London-based fashion designer Bella Freud has launched a new trio of fragrances: Je T'aime Jane, 1970 and Ginsberg is God.
Je T'aime Jane ~ "Bella Freud's Je t'aime Jane is girlish and playful, leaving a trail of delicate intrigue. She is the free spirit with a guitar, a baby and long bare legs. Ultra femininity has been captured with jasmine night flower absolute, queen of the night flower, ylang ylang and orange blossom. A romantic and seductive base accord of black oud, sandalwood with a hint of powder-musk leaves its magnetic trail wherever she goes."
1970 ~ "Bella Freud's 1970 is the hedonist, the girl dancing until dawn on the beach of Formentera, the smell of incense in the warm night air. An alchemy of rich and tenacious accords celebrate the essence of cultural style and freedom. Elegant rose de mai and saffron lift the heart and spirit of this composition with a base accord that simmers with ingredients of frankincense, myrrh and benzoin with hints of blonde woods that are cool and clear."
Ginsberg is God ~ "Ginsberg is God by Bella Freud conjures up the tousled headed poet surrounded by books and papers, the scent of green leaves and spring drifting in through the open windows. The scent is enriched with black pepper and elemi and infused with sacred woods and resins that act as the scents for temples and gods. Leaving the inner sense of serenity, which is made up of wormwood, moss and leather, this fragrance is for both men and women."
Bella Freud Je T'aime Jane, 1970 and Ginsberg is God are available now at Harvey Nichols in the UK, £65 each for 50 ml Eau de Parfum.
(via harveynichols)
I wonder what Mr Ginsberg would make of that? He must be laughing, wherever he is! The Beats all had an anti- establishment cant, loathed consumerism for the most part. Perhaps a better name would be “Allen Ginsberg would Howl about this!”.
Ha, perfect!
“She is the free spirit with a guitar, a baby and long bare legs.”
Ummmm…come again? A baby?
Baby as lifestyle accessory 😉
Back in those days, Jane was the name of an underground abortion collective in Chicago. I wouldn’t expect a London fashion designer to know that, but the reference to the baby was really jarring.
Baby? I would start with bell bottoms and bandanas. Easier to answer the “what ever happened to?” question later on.
May I quote “Absolutely Fabulous”? — the scene of a magazine editorial meeting:
Magda: Don’t do anything on anyone called Freud. I don’t like them. Bunch of no-talents with an ancestor.
Catriona: But they were in last month.
Magda: So? I’m not running a bloody charity. Just because some old granddaddy invented penis-envy doesn’t mean I have to lick their boots.
LOL! Excellent. Gosh I love that show.
oh, wow, I read this wrong at first – I thought the scents were celebrating Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin! but it’s actually “Ginsberg”. hmm. I mean, the Jane one really does seem to reference Jane Birkin. I dunno, confusing.
I assumed Jane Birkin too, but who knows.
“Gainsbourg” was originally “Ginsburg,” so you’re closer than you think.
I did not know that!
Also the Je T’aime reference!
yes, that’s what clicked for me, too!
I also assumed the name referenced Jane Birkin. By the time she met Serge she had a baby daughter, Kate, with her 1st husband. Serge pretty much accepted the child as his own. Sadly, Jane”s daughter Kate committed suicide around Christmas time, 2013.
Warning: Snarky PC diatribe ahead.
Being a San Francisco Bay gal, I can tell you we are not yet ready for that particular degree of white wash… Long-legged white girls with babies and guitars…. No job, no home, pregnant… Unless you were Judy Collins it was rough. For about 50 reasons I am baffled by the Ginsburg as God as the name of a $120 fragrance sold at Harvey Nichols.
Clearly I am not the target audience for this new collection, so I will now unruffle my feathers as I drink my coffee and read through the morning’s mail of charity requests from women’s clinics, AIDS researchers, mental health studies, programs to help young black boys live past their 18th year, and gay rights advocates.
I will allow myself a small shudder that at least we haven’t gone back to the 1970s.