Sandra‘s Closet

The scent of the sun is a sensation. Soothing and strengthening, it is an extract of energy: a perfume of opportunity and enhancement.

In his first involvement in a fragrance project for Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams asked Jacques Cavallier Belletrud to capture the light which is the essence of into a highly crafted men’s fragrance for a global community collectively uplifted by the warmth that radiates from the sun.

LVERS was conceived through a creative dialogue between Pharrell Williams and Jacques Cavallier Belletrud and crafted in the Louis Vuitton creative atelier at Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse, France.

For this new collaborative opus, the Master Perfumer kept a cross-generational approach at heart, involving in the creative process Camille Cavallier Belletrud, perfumer at Louis Vuitton and member of the creative studio, who was trained at the Maison under the mentorship of the Master Perfumer for many years, cultivating the DNA of the house.

Founded in the Men’s Creative Director’s philosophy of sunlight as a metaphor for love and a source of life and motivation across human experiences, it echoes the question posed upon his arrival at Louis Vuitton: What will you do when the sun shines on you?

Distilled into Eau de parfum, the original idea has to take new form. «The theme of sunlight that lit up Pharrell’s debut show on Pont Neuf in June 2023 inspired us to convey photosynthesis in scent. It may sound abstract, but if you look at life, photosynthesis is the starting point for everything,» Jacques Cavallier Belletrud says.

LVERS conveys in fragrance the figurative yet familiar scent of the sun illuming the skin, energising the vitality of nature, and giving life to the organisms that surround us. With olfactive alchemy, the Master Perfumer transforms the abstract scent of sunlight into earthly matter. Observing the science of photosynthesis, the Maison’s expert identified the notes that emanate from nature as a result of the vitalising power of light: the luxuriance of leaves caressed by rays; the evaporating nectar of freshly grown grass; the warm earthiness of tree trunks expanding under the forest sun. Within the study, pure and ancient natural substances are unearthed.

Galbanum, the mythical resin of the Ferula plant rarely used in modern-day fragrances, is revitalised and refined from its wild, vegetal state. Like a diamond in the rough, the centuries-old scent is cultivated into delicate green notes, creating the sappy and spicy core of the LVERS bouquet. It is grounded in the bottom note of cedarwood. Extracted from second-hand wood from carpentry, the oil’s deep woody sensibility establishes the indefinable but recognisable olfactic sensation universally associated with the forest. Harmonised with the creaminess of sandalwood, it sets an earthy but elegant tone for the fragrance, energised by the clean crispness of ginger. The composition is raised by the fruity, zesty top notes of bergamot, gently announcing the galbanum in a figurative illustration of the early rays of sunrise. Echoing the therapeutic force of the sun, each of the LVERS ingredients is rooted in age-old cultural practices connected to notions of healing. In Ancient Greece, galbanum was employed as a curative remedy, while in Ancient Egypt, cedarwood oil was used as a means of preservation and to ward off evil spirits. In Eastern medicine, sandalwood is a key component alongside ginger, widely known for its health benefits. Across cultures, bergamot has been considered a tool for both mental and physical renewal. The healing powers traditionally linked to the ingredients infuse LVERS with a holistic air: the idea of fragrance as an elixir of well-being; a spray of sunlight distilled in a bottle.

Fashioned in the cylindrical signature silhouette of Louis Vuitton’s Les Parfums, the LVERS flacon reflects, refracts and imitates the sunlight. A prismatic finish electrifies the glass structure coloured from within by a golden jus, evoking the bright effect of sunlight gilding the skin. Introduced alongside the fragrance, a travel case and a fragrance trunk – which holds three bottles – are crafted in the green Damoflage motif. Central to the creative expression of Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton, the graphic splices the Maison’s heritage Damier pattern with camouflage, a signifier in the personal style lexicon of the Men’s Creative Director.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveils Phantom Syntopia, an intricate, Haute Couture-inspired masterpiece created in collaboration with renowned Dutch fashion designer and Haute Couturière Iris van Herpen. Based on Phantom Extended – the ultimate blank canvas for personalisation – it is the most technically complex commission ever undertaken by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective. Now, after four years of continuous development, this extraordinary and unique creation is complete; it will soon take its place in the private collection of discerning patrons of the brand.

