicy woody floral, was created by Firmenich perfumers Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier. As WWD reported , “‘The challenge was to work on wood
• Carla Fracci Odette is supposed to be launched in Italy this month. Odette, a reference to the classical ballet Swan Lake, used to be one of my favorite parts when I was still dancing, hence, my sentimental affection. The fragrance contains notes of lemon, sea breeze accord, apple, melon, pineapple, freesia, jasmine, cedarwood, amber and musk. I am not expecting a revolution, but hey, one can hope against hope, right?
• Cartier Roadster is coming to US stores sometime this fall. It is created by the talented Mathilde Laurent, who is Cartier’s in-house perfumer. Cartier fragrances are invariably well-constructed, therefore I look forward to this new take on the aromatic masculine trend. It includes notes of mint, citrus, vetiver, patchouli, labdanum, cashmere wood and vanilla.
• Comme des Garçon has new launches with Daphne Guinness (fashion icon and muse), Stephen Jones (London milliner) and purportedly some other fashion figures. I am almost certain that we will not see pink fruity florals. At least, I hope we will not…
•David Yurman perfume interests me not only because it was developed by Harry Fremont of Firmenich, a perfumer whose work I very much enjoy, but also because it is slated as a new floral chypre, a genre that is among my favorites. It includes notes of mandarin, blackcurrant buds, leaves and petals, peony, water lily, rose otto, patchouli, warm woods and musk.
• Estée Lauder Sensuous is being released in July. As Karyn Khoury, the creative director of Estée Lauder, was quoted in WWD, “We wanted to reinvent woods for women. The concept was to create a scent that evoked a molten river of woods.” It certainly sounds absolutely enticing to me. The fragrance was developed as a collaboration between Khoury and Annie Buzantian of Firmenich. It includes top notes of ghost lily accord, magnolia, and jasmine petals; a heart of molten woods and amber; and a drydown of sandalwood, black pepper, juicy mandarin pulp and honey.
•Grès Collection: Hommage à Marlene Dietrich sounds like it could be fascinating, a fragrance trio paying tribute to the Hollywood star of its Golden Age. My Dream is a classical floral perfume; My Life is a chypre; My Passion is a floral oriental.
•Guerlain – whatever next perfume Thierry Wasser, the new in-house perfumer, is going to create. I cannot think of better news for 2008 than this announcement.
•Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers is a collection of five fragrances called Love , Music , Angel , Baby , and G . I am mostly interested in them, because the bottles are just adorable.
•John Galliano will launch a fragrance under his label this fall, and as WWD reports, it will “capture Galliano’s DNA in scent form.” Galliano is a fashion renegade, therefore I have high hopes for this fragrance.
•On a related note, other fashion designers are coming out with fragrances this fall according to WWD. Mentions have been made of Monique Lhuillier , Alberta Ferretti , and Martin Margiela having projects in the works. I will take fashion designer fragrances over those of celebrities, if only because the celebrity launches tend to target the same audience and produce similar offerings as a result.
•Eau de Liane is a new fragrance by Bertrand Duchaufour, who has recently been hired as the in-house perfumer by L’Artisan Parfumeur. It was inspired by his travels in Panama.
•Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower , a flanker to L de Lolita Lempicka was created by Maurice Roucel. I love his work, and I like L, therefore I am looking forward to smelling Coral Flower. If anything, I bet that the packaging will be gorgeous.
•Swarowski perfume is reported to be in the works. As Osmoz reports, “They have just signed an exclusive beauty license agreement with Thierry Mugler Parfums (Clarins Group). With a launch date scheduled for 2010, ‘Swarovski Beauty’ will include perfume, make-up and a collection of beauty accessories.”
•Tabu – now that the house of Dana is under new ownership, I am looking forward to seeing new, and I hope, exciting launches from it.
•The Different Company Sublime Balkys is a fragrance composed by Celine Ellena and is to launch this summer. It is a chypre including notes of bergamot, patchouli (Ellena used the essential oil and as well as fractionated oil, which is supposed to highlight the more effervescent facet of patchouli), rose, violet leaf, lilac, vetiver. A fruity accent is provided by blackberries and blueberries.
