MadisonAvenue

Tired of the same old scent? Interested in wearing a fragrance that has been personalized and created just for you?

Customized scents are a growing trend in the fragrance industry. While it is a cottage industry that has been around for a long time, more companies than perhaps ever before are now offering custom-ordered, personalized fragrances, including Scent Design, Esens, Neil Morris Fragrances and Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle.

So how do you navigate the process of finding your own personalized fragrance? To find out these answers, Luxist consulted with Frédéric Malle, world renowned artisan perfumer and founder of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a Paris-based fragrance company.

Malle advises clients first to be prepared to dig deep into their imagination. Indeed, an artisan perfumer will ask you many questions to find out about your personality and desires.

Editions de Parfums handles each of its clients with extreme care. They take time and careful precision to ask the right questions of each client so that they can match them with a fragrance that will suit all of their needs.

Edition de Parfums is able to match the perfect fragrance for each client by having them first complete an in-depth questionnaire personally created by Malle. The questionnaire gives potential consumers the ease to tap into their imagination as they answer each question. The first question it asks clients to answer is "Do you have any particular desire at the moment?" Other questions include, "Why do you wear perfume?" (To seduce, refresh, add a final touch, etc.); "Is the perfume for yourself, or another or for all others?"; and "Which perfumes have most marked you?". The questionnaire inquires about the style of clothing a client will wear (formal attire, evening dress, city wear, sport, country, etc.) with the perfume and about his or her favorite clothing brands. Edition de Parfums also considers the weather and climate of where the client lives. The questionnaire can be filled out in Edition de Parfums stores or conveniently on line.

"Filling out the questionnaire on line is very similar to the experience that you would have when you walk in the store," says Malle. "It's almost better. Sometimes people want to fantasize about themselves and introduce themselves in the best way. For example when we ask 'what designers you wear?' on our website there are more people who wear Prada then Zara. People either answer the questions honestly or they may give an idealized version of themselves. It's fine to introduce yourself on the website in a slightly improved way other than reality because it gives us the style that you like best, not whether you can afford the style you like best."

"If you tell me that you want to buy a fragrance because you do a lot of running and after going to the gym and you need to feel refreshed before going into the office I won't point you towards the same fragrance as someone who tells me 'listen.... I just changed boyfriends and we go out every night and I want to be as attractive as possible after 9:00 pm...' It's a different deal," Malle adds.

The art of perfume is a science and artisan perfumers are experienced chemists who understand the complexities of chemical compounds. For a perfumer to create one single fragrance it can take upwards to one year to develop and perfect. This is not an easy or simple process. Before seeking out a fragrance that is specific to your needs, first find a perfume publisher with accreditation and experience (such as Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle). An experienced perfumer will compile information to "match your personality" with a fragrance that will be selected especially for you.

Malle, for example, has been a "perfume publisher" for more than 23 years. He was born into the world of perfume and is the grandson of Serge Heftler, founder of Dior Perfumes. In 1986 he joined the prestigious perfume laboratories of Roure Bertrand Dupont. There, he formed the foundation to cultivate his craft and befriended some of the world's most renowned noses thereby setting the stage for his future role as a creator of Edition de Parfums. Malle approached the best perfumers in the business who agreed to put their names one what eventually became some of their finest creations. Edition de Parfums was conceived in 2000.

Malle explained the inner workings of his company. "We have 18 different fragrances, all of which are very different from one another," he says. "There are so many options that could fit different personalities. This company works on two levels. One level we have the best fragrance creators who come up with very specific works of art. The second is at our stores or on our website where we do "match-making". We try to match the right person to the right fragrances within the collection."

The likelihood of walking into an accredited and experienced perfumery to make an inquiry about creating a personalized fragrance is close to zero. The process of creating a fragrance is so intricate and time consuming that most genuine perfumers do not offer this service. Edition de Parfums is one of the few perfumeries that takes the time to consult with each and every client to provide them with a fragrance that is customized to fit every facet of their individuality.

"It takes a year to get a fragrance right," says Malle. "So I don't see how it is possible for a sales person in any store could make a good fragrance in ten minutes. It is just impossible. It is a very long and tedious process and anyone that says otherwise would be lying."

Edition de Parfums fragrances can be purchased online or at one of its boutiques around the world. Fragrances range in price (depending on the scent) from 80 EUR ($108) to 130 EUR ($175) for a 50 ml perfume spray and 115 EUR ($155) to 200 EUR ($269) for a 100 ml spray. Soaps, shower gels and body lotions are also available for purchase. Edition de Parfums boutiques are located in Paris and New York.

