Balenciaga will launch Balenciaga Paris in February. The new perfume for women, made under the Coty umbrella, will be the brand’s first major perfume launch since Cristobal in 1998.*
Balenciaga Paris was developed by perfumer Olivier Polge; the floral chypre features violet leaves, cedar and patchouli…
Kim Kardashian’s debut scent will reportedly launch next spring, under licensing arrangements with Lighthouse Beauty (they’re also doing Power by 50 Cent). Last year she said she was working with perfumer Caroline Sabas, but I don’t know anything else about the perfume itself. According to Kardashian, the fragrance “really captures” who she is. (via wwd)
Older news, but in case you missed it…
If Chanel No. 5 is Marilyn Monroe and Lanvin Arpège is Norma Shearer, then Balenciaga Le Dix is Gene Tierney: fresh, crisp, beautiful, and down-to-earth. Le Dix is the aldehydic floral that goes out to lunch on a weekday for lots of clever conversation but not an inappropriate amount of intrigue or cleavage.
Le Dix was created in 1947 and is named after the street address of Balenciaga’s fashion house in Paris…
Although Balenciaga Prelude and Cristobal are clearly different fragrances, they are similar in many ways. In another Balenciaga review, I compared Rumba and Talisman to sisters. If you’ll allow me to flog that analogy one more time, let me present the Balenciaga brothers: Prelude, the eldest; and Cristobal, mommy’s little boy.
Prelude follows the tradition of two of Balenciaga’s other scents — Quadrille and Rumba — in being named after a form of music. But Prelude is more Beethoven than Chopin and more cello than piano. Prelude opens with a hint of brightness from aldehydes and bergamot, then quickly settles into a spicy, almost gummy stage, like a stick of cinnamon chewing gum might taste if it were made by Fortnum & Mason and stored in an amber case. Just enough carnation and jasmine surround the cinnamon to soften the edges. Prelude is deep and nostalgic smelling, but for all its depth it doesn’t last more than a few hours. Prelude was released in 1982, with top notes of aldehydes, bergamot, orange, and pimento; a heart of carnation, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, orchid, and cinnamon; and a base of amber, vanilla, patchouli, civet, benzoin, tolu, and olibanum.
Cristobal, named after Cristobal Balenciaga…
When summer turns to fall, I wait as long as I can to turn on the furnace. Usually the afternoons will warm up enough that I can wear a sweater in the morning and be fine. But finally the time comes when I dig out the fleece-lined slippers, pad my way to the thermostat, and hold my breath as my ancient furnace kicks in. Within a few minutes the living room fills with warm air and the smell of the first heater run of the year: dust and hot metal. Add a slice of toast with jam, imagine yourself in an ancient church, and presto! you have Balenciaga Rumba perfume.
Rumba is big and deep, and is a strange but compelling combination of a hot electric burner, fruit, and beeswax. Even as an Eau de Toilette, Rumba has maximum sillage. I’m tempted to say that it’s juicy, but its fruit — and there’s lots of it — quickly turns to something richer, like Madeira. Rumba’s flowers appear then disappear then gently reappear amidst the churchy wood, as if they’re blowing in from a night garden. I’ve read reviews of Rumba that compare it to a nightclub, and I imagine a Cuban bar with an outdoor seating area and a palm reader in the corner ready to tell you your fate while you sip your second El Floridita…