Since the recent relaunch of its fragrance line, Krigler has positioned itself as a multi-generational, historic perfume house, with connections to both the Roaring Twenties and the golden age of Hollywood. It's a good bet that quite a few serious perfume shoppers are drawn to one of these eras or the other, and while they have no interest in the latest fragrance licensed by a contemporary pop singer or reality-television personality, they may be curious about the perfumes worn by classic screen stars.
English Promenade 19, originally released in 1919, includes notes of orange blossom, fresh grapefruit, sweet white musk, oriental neroli and ylang-ylang. It was inspired by the French Riviera, where Krigler was based in the 1910s and 1920s — more specifically, it seems to refer to the Promenade des Anglais, a walkway along the Mediterranean in Nice. According to Krigler, English Promenade was purchased and worn by Audrey Hepburn while she was filming "Roman Holiday" in Rome with Gregory Peck.
I don't know how faithful English Promenade 19 is to the formulation of 1919 or the early 1950s, when Audrey would have been wearing it, but it's not quite what I expected. It's notably fruity, with a mango-like note that persists throughout most of the scent's development. Its orange blossom is more of a sweet citrus accord, and the dry-down smells like a peach-tinged vanilla to me. I would have liked a greener, crisper treatment of the orange blossom and a truer ylang-ylang. Would Audrey have worn this fragrance in its current incarnation? Hard to say. She was famous for loving Givenchy L'Interdit, of course, and she was supposedly one of the many Hollywood stars who wore Acqua di Parma Colonia. Might she have enjoyed a vanillic fruity-floral at other times? Perhaps.
Chateau Krigler 12 was created in 1912, with notes of lily of the valley, mimosa, white musk, violet, and rose, and it was reportedly a favorite of Grace Kelly around the time she won the 1954 Academy Award for her role in "The Country Girl" (shortly after filming "To Catch a Thief," with Cary Grant, on the French Riviera). It opens with an aldehydic rose-violet accord, which is followed by a bitter-almond note. The almond isn't included in the "official" list of notes, but it's certainly there; maybe it's actually meant to be part of the mimosa? There's a soft musky-powdery base, and then the floral mimosa note does become more apparent.
I like Chateau Krigler, which makes sense, since I'm usually fond of rose-violet fragrances and powdery notes. This fragrance doesn't quite measure up to either of my great loves, Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose or Lorenzo Villoresi Teint de Neige, in depth or romance, but it's very pleasant. It also seems a little boudoir-ish for the future Serene Highness of Monaco (for whom Creed's Fleurissimo was famously commissioned), but then again, what do I know about any star's private tastes?
A friend of mine recently complained, "I am sick unto death with the tired recycling of just a handful of style icons: Marilyn, Audrey, Grace. ENOUGH." Well, I don't think the situation is going to change any time soon: these ladies have an awfully strong hold on our collective fantasies, and they can still sell perfume.
Krigler English Promenade 19 and Chateau Krigler 12 are available as 50 ($155) or 100 ($245) ml Eau de Parfum; samples are available for $7.50 each. They can be purchased at the Krigler boutique in the Plaza Hotel in New York or through the Krigler website.
Note: images of Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday" and Grace Kelly in "To Catch a Thief" [both cropped] via Wikimedia Commons.
I think even the primmest of ladies can be strangely indulgent in what fragrances they wear in private. I was lamenting earlier today that I didn’t have a perfume that made me smell like a late Victorian French prostitute because some days you just want something a little different to keep things interesting.
Also, about them being style icons, I’m a Marlene Dietrich kind of girl myself. That said, I kind of adore these bottles.
Very true… and, you know, M Dietrich supposedly wore another Krigler fragrance. Maybe I should review that one soon.
… and not just A prostitute, but a late-Victorian French one…
Digging your mental landscape, lady. Keep keeping it interesting.
Only the best, my dear. Only the best. It would have to have some reeking anise accord to it for the absinthe. And maybe Syphillic madness, maybe that. Now to actually hunt down a fragrance that fits this description.
It’s an interesting question what she would have worn. One thought is that people used a lot of cologne in the past for medicinal and cleansing purposes as well as pleasure. The Perfumed Court currently has samples of a cologne based on a genuinely antique formula, Les Parfums Historiques L’Authentique Eau de Cologne de l’Empereur Napoleon Ier a Sainte-Helene.
Basically, when Emperor Napoleon I was in exile, his faithful servant, the Mameluke Ali, whipped this up for him. The formula was found in an antique trunk that belong to Ali and donated to the Osmotheque, which certifies its authenticity. It’s worth sampling, in any case.