Phantom Syntopia takes its name from Iris van Herpen’s landmark 2018 collection, designed on the principles of biomimicry in which art is inspired by patterns and shapes found in nature. Like the collection, which comprises a series of highly sculptural garments brought to life through movement, Phantom Syntopia seeks to represent the elusive, ethereal beauty of fluid motion in solid materials through its ‘Weaving Water’ theme.

«For this special collaboration I was inspired by the concept of ‘Weaving Water’ and transformed the sense of being in movement into an immersive experience of fluidity inside the Phantom. I wanted this to become a state-of-the-art experience being overwhelmed by the forces of nature. The powerful movement of the Phantom is woven into the shifting three-dimensional waves inside the car to embody the ingenuity of nature.

When I met the Bespoke Collective, I discovered that the world of Rolls-Royce is very similar to Haute Couture. Every garment I create is a one-off, tailor-made to my clients’ individual measurements, just like every Rolls-Royce. My clients come to our atelier in Amsterdam for fittings, just as Rolls-Royce clients are invited to Goodwood throughout the design and craft process. On many levels, this collaboration was a natural symbiosis.»
Iris van Herpen

EXTERIOR COACHWORK: IRIDESCENT MAGNETISM
To create the stunning, shimmering exterior, the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective developed a one-off Liquid Noir paint. Iridescent in sunlight, it reveals Purple, Blue, Magenta and Gold undertones when viewed at different angles. To achieve this effect, the marque’s darkest solid-black paint is overlaid with a finish incorporating a mirror-like pigment, selected for its colour-shifting properties. To add a subtle, elegant shimmer, the team developed a brand-new technique for applying pigment to the clearcoat – a process that took several months, including over 3,000 hours of testing and validation alone.
On closer inspection, the motor car’s bonnet is seen to feature a subtle rendering of the Weaving Water motif that appears throughout the interior, produced by carefully redistributing the pigment during the finishing process.

INTERIOR SUITE: THREE-DIMENSIONAL ART
Phantom Syntopia’s interior suite incorporates magnificent features which were co-created in a creative and technical meeting of minds by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective and Iris van Herpen. Some interior elements were handcrafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce by the company’s leading craftspeople working alongside members of Iris van Herpen’s team, while others were created in Iris van Herpen’s Amsterdam atelier, alongside her Haute Couture garments.

On opening the magnificent coach doors, the eye is immediately drawn to the Weaving Water Starlight Headliner, the most technically challenging version of this signature Rolls-Royce feature ever produced. It was crafted using a single sheet of flawless leather, selected from over 1,000 hides. Precise symmetrical cuts reveal a silver ‘liquid metal’ texture made from woven nylon fabric underneath, used in Iris van Herpen’s ‘Embossed Sounds’ collection, giving the Headliner a three-dimensional appearance. It is finished with 162 delicate petals made of glass organza, applied by members of Iris van Herpen’s Couture team who travelled to Goodwood to undertake the work – a process that took nearly 300 hours. In addition, 187 of the 995 sparkling fiberoptic ‘stars’ were individually placed by hand alongside the artwork; illuminating sequentially, starting from the rear and moving to the front, they create a feeling of movement. In total, the entire Headliner alone involved almost 700 collective hours of work.

The ‘Weaving Water’ theme continues throughout the unique artwork in the Gallery, which runs the width of the Phantom’s fascia. Combining traditional Haute Couture techniques and innovative visual forms, this highly expressive work includes a further 85 petals, which were also attached by hand by Iris van Herpen’s team working at Goodwood, representing almost 60 hours’ painstaking work.

The design to be found on the picnic tables and the passenger panel just below the Gallery mirrors the Weaving Water artwork on the bonnet. The motif was achieved by combining multiple coats of paint and lacquer containing different quantities of glass particles. First, the surfaces were covered with a black paint mixed with 0.9% glass particles. Then the artisans applied the Weaving Water motif with a clear coat mixed with 1.4% of shimmer – an extraordinarily complex process that took over three weeks to complete. Before commencing the work, the Exterior Surface Centre team had spent four months perfecting the formula, running nine trials before identifying the ideal proportion of glass particles: across the entire car, precisely one tablespoon has been used.

