Nina Ricci L'Air Takes L'Air du Temps Into the 21st Century (2011) {New Fragrance}
Nina Ricci will launch a new major women's perfume from April 2011 called L'Air. The composition wants to pay homage to the Nina Ricci woman, the mystique of Paris, but also bien sûr to the legacy of L'Air du Temps (1948) after which it takes its name. The house also wishes to express that "Freedom, [is] the fundamental value of l'Air." Another avowed aim is to rejuvenate the heritage of the classic post-WWII floral created by Francis Fabron in order for it to feel like a contemporary fragrance in the 21st century.
"L'Air is the perfume of a girl who knows Paris like the back of her hand, from the bookstores of Saint-Germain-des-Prés to its legendary terraces. She is a woman who brings together the modernity of all times, from retro years to now. A new Nina Ricci woman: luminous, elegant, blessed with a genuine sensuality and that "je ne sais quoi" that gives her an ineffable charm."...
L'Air is said to be a "luminous floral" (see the radiant floral trend) which centers on the magnolia flower, one that can be one of the loveliest floral notes in perfumery, in my opinion. It was composed by perfumers Louise Turner (Chloé Capucine, Love Chloé, Thierry Mugler Miroir des Envies, Jennifer Lopez Glow, Dior Fahrenheit 32...) and Michel Girard (Azzaro Elixir for Men, Dolce & Gabbana Rose the One, Yves Rocher Naturelle...) of Givaudan.
"Ode to magnolia: its velvet imperiousness, its radiant generosity,
its impetuous sensuality."
The fragrance opens on notes of freesia, honeysuckle and violet leaves. Its heart is floral with magnolia, jasmien Sambac and Bulgarian rose. The base notes are palisander wood and patchouli.
The launch was lushly executed. While the bottle retains its iconic shape albeit restyled in an opalescent cast, the advertising campaign feels youthful yet timeless as it is a throwback to the New Wave in cinematography. A narrator recounts the tale of the L'Air woman who is as free as air with the accents and inflections of the voice-over heard in Le Mépris by Godard. The tag line for the movie was, like today it seems to be for the L'Air perfume, "the new traditional film by Jean-Luc Godard. "The model's look is inspired by actress Jean Seberg as well in another thread linking L'Air with the 60s Nouvelle Vague.
Please stay tuned for my upcoming review and for more details about the story of the scent.
Via press release
