My Trip To London

Last Tuesday, I was lucky enough to visit London where I was able to have a mooch around and collect some primary evidence and research to support and inspire the fragrance module I am currently enduring. I managed to visit as many stores as I could in the space of 10 hours (it was a long day to say the least, but worth it of course), ranging from large department stores such as Selfridges and Liberty, down to the small niche independent stores. Below I have displayed a handful of photographs I took whilst in London, including aesthetically pleasing visual merchandise, bottle/packaging designs I liked, places I visited and anything else which caught my eye!

St Christophers Place - 'Urban Garden' floral installation created by 
Rebecca Louise Law. 

Fresh by Moschino - the only disappointment is the fact it doesn't spray
 from the pump, its simply a lid!

I love the simplicity of these flowers used within visual merchandising for 
Flower By Kenzo.

The cloudy effect of the Si limited edition liquid is something different 
and unique.

Viktor & Rolf visual merchandising for Flowerbomb, so very girly.

Jo Malone looking as aesthetically pleasing as ever.

Bonbon by Viktor & Rolf.

Guerlain.

A colour palette to die for.

The Simplistic visual merchandising of And Other Stories.

And Other Stories.

Liberty.

The most inviting flower stall outside of Liberty.

Liberty.

I love the simplistic, vintage feel of this packaging.

Killian.

Homewares by Killian.

'The finest fragrances in the world'.

Roja Dove.

Chanel N°5... of course.

Penhaligon's.

These bows were placed outside of Penhaligons to be used as fragrance blotters.

The sweetest bottle designs.

Frederic Malle.

Ormonde Jayne. 

Alexander McQueen Window display featuring McQueen Parfum by 
famed set designer Shona Heath.

Lush.

Lush colours, Lush scents.

Arabian Oud.

Thank you for reading!

Love, Isabella x 

Photo Credits: All Own Images 

Killian | Perfume Is An Art

Whilst in London yesterday I came across a small fragrance store situated in Burlington Arcade, Mayfair 'Killian', a brand I had never heard of before. The store assistant here was so helpful and talking to him really gave me an insight into the brand.

The unique selling point of the products offered by Killian is that they are functional. For example, the female fragrances are originally packaged in a case that either doubles up as a jewellery box or clutch bag and the male fragrances are originally packaged in a case which either doubles up as a cigar case or whisky flask case. I really like this idea of making the fragrance cases functional in terms of lifestyle as it seems a complete and utter shame for these beautifully crafted cases to only hold the simple use of packaging. The sales assistant explained that although free gifts within the fragrance market have been overdone, these add ons work differently for Killian. I feel this is down to the fact that the cases are just as desirable as the fragrances themselves and are not just a tacky toiletry bag that came free with your Paco Rabanne fragrance gift set, which once you get it home will quite frankly never see the light of day again.

Function plays a major role in the ethos of this brand as a whole, not only does Killian strive to make its products functional through the creation of the multipurpose cases, on my visit to the store it was explained to me that each Killian fragrance is an oil based parfum. This means that the fragrances are long-lasting, approximately lasting for around a day to a day and a half, which I know for many is a deal sealer as lugging around a bottle of fragrance which you're constantly having to reapply can become tedious.

Killian currently offers four collections within its Burlington Arcade store and each of these collections are of a different genre which include a range of fragrances, the names reflective of the the genre it belongs to. The first genre I was introduced to was 'L'Oeuvre Noire' fragrances which make up this collection include 'Prelude to Love, invitation', 'Love, don't be shy' and 'Beyond Love, Prohibited'. 'Arabian Nights' is another of the four genres, this collection includes scents all including the word 'Oud' for example 'Pure Oud' 'Rose Oud' and 'Musk Oud' this is because the fragrances found within this collection are predominantly oud based. Another of the collections is titled 'Asian Tales', fragrances which make up this genre include 'Bamboo Harmony' 'Flower of Immorality' and 'Imperial Tea'. The final of the four genres belonging to Killian is 'In The Garden Of Good And Evil' which has to be my favourite genre as I find the reference to Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden really interesting, fragrances belonging to this collection include 'Good girl gone Bad' 'Forbidden Games' and 'Playing with the Devil'.

Jewellery box

Clean and crisp bottle designs 

Clutch bag

Reference to the serpent from the Garden of Eden

This bottle is worth around £3,500! 

Killian Homewares 

I particularly like the sleekness of Killian as a brand. The products and store interior itself are very clean cut with colour palette of white, black, deep reds, silver and gold, minimalistic colours which work really well together to give a luxurious feel to the brand. If you're ever passing it's definitely a stunning store to have a mooch about in.

Previously Killian didn't use advertising as the luxurious products speak for themselves but as technology evolves, the brand has had to adapt to compete with competitors and now has a Facebook page, Instagram page and Twitter page which are worth checking out!

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: All Own Images 

Decadence By Marc Jacobs | The Narrative

Tuesdays seminar kickstarted this semesters fragrance module and to begin with we were given half an hour to gather together some examples of storytelling and narrative within both fragrance packaging and fragrance ads. This didn't necessarily have to be for a perfume it could be a for a candle, body creme etc however I did choose to focus on a perfume, a favourite of mine Decadence by Marc Jacobs. I was given this fragrance as a present from my Mum last Christmas and I won't lie It was already on my Christmas list before I had even smelt it, so hats off to you Marc Jacobs for creating yet another truly irresistible bottle. Theres no denying that Jacobs produces some of the best fragrance bottles out there and I would personally have to crown Decadence the perfume bottle of 2015.

