The iconic bottles of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Classique and Le Male are hoisting the skull and crossbones to become salty sea-dogs – a Limited Edition Pirate Couple – for in this latest incarnation we find the shapely torsos clad in t-shirts torn asunder. It’s enough to have us sorting through our wardrobes for ruffled gypsy-style skirts and getting our hair braided with seashells like Monica in Friends. Well, OK, maybe let’s not get too carried away with changing our image before the sun is properly out – and for now, let the gorgeous bottles inspire our fantasies of adventures with Captain Jack Sparrow.
Did you know that genius nose, Francis Kurkdjian, worked on Le Male as one of his first projects while just finishing training as a young perfumer? Or that (and close your eyes for a breather after reading this next bit…) while composing the scent of Le Male, he imagined it to be akin to the experience of licking the salt from a gorgeous man’s sun-warmed body, as he luxuriantly stretches himself on the beach? It’s really important to take the creative inspiration of such projects seriously, so we shall be focusing on that particular image for some time. It’s research, dah-ling.
The juice in the bottles remains un-tampered with in both cases, fans will be relieved to hear. Le Male, if you’ve not yet had the opportunity of sniffing, consists of refreshing mint, lavender and bergamot, the heart being composed of cinnamon, cumin (which always sort of smells like warm skin to us, anyway) and orange blossom, and the base contains a suitably salty vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood and cedarwood. Launched in 1995, it revolutionised designer male fragrances, and there really hasn’t been anything quite like it since.
Classique is va-va-voom, bottled – a come-hither hip-swaying temptress, often depicted in their advertising campaigns as a vintage-style saucy siren who the Jean Paul Gaultier-clad males just cannot resist. Billed as ‘a fragrance that promises pleasure‘, Classique has been wooing admirers since it was first launched in 1993. In the top notes we have delicate rose being spiced up by the addition of anise, the middle notes combine the narcotic sweetness of orange blossom given a zing with fresh ginger (reportedly a powerful aphrodisiac). Amber and vanilla clasp together in the softly powdery long-trailing base, proving Classique most definitely lives up to its name.
We suggest you grab this pirate booty (so to speak) while you can, as this limited edition couple are causing something of a stir…
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Pirate £40 for 75ml eau de toilette
Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Pirate £50 for 50ml eau de toilette
Try them at: Boots
Written by Suzy Nightingale
