as a trendsetter. "It uses fruity
notes in abundance for the first
time. It breaks out of the tra-
ditional men's scent molds," she
said.
Soren Larson says the Lan-
caster Group USA, manufac-
turer of the best-seller, Davidoff
Cool Water, claims "it's the first
men's fragrance with white flo-
ral notes."
Likewise, New York pub-
lisher John Ledes mentions
Cool Water, saying it's "an un-
usual scent, a real departure."
But, he adds, "none of the men's
scents go off the deep end except
for the marketing."
The outdoors and sports are
the main images men's fra-
grance manufacturers aim to
convey, says Mr. Julian of the
Men's Fashion Association. It's
even better if the two images
can be combined.
"Each fragrance tries to find
its niche," he said. "For instance,
the Nautica fragrance capital-
izes on boating. The bottle is
shaped like a wave, ifs colored
blue, and the ads play up the
boating image."
Seeking Success
Launching a scent isn't
cheap. Elizabeth Taylor's White
Diamonds cost the Elizabeth
Arden Co. $7.5 million to
launch. Women's Wear Daily
puts Halston Borghese's launch
budget for Halston for Men at
$10 million. Even more money
was spent on Estee Lauder's
Spellbound and Calvin Klein's
Escape, each of which had a $25
million advertising campaign
alone, Time magazine reported.
Manufacturers are willing to
spend the money because new
fragrances tend to have a big
initial surge before dropping off
in sales, says Soren Larson. At
that point, their interest flags
and a new crop of scents is de-
veloped for the coming season.
A lucky few do become clas-
sics, but even these are sup-
Perfume Hall Of Fame
These are the classics — the fragrances that have managed
to become perennial top sellers for the past 15 or more years,
according to The Fragrance Foundation. Considering that nowa-
days a fragrance is "new" for two years, that's quite a feat.
For women: Chanel No. 5, Shalimar, L'Air du Temps, Oscar
de la Renta, Opium.
For men: Aramis, Old Spice, Canoe, Ralph Lauren's Polo,
Drakkar Noir, Paco Rabbane Pour Homme.
ported by extensive, continual
advertising campaigns, Mr.
Larson noted.
However, costly campaigns
don't guarantee success. Vogue
magazine gossiped that some
$60 million was spent in six
months to launch Christian
Lacroix's C'est la Vie!, but it
flopped anyhow because of a
poorly designed bottle.
Peg Smith, chairwoman of
the cosmeticifi-agrance market-
Detroit's Best Sellers
Most consultants for the fragrance in-
dustry say there are regional differences
in fragrance preferences, and these differ-
ences are an important factor in fragrance
sales. There are even differences in the lo-
cal stores.
In a cross section of area stores. Here are
some of the best selling fragrances for
women.
Hudson's: The leading perfume is Eliz-
abeth Taylor's White Diamonds Jewel Col-
lection, which is available in three scents.
The three scents are diamonds and rubies,
diamonds and emeralds and diamonds and
sapphires. Other top sellers are Vivid by Liz
Claiborne and Tuscany by Donna.
Jacobson's: The top three selling fra-
grances at Jacobson's are Gio by Giorgio Ar-
mani, Valentio Vendetta and DNA by Bijan.
Levin's Beauty Supply
in West Bloomfield: "Any-
thing that's new is a best sell-
er," said Jeff Zeldes of
Levin's. Mr. Zeldes names
Dune by Christian Dior and
Dolce & Gabbana. He also
mentions the classics like
Shalimar, L'air du temps and
Chanel No. 5.
Neiman Marcus in the Som-
erset Collection, Troy: Popular
fragrances at Neiman Marcus
are the exclusive Angel by Thier-
1111111111,
ry Mugler, Quelque Fleurs and Lalique.
Perfumania in Twelve Oaks, Novi: Top sell-
ers at Perfumania are Phantom of the Opera,
Anne Klein and Bucheron.
Saks Fifth Avenue in the Somerest Collec-
tion, Troy: According to cosmetic manager Mary
Lou Simpson, Saks has an exclusive fragrance
by designer Issey Miyake called L'eau d'issey
that is selling very well. Another leading fra-
grance at Saks is Annick Goutal. Ms. Simpson
mentions that Saks carries a full fragrance bou-
tique line by Goutal. She also notes a brand new
fragrance, Senso, by Emmanuel Ungaro.
Special Cecilles in the Tel-12 Mall, South-
field: The Escada gift lotion and cologne set and
Dune are favorites at Cecilles. Since they have
received many requests for Vanillafield and
Venezzia, they have ordered these fragrances
for the holidays.
ing department of New York's
Fashion Institute of Technolo-
gy, lists the factors that deter-
mine success or failure: "the
fragrance itself, the packaging,
and where it's launched."
While you can find the cur-
rent fragrance trends at every
price point, the packaging is dif-
ferent in the prestige and the
mass markets. In the prestige
market, bottle and box design
are crucial, she contends. Mass-
market customers are influ-
enced more by display and price
than by packaging.
According to Joseph Palaz-
zola, past president of the Cos-
metic Industry Buyers and
Suppliers Association and pres-
ident of a New York fragrance
packaging company, the over-
packaging of the 1980s —
"putting a half-ounce bottle in
a one-ounce box" — is gone,
done in by environmental
awareness.
Still, "you need something to
catch the consumer's eye, some-
thing that will get them into the
store and over to your display,"
he said. In his view, outstand-
ing examples are Minotaure by
Paloma Picasso ("the bottles
look like antiques"), Liz Clai-
borne's Vivid ("beautiful pack-
aging, really sharp") and Estee
Lauder's Origins ("environ-
mentally correct, everything is
pure and simple").
As in the past, most of this
fall's launches are intended for
the prestige market. But man-
ufacturers are showing a new-
ly heightened interest in the
mass market with the result
that there are many more choic-
es than before.
While there's been some over-
lapping of "doors" (where a
product is sold), for the most
part the prestige and the mass
products are sold in different
outlets. Said Peg Smith: "You're
not going to find Hermes per-
fume in Kmart." ❑