Jezebel 
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New York, 9:40 AM
Thu Dec 3
63 posts in the last 24 hours
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09/10/09
The briefs describe the perfume, and can be as simple and direct as "A fig scent, with tuberose and vetiver, not too soapy." Or they can be as whimsical as the brief for Flower by Kenzo, which asked for a perfume that melded Marc Riboud's famous photograph of a girl holding out a flower to a soldier with a gun and fixed bayonet with the scent of Kenzo's favourite flower, the poppy. A poppy has no scent. So the perfume lab asked Alberto Morillas (who also made CK One and Armani's Acqua di Gio, among many others) to chemically "imagine" what a poppy might smell like. Morillas duly produces three variations on this odd idea, Kenzo picks the one they like best, and then market that stuff like nobody's business. The same exact process happens for perfumes that are sold under celebrity brands. The perfumer that made Britney Spears' Midnight Fantasy also made Badgley Mischka Couture. Interestingly enough, Midnight Fantasy uses more costly ingredients than the Mischka.
So it's laughably silly to pretend that preferring YSL's Parisienne to Avril Lavigne's Black Star is somehow about the quality of the perfume or the skill of the people who designed it. Love your perfume, no matter who's marketing it.
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09/10/09
Also, I think being a perfume designer would be such a fascinating job.
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09/10/09
I never understood the appeal of wearing a scent "by" some random celeb who knows nothing about creating a scent.
That said, the fragrance industry is very interesting. I had a friend who worked for IFF (Int'l Flavors and Fragrances). I no how creative (the noses) and marketing worked together (or not) to launch a fragrance.
09/10/09
Why should it matter where it came from?
09/10/09
It matters to me. If I'm going to pay more for something because of an endorsement then I like that person to have some kind of expertise in that arena...not just slap their name on it.
It's the same reason I don't own cookbooks by Sandra Lee. Not because I have an issue with celeb chefs (I own books by Mario Batali, Ina Gartner, Giada De Laurentiis, etc.) but because I don't think she can cook.
Marketing exists for a reason. Some of the celeb marketing works and for others it's a turn off.
I'm not a fan of Paris so why would I buy her perfume?
09/10/09
But yeah, I can totally see people not wanting to shell out money, supporting someone or a brand that they don't like.
06/25/09
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06/25/09
That the moon is on fire and she better get outside and help put it out right this instant."
Does anybody else hope that Paris calls looking to borrow clothes? And that it is secretly taped and leaked onto the internet?
06/25/09
And Shana Logic is pretty affordable to begin with.
06/25/09
Oh CDG, please make fat girl sizes. Also please give me the $600 I will need to buy it.
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