Have you noticed there’s been something different in the air? Besides our Saints having a fabulous season, there’s an exuberant new fragrance that has been both created for and named after New Orleans! Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans and Perfumer Laurice Rahmé – the woman behind the elite Bond No. 9 perfume house – have channeled all things New Orleans into this scent, which aims to evoke the perfect expression of our beloved city.
With the exception of one other, all of Bond No. 9’s fragrances have been named for New York neighborhoods, so it’s truly a unique honor to have her create a fragrance to celebrate our special city.
But why pick New Orleans? Rahmé fell in love with New Orleans years ago not only because it reminded her of her hometown of Paris, but also because she adored the spirit of New Orleans – our renewed spirit. In fact, the creation of Bond No. 9 fragrances was born from the September 11th tragedies. Having worked in the beauty industry, Rahmé wanted to use her background to create fragrances that celebrated New York neighborhoods “and make them smell good again.” Fast forward to her visit to Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans in 2008. During the event, everyone kept telling her, “You should make a fragrance for New Orleans and put a fleur-de-lis on the bottle!”
“How could I resist?” she says. “New Orleans and New Yorkers, we have that hurt and resilience in common.
I had to do this.”
I asked her what she learned about New Orleans during the year it took to create this fragrance and how that knowledge translated into the fragrance. Rahmé was quick to answer, “New Orleans is full of life; it has a character that is so unique that it has a personality that cannot be forgotten. When designing the fragrance I looked to those fragrant notes that suggested strength, spirit and character, but I too wanted to evoke the festive, sexy and playful soul of New Orleans. I wanted something just a bit over the top, just like the city.”
Bond No. 9 “New Orleans” comes in a beautiful Swarovski crystal-detailed “superstar” bottle and has a rich oriental scent with base notes of sandalwood and cinnamon with top notes of tuberose, jasmine, violet leaf, vanilla and cassis.
Exclusively at Saks, this scent wraps it arms around the essence of New Orleans: elegant, dynamic, sensual, decadent and diverse. Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans fragrance, like the city, captures the “spices of life” and leaves an indelible impression on anyone who experiences it.
Lovely when others get us, no?
Go Saints and Happy New Year New Orleans!
