advert Archives - The Perfume Society

Retro romance: perfume ads to raise a smile

If you’ve had it with all the mawkishness that can accompany V-day, we feel ya, and present instead a plethora of retro fragragrance adverts that instead of promising you a bevy of admirers and a hot dating tips, will at least make you chuckle…

Big hair don’t care? She certainly doesn’t when wearing Tigress! Watch in amazement as this ‘do gets bigger with every passing second of this advert from 1969, and do be sure to shuffle up to someone you want to catch the eye of in this manner. It will definitely get their attention.

Couples in perfume commercials just can’t keep still, can they? Perhaps this pair from 1967 ate some dodgy oysters, and are living up to the name of the scent as they madly dash through airports and dodge traffic on mopeds to prove how On the Wind they are? We hope they made it in time.

We women like nothing better than hanging around in windows while spraying ourselves with perfume, and here’s another 1969 gem that proves it’s a worthwhile occupation. How else to catch the eye of some random dude and then make him run up and down endless flights of stairs that’d make M.C. Escher dizzy? It’s how we stay Elusive, innit?

What to do when you’re Young ‘N Free? Well this 1970 advert ticks a lot of perfume tropes. Bingo cards at the ready, fragrance fans, as you spot a couple running in slow-motion, horse riding, laughing while peddling bicycles, twirling while holding hands, and running through fields in a while dress. Hang on a minute. Is that a WHEAT field? Could the young Theresa have been caught on camera…?

Ever wondered what advice Tinkerbell from Peter Pan would give you for meeting boys at parties? This 1967 ad for the excitingly named Body Mist Deodorant (shall we workshop this, marketing team?) reveals all. Breathlessly cheerful, Tink tells us her top tips while spraying cartoon snowflakes and stars from the bottle. Don’t drink the punch she’s been sipping.

By Suzy Nightingale

CHANEL – ‘I Am a Perfume’ mini-film series: which would you be?

If you were a CHANEL perfume, which would you be, and what would it reveal about your personality? For fragrance lovers, the perfumes we wear inevitably become part of our personalities – invisible messages that may give passers-by clues to your character, inviting intrigue; or they may serve as a scented cloak, beneath which you can protect yourself from the world’s gaze. For CHANEL, ‘…fragrance is considered and composed as an invisible item of clothing.’

Gabrielle Chanel’s vision and perfumer Olivier Polge’s contemporary interpretation of it are woven through each of what they rather wonderfully call ‘olfactory garments’ – adhering to Chanel’s vision that went beyond fashion and trends. We love that CHANEL is exploring this theme of asserting your presence, expressing your personality and creating your style with the scent you choose to wear that day. We certainly find that’s how we wear perfume – do you want to magnify the mood you’re in or change it completely? Do you ‘match’ your scent to your outfit and your plans for the day, or use it to give a hint at what lies beneath…?

The new campaign uses deliciously dreamy imagery – bodies dressed in shadows or bathed in sunlight, interwoven with archive clips of skilled artisans at the atelier, of vintage fashion shows, and the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe insouciantly entangled in white sheets, all with Vanessa Paradis lending her voice as narrator. And even if you don’t undertstand the French commentary, goodness it just sounds divine! We’re delighted to share the film with you, below, so dive in to the glamour…

The first chapter in this narrative is named “I am an idea”, presented as a scented ‘manifesto’, and laying the foundation for CHANEL fragrance creation, as they say in their own words…

‘I AM AN IDEA

A CHANEL perfume is an idea Grasped, developed, expressed Like an item of clothing Imagined, assembled, tailored.

A CHANEL perfume is a precious material A fabric woven from images, spun from landscapes.

A CHANEL perfume is a play of shadows and light Which reveals nudity and protects intimacy A set of jewelry and an abstraction A suit of armor and a construction. A CHANEL perfume is an invisible negligee, one that Marilyn chose to adorn her nights.

A CHANEL perfume is the scent of the self Reminiscence of childhood.

A CHANEL perfume is a style, an allure An elegance, a signature. An item of clothing.

A CHANEL perfume is a perfume that chose me For what I am, for what I want. A perfume that says “I.”

I AM A CHANEL PERFUME.’

So now, we wonder… which CHANEL perfume would you be…?

CHANEL Chance gets Eau Tendre with eau de parfum

If anything can revive flagging spirits, it’s the sniff of a new CHANEL fragrance – this time the classic Chance fragrance getting reinvigorated with a new interpretation of Chance Eau Tendre in eau de parfum form.

