Diana Vreeland Parfums
Department store chain Neiman Marcus and New York retailer Bergdorf Goodman are strengthening their association to the fashion industry with an exclusive fragrance collection.
The collection was created to pay tribute to Diana Vreeland, who was the editor-in-chief of Vogue during the 1960s after her tenure as a columnist for Harper’s Bazaar, by her grandson Alexander Vreeland. The Diana Vreeland fragrance range will only be available at Neiman Marcus locations and Bergdorf Goodman to tout both retailer’s connections to high-fashion.
“Ms. Vreeland’s legacy stands on its own merits from what she did for style whether she was writing for Harper’s Bazaar or when she took the helm for Vogue during the ’60s which was a significantly progressive period for women’s fashion,” said Kimmie Smith, accessory expert and co-founder/creative director of Accessory2, New York.
“By being able to set her standards prior to having the influx of media that we do now, you can see her stylistic elements flow through to a range of publications due to her fashion eye,” she said.
“This collection ensures that her essence lives on with another sense that is important to style and beauty – scent.”
Ms. Smith is not affiliated with Neiman Marcus or Bergdorf Goodman, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Neiman Marcus, which owns Bergdorf Goodman, did not respond by press deadline.
Legacies
The Diana Vreeland range is being promoted on Neiman Marcus’ The Blog, but has yet to be shared socially by the retailer. Neiman Marcus’ blog post gives an overview of the fragrance collection and Ms. Vreeland’s career as well as a link to ecommerce.
In the post, the author, Laura Acosta, touches upon how Ms. Vreeland can be considered a blogger due to her modern ideas in her “Why Don’t You?” column in Harper’s Bazaar. By making this association Neiman Marcus is helping to modernize Ms. Vreeland’s work and style.
The post continues to outline how Mr. Vreeland’s wife Lisa Immordino Vreeland introduced the late Ms. Vreeland to a new generation of fashion-savvy consumers through her 2011 documentary, “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel.”
Diana Vreeland former editor in chief of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar columnist
Ms. Vreeland’s grandson is continuing this legacy through the introduction of the Diana Vreeland Parfums collection that will launch in Neiman Marcus stores and Bergdorf Goodman in New York sometime in August.
The collection of fragrances includes five different scents, all of which are named after notable utterances Ms. Vreeland often said in life and in her work, such as “perfectly marvelous.” This element of the collection will likely appeal to fans of Ms. Vreeland, but all the phrases are accessible.
Each glass bottle with a tassel around its neck is styled in an Art Deco fashion to represent different aspects of her personality and includes her initals in her handwriting on the cap. Just like her personality, Perfectly Marvelous is “strong, uplifting and empowering,” developed by pefumer Celine Barel, and is jasmin-based with notes of red sandalwood pimento.
Diana Vreeland Parfum collection
Additional scents include Simple Divine with hints of tuberose, Absolutely Vital with a base of sandalwood and Turkish rose, the amber, vanilla bourbon and musk scented Extravagance Russe and the fruity Outrageously Vibrant with rose, patchouli and creme de cassis. These fragrances were created by perfumers Carlos Benaim, Yves Cassar and Clement Gavarry.
The exclusive fragrances, currently available for pre-order from Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman online, range in price from $185 to $250. According to Neiman Marcus’ The Blog, Mr. Vreeland plans to extend the range in 2015.
“Bergdorf is a beacon for brands that are truly statement labels,” Ms. Smith said. “It is a carefully crafted duration and one that carries a lot of weight when it is offered within this boutique.
“Much like Ms. Vreeland’s discerning eye to detail and making a statement, this retailer does this with its assortment and the way that it flows from one product to the next,” she said.
Scented stories
Like many fragrance campaigns, storytelling is at the heart of this collection. Mr. Vreeland was inspired by the stories told by his grandmother throughout her life and career and worked to capture the essence of her life through fragrance.
Marketers often craft narratives to surround fragrances for consumers to better understand the scent’s inspiration.
For instance, Italian fashion label Dolce & Gabbana wove a love story between a farmhand and an aristocrat for its new Dolce perfume.
The full two-minute version of “Dolce” the film was released following three trailers showing clips of the social video. By consistently teasing the video, Dolce & Gabbana likely stayed on consumers’ minds and created interest for the release of the full social video (see story).
A narrative link between a celebrity and a fragrance is also used by marketers.
For example, French fashion house Chanel invitied consumers to learn the intimate history of its N°5 fragrance through a video featuring Marilyn Monroe that is the second chapter of its Inside Chanel videos. Ms. Monroe famously said that she only wears Chanel’s N°5 to bed (see story).
Notable figures in popular culture can drive awareness for a product, especially in an atmosphere ripe with standout fashion icons.
“There are iconic names, such as Edith Head, in fashion that those who follow it, work within it or are just enticed by them know the luminaries that were involved in its continuing evolution,” Ms. Smith said.
“Ms. Vreeland’s signature within and on the space, secures her place as well as her legacy,” she said. “The fragrance is an extension of this and will be something that people will want to have within their collections and is a great exclusive for Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.”
Final Take
Jen King, lead reporter on Luxury Daily, New York