NEXT CHAPTER IN TEXTILE EXPLORATION
Phantom Syntopia continues the Bespoke Collective’s exploration of textiles. In homage to Rolls-Royce’s heritage, this unique motor car recalls an era where a driver’s seat was trimmed in hardwearing leather and the rear compartment in luxurious, inviting fabrics. The front seats of Phantom Syntopia are finished in Magic Grey leather, distinguished by its lustrous finish. The rear seats are upholstered with a specially created silk-blend fabric, featuring a distinctive pattern which recalls the patterns cast by light reflecting on water at night.
The seats are quilted with a Weaving Water motif, inspired by a tufting technique often employed in fine furniture-making in which embroidery is applied to the reverse side of the textile. This creates a three-dimensional depth while achieving a smooth, seamless, uninterrupted surface.

AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: STIMULATING ALL SENSES
In keeping with the highly innovative approach taken with Phantom Syntopia, it is the first Rolls-Royce motor car to incorporate a Bespoke scent, creating a truly immersive expression of luxury. It was developed by an expert perfumer – now affectionately known as ‘the Nose of the Bespoke Collective’ – in close collaboration with the clients. Designed to create a lasting memory, the fragrance is subtle and perfectly complements other aromas arising from the materials used in the car.

The Bespoke fragrance expert tested numerous combinations before settling on the perfect blend. The core scent is cedarwood and as part of this project’s constant quest for the ultimate in personalisation, the cedarwood used was carefully sourced specially from the clients’ home region. The scent’s base combines powdery notes of Iris, obtained using a fluid extraction technology, with added hints of leather, finally blended with rose from Patagonia and a mild lemon.
The specially-developed scent-releasing mechanism is housed within the headrests. This patented technology, which incorporates innovative materials originally used in the field of medicine, ensures the fragrance is released in suitably delicate doses for a long-lasting, sophisticated sensory experience. The development process took more than two years, including rigorous testing in both very hot and very cold temperatures, to ensure the scent maintains its distinctive profile in all conditions.

PINNACLE LUXURY MEETS HAUTE COUTURE
For a truly Haute Couture experience, Iris van Herpen will design a one-off garment especially for the clients of this transformative commission. The sculptural design of the dress echoes the Weaving Water theme explored in Phantom Syntopia’s Starlight Headliner, featuring an elegant application of the ‘liquid metal’ fabric and the glass organza petals, laser-cut and hand-stitched in a pattern resembling undulating waves. This exquisite garment, reflective of Iris van Herpen’s newly developed Haute Couture techniques, is expected to take around six months of work, including pattern development, crafting and applying the petals, embroidery, fitting and tailoring.

Phantom Syntopia will take its place in the clients’ private collection in May. As a true one-of-one commission, Rolls-Royce has undertaken that it will never be replicated.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Rolls-Royce and © Iris van Herpen
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Rising in the East, intense sunlight infuses Sacred Wood and Rose Oud by KILIAN PARIS, two fragrance icons blended by Founder Kilian Hennessy and Perfumer Calice Becker almost ten years ago, are returning to the collection.

Sacred Wood is a homage to pure Sandalwood from Mysore, India—so rare it is now forbidden in perfumery, reserved for religious temples— while Rose Oud celebrates a firework of woods and spices around an incandescent Rose. Both creations also pay common tribute to their shared ingredient of Cedarwood, sourced from protected tree species in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, blended into a matrix of resinous notes like liquid gold. Exceptional woods like these take time to cultivate; mysterious and sanctified, they are an olfactive opening into a higher level of sensory pleasure.

Part of The Cellars olfactive family, Sacred Wood is a unisex portrait of Sandalwood, especially the most coveted variety from Mysore with its spicy, woodsy and milky facets that are simply incredible. Now prohibited, Kilian Hennessy recreates his olfactive ideal.

