In the 90s, Sophie Marceau was the face of a floral and fruity perfume that you undoubtedly know.
We are in 1996, and Sophie Marceau is at the top of her art in France as in the United States. After the success of the movies La Boum, the young actress no longer stops: we see her in the student, fanfan, joyful Easter or even descent into hell, to name a few. Admired and requested in the world of beauty and fashion, it quickly becomes a celebrity that we want to identify, an icon.
During this period, she was muse of a perfume created by a large French house. Does that mean anything to you? Yes, at the time Sophie Marceau embodied Champs-Elysées de Guerlain. An actress with this French chic chosen to be the face of a resolutely French juice, that falls under the meaning. She also runs in the advertising spot of this fragrance, where she appears in a magnificent black dressing pants, runs away from a car after a romantic argument and runs along the most beautiful avenue in the world. From the ultra chic bottle to this little film, passing by the smell, everything is designed to represent France in the most luxurious.
And Champs-Elysées has a very special story since it is the first perfume that was not developed by Jean-Paul Guerlain alone. Indeed, in a desire to renew themselves and go towards more flowery scents (which is not in the codes of the house at the time), he leaves to seek Olivier Cresp to whom we owe Black Opium of Saint Laurent and Angel de Mugler, and Sylvaine Delacourte, future big nose of Guerlain. The adventure is launched! Together, they decide to explore a note that is still not very widespread in perfumery at the time: Mimosa. The creators then accompanied him with pink petals to bring out the powder side of the Mimosa. There are also notes of buddleia, blackcurrant, vanilla, and sandalwood. The result is attractive, fruity and floral, and evokes the warmth of a spring sun.
Over the years, the formula has been slightly changed. But above all, the original bottle is removed in favor of the famous reverse heart bottle created by Georges Chevalier and symbol today of many Guerlain creations. Champs-Elysées is still available for sale in major brands. Some copies of the original version are also available on sites such as Ebay.
