Will Kasia Smutniak or Angelina Jolie be Armani's Idol? -- Update

Armani is so excited to conquer the feminine segment of the market that is ready to worship the brand that after coming up with the right name for the project, Idole d'Armani, they announced two different feminine icons for their next big launch. In June the news reels were talking about model Kasia Smutniak. Dutifully reported here. Then in July, there was a little media explosion with the news that Angelina Jolie was going to save Armani from perfume stagnation -- ok, to be fair, just could-be-more-stellar-perfume-business. So it's hard to tell what is going on exactly but for people who thought that Angelina Jolie could not possibly be the face for yet another Armani for Women this fall/winter, please consider the pictures of the Paris launch for Idol with Kasia Smutniak dated July 7, 2009 that is, after the official announcement came in that Jolie was the next Armani bella donna...

It looks like Smutniak is maintained as the face for Idol, at least for the French and maybe European market. Update: actually, a reader kindly referred me to the US Armani website that already features Kasia Smutniak. This happens from time to time. Advertisers decide it's wiser to adapt to their audience and deliver the celeb that is sexiest to a particular national audience. Armani has said he wants to nail the US feminine fragrance market. With this high priority in mind Angelina Jolie makes perfect sense. She could be the secret weapon Armani has decided to use for the American audience, but as it turns out not with Idole. At the same time, there is no denying that Angelina Jolie is international enough to woo a more global audience.

What is up with this plan? There is one but we don't know which one yet and perhaps the brand had to improvize a bit after Jolie's final yes. There could stil be a special, extra perfume fronted by Angelina Jolie. It is not like there is a dearth of unfinished, incomplete perfume projects in the industry that need a supplement of inspiration to come out of dark drawers. In fact, it is exactly the contrary. Perfumers and fragrance companies have their pockets full of works in progress that are awaiting for a little spark from the capital and the zeitgeist.

Let's see what scenario unfolds in the coming months. Will Smutniak slowly fade away? Will she be confined to a group of countries for promotion? Update: the answer to the two above is "no". It does not look like it would work out to have two faces for the same fragrance as Jolie would want to keep her A-list aura and Armani hired her for that purpose. Will there be another big Armani launch for women apart from the Idole one this fall (or later)? Or will Jolie just try to amplify the success of an existing perfume (see comment below)?

Speculation, speculation...