Classic Lalique To The New Starck - All The L'Air Du Temps Bottles Since 1948.

It was announced a few days ago that the classic Nina Ricci perfume bottle for the L'Air du Temps fragrance spray has been redesigned by omnipresent designer Philippe Starck as a special limited edition.

This is not the first time the L'Air du Temps flacon has been redesigned. The original bottle design introduced in 1948, was made to emulate a sunburst and had a frosted glass insert in the top. Only 3 years later Robert Ricci had Rene Lalique of Lalique crystal design a bottle that has since become a classic. Numerous iterations of dove-topped bottles have appeared since then, culminating in the newest modern version by Philippe Starck.



Below are all the bottles produced for the fragrance, in chronological order.

The first L'air du Temps bottle, 1948:

In 1951 Lalique crystal created the now iconic bottle with the two frosted doves atop the swirled clear crystal flacon.

1951, Lalique bottle with 2 doves:

From 1951 to present, Lalique Crystal made numerous limited and special editions of the classic bottle which included variations on the number of doves, the color of the doves and the color of the bottle. The one anomaly? In 1996, Lalique made a winged version of the bottle that did not have the doves.

1955, single dove:

1991-1993, colored doves:

1996, winged bottle:

1998, globe bottle:

2004, gold bottle:

2005, amber bottle and doves:

2006, pearlized bottle:

2007, prestige bottles:

60th Anniversary bottle:

And most recently designer Philippe Starck has taken the symbolic two doves and abstracted them for the newest limited edition of the perfume and topped one of the wings with a silver cap.


The newest bottle called L'Air du Temps by Starck will be available as a 45ml spray launching in October 2010. This limited edition is reported to cost 69 EUR ($89).

Click the below image to enlarge:


About the perfume (from the Nina Ricci site):
L’air du temps - Nina Ricci Perfume


The icon fragrance from the Nina Ricci house was born in a creative and joyful spirit in 1948. The perfect harmony of an enchanting elixir, the symbol of femininity and eternal youth. the emblematic values of L'Air du Temps remain universal: Peace, Purity, Freedom and Love. L'Air du Temps is also the air that we breathe, the mood of the moment, the reflection of each era. L'Air du Temps… An unequalled moment of emotion.

Fragrance : Spicy Floral
This fresh and timeless fragrance is a unique combination of contrasts. The legendary accord of spicy carnation and gardenia is subtly tinged with rose and jasmine from Grasse and caressed with sandalwood and iris for even more sensuality. A fragrance of emotion, L’Air du Temps exudes a mysterious power of seduction. Its fragrance blends into the personality of each woman to bring out her sensual charm and refinement.

Buy L'Air du Temps products here

Nina Ricci
Philippe Starck
Lalique Crystal

Spray It, Don't Say it: Harajuku Lovers Cute New Bottles By Gwen Stefani

Harajuku (hara•joo•koo) n. 1. A style and attitude of Japanese girls from Harajuku, Tokyo. n. 2. Anything goes: outrageous, layered, and eye-catching.

Harajuku Lovers Fragrance: n. 1. A fatal attraction to cuteness.

Inspired by the electric street scene of the Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo, the Harajuku Lovers fragrance collection captures the lyrics and iconography from Gwen Stefani's albums. These unique fragrances, in their adorable doll-decanters, will appeal to anyone with a "fatal attraction to cuteness." But given the reviews of the actual scents, I suggest you buy them for the bottle only.



Clearly aimed at a younger crowd than Gwen's previous scent, the cute little bottles are selling out fast already.

Made by Coty,(probably why they don't smell like 'good' perfumes) they are as follows:


* Love is a floral with top notes of sparkling bergamot, pink pomelo, peach and bamboo leaf mist; a heart of watery peony, living hydroponic lace rose, jasmine sambac, nectarine blossom, creamy paperwhites and Egyptian jasmine, and a drydown of petally ylang, creamy vanilla orchid, sensual musk and blond wood.


* Lil' Angel is a fruity floral with notes of raspberry, cranberry, blackberry and pineapple; a heart of pear blossom, candied violet and sugared rose, and a drydown of lollipop accord, hinoki wood and crystal amber.


* Music has top notes of clementine and sparkling pear; a heart of jasmine sambac, sweet pea and honeysuckle, and a drydown of vanilla, skin musk and sleek woods.


* Baby, has top notes of freesia, bergamot and white rose; a heart of orange flower, tiare flower and jasmine petals, and a drydown of white musk, soft woods, heliotrope, vanilla and violet.


* G has top notes of crisp mandarin, fresh coconut and apple skin; a heart of jasmine sambac, soft freesia and magnolia vapor, and a drydown of coconut cream, white sandalwood and cottonwoods.

Gwen Stefani sure knows how to market trends and this latest collection of stylized hip asian perfume bottles with sweet little scents named Love, G, Music, Lil' Angel and Baby is yet another example. Now, a lot has been said about Gwen's obvious obsession with asian anime and iconography. Even mad TV did a funny little spoof:



But despite the fact that Gwen isn't Asian (has anyone told her?), she's making an awful lot of yen.

Buy them here, along with all the Harajuku items.