•Also, Kenzo , Fendi , Guerlain and Prada are expecting new masculine launches, while Tom Ford , Van Cleef & Arpels and Lancôme are preparing new feminine releases.
39 Comments
girlsodeadly: Thierry Wasser at Guerlain? I never heard of him and I wonder why Guerlain dropped Maurice Roucel, Insolence is such a great fragrance and so perfect for Guerlain in terms of traditional quality and modernity; girly, bold, sexy, provocative and very alluring for women of any age. The best Guerlain fragrance since Samsara and much better than any of those mediocre exclusive niche Guerlains (I agree with Luca Turin on Spiritueuse Double Vanille, this a disaster vanilla that smells like any of those expensive niche vanillas on the market but that doesn ‘t smell like a Guerlain composition at all). May 21, 2008 at 12:19am
girlsodeadly: I just took a look at Thierry Wasser ‘s creations and I really fear the worst now. He did Iris Ganache (exclusive niche Guerlain), a sickly sweet and creamy scent that doesn ‘t smell like iris or anything refined and elegant you expect from this legendary perfume house. This is such a bad move by Guerlain! May 21, 2008 at 12:33am
Elena: I am always excited about the Comme De Garcons launches – I found my holy grail tropical white floral (Luxe Champaca) and vetiver (Eau de Cologne Series Vettiveru) with them.
It would also be interesting to see the new fragrances from such titans as Guerlain and Estee Lauder. The “new woods”? Hmm. I’ll give it a try. And John Galliano’s DNA in fragrance? How *exactly* are they going to capture his DNA? Do a swab or something? Aaah, the things they will do to make us part with our hard-earned funds. 😀
PS: V, did you dance in the ballet? How could I not know this?! Wow. May 21, 2008 at 1:55am
risa: having smelled Eau de Liane on paper, I am SO thrilled for its eminent October release; I’d like to also point out that a body version of the Aedes room spray is pending too! May 21, 2008 at 4:55am
Boisdejasmin: Girlsodeadly, you cannot judge perfumers’ creativity by their commercial output these days for several reasons. I am specifically talking about perfumers working for large houses and big clients. Perfumers do not have the freedom to do something different in many cases, and nothing that is too different will even get past the evaluation team (I am not even talking about consumer tests.)
Roucel has a benefit of being the top perfumer at Symrise, a small company, so he has more leeway (but he has no reason to leave and go to Guerlain, he has a great position now as it is.) Whereas Wasser worked as one of many perfumers at the giant like Firmenich. He has won several big briefs for Guerlain and is very talented. Everyone who knows his work says that the best of him has not seen the market yet. If that is so, then I (who neither worked with him nor knew him personally) am doubly impressed. I already see great talent in his work, especially his pre-Firmenich creations. May 21, 2008 at 7:09am
Sveta: I want to smell Hommage a Marlene Dietrich but I don’t think our stores will carry it. Also, I’m curious about Odette because the notes sound very nice. May 21, 2008 at 11:19am
Boisdejasmin: Elena, yes, I did, but I left the professional ballet at 20 to study. I still love dance, and it is still a big part of me and perhaps even my worldview in general.
I am also excited about those launches, and I hope that they will not be disappointing. Your comment reminded me that I have not tried Champaca yet. It sounds like something I would love. Must rectify this soon! May 21, 2008 at 7:20am
Boisdejasmin: Risa, oh, what great news! I love the scent of Aedes roomspray. What is Eau de Liane like? May 21, 2008 at 7:23am
Marina: I am very curious to smell Sensuous and Coral Flower, and of course anything new from Guerlain. The new Malle scent sounds very promising too. May 21, 2008 at 7:25am
Boisdejasmin: Elena, I just saw your comment under my Hermes review. Thank you for sharing! I will send you a note. May 21, 2008 at 7:26am
Boisdejasmin: Marina, it does! Anything new from Malle is bound to be fantastic. Although I have to say that I was not thrilled with Bois d’Orage. May 21, 2008 at 7:30am
Priya: I love your blog! I have a question does anyone know where I can find Marc Jacobs fragrances in India? I want to smell Daisy. Thank you kindly. May 21, 2008 at 11:43am
violetnoir: Ooh, I look forward to TDC release, as I admire Celine’s creations, especially Sel de Vetiver.
