Sandra‘s Closet

During the last weeks, I have tried many many new scents for men. Here is my list of the ones we would like to smell on our men this summer. The ones I can truly recommend.

DIOR HOMME COLOGNE
Citrus Aromatic

This new version is absolutely wonderful, my personal favourite. Modern, fresh and warm in one, another hit created by François Demachy.

Top notes: Calabrian bergamot
Middle notes: Grapefruit
Base notes: Musk

Available now for CHF 104.50 (75ml) and CHF 143.00 (125ml).

LE BEAU MALE by Jean Paul Gaultier
Aromatic Fougère

Eighteen years ago, “Le Male” irreversibly shook up the world of perfume by introducing an unprecedented masculine archetype: the sensual sailor with a soft heart. Today, this object of desire is the leader of a new olfactory generation. The freshness in the new fragrance is as powerful as it is addictive.

Top notes: Mint and mugwort
Middle notes: Lavender, sage and orange blossom
Base notes: Musk

Available now for CHF 81.00 (75ml) and CHF 112.00 (125ml).

VERSACE EROS
Aromatic Fougère

Love, passion, beauty and desire: these are the key concepts of this new men’s fragrance. Named after the Greek god of love and son of goddess Aphrodite – Eros, it celebrates the perfection of the male body. For the passionate man, who is the master of himself! For all heroes among you…

Top notes: Mint oil, lemon and green apple
Middle notes: Ambroxan, tonka bean and geranium flower
Base notes: Vanilla, vetiver, oakmoss and cedarwood

Available now for CHF 90.00 (50ml) and CHF 121.00 (100ml).

BVLGARI MAN EXTREME
Woody Aromatic

Bulgari unveils a new expression of masculine charisma, a fragrance that melds an intense Mediterranean freshness and a modern woodiness, evoking Rome’s vitality and strength.

Top notes: Calabrian bergamot, pink grapefruit and cactus juice
Middle notes: Cardamom, amber and freesia
Base notes: Woody notes, vetiver and benzoin

Available now for CHF 112 (100ml) and CHF 84 (60ml).

ACQUA ESSENZIALE by Salvatore Ferragamo
Aromatic Fougère

The nose behind this fragrance is Alberto Morillas. The famous perfumer was inspired by water as the most essential natural element. A signature scent that celebrates a man’s real essence. Perfect for summer!

Top notes: Grapefruit, mint, mandarin and lemon tree leaf
Middle notes: Geranium, cascalone, rosemary and lavender
Base notes: Patchouli, musk, cistus and vetiver

Available now for CHF 59.00 (30ml), CHF 79.00 (50ml) and CHF 109.00 (100ml).

ETERNITY MEN SUMMER by Calvin Klein
Woody Acquatic Fougère

This beautiful limited edition for 2013 reminds you of the romantic sound of the waves and the summery smell of the sea.

Top notes: Tarragon, bergamot and orange blossom
Middle notes: Seaweed, cedar oil, violet, mimosa and lavender oil
Base notes: Patchouli, amber, driftwood, musk and cashmere

Available now for CHF 101.00 (100ml).

GUCCI GUILTY BLACK pour Homme
Aromatic Fougère

This scent is one vision of the modern man: Seductive, courageous and witty, for all of you who desire a new sensual experience.

Top notes: Lavender and coriander
Middle notes: Green notes, neroli and orange blossom
Base notes: Cedar and patchouli

Available now for CHF 78.00 (30ml), CHF 100.00 (50ml) and CHF 126.00 (90ml).

1 MILLION INTENSE by Paco Rabanne
Woody Spicy

The original 1 Million fragrance was launched in 2008. This year, a new intensified, deeper version is hitting the market, an embodiment of extravagance, a wonderful spicy oriental composition.

Top notes: Cardamom, blood mandarin, saffron and black pepper
Middle notes: Cinnamon, neroli and rose
Base notes: Orris root, sandalwood, leather and patchouli

Available now for CHF 87.00 (50ml) and CHF 121.00 (100ml).

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Sandra Bauknecht, Stills: Courtesy of the brands

The legendary fashion house Paco Rabanne that ruled in the 1960’s has started to make a comeback.

In 2011, Indian designer Manish Arora had been hired as Creative Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear and showed his first collection for the French brand, owned by Puig Beauty and Fashion Group, for the S/S 2012 season during Paris Fashion Week. Now, after only two seasons at the helmet of the house, he left. A split that appeared abrupt and unexpected.

