When the house of Versace announced the launch of its new fragrance for women, Vanitas, it created a buzz of excitement. The perfume's name, steeped in the classical tradition that underlies so much of Versace's designer work (think of his emblematic Medusa head), suggested a sexy and intriguing pastiche - Baroque femininity with a high-tech-era edge.
The advertising campaign, featuring a very young, barely 16 years old model, Lindsey Wixson - whose appearance is reminiscent of a very young Donatella Versace - promised much of the same.
The Idea Behind the Olfactory Impression
According to the "nose" who created the scent - Dora Baghriche Arnaud - it is supposed to be
"reminiscent of a woman's naked shoulder". Here is how she explained the essence of Vanitas: “Imagine wet petals delicately touched by dew, a flower of intangible volume, emotions expressed through tactile sensations.”
The Composition
The fragrance's composition is surprisingly simple and linear:
Top (head) note: Lime
Middle (heart) notes: Freesia and Tiare
Base notes: Tonka Bean and Virginia cedar
The result is a very sweet but not cloying floral. It is highly unlikely to repulse anyone, as it is very mild and demure enough. However, considering its maker and the aggressive advertising campaign, many people are likely to find it surprisingly generic, indistinguishable from the myriad other floral scents.
The Sillage and the Dry-down
Perhaps the most surprising - certainly one of the most pleasant - aspect of Vanitas is its drydown. It is decidedly aquatic, almost "oceanic", but still very sweet and mild. It could be reminiscent of a water-logged breeze blowing in mild gusts over a sweetly-scented meadow by an ocean.
Once the fragrance gets to this stage it does not change; you can enjoy it on your skin for hours to come.
However, very few other people around the person wearing it will enjoy it, or even sense it, for that matter. Its flimsy sillage seems to be one of the most disappointing features of this fragrance. This makes it office-friendly, or perfect for an inoffensive late afternoon with friends. For an evening out it might lack "character". It does not appear to be intriguing enough to make a powerful first impression, or to complement the wearer's personality.
Does It Mean "Vanity"?
Indeed, vanitas is the Latin word from which the English term "vanity" is derived, but it means more than a simple wish to look good and to be admired; it also hints at the transient, ephemeral nature of beauty and of all things mundane. Vain, after all, means 'empty'.
From an advertiser's point of view, however, its greatest asset lies in the alliteration it forms with the designer's name. - VV. Repeated initials simply sound - and look - good.
In perfumery, as in any other creative field that caters to the five senses, there is little room for "objective" opinions. A person may adore a scent; another person may detest it. Both are right, neither is wrong. It is a matter of taste, and taste cannot be "wrong".
However, it would not be unfair to observe that, true to its name, Vanitas is likely to be found pleasing to the senses - and rather flimsy.
Helle Hermyan - The world is my home. You name it, I've been there. You name it, I've done it. Now, I want to share it.
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