Hermès has opened its first men's store entirely dedicated to men's ready-to-wear, accessories and art of living. Called Hermès Man, the boutique is located at 690 Madison Avenue in New York at East 62nd Street and stands directly across the street from the U.S. flagship store.

"We felt there was a tremendous opportunity to really showcase all these wonderful products for men that Hermès makes," said Robert Chavez, President and CEO of Hermès USA during an exclusive interview with Luxist. "These products tended to be overshadowed or almost hidden among the other categories across the street. This store will raise the awareness level of our current and potential male clients in this market who might not have realized before that Hermès had all of these products, from our enamel cuff links to the made-to-measure program."

Despite the tough times affecting other retailers, Paris-based Hermès International is a company that performs better than its competition because its customer base includes the super-affluent, many of who have proven to be recession-proof. Indeed, the company recently reported an 8.5% rise in 2009 revenue (11% on an organic basis) attributed to an end-of-the-year increase in sales of its iconic Birkin and Kelly bags. Sales increased by a robust 20% in the Americas, compared to 12% for Asia and 9% in Europe. Revenue for the year rose to EUR1.91 billion from EUR1.76 billion a year ago, outperforming the company's previous target of flat sales. "This is among the best performances posted in the sector," says J.P. Morgan in a research report published this month.

According to Chavez, the Hermès customer is less affected by the recession than the general population, but they are more discerning. "They are not free-spending," he says. "When they do make a purchase, they want something that is more versatile, that will last and endure. Our clients want something that will last them for a long time."


For this discerning customer, the store features an array of merchandise made specifically for the new Hermes boutique. Exclusive items include a selection of silk ties---one with the Statue of Liberty next to the Eiffel Tower on the front---while another has an apple motif and comes in four different colors. On the reverse of the ties, "Hermès Homme" appears, which is a signature for the new line.

Another signature product that is exclusive for the Hermès Man boutique is a handcrafted leather baseball glove, which retails for $8,500. "The baseball glove is a new product," says Chavez. "It has never been made before by Hermes. We thought if we are opening our very first Hermès boutique for men in the world and it is going happen in the United States and in New York City, then we need to make to make a baseball glove. When you think about it---with the leather and the stitching, it is a natural fit for us. When we first saw the glove, we were all taken aback by how beautiful it is. And as fate would have it, as we knew this date was approaching, the New York Yankees won the World Series."

If you've ever seen celebrities on the red carpet at one of the major awards shows you've probably seen Fred Leighton jewels. The estate jeweler routinely outfits many top stars with glittering jewelry for special occasions. It's been a tough year for the jeweler, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2008 but now rescue comes from diamond jewelry brand Kwiat. National Jeweler reports that Kwiat Enterprises, LLC and two other partners have purchased the assets of Fred Leighton in a $25.8 million deal.

Kwiat will take over the Fred Leighton business, including its boutiques in New York City and Las Vegas, continuing to run them under the Fred Leighton name. Kwiat's other partners are Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC--partnering as FL Acquisitions LLC and FOF Inventory Holding, which consists of four estate and jewelry dealers including Windsor Jewelers, Robert Sadian and Mark Emanuel of European Arts and Antiques, Sima Ghadamian of Sima G. Ltd., and Moonbeam Consulting, whose principal is the company's original founder Fred Leighton.

Greg Kwiat, who will be chief executive officer of Fred Leighton, told National Jeweler that he see Fred Leighton as a "very complementary acquisition for Kwiat." After all both brands court the favor of Hollywood stars and both have retail stores on Madison Avenue in New York City and in Las Vegas. Kwiat hopes to boost Fred Leighton's retail presence and its wholesale presence in fine department stores and independent jewelers.

Jewelry collector and Fred Leighton owner Ralph Esmerian who filed the bankruptcy petition, bought Fred Leighton for $100 million in 2006 using a $178 million loan from Merrill Lynch and Co. Last year he planned a Christie's auction to recoup some of the brand's outstanding debt claims. Esmerian relinquished control of the company to a restructuring officer in January 2009 and earlier this month a bankruptcy judge signed an order that authorized the sale to Kwiat and the other two companies of Fred Leighton's assets, free and clear of all liens, claims, interests and encumbrances. The company's main creditor, Merrill Lynch will be the first beneficiary of the proceeds of the sale. In a press release issued by the company, Fred Leighton himself expressed enthusiasm that the Fred Leighton Madison Avenue store will continue to remain a New York landmark and that the brand "will continue to be the preeminent antique jeweler in the world."