Sacred Wood opens with Ambrette Seed Absolute and Carrot Seed Essence for spicy and earthen elements, only to unfold into a multi-layered Sandalwood Accord with Cedarwood Oil Atlas sourced in Morocco and Amyris Oil from Dominican Republic. Copaiba Balsam Oil adds warmth with an animalic aspect of Apricot. A malted milky vapor rises like incense, for an exceptional and long-lasting sillage.

Part of The Narcotics olfactive family, Rose Oud depicts a burning blend of Roses.

Rose Oil from Bulgaria opens with a spark of Saffron and Cinnamon, while Rose Absolute spread luxuriously throughout, blending into a sweet Lychee accord. The fragrance unfolds a long-lasting dry-down based on Cedarwood Atlas Oil, that resonates with an Oud Accord built around woody and spicy Cypriol Oil from India, enriched by deep smoky notes of leather.

Two of the most coveted blends of KILIAN PARIS have made their come back. Sacred Wood and Rose Oud go higher—sourced below in the scent of wood, uplifted toward the light—both are windows into something beyond.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © KILIAN PARIS and © Sandra Bauknecht / Nadia Krawiecka
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«Some scents explicitly capture real aspects of my life. For example, every note of OMBRÉ LEATHER is connected to the American west of my childhood. The PARFUM builds on the wild, unbridled sensuality of the original scent…it is a heightened expression.» – Tom Ford

Tom Ford just launched the newest perfume edition, OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM, a warm and spicy rich floral leather scent for women and men, which captures the American west with magnified notes of violet leaf, cedarwood, and green tobacco. Perfumer Sonia Constant composed both, the original OMBRÉ LEATHER and the new OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM.

Building on the untethered, tactile sensuality of the original scent, OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM intensifies the distinctly rich, luxurious leather signature with surprising new additions. Violet leaf absolute orpur breathes a powerful, intensely green air, giving way to the elegant, woody sensuality of cedarwood. Harvested before the monsoon season to produce an elevated extract, jasmine sambac absolute India orpur offers an intense, fruity floral facet recalling honeysuckle. Deep leathery and woody notes laced with green tobacco undercut the floralcy, stoking a creamy sensuality while a double concentration of orris heart pulses beneath, releasing a captivating, addictive pull.

Key Notes: Black Leather, Violet Flower, Jasmine Flower

About the Bottle: Packaged in a matte-black flacon with a faux-leather plaque, the OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM flacon captures the bold, tactile sensuality of the spicy leather scent.

Personal Recommendation: I love combining it with TOM FORD Lavender Extrême. It is such an interesting combo.

Available in the beginning of September 2021 in Switzerland.
OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM 50ml (CHF 156.00) and 100ml (CHF 256.00).
TO SHOP THE NEW SCENT ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Tom Ford Beauty and © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Jo Malone‘s newest scent is called Blackberry & Bay. Think about childhood memories of blackberry picking with stained lips and sticky palms – the scent of innocence.

Master perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin, who shares his time between Paris and Grasse, where he was born as the son of a perfumer, found the inspiration for this beautiful, different new fragrance “out of rambling, autumnal country walks in deepest, mellowest autumn; of blackberry picking in overgrown English woodland; of foraging for perfectly ripened blackberries in rustling hedgerows. I have always wanted to create a fruity fragrance that captures the richness of red and black berries and so I embarked on this journey to create a scent that is full of juicy sweetness, bursting with the sparkling tartness of just ripe blackberries, while playing with the green, leafy earthiness of the bay accord.”
Fabrice also created Paco Rabanne’s Black XS L’Excès.

Top notes: Blackberry and grapefruit
Middle notes: Bay and floral accord
Base notes: Vetiver and cedarwood

Available from September 2012.
In Switzerland at Globus Geneva and Jelmoli Zurich.

Cologne 30ml (CHF 68.-) and 100ml (CHF 130.-)
Body & Hand Wash CHF 64.- 
Body Cream CHF 99.-
Home Candle CHF 82.-
(All suggested retail prices)

I love this new addition to Jo Malone’s world. Try combining Blackberry & Bay with Lime Basil & Mandarin for added vibrancy with a peppery, citrus zest. Or layer it with Nectarine Blossom & Honey for sweetness with a green, herbaceaous edge.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Jo Malone