One glimpse of the gloriously colourful advertising campaign, and we rather think you’ll be joining us in wanting to whirl around in a pretty sugared-almond coloured skirt, while performing joyful dance moves on a velvet chair! OK, given that it’s January and we’re all still easing our way back to reality, perhaps it’s better to enjoy watching it, below, instead…

So what can you expect from this new addition to CHANEL’s scented wardrobe? Well, each evocation of Chance takes on a special character of its own, while of course adhering to the spirit of the original. So, let’s think back to when Chance was first launched back in 2002 – the name, as always was no mere chance in itself: it was chosen because, as CHANEL remind us:

‘Chance is a way of being,’ said Gabrielle Chanel, who believed in her lucky star as much as she cultivated it. With confidence and determination, Mademoiselle seized this chance throughout her whole life. Attentive to all the signs that marked her path, a woman who loved chance encounters and the unexpected, she smiled at fortune and fortune smiled on her in return.

With four current versions of that original, it’s not simply about adding power to a perfume by increasing its strength, or adding freshness to what was already there – each transition marks a new fragrant chapter in the life of the fragrance.

CHANEL say: ‘With CHANCE EAU TENDRE Eau de Parfum, perfumer-creator Olivier Polge, in cooperation with the CHANEL Laboratory of Fragrance Creation and Development, reinterprets the floral-fruity signature. More intense, more enveloping, this version expresses a radiant and confident femininity. Its oral heart accentuates the fullness of exotic jasmine absolute, enriched with an essence of rose that shines a soft light at the center of the composition.

More feminine than ever, this oral equation is draped in just the right dose of smooth and creamy white musk notes to create a clean, cottony effect. Immediately illuminated by the tangy whirl of the grapefruit-quince accord, CHANCE EAU TENDRE Eau de Parfum brings a feeling of absolute tenderness. Delicate and profoundly poetic, this new composition evokes a woman whose joy and inner glow gives her instant charm.’

To visually express this new fragrant interpretation, the gold neck takes on a silvery hue for the eau de parfum, and in many ways, wearing it feels like a whole new fragrance. The notes are beautifully rounded, like layers of tulle or the petals of a flower, enveloping you in waves of deliciousness that seem to float around you in a fragrant cloud. A softly powdered elegance follows your every step, but that opening zing of the grapefuit and quince really adds energy and lifts the composition to above and beyond, and so it never feels heavy or too swaddling to wear all day.

Really, it’s just the thing for this time of year – characterful, of course, and with a depth that feels comforting, but with enough get up and go to shake you from the doldrums. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get those pastel skirts on* and twirl to our heart’s content!

*[Though we might be adding something longer that a crop-top, while it’s still a bit chilly…]

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Behind the scenes with Jimmy Choo Fever

Accessories have the power to completely alter how we feel, the image we project to the world – the right shoes, a statement piece of jewellery and, of course, the scent we select. When we think of a name that crystallises unapologetic and provocative glamour, it’s Jimmy Choo – famous for iconic shoe designs, and now for beautiful fragrances, too – the latest hot number being Jimmy Choo Fever.

The story began over 20 years ago in the East End of London in the atelier of a shoemaker called Jimmy Choo. You can read all about the history of Jimmy Choo on our page dedicated to the house, but suffice to say, the red carpet became his runway. Soon the public began clamouring for fragrances that captured this megawatt lifestyle, and with a catalogue of best-selling scents to add to the portfolio, Jimmy Choo Fever is definitely setting temperatures rising.

Inviting you to release your inner extrovert, the fragrance was composed to epitomise the Jimmy Choo woman, whom they describe as having… ‘a taste for hedonism; she is independent with a magnetic allure.’ Furthermore, whomever chooses Jimmy Choo Fever as their fragrant accessory should have a character to match that of the juice, so… someone who ’embraces femininity and empowerment with a rich, seductive scent.’ Sounds like our kinda gal!

Top notes: black plum nectar, lychee and grapefruit heliotrope

Heart notes: vanilla orchid and jasmine

Base notes: roasted tonka bean, benzoin and sandalwood

What really strikes you is the luscious juiciness combined with the depth of that delicious toastiness in the base. It’s all the excitement of getting ready for a night out, or simply for your next adventure. Of course, the advertising campaign is as devastatingly glamorous as you’d hope, and we’re thrilled to share with you some sneek peeks behind-the-scenes of Jimmy Choo Fever, while catching up with superstar model Hannah Ferguson, who was chosen as the face. So what, exactly, makes her a Jimmy Choo woman…?

What do you like about fragrances?