Doesn’t Guerlain have some set of four or five fragrances debuting later this year? Something about Carnal or Love or something like that?
Oh, and not to drag out yesterday’s post about Addict, Thierry Wasser and Guerlain, but…I think Addict reminds me of L’Instant because of the bourbon vanilla note in both fragrances. 🙂
Hugs! May 21, 2008 at 12:02pm
Peter: Based on the notes alone Roadster doesn;t sound too exciting, but I’ll be interested to smell it anyway. I’m betting my money on Galliano. May 21, 2008 at 1:10pm
yanina: looks like so many new launches. i wonder what the new lauder fragrance will be like; the description of molten woods is very interesting and the notes sound great; but i’m worried that because it’s lauder it won’t be that cutting-edge. May 21, 2008 at 2:35pm
Girlsodeadly: Bois de Jasmin, to me Wasser ‘s Iris Ganache at $200.00 a bottle is not your average cheap designer perfume, not only it terribly failed to impress a lot of people out there but it is totally disconnected with the guerlinade signature accord running through traditional Guerlain creations.
I also don ‘t understand the lack of long-term commitment by all those trendy perfumers hired one day and leaving two or three years later such a legendary perfume house. Here again this goes against the Guerlain tradition of innovation and continuity. I bet you in three years from now all the perfume blogs are going to announce again another new perfumer has been hired by Guerlain. This worries me. May 21, 2008 at 3:57pm
Yelena: The David Yurman sounds stunning and I have long been awaiting a new and exciting Malle. There’s nothing more fun than waiting for a new release. Have you heard any whisper of a new Lutens non-export? The last three were so unbelievable that I feel like all of my perfume expectations hinge on the next bell jar. May 21, 2008 at 4:55pm
Arwen: I am looking forward to the Galiano perfume. I wonder how it would compare to his Essence room spray.
The new Estee Lauder sounds interesting too.
I was so looking forward to the new Dior Portofino, now it turns out it will be so exclusive, people will not be able to find it anywhere but at Harrods.
Oh well, at least the Chanel Exclusifs are easier to find. May 21, 2008 at 7:00pm
risa: ah Victoria, Eau de Liane smells intensely rich, lush green, like freshly cut grass mixed with starfruit and guanabano, with slight hints of vetiver and vanilla in the base. there’s no note list as of yet, but my goodness I’m in love… May 21, 2008 at 8:01pm
Judith: Oh, that Eau de Liane sounds wonderful! The Dietrich scents sound interesting as well (I hope they can live up to their inspiration), and the Cartier Roadster is something I will definitely try! I am always interested in CdG, Malle, and Guerlain (even more so now). I wonder if Galliano’s DNA has any relation to his Essence (Diptyque). I am actually suffering some perfume ennui at the moment, but it sounds like something here is sure to shake me out of it! May 22, 2008 at 7:16am
Boisdejasmin: Sveta, I never see them in stores in the US. I guess that we would have to look for samples online. May 22, 2008 at 8:38am
Boisdejasmin: Priya, thank you. Perhaps, you could contact them directly?
http://www.marcjacobs.com/ May 22, 2008 at 8:40am
Boisdejasmin: R, I heard of Carnal Elixirs from Guerlain, which should be in stores in the fall. We will see. I am definitely very curious!
I can definitely see the vanilla link! May 22, 2008 at 8:42am
Boisdejasmin: Peter, I so hope that Galliano will not disappoint! May 22, 2008 at 8:43am
Boisdejasmin: Yanina, I agree that they tend to err on the side of safety. Let’s see what happens with this launch. May 22, 2008 at 8:44am
Boisdejasmin: Girl, not sure what you mean by “trendy perfumers leaving after 2 years.” Guerlain has not had a chief perfumer since Jean-Paul. May 22, 2008 at 8:57am
Boisdejasmin: Yelena, I am keeping my fingers crossed for a beautiful new Lutens. I liked all of the recent exclusives, and these days Sarrasins is a new love. A new Malle sounds promising too. May 22, 2008 at 9:02am
Boisdejasmin: Arwen, I hear you, I also get tired of chasing fragrances that are too narrowly distributed. Portofino does sound interesting, however. May 22, 2008 at 9:04am
Boisdejasmin: Risa, that sounds simply heavenly. I love rich green notes. Cannot wait to smell it. May 22, 2008 at 9:05am
Boisdejasmin: Judith, I can relate to ennui, which I experienced a few months ago. It is strange at times to be surrounded by hundreds of perfumes and not being in love with anything. However, it passes, as always.
