Azzedine Alaïa isn't exactly a household name, but the Parisian couturier, known as "The King of Cling" for his body-hugging styles that fit like a second skin, has long been a favorite of the in-the-know fashion crowd and an eclectic range of celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Tina Turner, Marion Cotillard and Michelle Obama. (According to the New York Times, he's the odds-on favorite to design Gaga's wedding gown.)
Now, 30 years after he burst on the scene, the designer has introduced his first fragrance for women, titled appropriately enough Alaïa Paris, and it, naturally, reflects his idiosyncratic style.
Alaïa challenged perfumer Marie Salamagne to create a fresh scent "that echoed the sensation of cold water falling on hot chalk, a memory of the designer's childhood in Tunisia," according to a press release. "It is not a parfum, but an eau de parfum," he said. "Besides, to perfume oneself is like to refresh oneself, it’s a very usual gesture, complementary to that of the toilette."
The fragrance combines pink pepper, floral accords of freesia and peony, and animalic notes combined with musk to create the impression of bare skin. "As you’d expect from ‘The King of Cling,’ Azzedine’s scent has been created to go on like a sexy, second skin - just like his designs," says The Telegraph. "Where the Tunisian-born, Paris-based designer redrew the body with tailoring, zippers, laser-cut corsets, jersey, muslin and leathers to exaggerate the perfect female form, so too does Alaïa Paris."
Alaïa worked closely with a team of experts, including longtime friend and collaborator Carla Sozzani, photographer Paolo Roversi, bottle designer Martin Szekely and model Guinevere Van Seenus, on every aspect of production and launch.
The bottle is made of translucent black glass adorned with the famous Alaïa laser-cut pattern (which first appeared on his leather corset in the 1990s), with a contrasting gold cap that looks like a spool of thread. The ad campaign includes his muse, Van Seenus, in a “houpette” dress with horizontal black bands from his 1994 spring-summer collection that mimics the fragrance bottle.
The fragrance, exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue, comes in a 33 fl. oz. Giant Eau de Parfum ($2,500), a 3.3 fl. oz. Eau de Parfum Spray ($150), a 1.6 fl. oz. Eau de Parfum Spray ($115), a 6.7 fl. oz. Shower Gel ($50), and a 6.7 fl. oz. Body Lotion ($55).
Azzedine Alaïa, left, and model muse Guinevere Van Seenus.
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