Alexander Mcqueen Launches First Fragrance

Here's something weird. Alexander McQueen is one of the only luxury fashion houses not to have a fragrance. Happily, that's being remedied today. Launching exclusively at Saks are McQueen Parfum ($395, saksfifthavenue.com) and McQueen Eau de Parfum($115 to $165, saksfifthavenue.com), two blends that artistic director Sarah Burton feels capture the brand's commitment to originality in an age of conformity.

And what's actually in the bottle backs it up. As a nod to traditional fragrance composition, the formulas include sambac jasmine, tuberose and ylang ylang. Burton also notes that those three florals are white nocturnal bloomers that, "make up for their lack of colour [with a scent that's] most powerful at night to attract their pollinator." Pink pepper and vetiver distilled via CO2 extraction provide a tip of the hat to progress and modernity. The overall effect is at once romantic, charming and distinctive, while still feeling wearable and grounded.

The package is as carefully considered as you'd expect: In the parfum, a heavy black glass bottle is crowned with a wreath of gold feathers. (If McQueen represents anything, it's never doing less.) The substantial glass flacon of the eau de parfum is filled with a pale pink liquor. "People forget that flowers become newly modern every day," says Burton. "Here at McQueen, we are all about discoveries and the eternal blossom; originality in an atmosphere of tradition, craft, and daring."

From: Harper's BAZAAR US