Have you smelled Annick Goutal Les Orientalistes? They alone shook me out of my perfume ennui. May 22, 2008 at 9:07am
QuinnCreative: Eau de Liane sounds perfect–green grass is a note I can’t resist, and Guanabana (soursop if you are English) has that holy, lightly perfumed taste that must be the fragrance portion of this mix. Celine Ellena has inherited her father’s serious gift, but with her own ideas, so that’s something else to look forward to. I’m kind of curious about the Lauder fragrance, although “molten woods” makes me grin. I use to write ad copy, and there is nothing too outrageous to create the right feel, is there? I’m imagining this lava flow with tables and chairs. . . May 22, 2008 at 11:51pm
Girlsodeadly: Bois de Jasmin, I ‘m not in the know when it comes to titles and perfumers ‘s professional carreer moves. I simply look at who does what for who. I was under the impression Maurice Roucel was ‘the’ creator of Guerlain fragrances since L ‘Instant. More confusing they had other perfumers working on the expensive mediocre niche line ‘L ‘Art et la Matiere’. Guerlain had never had so many perfumers working on so many scents and projects. It ‘s like everything is disconnected. Bottom line, besides Shiseido/Lutens, who else in the perfume industry support long-term commitment? Now because of LVMH Guerlain ‘s gone into this hyper capitalism 2000% mentality, I don ‘t know if that worries you but it worries me. May 23, 2008 at 4:06am
Boisdejasmin: Quinn, I am laughing out loud over your vision of lava! Yes, nothing is too outrageous in copy writing.
I am with you on Eau de Liane–it sounds amazing the more I learn of it. May 23, 2008 at 7:14am
Boisdejasmin: Girl, even Serge Lutens has worked with a number of different perfumer (none of them in-house Serge Lutens perfumers). May 23, 2008 at 7:25am
Girlsodeadly: I know Iris Silver Mist is attributed to Maurice Roucel but it looks like most Lutens fragrances were created by Chris Sheldrake since 1991 until today (Pierre Bourdon also participated in the creation of Feminite du Bois in 1991 with Chris Sheldrake). I ‘m just nostalgic of the 80’s when things were less globalized and competitive, Guerlain was still a prestigious family owned perfume house… May 23, 2008 at 4:12pm
Boisdejasmin: Yes, also Gilles Romey created Rose de Nuit. I hope that the collaboration with Sheldrake will continue, because the results so far have been great. I think that they have a great understanding.
You are right about the change of Guerlain’s philosophy since it became part of LVMH. On the other hand, when I realize how poorly other houses treat their legacy, I begin to appreciate the care Guerlain puts into theirs. Even if I still wish for more! May 23, 2008 at 6:41pm
Girlsodeadly: On that front I admit Guerlain and Chanel are doing a better job at preserving a certain integrity and quality of their reformulated perfumes. Sadly when it comes to Dior and Caron it ‘s been going downhill. I ‘m not sure what to think about Patou, some say JOY has been badly tweaked while others claim it hasn ‘t changed. May 24, 2008 at 12:51am
Boisdejasmin: You are right. Reformulation is such a sad topic…. May 27, 2008 at 9:09am
Ida Oestergaard: Upon the name Odette:
Odette de Crezy is a coquette in the novel “A la recherce du temps perdu” by Marcel Proust- hence she has a fatal influence upon several men including the young Marcel- she appears dressed in a rosy silk dress with remarkable pearls around her neck- and her coachman and two horses each wear a red carnation- look her up in the first volume.
IDA Denmark. August 18, 2008 at 1:52pm