Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Kidman and Audrey Tautou. What do they all have in common? Well for starters, they’re all women. Obvious one that. And all beautiful. No points for spotting that one either. But, however, they’ve all also been at one point or other in their careers the face of Chanel No. 5 perfume.
Well, as of today, you can now add Brad Pitt to that list of celebs who’ve attached their faces to the most famous of ladies’ scents.
The thing is, Brad’s harbouring a deep, dark secret. Underneath those wavy blonde locks, piercing blue eyes and striking features, the Se7en and Benjamin Button star is…actually a man!
That certainly sets Mr Angelina Jolie apart from his predecessors, and marks a bold new direction from Chanel’s marketing department.
Confirming the news in a press release today after rumours began circulating yesterday, Pitt is the first male face of the iconic perfume. A full blown ad campaign including a UK TV advertising spot is to follow in the Autumn, with Pitt picking up a cheque with a tidy seven-figure sum inked onto it.
Though Pitt’s the quintessential ladies-man and multi-generation spanning heatthrob, the 48-year old is still an odd choice by the brand, leading some to speculate that sultry Jolie may be making an appearance in the campaign at some point too.
“Hang on, aint this a site about men’s stuff, guvnor? What’s this gotta do with us blokes?” I hear you cry!
And you’d be right. With Pitt being the kind of guy that women want to be with and men want to be, there’s plenty of speculation that Pitt’s appearance with Chanel could be the start of a massive push from the brand into the male sector.
Come Christmas, you and your missus both could be unwrapping a bottle of scent sold by Pitt’s lovely mug.
Kiss & Makeup‘s Zara writes… Lacoste are launching a new scent which challenges men to be, uh, Challenge(d). The idea is that the scent will capture the essence of today’s young metrosexual, and be light enough to wear daily. Considering the tagline is ‘Never resist the call of the game’. it seems pretty relevant for Wimbledon, and I can imagine Henman spritzing on a little in between getting trounced trying his hardest.
The scent combines notes of tangerine and lemon mixed with aromatic lavender- an unusual combination for a male scent. They have added ginger to give it an extra a kick though, so hopefully you’ll be feeling zesty rather than getting flashbacks to your gran’s knicker drawer.
It costs from £24 for 50ml, and will be available this summer.
As if creating an amazing magazine wasn’t enough, the talented team behind Dutch-based Fantastic Man have teamed up with Swedish scent makers Byredo to release their own self-named cologne. The scent was launched exclusively at Colette in Paris on March 9th. It’s debatable whether the cologne could ever smell as delicious as the magazine itself (or is that just me?) which is printed on the most sublime high-grade paper although given the impeccable taste of the magazine expectations are high.
The all star roll call of ingredients (or should that be ‘notes’ in parfumier speak?) certainly sounds promising: Bergamot, Star Anise, Cardamom, Geranium, Incense, Lavender, Vetyver, Moss and Patchouli. I’m taking bets that Dover Street Market will be the London stockists being the nearest thing we have to Colette. Keep your eyes peeled and nostrils, um, flared?
Stopping over in Paris on the way back from my hols, I paid a visit to Colette and excitingly had a quick sniff; it’s a great clean citrus smell perfectly balanced with musk. Can’t wait to have a proper smell when it reaches our British shores! -Ed.
Firstly let me confess my prejudices: I freaking love Burberry. I love Burberry for it’s class and excellence but more than that I love Burberry for its brash and obnoxious reputation bestowed upon it by council estates across the nation. No other brand can you wear and say with equal validity “I’m 1st class on Eurostar to Paris at 8:55 so get me on my Blackberry.” and “You look at Stacey again ‘n I’ll smash your fuckin’ head in!” Which is why I went off the radar with excitement when Isabelle told me she was calling in Burberry for men for me to test drive.
For the sake of this post I will not be suspending my prejudice but will be practically encouraging it. This disclaimed please jump through and get yer eyes round this review chock full of angels vaginas and teenage pregnancy- because you’ll never guess how I shoe horned those into this write up…
I would want nothing more for Christmas than to be gently woken up by these two guys handing me a steaming mug of tea as they pick out my outfit. I could happily trot off to the shower knowing they were planning my clothes, hairstyle and make up for the day. Check out this video where they showcase their styling genius, mm hairgel.
AskMen.com has recently proved to be a good source of interesting and insightful fashion features (at least once you’ve clicked through such literary gems as “Is a 3-some really worth it?” and an “Is Britney actually Hot?” poll.) A look at their Fashion section resulted in me reading a great article by P.A Parfond, the site’s weekly fashion correspondent, entitled “Shaving Tips From Moroccan Street Shavers.”
The feature is a look at the tips of three different barbers from within Morocco and Parfond reveals that the reason Moroccan barbers are the best shaver in the world is because “Moroccan street shavers hold the secrets to the perfect shave, no matter who the recipient…for them, shaving is an ancient art, one bound by rules and techniques that men growing up in the West are rarely introduced to.”
Check out the different tips by following this link.
