John Galliano - Le parfum no.1 de John Galliano

Always ahead of his time, John Galliano is designer and artist who makes experimental creations in lively, pastel colours, attractive and often unwearable clothing items, which are combined fantastically. He shows his game with epochs, styles, directions by making his dreamy world and his fashion which is definitely worth attention.

Galliano was born in Gibraltar, but grew up in London, so he carries an impulse of British fashion in himself, combined with colourful visions full of romance, charm, fairy-tales and colorite. He attended St.Martin’s fashion design studies in 1981 in London, discovered club scene in Soho and worked as assistant to tailor Tommy Nutter, in National Theater. After four years he finished his studies with flying colours. Models created for National Theater were exhibited in Brown’s shop windows. The next year, 1985, was very successful and fertile for John Galliano.

He established cooperation with hat designer Stephen Jones and started creating for Brown’s. He presented his first fashion line, named The Ludic Game, on Fashion Week London. In autumn 1985 he also introduced fashion show Fallen Angels in cooperation with Bill Gaytten. Danish businessman Bertelsen invested in Galliano’s brand in 1986, but he retreated from the business several years later, when Galliano went to Paris for the first time and presented his models in France. He moved to Paris without money in 1991 and slept on his friend’s floor.

From Gibraltar, over London, Paris, with a lot of energy and ideas, it was only in 1993, with help of American Vogue’s editor, that he left to New York, where he met his future partner, John Bult. He managed to present his fantastic collection, Princess Lucretia. The floor was covered with rose petals and models inspired by Russian princess at this show. Two years afterwards, Galliano became the main designer of the house of Givenchy and he launched the first Givenchy couture collection, after which he started working for Dior as the main designer for women’s clothing line.
The first haute-couture collection by Galliano for Christian Dior was introduced in 1997 in Paris, in the Grand hotel, which is a copy of Dior’s showroom from 1940es with 791 golden chairs and 4000 rose flowers.

He has been surprising us with new inspiration, colour combinations, romantic collections with a strong, Galliano-style, lucid, fantastic, timeless seal each season up till today.

The latest collection, launched for fall-winter 2009 and presented in March 2009 was inspired by a combination of Russia-Balkan folklore and motives from national costumes, accompanied with magical illusion of blizzard on catwalk, with fantastic make-up on models, giving impression of frozen faces, with icy silver shine on eyelashes and lips.

Characteristic colours of the collection are grey, black, silver, purple and dark blue, with embroilments and accessories. The collection has romantic mood and the main theme are Ukrainian brides.

Lead by his expression, with a dose of anarchy and concept – everything is possible and interconnectable, Galliano presented his first perfume named Le parfum no.1 de John Galliano in 2008. The fragrance was combined and created with unusual transitions, ultra modern and retro romantic in the same time, but very unique and true to itself, just like Galliano himself.

Everything that connects it with other fragrances are partial associations of aromas, which are elaborated in Galliano’s first perfume without considering trends or stereotypes. His floral-aldehydic conception, which has nothing to do with old, aldehydic classics begins with aromas of warm mint tea, with accords of cold spices and not too luminous bergamot zest, which is there just to achieve light green motive.

Everything is harmonious, but totally atypical when compared to numerous editions from previous two years. Perfume John Galliano aims at fans of Galliano’s fashion, at girls, women and Ladies who attend his haute-couture fashion shows, who like editions which are unusual, lucid, retro romantic, modern, thick, multifaceted and contemporary.

The perfume will be chosen by women who like elegant clothes and unusual fragrances just to escape the classics, who rebel by playing with various styles, who wish to take an uncharacteristic elixir as a modern and memorable expression in their everyday life.

Layers of the fragrance resemble layers of some of Galliano’s dresses. Some are see-through, lacey and light like spider web, others dark and heavy. Each layer reveals new pages of a fragrant story, very slowly.

The first plan includes a cheerful motive in lively colours, playful, fresh, with a lot of bands, lace, details which give boost to the whole fragrant scale. Beneath that, a hint of thick violet essence awaits me and reminds me of Guerlain’s "coquette" Insolence EDP, full of juiciness, red berries, zests, and sweetness. It is a sweet, modest but seductive starlet which leaves an impression of a modern, authentic and perfect trail while leaving unscrupulous and flirtatious floral mixture of rose and peony in a base. Just like heavy silk, which ensures form; shapes and covers your figure, is opaque  and close to your skin.

The next layer, however, gives a new turn to the composition. A strong, powdery accord of iris (which reminds me of powder in Guerlain’s L’Instant Magic), simply dominates passions and strong aromas of violets, and it keeps everything under control, calms down and tames. Warm, thick, earthy base of patchouli along with woody character brings the fragrances down, towards darkness, mystery and perversion of the composition. In the very finish, a layer of pure incense from a church stays on the skin, just like from a burner. It appears after Galliano heroin’s tumultuous emotions, it clears passions of heart, stifles even the smallest hint of sexappeal, calms down soul and thoughts with its ranquil, dignified nuances. The range of fragrant notes in this perfume is fantastic and expected, since this is the first fragrance by John Galliano!

Its flacon is unique, lies perfectly in your hand, hides and wraps its contents perfectly. The bottle is coloured in various nuances: from foggy white bottom iridescent in metallic nuances (associations of opening of the composition), climbing over to feminine pink and violet colours (violets, peony, red berries), towards dark purple and black, which add seriousness and elegance. Golden, matt rose on the neck of the flacon is there to break darkness, to announce luxury, decorate woman’s cleavage with rich, pretentious jewelry. Nothing on the flacon does stand out, top is not separated and the crown is a large letter G designed in gothic style. G for gothic, genesis of styles, G for genius, G for Galliano! When you press letter G, you start a mechanism of spray, which will certainly surprise you with the composition. I surely recommend it!
 

Outer carton is decorated with an advertising poster with Galliano’s unreachable and dangerous Lady in purple nuances. Inner side of the carton is illustrated with newspapers, the motive of which is characteristic of Galliano’s creations (print T-shirt, shoe soles etc.).
Perfume John Galliano, presented in July 2008 was created in cooperation with two perfumers, Christine Nagel and Aurelien Guichard. The sculptural flacon was created by Joel Desgrippes, and advertising campaign by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, model: Guinevere Van Seenus.

The fragrance arrives as 40, 60 and 90ml EDP, along with an accompanying, perfumed body care line: 200ml body milk, 200ml bath and 150ml body peeling. This sweet-aldehydic-floral bouquet can be found as solid perfume presented as one of pendants on a modern necklace, next to a golden rose an a small, purple perfume flacon.

Powerful, intoxicating and vibrant in its opening, floral, flirtatious and bright during its development and dark, tranquil in its finish, the perfume illustrates John Galliano’s romantic side and liaison of his fantastic ideas in the perfect way.

Part of biography - DesignMuseum

Video clip: Sandra Raičević-Petrović (sandrina_bambina)

Author: Sandra Raičević Petrović (sandrina_bambina)
Fragrantica Member