Yves Saint Laurent and Dua Lipa unveil a new fragrance, Libre

French Maison Yves Saint Laurent is launching a new pillar fragrance. Yves Saint Laurent Libre is designed for strong, bold and free women who experiment with their freedom, as stated by the French Maison.

Free. That’s one word that defines Yves Saint Laurent. Always on edge. Experimenting. Breaking boundaries. Turning the tuxedo into provocative women’s evening wear in the sixties. For today’s women, freedom is the ultimate luxury. It’s a state of mind. A way of playing by your own rules.

The idea of freedom, as an important part of the DNA of this fashion house, served as the inspiration for the new concept. The fashion designer himself is seen as revolutionary by dressing women in suits and safari jackets and transparent wide-fitting blouses, and he was surrounded by women who fought for their freedom and position.

Created by perfumers Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm, the composition is developed to contain fougere elements. The duo represents two sides of the same coin, reversing traditionally masculine and feminine accords to create Libre. A reinvention of the floral perfume, it combines lavender essence from France with the sensuality of Moroccan orange blossom, for a unique floral fusion complemented by a daring note of musk accord.

Top Notes: tangerine oil, lavender oil, blackcurrant, petitgrain
Heart notes: jasmine, orange blossom, lavender oil
Base notes: cedarwood oil, ambergris, musk, vanilla extract

A gender-bending riff on fougère, the traditionally masculine fragrance category that is heavy on herbaceous lavender and earthy oakmoss. Thanks to an infusion of hyperconcentrated Moroccan orange blossom, and a proprietary note exclusive to Yves Saint Laurent called – wait for it – Diva Lavender, which isolates the freshest elements of the aromatic purple flower, any overt muskiness is effectively tempered.

 

The bottle was designed by Suzanne Dalton, who reinterpreted the Yves Saint Laurent logo for Libre. Here, the familiar ‘YSL’ Cassandra logo is flipped to its side, giving the bottle an unusual yet alluring shape. The flacon is a couture statement, it reflects the same gender-bending duality of the scent and also references the sleek tailoring of an Yves Saint Laurent suit.

Intrepid opposites are outstandingly attractive – the bottle design defends this ethos.

Suzanne Dalton

The flacon featuring a black asymmetric cap. It also features a gold chain on the neck, that are reminiscent of the iconic YSL it-bags, completed with the timeless Yves Saint Laurent logo.

The new campaign is fronted singer songwriter Dua Lipa, who was recently named as a Next Generation Leader by Time Magazine. Known for hits such as ‘New Rules’ and ‘One Kiss’, Dua Lipa was nominated for five different categories during the 2018 Brit awards. She won the awards for ‘Best British Female Solo Artist’ and ‘Best Breakthrough Act’ to name just a few.

To be free for a woman in 2019 goes without asking, we live life by our own rules.

Dua Lipa

The campaign film was directed by filmmaker Nabil Elderkin who said: Dua Lipa is an inspired choice to embody this boldly defiant woman”. He added, “Young and edgy, with an uncompromising sense of self and a willingness to speak her truth, she is exactly the sort of ambassador who can exude a perfectly calibrated blend of liberated sensuality and inner strength that embodies the no compromise, write-your-own-rules YSL woman”.

Yves Saint Laurent Libre is available as 30, 50 and 90 ml Eau de Parfum. Come into the beautiful world of Yves Saint Laurent.

 

 

 

 

Calvin Klein Women

It’s been 13 years since Calvin Klein – who created still-recognizable zeitgeist scents like Obsession and Eternity – has released a new fragrance. But now under the helm of chief creative officer Raf Simons, the fashion house is returning to creating iconic scents with the July launch of a new scent, simply called Women. Simons joined Calvin Klein in August 2016 and famously thanked ‘women’ when accepting his Womenswear Designer of the Year honor – his second in two years – at June’s CFDA Awards. Now, he’s making a new mark on the label, collaborating on his first fragrance.

Immediately when I arrived, I looked closely at the various fragrances in the portfolio because it was important for me to continue the stories they captured, which were all iconic and meaningful moments. It became clear very early on that we should create a new fragrance and a new chapter to the story.

Raf Simons in Business of Fashion.

To do so, Simons asked perfumers Honorine Blanc and Annick Menardo. They combined Eucalyptus acorns, Alaskan cedarwood and orange blossom to create a ‘woody floral with notes of orange flower and lemon pepper’. It’s an easy, soft, and citrusy/fresh spicy perfume. Calvin Klein Women is a sophisticated scent that has a modern and youthful aroma. This new perfume is created for women who love to look real, to be happy, to have pure emotions and sensations. 

To promote the new scent, Simons recruited very talented women; Academy Award-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o and three-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan are the faces of Calvin Klein Women’s campaign, photographed by visual artist Anne Collier, who also co-created the packaging with perfume bottle designer Suzanne Dalton (Collier’s photograph of a woman’s eye is superimposed on the disc-like cap).

Calvin Klein Women is available as 30, 50 and 100ml Eau de Parfum.