Adriana Lima | Decadence by Marc Jacobs

On paper the lavish handbag shaped bottle and oversized silky tassel would all seem a little too sweet and sickly however, it does actually work. I feel that the colour palette plays a massive part of the success of this bottle, the deep green, gold and black connote glamour, sensuality, luxury and also a feeling of mystique. If alternatively the bottle was of a baby pink colour palette it wouldn't have this same glamorous yet sexy feel to it, instead it would just seem overly cutesy and barbie-fied. The gold chain and snakeskin both hold similar connotations of fierceness and strength allowing the cuteness of the mini handbag to be overridden by sex appeal, seduction and sensuality. The velour green outer packaging the bottle originally comes in, was for me personally a really nice touch. Velour as a material is associated with being regal, luxurious and glamorous therefore the use of this box adds to the lavish persona of this perfume as a whole.

It is always important that the fragrance bottle is a true reflection of the liquid inside and I feel that Marc Jacobs has definitely achieved this with Decadence. 'The fragrance opens with sultry top notes of Italian plum, iris flower and saffron. The heart opens with luxurious notes of Bulgarian rose, jasmine, and orris. The indulgent dry down reveals the base notes of vetiver, papyrus woods, and liquid amber.' (Marc Jacobs website). If you can start to imagine the scent of Decadence with these ingredients in mind I'm sure you'll agree that this perfume is nothing short of lavish, glamorous and sensual, which I feel is exactly what is read from the bottle.

The commercial for Decadence creates the same vibe as the bottle which is really important. I think that the casting of Adrina Lima is faultless. Being a Victorias Secret angel, Lima is thought of as a glamorous and sexy figure which makes her the perfect candidate for the face of Decadence as this is a fragrance all about sensuality, luxury and glamour. The models striking looks and dark features couldn't be more suited to this perfume, her unkempt hairstyle and dark eye within this commercial give her a sultry look of mystique. Although Lima is frolicking around on the floor clutching the bottle of fragrance as though it's some sort of love interest, which quite frankly we see far too much of within the fragrance world of advertising, there's something unique and innovative about it. Instead of the usual setting of a field of flowers or bedsheets, the ad is located in a slightly dishevelled, inky dark room which again is reflective of the fragrance itself. I really like how Jacobs has steered away from the light and airy, blue skied fragrance commercials we are so used to seeing and has innovated to create something fresh and therefore captivating.

I would highly recommend this perfume not just because it looks gorgeously satisfying sat on your dressing table, but I promise it does also smell divine!

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Google Images

Video Credits: YouTube 

Fashion Institute Of Technology - Fragrance Workshop

During my visit to New York a few weeks ago, a select few of those on my course had the opportunity to visit New York fashion university, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to take part in a workshop within the cosmetics and fragrance marketing course they offer. The FCP course at Nottingham Trent has connections with FIT and even offer an exchange programme where FCP students have the opportunity to travel to New York for 6 months to attend FIT, so after hearing so much about the university it was really nice to finally see it with my own eyes!

As we walked into the Annette Green fragrance foundation studio, where the workshop was to be held, it instantly reminded me of a school science lab just much more technical and interesting. This is the only fragrance studio on a college campus in the United States, so you could say I was rather exited to be there. We were introduced to Virginia Bonofiglio, Associate Chairperson of Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing department at FIT who ran the workshop. It was amazing to meet a woman who has been behind some truly groundbreaking fragrances and has had so much experience in the fragrance field.

Fashion Institute of Technology - Annette Green fragrance foundation studio

During the workshop Bonofiglio explained that there is a methodology of smelling and that scents can be categorised into different genealogies (groups) including citrus, floral, green, herbaceous. She also stated that fragrances are designed to make us feel a certain way, whether this be happy, sad, empowered, which is determined by what you associate with that particular scent. I'm sure you've all noticed this before, I know that certain perfumes take me to a particular place, for example my mum bought me 'Flash' by Jimmy Choo as a gift for doing well in my GCSE's so as I started A-Levels this was the perfume I was wearing, therefore every time I wear Flash it reminds me of being at college.

Bonofiglio also discussed how a popularity of a perfume is often determined by what else is going on in the world during the moment in time that perfume is released. She used unisex fragrance 'CK1' by Calvin Klein as an example, CK1 was bought out in 1994, a time when Calvin Klein was really popular as a brand and when gender and gender equality was topic of conversation. Therefore this perfume catered for exactly what consumers desired hence it became so popular. She also touched upon how different cultures are attracted to different types of fragrances explaining that the American market love fragrances which linger however, this is not at all popular within the Asian market. Bonofiglio used Viktor and Rolf 'Flowerbomb' as an example explaining that this scent will linger in a lift long after the person wearing it had stepped out.

Yesterday during a lecture my course mates and I were given a brief overview of our next module which will be based around fragrance (yay). We will be starting this module in a couple of weeks, but for now I will be touching upon the fragrance topic within my blog as a bit of background research. So I hope you're ready for many more fragrance based posed over the coming months.

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: All Own Images