Jacobs Channels Lola

The enigmatic nymphet in a Nabakov novel, the heroine of Broadway’s Damn Yankees and now the latest fragrance from fashion wiz Marc Jacobs—Lola, a warm floral bouquet, will debut in Bloomingdale’s and Marc Jacobs boutiques on July 27, then roll out to department and specialty doors on August 15.

Developed as the latest self-standing fragrance pillar for the illustrious Marc Jacobs brand, Lola will ultimately reach 2,200 doors in the U.S. and 12,000 doors worldwide, said Lori Singer, group vice president of global marketing for Coty Prestige designer fragrances—which holds the Marc Jacobs fragrance license.

Internationally, the fragrance will debut at Harvey Nichols on August 1 and then roll out September 1.

“When I was thinking about this fragrance, I thought about what should follow Daisy,” Mr. Jacobs told Cosmetic World, referring to his previous worldwide blockbuster scent. “I started with a mood, a spirit, and a facet of a girl—the same way that Daisy was started—and I came up with this idea of Lola, which sounded a bit more provocative, a bit more saucy, a bit more flirtatious.”

In addition to its name, the concept began with a similarly captivating and unusual bottle design, Ms. Singer said. Initially crafted by Mr. Jacobs out of fabric slabs and then fashioned into an elaborate glass structure, the bottle cap features an amorphous explosion of layered greens, violets and navies meant to suggest flower petals.

This design speaks to the juice within, Ms. Singer noted, which was developed by Givaudan perfumers Calice Becker and Yann Vasnier in collaboration with fragrance mastress Ann Gottlieb.

“Daisy pushed the envelope and took whimsy to a whole new level,” Ms. Singer said. “But with Lola, Marc wanted something sexier—his own understated version of sexiness. It had to be multi-dimensional, like the packaging, as if you were unpeeling its various layers.”

Lola features top notes of pink peppercorn, pear d’anjou and grapefruit blended with a heart of peony, rose and geranium and a drydown of vanilla, tonka bean and musk. “Marc fell in love with the fuchsia peony accord,” Ms. Singer said, “and we built around that.”

An ad campaign featuring Karlie Kloss—lensed by longtime collaborator Juergen Teller—will break in September issues of Vogue, Allure, Vanity Fair and other fashion, beauty and lifestyle books, Ms. Singer said.

The ads feature a sly-looking Kloss—with hair by Christiaan Houtenbosand and makeup by Dick Page—holding up the Lola bottle against a bare white background.The full Lola collection will include eaux de parfum in 1.7- and 3.4-oz. sizes for $65.00 and $85.00; 5.1-oz. body lotion for $45.00; 4.9-oz. body cream for $50.00; and 5.1-oz. shower gel for $40.00.

Ms. Singer emphasized the overall significance of the Marc Jacobs brand to the Coty portfolio—particularly the Daisy
franchise. “It set the stage for a major global fragrance with amazing cross-generational appeal,” she said. “Consumers ranged from thirteen to seventy years old, and we expect that Lola will bring the same kind of tremendous success.”

And though it won’t launch until next month, the accolades are already pouring in. “The bottle looks so good, you want to bite it,” said Linda Wells, editor in chief of Allure, at the FiFi Awards, where she inducted Mr. Jacobs into the Hall of Fame.

“Marc truly has his finger on the pulse of what women want,” Ms. Singer said. “His idea of beauty is quirky and unique, and everybody wants a piece of it.”

 

June 8, 2009 11:34 am