Not so long ago we teased you with early images and a few scant details about Alexander McQueen’s new fragrance titled McQueen Parfum, now you can add the darkly romantic scent to your collection as it has been made available now.
It’s one of the greatest British fashion houses and this month Alexander McQueen is unveiling a new fragrance; its first under the creative direction of Sarah Burton. Over 10 years have passed since the brand’s last scent and, following endless seasons of outstanding collections, plus a decade of waiting, expectations are high. While the scent may have been produced by Proctor & Gamble, Burton was involved with every stage of the process.
I wanted this fragrance to come from night flowers, the kind that exudes an eternal freshness once the day is gone… Here at McQueen, we are all about discoveries and the eternal blossom; originality in an atmosphere of tradition, craft, and daring.
Sarah Burton
The fragrance is all about darkness and mystery so it’s not surprising that three fragrant night-blooming flowers form the core of the scent. According to the McQueen website, Sambac Jasmine is the essence of power and romance. The flower opens under the moon, exuding a sweet and complex aroma until the morning. Tuberose is the warm, intoxicating heart of seduction. A rare and deep extract, it is both regal and forbidden. Ylang Ylang is the mysterious scent of a perfect morning. Most fragrant at first light, its exotic, yellow flowers are potent with a sense of renewal and transformation. The fragrance is enhanced with notes of clove, pink, black pepper and vetiver.
Inspired by the craftsmanship of haute parfumerie, McQueen has created a unique scent made from the precious essence of three night-blooming flowers: Sambac Jasmine, Tuberose and Ylang Ylang.
Rising out of the darkness. Sambac Jasmine is the essence of power and romance. Originating in the Eastern Himalayas, the flower opens under the moon, exuding a sweet and complex aroma until morning.
An erotic siren. Tuberose is the warm, intoxicating heart of seduction. A rare and deep extract, it is both regal and forbidden, the scent of Louis XIV’s gardens at Versailles, where the innocent could not venture after dark without submitting to their desires.
Ylang Ylang is the mysterious scent of a perfect morning. Most fragrant at first light in the jungles of the Comoro Islands, its exotic, yellow flowers are potent with a sense of renewal, transformation, and the wisdom that outlives danger.
The sweet and sensual scents are captures in a black bottle adorned with gold feathers and a gold base, inspired by McQueen’s famous Feather Dress. Everything about this fragrance has been considered and the result is nothing short of a sensual masterpiece. For more of an insight into the scent, watch the video below…
Not only the inside of the bottle is inspired by the craftsmanship of haute perfumery. Solid, sensual, with the artisan’s love of form, the parfum bottle is a small work of art. Gold feathers crown the bottle, reflecting bespoke craftsmanship that is pure McQueen.
The accompanying campaign was shot by legendary photographer Paolo Roversi, the campaign stars Dutch model Maartje Verhoef, who has walked in a grand total of five McQueen shows, including the most recent at London Fashion Week last month. Roversi captures Verhoef, who poses in the woods of the 17th century Chateau de Courances near Fontainebleau wearing a custom-made gown embellished with black floral appliqués.
This is the story of a woman who is luminous by day and seductive by night, the woman who thrives on her own elegance, intelligence, and power. McQueen is her signature scent as her new beauty emerges from the dark, like light breaking through the trees as she comes into her own perfect day
Roversi’s images succeed in capturing the dark romance that the brand’s creative director Sarah Burton inherited from her friend and mentor, Lee Alexander McQueen himself.
McQueen Parfum is available exclusively at Harrods and Alexander McQueen boutiques in London, Paris, and Monaco, and alexandermcqueen.com now, but fans will have to wait until August for the eau de parfum version. You can buy a 50 ml bottle of McQueen Parfum for $395
Yakymour 