When I think of Coty, I think of the array of fragrances that the company produces: From Marc Jacobs and Chloe, to Exclamation! and Kate Moss, Coty is the world’s largest fragrance company and a recognized leader in global beauty. A month ago, we were invited to a media event at Coty’s Research & Development facility in New Jersey. Though flattered and extremely excited to get an inside peek into the beauty giant, none of the M.I.S.S. writers could attend. No fear! We arranged to have some photos sent to us so that you could at least get a sense of what’s it’s like on the inside of the beauty game.
It’s not all glamour, in fact, it’s all science based so think lab coats and test tubes! Chief Scientific Officer & SVP of Global R&D, Ralph Macchio (not the Karate Kid!), let the tour and explained business behind the beauty company. He explained the product development cycle of testing, smelling, comparing and evaluating all that goes into the development of Coty’s color, fragrance and skin care business. The guests even got to use machines that tested eye lash durability and skin hydration. Exciting!
Check out the rest of the pics after the jump . . .
If you read my Mirror, Mirror posts, then you know that one of my favorite bags is made by Longchamp. The leather is soft and the style is classic and functional. Whenever I use it I get complimented and it’s nice to have something a little different. Everyone is walking around with a “Never Full,” but only discerning women carry Longchamp. So, I was really excited to learn that the new Longchamp Fall collection has released. The bags look really good - there are so many that I want. New styles inclue the Cosmos, a bag inspired by early 20th century round travel bags, The LM, a vintage heritage line of bags from the 70s reissued for Longchamp’s 60th anniversary, and The Legend, new colors of their take on the physician bag. All are fabulous looking, but are functional and sturdy enough to handle the day-to-day hustle. The ad campaign, featuring Kate Moss again, is beautifully shot and features Moss looking Chic in Paris Cafés and is reminiscent of Post-WWII photos by French photographer Robert Doisneau. The bags can be purchased online or in fine Longchamp boutiques worldwide. Check out the video look book starring Moss below and many more pictures of my favorites from the collection after the jump . . .
Calvin Klein is used to causing a ruckus in media - whether it was a 16 year old Brooke Shields proclaiming that nothing came between her and her Calvins, or a very young, nude Kate Moss giving birth to heroin chic. The latest in his misadventures in advertising relate to his newest fragrance Secret Obsession featuring Eva Mendes (read the original post we did here). The controversy lies around the ad campaign and commercial which is apparently too risqué because of a glimpse of a bit of Ms. Mendes’ nipple - gasp!! I’ve always thought the “nipple controversy” was always a bit of a silly one. Men have nipples - they are shirtless all the time. If we just looked at each other as people, rather than making women into sex objects, this maybe wouldn’t be a big deal and we’d just see it as another part of anatomy. It’s a bit sad because the commercial is actually very tasteful and not at all in poor taste or pornographic. Perhaps we should be more concerned with what “we” (ahem, the Christian right) read into things - I believe that tells us more about ourselves than anything else.
Here’s the commercial - view it - share it - show the world:
(sorry about the ad at the end - it was the only video I could find)
P.S. - This controversy has gotten leagues of people in an uproar about our nation’s politics (finally!). While I don’t agree we need a PG version of this ad, it’s really disappointing that it takes something like this to critique the government while men and women serving our country are dying daily. There - I said it.
The controversial Brooke Sheild’s ad from 1981 after the jump . . . Source (more…)
Last year, Kate Moss released her first fragrance with Coty simply called Kate. With the success of her first perfume now comes the launch of her second, Velvet Hour, named after Kate’s favorite time of day - dusk. The tag line for the fragrance is “Embrace the Night” - very fitting for the eternal party girl. The scent combines notes from “blue pepper, freesia and cashmere incense; heart notes of patchouli and nutmeg, and base notes of sandalwood, amber, ebony and wood.” Describing the inspiration for Velvet Hour, Kate Moss stated:
There’s that feeling — ‘Oh, nighttime’s coming again, thank goodness,’” Moss said in an interview at the event June 12. “It’s like a comfort. The whole feeling changes. The sun’s going away, you can go out. It just feels more comforting to me. And it is like velvet.
Velvet Hour is set to launch in September in Europe, the Far East, Middle East and Canada. No confirmed plans for a U.S. release yet but we’ll keep you posted.
I’m a fan of Kate Moss and think she’s a brilliant spokes model but my pet peeve about Velvet Hour is the bottle. For me, a huge part of falling in love with a new fragrance is the packaging. Perfume bottles historically have been beautiful and were pieces of art in their own right. When I look at this bottle though it reminds me of a cheap Britney Spears perfume. You can see a better picture of the bottle after the jump - what do you think??
Left: Image from Donna Karan Fall ‘08 Campaing featuring Kate Moss, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Right: Interior shot of Union Street Station.
People cannot get enough of Kate Moss. Her face is emblazoned on many a t-shirt and she’s been the face of a number of companies including David Yurman, Rimmel, Agent Provocateur, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and YSL, along with having her own line at Topshop and her own fragrance. This fall she will also be the face of Donna Karan’s Fall 2008 collection which brings to life “the glamour of the Orient Express.” The campaign was shot in LA’s beautiful, historic Union Street station and is about “the woman on the go.” I think Kate Moss is a beautiful style icon but I wonder if consumers will ever get tired of her, or can distinguish between the products she promotes? At what point is it confusing for consumers to see the same face repping everything from Topshop to YSL? Is there any confusion of brands, messages and styles? Does this generation need a new icon/role model that is more than just a pretty face?