L’Occitane‘s (pronounced OK-SI-TAN) eau de toilette for men is supposed to be the distillation of Provence in the south-west of France, where the company is founded.
On the first spritz L’Occitan hits you with immediate top notes of black pepper that conceal citrus and resinous elements. Provence is ever-present in the pine and mentholated lavender middle notes which give it an old-timey medical feel. It loses its bite somewhat as the gritty black pepper gives way to muskier softer smells with a hint of honey.
Usually prefer a more persistent scent but it’s a very effective eau de toilette and leaves a subtle aura of scent which isn’t overpowering or chemical. On the whole I like it and I would wear this myself, it would be perfect for adding a bit of texture and depth to my Paul Smith Rose perfume.
Kiss and Makeup get James Moody, their USA metrosexual to give his thoughts on Porsche’s foray into the fragrance market.
Essence by Porsche Design is a successful parlay into fragrance by the car manufacturer parent group. This cologne manages a duality of being remarkably fresh and sophisticated at the same time. Many colognes with a cool scent lack any substance and are tacky. This cologne impressed and is appropriate for any occasion exactly because its both clean and organic at the same time. It is sexy.
Justin Timberlake is abandoning his decade-old au naturel smell to become the face of new Givenchy scent ‘Play’. The singer was reluctant to smell of anything other than eau de Justin until Givenchy persuaded him that he would enjoy wearing the fragrance.
Timberlake told GQ: “First of all, I haven’t worn cologne in 10 years, since the days when I’d drench myself, until I realised I didn’t want to smell like something else, I wanted to smell like myself.
So when Givenchy approached me, I said, ‘I gotta be honest, I don’t wear a fragrance. If you can get me to wear it, it’s gonna have to be good. If you can win over a guy who doesn’t wear fragrances, it’ll be something fresh.”
Perez Hilton has got his hands on an image from the heavily anticipated Jude Law for Dior Homme Sport campaign. Hilton complains of the blatant photoshop-job surrounding Jude’s sudden wealth of hair, hence the equally blatant ‘FAKE’ scrawled across the image in trademark Perez style!
JustJared reports that Jude was shot by Australian photographer Daniel Askill in May, on location in the Bahamas. Askill says of the fragrance campaign; “it was hard for me to decide whether to take it on because I had directed an ad for Dior before with Hedi [Slimane], it was one of the last major projects before he left, so it was a very tumultuous time.”
Keep reading for more details and backstage (behind the camera?) gossip!
A while ago, we remarked on how a Telegraph feature on the short suit had used rather unusual models to create an unflattering portrayal of the look.
However, this picture (taken at the launch of Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme in Milan,) shows that even the fashionistos of the industry can’t get it right. While also not the most model-ly of men, Bruce Pask of the New York Times would be one of those I thought could pull of this challenging look.
My verdict? I think this would look better with cropped sleeves. Simply roll up your long sleeves to the elbow or at least take them off the cuff as this contrast of short/sleeve length is usually an unflattering one.
Try shoes that can be worn without socks; a cool loafer or Topman canvas brogue. I, as a bit of a sartorial risk-taker (read: hit/miss dresser,) would add a pair of House of Holland velvet loafers in shocking purple or pink.
If you wake up feeling like you need a kickstart to the day then CDG’s Energy C Parfum might be the answer. Hurry up though because the Lime is already out of stock, which means you can only get your hands on the Grapefruit and Lemon scents. They’re £22 each and sound like just the thing to liven up the mornings… I’ll take five!
I must admit I’m not one of those women who ever bought the female fragrance, it was always a bit too sweet and cloying for my tastes but apparently the new Pure Coffee fragrance for men is a lot more manly. It’s a blend of coffee, musk cedar wood and milk which sounds a hell of a lot more appealing than the classic female scent and will probably be a great pick-me-up.
Visit Kiss and Make Up for more beauty news and reviews.
Like tax and death, scent is one of life’s fickle promises. I have just returned from a trip to New York and I couldn’t help but notice how great everyone smelt (not in some strange Charlie’s Angels hair-sniffer way.) In the returning yellow cab to JFK, my week in the Big Apple flashed before my eyes as a flurry of smiling sales associates and the now dog-eared sample cards currently resonating through my conscience (and bedroom!) Whether you have a Grenouille like nose or are suspiciously blind to the sweet smell of- well smell, ‘cologne’ (or ‘scent’) is something that you need to be firmly acquainted with. The men’s fragrance market (and the cosmetics market in general) seems to be growing at the moment and there is an unbelievably wide range of scents from all the biggest designers. No longer does a few looks in a women’s show represent our male input in the industry but instead we are welcoming the right for men to truly express themselves through fashion and fragrance.
The following list is a collection of the sweetest scents on the market right now (in no particular order.)
Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Kidman and Audrey Tautou. What do they all have in common? Well for starters, they’re all women. Obvious one that. And all beautiful. No points for spotting that one either. But, however, they’ve all also been at one point or other in their careers the face of Chanel No. 5 perfume.
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