Stationer Mrs. John L. Strong, one of the world's leading boutique luxury brands whose customers included Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, is shutting down after 80 years. The company has decided to close its Madison Avenue atelier, its boutiques, web site, catalog, wholesale and corporate businesses due to the recession, the Times reports.

Nannette Brown, the company's chief executive and creative director, said that an inability "to finance the business's expansion plans combined with a challenging retail and economic environment, left the company with no alternative but to close." Efforts to sell the company also failed. "This is a sad day for Mrs. John L. Strong," Brown said in a statement, "and a sad day for luxury as the world has become increasingly bereft of unique, hand-finished products." Indeed.

A restaurant on New York's Madison Avenue has filed for bankruptcy. Frederick's Madison restaurant, which serves French fare, filed for Chapter 11 in order to avoid eviction. Crains New York reports that the restaurant has been unable to pay its rent for the past four months and owes its landlord $261,187 as well as owing more than $145,000 in unpaid taxes to New York state and carrying thousands in outstanding debt with vendors.

The owner, Frederick Lesort, who also runs Opia and Frederick's Downtown believes that he can turn this business around in six months and emerge from Chapter 11. He has reduced menu prices by thirty percent (steak au poivre will cost you $36 according to a dinner menu on their website. Also a competing restaurant in the neighborhood, La Goulue, is set to close in June so Lesort feels he has a clearer shot at keeping Frederick's Madison alive.

Times may be tough but that isn't stopping luxury brands from expanding their stores in New York City especially at the popular addresses of Fifth and Madison Avenues. The International Herald Tribune reports that on Fifth several new stores will be opening soon including a new flagship for Tommy Hilfiger, Giorgio Armani 40,000-square-foot palace of neutral-toned elegance at 56th Street, and Abercrombie & Fitch taking 25,000 square feet of the Brooks Brothers location at 53rd Street. On Madison, Calvin Klein has expanded and Hermes is opening a new men's store near its existing location.

Why the push on space when the economy in New York is sluggish? For luxury stores having a big store is an important part of their branding, a chance to translate the message of the label into a physical space. Having a large store with a small amount of merchandise highlighted in the store has long been the luxury model whereas stores that sell things with a lower price point often stuff the shelves and racks with merchandise. The IHT article quotes achitect Kenneth Walker, a retail design and branding expert, who says that the empty space subliminally sends a message that the store is luxurious and also the implied scarcity may increase the desire for a product. Brands also seek space on Fifth Avenue because the address alone implies luxury and even when people are shopping less a good location is seen as a long-term investment. The economy may rise and fall but the reputation of New York's famous shopping blocks remains strong for now.

This week Kwiat brought some more sparkle to Madison Avenue with the opening of their 1,000-square-foot boutique at 725 Madison near other high-end diamond jewelry brands including Graff and Leviev. The flagship store celebrated their grand opening with a party hosted by Jennifer Hudson who tried on Kwiat designs for the press. Actress Eva Amurri and editors from various consumer fashion magazines were also in attendance. The company is dipping their toes into the retail business and is looking at shopping spots known for big spenders such as Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Russia.

Ralph Lauren's flagship store on Madison Avenue (pictured above), aka the Polo Mansion, is probably the most luxurious retail outlet in the world. Not surprisingly, it made Naomi Leff, the interior decorator who created it out of a gutted shell, into a household word in design circles. The Monacelli Press presents a long-overdue compendium of her work in the alluring new book Naomi Leff: Interior Design. "To me it's the most beautiful store in the world," Lauren said upon the Mansion's completion in 1987, "the details, the world it creates, the textures. It's a store that has an emotional impact. I've watched so many people come into it and be dazzled when they enter." Leff went on to design several more stores for Lauren and stunning spaces for Giorgio Armani and private clients as well. See more of her work in the gallery.

French luxury powerhouse Hermes will open a men's-only store, the first of its kind in the world, across from its Madison Avenue flagship in NYC this fall. The 6,000-sq.-ft. space, designed by Rena Dumas of the architectural firm RDAI in Paris, will carry the brand's entire range of men's leather goods, watches, clothing, sportswear and accessories, and will have a full floor devoted to custom and made-to-measure merchandise, DNR reports. As my colleague Deidre Woollard related earlier this month, Hermes recently announced that first-quarter sales increased 13.4 percent to 415.1 million euros, or approx. $621.7 million. Sales in the Americas were up 23 percent. Men's merchandise accounts for 45 percent of the luxury brand's total sales, DNR notes. Last June, the company opened a 5,000-square-foot shop in New York's financial district with an emphasis on menswear, catering to the Wall St. crowd.