This week, the Paco Rabanne House announced the appointment of Lydia Maurer, 29 years of age, as the new Artistic Director.

Born in Germany of a Colombian mother and a German father, she travelled throughout her childhood, following her parents between Europe and South America. Then at sixteen: Paris, and fashion. In 2006, 24 years of age, freshly graduated from Studio Berçot, Lydia starts working for Yves Saint Laurent. This is where she learns the precision and discipline of a great Maison. A change of scenery the following year with the launch and development of Rue du Mail, with designer Martine Sitbon. For four years, Lydia will learn the ins and outs of the fashion industry: an enriching and intense journey. Third encounter with Parisian fashion in 2010, Lydia Maurer makes joins the Givenchy Womens-ready-to-Wear studio where she takes care of the capsule collection, capturing the essence of Riccardo Tisci’s vision of the prestigious house.

Last November, Lydia Maurer took the reins at the Paco Rabanne studio. A role tailored to her, a bespoke experience. Serving a fashion ever in motion, honoring the body, Lydia is sensitive to the alliance of cultures. Fascinated by 60s and 70s arts, which emphasize the material and can transform metal into divine sculptures, she naturally inscribes her universe of creation into the heritage of the Paco Rabanne House.

It rejoices her: “It is a great honor to be taking on the artistic direction of such an emblematic house at the heart of Parisian creation. I am very impressed by the creative power of Paco Rabanne, a House that from the very start strips out all conventions, using, among other things, an assemblage of unexpected materials. A creative approach based on both technology and craftsmanship, resulting in a fashion that is instinctive and playful”.

Lydia Maurer will present her first S/S 2013 collection in Paris this upcoming October.

Outrageous and sometimes impractical designer Paco Rabanne came onto the scene in 1966, when he showed his first collection, a provocative manifesto titled “12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials”, the dresses embellished with rhodoid sequins and plaques. Clothes suddenly became an artistic expression of their time. Courting scandal and plaudits, Paco Rabanne never mellowed in his mission to question the process of thinking and showing fashion, preempting the conceptual turn that designers would take as the 21st century neared.

Paco Rabanne 1966 – Photographed by Ed Pfizenmaier

With one-off handmade pieces, pioneering the recycling of materials, event clothing, and ephemeral items, throughout his career Paco Rabanne reveled in experimenting with revolutionary projects and adapting materials for his own uses: hammered metal, knitted fur, aluminum jersey, dresses made from paper or fluorescent leather or fiber glass, to mention just a few of the more emblematic examples.

Paco Rabanne – Vogue Paris 1969

In 1971, he was recognized as a couturier by his peers when he became a member of the storied Chambre Syndicale de la Couture.

In 1999, after more than thirty years of internationally acclaimed creativity, Paco Rabanne announced his retirement from the world of fashion. In 2010 he was decorated an Officer of the Legion d’Honneur by the Frech culture minister, a timely acknowledgement of his work as a visionary designer and innovation originator in the world of fashion.

Here are some of his iconic pieces:

1966 – Dress in aluminium disks

 

1996  – Plastic and metal bubble dress

 

1997 – Plastic and silvered metal space

 

1997 – Dress in transparent rhodoid and water

Given the history of the label, I hope that Paco Rabanne will be back amongst the most renowned avant-garde fashion brands in the very near future.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Paco Rabanne

Here is your rockstar look:

Satin-trimmed wool-crepe jacket and stretch-leather skinny pants, both by Balmain, printed cotton-jersey tank and skull leather box clutch, both by Alexander McQueen and Masako silk-satin pumps by Charlotte Olympia.

Here is your rockstar scent:

Paco Rabanne Black XS L’Excès and Black XS L’Excès For Her embody the excess of the rock world.

Black XS L’Excès combines top notes of Calabrian lemon and lavender with an ozonic, cypriol and citrus accord and a deep, sensual amber woody base.

Eau de Toilette Intense
100ml CHF 99.00 
50ml CHF 77.00

Black XS L’Excès For Her opens with top notes of neroli and black pepper, leading to heart notes of jasmine queen of the night and rose absolute and a base of cashmere wood.

Eau de Parfum Intense
80ml CHF 106.00 
50ml CHF 87.00
30ml CHF 62.00

Available now!
With a skull on the packaging and the bottle!

Punk rock icon Iggy Pop is the face for Black XS L’Excès and the beautiful Sasha Pivovarova stars in the video campaign alongside Nick Rea, see below.

Now it is time for you to put your rocker face on!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Paco Rabanne Fragrances