Aventus From Creed Celebrating 250 Years

With a sturdy glass bottle enveloped in  rugged black leather and silver, the Aventus "flask" is pure masculinity.  Inspired by heroic and powerful figures namely Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander The Great, the fragrance is a powerful combination of bergamot, blackcurrant, apple and flower blends bursting with heady, wooden bases notes. With this A/W marking 250 years in the passing of this perfume legacy from father to son at The House Of Creed;  Aventus is an adventurous and bold creation thanks to current father and son duo, Olivier and Erwin Creed.

Aventus retails at £123.00/75ml and will be available to purchase from www.creedfragrances.co.uk

Campaign's Staring Designers

News broke out last week that Designer Marc Jacobs will be appearing in his own advertising for the first time, lying naked on a silver Mylar Bed - for his new fragrance Bang. Of course, causing immediately a love & hate reaction in the blogosphere. Many commented that Jacobs was being hypercritical after stating in the past, "There's a first-degree no-brainer definition of what's sexy, but the truth is, what I find more interesting is someone who is more introverted and interesting."-Comparing himself to Tom Ford. And, as we all know, there is no other designer of our time that possess sexuality than Mr. Ford. The other half said it is all in good fun. But, their was one designer who started the trend per se, one who dared to use a nude photograph of himself in 1971!

None other than Yves Saint Laurent, the iconic image, pictured left, was used for the first YSL eau de toilette for men, Pour homme, advertising campaign. The first time in fashion history that a perfume maker struck a pose for his own advertising campaign, the image also caused quite a stir at the time, as you can imagine.

The photograph which was taken by Jeanloup Sieff, will go on auction in Paris on June 30. Which is part of an upcoming sale of more than 60 photographs taken by Sieff. For more information on the sale visit Christies, which is where it will take place.

MARC JACOBS' BANG, will be released on July 30 at Bloomingdale's and Marc Jacobs stores.

Expect to see the campaign for September, in selected Fall publication issues.

"Wood Gone Mad"

To mark the launch of COMME des GARCONS new fragrance WONDERWOOD, a short 3-minute film has been made by the Brothers Quay, highly renowned for their stop motion technique of film making. A feature of "SOMEONE WHO LOVED WOOD MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY."

Soon we will all have "A POSITIVE OVERDOSE OF WOODS."

Will be offered in both 50ml and 100ml,

Available at Dover Street Market & Selfridges, London from June 24th

Black Fleece of the Family.

The new Black Fleece fragrance by Brooks Brothers reflects designer Thom Browne’s approach to the brand’s enduring clothing design classics. Says Tom: ‘The fragrance Black Fleece is a timeless, original scent, evocative of that man who sits in a library or parlour, smoking and drinking whiskey...’

Dependable and earthy in its style, the fragrance might have been buried in heritage nostalgia had it not been masterfully balanced with the same modern/tailored elegance that designer Tom Browne has brought to the clothing house itself.

Warm enveloping base notes of patchouli, incense and cedarwood follow a modern and distinctly uplifting twist of pepper, lavender, and grapefruit (amongst others). The bottles are designed in grey ceramic (creamy white for the female scent), and take on a 1950’s inspiration and feel – solid, organic, and decidedly comforting to hold. Cleverly, the housing carton and set box are designed to mimic the construction of a tailored jacket, and importantly, are produced with environmentally conscious sensibility.

Perfumer: Vincent Schaller.

Black Fleece is exclusively available from Harrods.

'My genius is in my nostrils' - Nietzsche.

Billed as a 'playground for the nose', the Le Labo Olfactionary aims to challenge what we know about the complex structures that make up our favourite scents. Included are 40 of the purest scents used in fine fragrance production, along with professional blotting wands and a comprehensive fragrance guide. Flirting with one bottle then another, I discovered my interests lay within the woods and animalics; it also seems I have an unusual penchant for civet. I was fascinated by how 'true' and elegant scents are that I would have previously dismissed as insipid. No3 (Lilly of the Valley), and No6 (Iris) stood out as examples. In their purity, they lacked the sharp, nostril burning sweetness I was expecting, but offered something rather more earthy, mellow and comforting. It seems that when going to their depth, there are fragrances you'll like that you certainly wouldn't have entertained before. Like all of Le Labo, the packaging is simple, functional, and attractive in a old-school science lab sort of way, and although the sample scents are not designed to be worn on your person, you can be sure that your next fragrance purchase will be based on personal experience and insight that few fragrance junkies are able to say they've had. http://www.lelabofragrances.com/

TOM FORD lauches brand new scent Grey Vetiver

Today, Tom Ford launches his third fragrance for men from his Signature Collection.

According to the Style Icon himself, his new scent, called GREY VETIVER, "evokes the classic man, someone who has a confident, refined, and slightly traditional sense of what it means to be a man - an elegance that is mirrored in TOM FORD clothing."

"Almost everyone recognizes Vetiver and has an association with the aroma; it is the fragrance equivalent of the classic blue blazer, the beautiful watch, or the cap-toed shoe."

The beautiful pale coloured GREY VETIVER is encased in a frosted 50ml/1.7 oz version of the iconic TOM FORD FOR MEN fluted bottle, customised with a silver-toned cap and neck ring, and a palladium plaque embossed with the TOM FORD logo.

The silvery character of Vetiver is reflected in the cool, white silver colouring of the packaging - a fluted carton bearing silver foil accents and borders.

A modern classic for the modern 7TH MAN.

GREY VETIVER is available from today (2nd November):
EDP Spray 50ml/1.7oz - £50.00

www.TomFord.com

Brioni launches new fragrance after 50 years.

Last Wednesday, Brioni held an exclusive event at its Bruton Street store in London to launch the new limited edition mens fragrance "Brioni" - the first fragrance since 1958.

This event was hosted by the CEO of Brioni, Andrea Perrone, grandson of co-founder Gaetano Savini, together with rock star and style icon Bryan Ferry.

In the 1950s, the brand introduced a limited series of men's fragrances, which included the "Good Luck" eau-de-cologne to celebrate the chic and innovative elegance of the period.

In celebration of the 65th anniversary of the house of Brioni, this new men's fragrance pays tribute to the rich history of La Dolce Vite.

In keeping with the brands philosophy "To Be One of a Kind", "Brioni" will also be available as a limited edition fragrance, and will be available exclusively at the Brioni stores as well as Harrods from this week:

100ml 'spray' bottle - £250
300ml 'splash' bottle - £520

www.Brioni.com

(Did you know that Brioni has been the official outfitter of James Bond up until "The Quantum of Solace"?)