Hannah: ‘I feel that wearing a fragrance is very personal, and it’s definitely part of my beauty routine; I put it on every day. Even if I go to the gym I put my perfume on! My first scent memory comes from when I lived on a farm – just thinking of our side patio during summer time always cheers me up. I remember it always being full of yellow and wild flowers. They were my favourite.’

How would you describe Fever, and the woman who wears it?

‘Fever is warm, vanilla-y and has a delicious almond smell to it. For me it’s not too strong, you can still wear in the day and then take it to a night out. The Fever woman? Well she’s confident, strong, but still approachable. She’s in her own space and she owns herself. She’s having fun, dances the night away. She’s unstoppable!’

Are you a Fever woman?

‘You know, I used to be very shy. Now, I’m more comfortable and outgoing than I used to be. Confidence also comes with age. When you get older you figure yourself out, realise what you want and what you don’t want. It’s important to go with your own pace, not listening to the others expecting things from you. It’s all about being comfortable with yourself and open minded, and vulnerable. Don’t be too afraid to open up; be yourself is key.’

Tell us about the ad campaign…

‘The location was the VIP in Paris. It was such fun! We shot all day long, with an early call sheet until night. I was on top of a table in heels, turning around looking at the camera… I was trying to get not dizzy. And then I fell off the table! That one was tricky. Dancers were giving me tips on how not to repeat that.

But really a day at work just seemed like the week end! I must say the dress was very nice, which always helps. I’d wear it in real life, 100%. An oh, those shoes. I love boots and heels. But you have to remember, I‘m also a farm girl so I like to have sneakers. Stilettos in the farm wouldn’t work so well!’

Jimmy Choo Fever £79 for 100ml eau de toilette
Try it at: debenhams.com

Written by Suzy Nightingale

We go behind the scenes with Acqua di Parma's heart-melting ad

Acqua di Parma have been serving us stylish Colognes since 1916, their heritage leading us to beautiful city of Parma – famous for its violets, and strong cultural traditions. With their original Colonia, Acqua di Parma offer something crisp, subtle, utterly refreshing elegance – the sense of Italian style, bottled. Refined and wearable, Colonia became an instant – and now timeless – classic.
The fragrance was worn by stylish men, movie stars and those who understood luxury. (And borrowed, we’re sure, by many of the women in their lives – just as today.) The chic hand-made Art Deco bottle and vibrant yellow hat box style packaging graced many a smart bathroom shelf – and by the 1960s, it was a ‘best-kept secret’ shared by those-in-the-know. Rich in Sicilian citrus (bergamot, lemon, bitter and sweet oranges), this sparkling creation unfolds to a heart of lavender and Bulgarian rose, on warm, woody base notes – a formula that’s never changed…
But now, there’s a new Cologne in town, with Acqua di Parma launching Colonia Pura – a contemporary and highly refined interpretation of the Italian classic. Fresher still, balancing delicacy and boldness, the top notes of spicy coriander harmonise with the classic citrus burst, while in the heart we encounter sambac jasmine and petit-grain with the startling sensuality of the ultra-green narcissus absolute. In the base, musk and patchouli sink into the soothing woodiness of cedar, and all things said, this has to be one of the sexiest just-out-the-shower, gorgeous-man’s-skin scents we’ve sniffed for quite some time…

As for the ad campaign (see the video, above) – oh it’s just heart-meltingly lovely, and not only for the fact it stars model Will Chalker (whom we’d be happy to look at under any circumstances) but because his adorable family star alongside him. Shot by photographer Josh Olins, we’re loving this modern take on ‘masculinity’ focusing on a man’s contemporary life – and one that very much that includes the model’s wife, Chloe, and son, Arthur.

Will Chalker says: ‘I have known about Acqua di Parma for a long time, it’s a brand you kind of associate with Italy and the sun, elegance and style. It is one of my favourite campaigns, just because I get to shoot with my wife and son. It makes it feel more about us just having fun as a family and creating these little moments that, you know, we can capture in photos.’

Talking of capturing the mood, we were thrilled to get a sneak peek at what happened behind-the-scenes during the shoot, and share it with you, below…

A shot of sunshine and warm feelings is exactly what we need right now, seeing as autumn has arrived way before we were ready for it. Watching the campaign videos and spritzing Colonia Pura could be the only way we get through the grey-er months at TPS Towers, frankly. And yes, we’re ‘borrowing’ this, too. (He totally nicks our luxe beauty products, so share and share alike, right?)
Acqua di Parma Colonia Pura from £66 for 50ml eau de Cologne
Buy it at John Lewis
Written by Suzy Nightingale

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