That’s fascinating!
I am with the plaintive friend: I call it necro-marketing. Krigler seems pretty expensive, but the good news is that the Serge Lutens I finally bought now seems like something of a bargain.
My friend’s lament was prompted by seeing Michelle Williams dressed as Marilyn Monroe on the cover of a magazine cover (apparently she’s playing MM in a new movie?)… and I have to agree, it would be nice to expand the pantheon a bit!
Two dead actresses who *ought* to get fragrances, IMHO: Carole Lombard & Myrna Loy.
Claudette Colbert… Norma Shearer.
Ingrid Bergman….Merle Oberon…..Olivia de Havilland! I find them all more compelling than either Marilyn (YAWN) or Grace Kelly.
I think I’d be in absolute perfume heaven if they released one w/ Theda Bara’s name attached to it. In fact any of the aforementioned ladies would send my heart aflutter.
I actually do enjoy some of Marilyn Monroe’s films; she was the best at what she did! but I’m a little tired of her being used as the be-all-and-end-all of feminine glamour or sex appeal or whatever.
Yes. They didn’t just have faces, they had compelling personalities!
I think Crazy Lilibleluuuuu … however it’s spelled …. has done a perfume tribute to Louise Brooks, so I’ll add to these lists the incomparable Barbara Stanwyck.
I love Crazy L’s Garconnes line! The Josephine Baker scent is fun too.
Robin – Absolutely agree. Carole Lombard and Myrna Loy each had such a great combo of class and sass.
So many sassy-classy actresses to admire in that era… and then we get into the 60s and 70s, where there are no doubt more!
I remember exploring the Krigler website when Krigler was mentioned once before on NST. The site is (or was then, anyway) strange and, somehow, poorly constructed, and the company has a strange history, much dependent on having physically positioned itself to catch the eyes of the rich and famous. I recall wondering if the fragrances are worth the money. I mean, who knows? Audrey might have bought a bottle of Promenade 19, worn it a few times, packed it in her suitcase and, when she got home, forgotten all about it. It might have gathered dust in her bathroom until it was thrown out,or given away to the housekeeper.
Krigler’s perfumes are expensive. You could spend that sort of money trying to smell like dead actors or the minor royals and displaced aristocrats that floated around the Riviera after the First World War and the Russian Revolution.
Or you could spend it on Lutens, Malle, Tauer, DSH, Aftelier …
Annemarie, I agree on the website. Specially since I cannot find the part where the stories linking the celebrities to the fragrances is!
I only get stuff like “worn on a roman holiday” and no mention of Hepburn, for example.
I got frustrated and quickly left their site. I mean it sounds good as a “giftable novelty” you know, maybe I’d give my mom. my mother in law or my sister the “perfume that INSERT FAMOUS AND GRACIOUS STAR’S NAME HERE” wore in Europe… but I have to do the detective work myself???
Yes, they seem coy about naming names don’t they? ‘Worn by royals and celebrities’? Hmmm …The perfumes look and sound so enticing … and you can buy samples. But I;m not going to bite.
Well, to be fair, not *all* their fragrances have old-movie-star associations, and I suppose someone could be interested just because they’re looking for a new gardenia/oud/cedar/verbena fragrance. Although I do agree about the website; it’s a little awkward.
I have a bottle of a Kreigler Rose, it is wonderful and dewy, just like a rose picked in the early morning. I have sniffed many of their other fragrances, and I really like this line. (In the past, they have offered discounts at Sniffapooloza events).
Having said that, I take their “story” and celeb claims with a grain of salt. As some else noted, Kelly and A. Hepburn were famously associated with other brands. Both are deceased and neither have estates likely to sue. Yes, it is possible that Kriegler and Hepburn were assocated or had a publicity campaign at the time of the release of Roman Holiday. I just have not found any old movie news referring to it.
It is also possible that every single male heir in the Guerlain family had some Romance Novel worthy love affair with a woman, which was the inspiration for each classic perfume (even those Guerlains who never married). I take these stories with a grain of salt. It is enough for me to feel romantic and mysterious in L’Heure Bleu.
Dilana, hah! But yes, Krigler’s Manhattan Rose is a very pretty rose soliflore.
the late Victorian French Prostitute is covered for me by JPG’s Classique. And if I am feeling really raunchy I dig out my old bottle of Anais Anais. (hmmmm….long weekend coming up and husband is home…)
I love Classique…good tarty fun!
I am fortunate to have their Chateau No.12, purchased by my husband, after a trip to NYC and a visit to their Plaza boutique.
It always makes me feel like I’m in a florist’s cooler. Pure floral bliss!