Famous for his Space Age'y 60s sheaths constructed from wacky materials such as metal discs, aluminum chain mail, plastic, paper - and in one case, a frock for Françoise Hardy that set the standard for bling with 20 pounds of gold and diamonds totalling 300 carats - Paco Rabanne's latest project is also metal-oriented: 1 Million, a fragrance aimed at suave 20 to 35 year old fashionistos.
"The 1 Million story is around gold and all that it represents in terms of fantasy," Vincent Thilloy of Paco Rabanne Parfums explained to WWD. Even the packaging swaggers: a themey flacon designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance to resemble a bar of gold engraved in a retro, Wild West'ish font. (Even some of the 
in-store displays will be designed to look like safes.) "It's very luxurious, masculine and architectural and also very inspired by the plates of metal found in Paco Rabanne's fashion."
And since you already knew that enough dosh makes things happen like magic, the cheeky ad campaign shows hottie model Matt Gordon dancing and snapping his fingers to the Chemical Brothers, each snap causing something fabulous to materialize: a car, a bag of cash...a woman's dress to slide off. "There is a very classy side and at the same time the advertisement is very daring. It doesn't take itself too seriously; it has a lot of humor."
So what does the allure of gold smell like? According to Givaudan perfumers Christophe Raynaud, Olivier Pescheux and Michel Girard: leathery, spicy & fresh. Topnotes include grapefruit, mint and blood mandarin; middle notes are rose
absolute and cinnamon; with base notes of leather, white wood, amber and
Indonesian patchouli essences. Available in France starting mid-August, and everywhere else in September. (via WWD)
- Lesley Scott
(plastic & metal 1967 Paco Rabanne dress at top - Victoria & Albert Museum)
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