I’ve always loved perfume. It’s always been one of those things that I’ve associated with “being a lady”, probably because I remember my mom always putting it on and I always thought that was a very glamorous thing to do. As soon as I was old enough, I started wearing perfume. I was still pretty young, so my mom started me out on Love’s Baby Soft. Then I had all 5 or 6 flavors of Love’s (yes, they had a rainbow, lemon, orange, blue, etc). Then, it was Exclamation! When I was in about 9th or 10th grade though, I had enough of the “young” fragrances and was ready for my first real adult perfume. What did I chose? Obsession. Yep, I wore it all through high school, and I was border-line “obsessed” with the smell. I loved the musky undertones, the deep amber color of the scent and the oval-shaped bottle. I’ve stopped wearing it since then but I will always have a special place in my heart for my first fragrance. Today, I discovered that Calvin Klein is releasing an update of the fragrance called Secret Obsession and it brought back lots of aroma-filled memories.
Secret Obsession is not trying to be Obsession, rather, it’s a unique scent: It “has top notes of exotic plum, mace and rose de damas; a heart of Egyptian jasmine, French orange flower and tuberose, and base notes of cashmere woods, burnt amber, Madagascan vanilla and Australian sandalwood.” When asked to describe the difference between the two Obsessions, Michele Scannavini, president of Coty Prestige, stated: “While Obsession epitomized the overt glamour and sexuality of the Eighties, Secret Obsession will become the meaning of what is sexy today — more personal, sophisticated and intoxicating.” Eva Mendes will be the face of Secret Obsession, as well as the Calvin Klein lingerie line for fall. Secret Obsession launches in mid-September, but you can expect to see the racy ads (did you expect anything less from the people that gave you a very young, nude “heroin chic” Kate Moss??) in June. I’m a signature-scent kind of girl but I think I may have to go astray and pick up this new grown and sexy version of Obsession. Can’t wait!
Colette, the Paris-based boutique of everything tres chic just launched their 3rd episode of Colette TV. The webisodes are very entertaining and consists of small skits where new exclusive products are featured in a tongue-in-cheek way. Episode 3 reviews Cola-flavored Mentos, Colette x MOB x Reeboks, Justice for Surface to Air, and Kate Moss’ first fragrance. View it here.
For the launch of it’s new bridal range, White Wedding, Agent Provocateur chose SHOWstudio to develop and create the narrative advertising campaign. Based on a six-part script that AP founder Joe Corré wrote about “the demise of a bride’s ‘big day’ and . . . the unravelling of the religious organisation behind it”, SHOWstudio created photo stills and an experimental series of films “depicting Kate Moss running the gamut from demure virgin bride to dangerous, Lynchian siren.” Each day, one of the parts of the film series are publicized here. I’ve seen the first two and they are enchanting and haunting at the same time. Kate Moss looks beautiful as ever, though it is funny to see her as a bride. As a whole the I think the campaign is a huge success and I’ve always thought AP has done an excellent job of conveying the image and meaning behind their brand. The eagle-eyed among you will note that these are not the first AP films that Kate Moss has starred in: Back in 2006 we reported that Ms. Moss was featured in the Dreams of Miss X. I’ve seen a lot more “fashion/advertising” films lately and I think they are a great new way to give life to the clothing and the brand behind it. I’m excited to see more! The films release each day here from Friday 2nd–Wednesday 7th May 2008 at 18:00hrs UK time.
You should also explore the AP site as there is a forum, and wallpaper downloads. You can even live webchat with Agent Provocateur’s Co Founder and Creative Director Joe Corré on May 12th, 2pm-3:30 pm (UK time) at agentprovocateur.com, or send in your questions in advance to webchat@agentprovocateur.com.
Since leaving Dior Homme, Heide Slimane has kept busy by playing with Erin Wasson, Daria Werbowy, and most recently Pete Doherty.
Other than taking pictures (and probably eating baby food in between shoots), the man who can list Kate Moss and Helena Christenson as admirers has been pretty quiet. (Although, it was reported last month that he was in talks with LVMH to launch his own fashion house.)
It’s sad. But in the meantime, anybody needing to satiate their Slimane fix should check out his new “fashion diary” that has just been added to his website.
According to WWD, the diary includes “striking close-ups of actress-singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, rocker Pete Doherty in a topcoat and fedora and scores of nattily dressed young men in nightclubs.”
Further, the picture albums “go back to Slimane’s days at Yves Saint Laurent and include castings, fittings and backstage scenes.”
Reminiscing much, Heidi? That’s okay. We miss your clothes too…
Rule #1: Kate Moss is boss - (if you didn’t already know that) - and could cut you with her razor sharp cheekbones; RESPECT.
Rule #2: Even if your agent dies your hair red and you’re not actually featured in the same shot as Kate, she still will probably overshadow you, so don’t feel bad.
Rule #3: In the event that Kate is literally placed on top of you - while you’re trying to look cool and blue chip for Inez & Vinoodh with a huge fuchsia hibiscus flower sticking out of your hair - make sure you become B.F.F/S.F.L with the manicurists. So, in the battle of who has the slickest nails - at least your Chanel paparazzi lacquer has a chance to come out on top because the red like color Ms. Moss is wearing is so playyyeedd.
PS: If your name is Daria Werbowy, and you have the opportunity to land a campaign with the British supermodel - just intensely gaze into the sky and let the stylist gel your hair back because we think you’re pretty cool too.
