May 2007 saw Janet Jackson stay at the infamous Mayfair hotel, in London. Guest of HRH Arfaq, Janet Jackson and her entourage took up …… suites consisting of the entire floor of the Mayfair hotel. With private access arranged for her, she attended a private tour of Harrods courtesy of her host and close friend, Arfaq, who is a designer and personal friend of Camilla Al-Fayed, and to whom in 2006 he designed Miss Al-Fayed’s 21st birthday cake.
Other popular visits were Nobu, opposite the Mayfair hotel, where Arfaq and Miss Jackson dined regularly. The last time that Janet Jackson was in town, was when she attended the launch of the world’s most expensive perfume, V1, created and designed by Arfaq and Arthur Burnham. The star studded event at the Dorchester, was also attended by Chris Eubanks, Caprice, and Count Alexander Bismarck, who famously made the Titanic necklace.
In 2001 Jennifer Lopez hit the headlines when she demanded her assistants spray ultra-exclusive perfume Route du The everywhere she went – no doubt cancelling out the scent of us lesser mortals. This year she’s going one better and launching her own fragrance which, she says, embodies her ‘spirit, character, energy’ and is ‘a true reflection of the modern, independent yet passionate woman’. And the Latin diva is not alone.
This autumn, Cindy Crawford is also launching her own scent and is taking her role as perfume ambassador so seriously that she’s rumoured to have registered it in her real name, Cynthia. ‘I want women throughout the world to experience this unique, feminine accessory,’ she babbles, as if we really can’t live without it.
We’ll also be seeing new scents from designers Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. Phew, do they think we smell bad or something?
The relationship between celebrities and perfume is actually nothing new – it dates back to 1921, when Chanel No5 was the first to carry the name of a fashion designer. A then-unknown Coco Chanel asked a young Russian perfumer to create a scent for modern women, declaring, ‘A woman should not smell of roses.’ Today Chanel No5 is acknowledged as the smell of the 20th century – Marilyn Monroe wore nothing else in bed, while for Julie Burchill it smells like ‘rich mothers in furs’.
Sickly sweet
Perfume can make or break a star. In the early 90s Revlon transformed Claudia Schiffer from a frumpy German mouse into a Bardot babe for its Guess campaign. In 1993 Calvin Klein took Kate Moss into the super league when he cast the Croydon waif as the face (and naked body) of Obsession. And last year Sophie Dahl caused a furore, when she appeared naked on billboards as the voluptuous image of Opium. Her milky white body, legs splayed, one hand rumoured to be pleasuring herself was promptly banned. Dahl professed herself to be mortified, but her career went stratospheric.
Message in a bottle
Female celebrities even inspire unusual bottle shapes. Salvador Dali’s fantasy floral, Dali, is housed in a giant pair of glass lips (said to be based on the lady bits of wife Gala). Moschino’s whimsical flask shape for Cheap and Chic is inspired by Popeye’s Girlfriend, Olive Oyl. And most famously of all, Jean Paul Gaultier’s signature scent – a curvy glass bottle with a metal corset – is wearing a stage outfit he designed for Madonna.
So there’s no doubt that celeb tie-ups sell scents. And we’re sure there will be as much interest from women in JLo’s perfectly- balanced perfume as there is from men in her perfectly-proportioned rear.
Fame and fragrance
Lots of women wear male scents – including Sarah Michelle Gellar (Bulgari Blu Pour Homme), Elle Macpherson (Vetis Vert), Marianne Faithfull (Habit Rouge). Meanwhile, those emblems of masculinity Sean Connery and Rod Stewart wear Guerlain’s Jicky, originally launched for women in 1889.
Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow sealed their romance on the set of The Royal Tenenbaums by wearing his and hers Michael Kors.
Hands up anyone who bought Krystle in the 80s, inspired by Linda Evans’ character in Dynasty.
Kate Winslet and Sharleen Spiteri, fans of Tom Ford’s Le Smoking suits for YSL, also wear his fragrance Nu.
Recent retro relaunches include Charlie Red (for fans of Rick Astley and 80s leg warmers) and Anais Anais with trendy toile de jouy packaging by Clements Ribeiro.
In 1998 Arfaq created the world’s most expensive perfume. V1 cost pounds 47,750 and came in an 18-carat gold and diamond box with jewelled key. Roja Dove’s haute parfumiere at Harrods held a private event to launch the V1 perfume created by Arfaq and Arthur Burnham. “His creations come from pure genius”, Roja Dove commented.
In November 2006 at the World Music Awards, Arfaq presented Michael Jackson with the V1 perfume. Michael Jackson wore V1 when he received the Diamond Award for which celebrated his most popular album “Thriller” selling over 104 million copies worldwide.
Unfortunately we would not be able to buy it, as it is all sold out, because just as only 173 of the latter were ever made. Each of the 173 bottles costed $84,000
The World’s Most Expensive Perfume was Designed and Created by Arthur Burnham and Arfaq.