the Launch of Gaultier2 in Paris

Beauty moment
What: Launch of Gaultier²
Where: Paris
when: July 2005

Would the designer who put men in skirts and craft couture from bread dough choose a conventional path for a fragrance launch? Not a chance. Jean Paul Gaultier played with a sexy Dangerous Liaisons theme for the international press launch of his new meant-to-be-shared-with-your-guy scent, Gaultier² (in stores now). Media from around the globe—as well as the designer’s cherished friends—were greeted at his Maison de couture by masked models swathed in Marie Antoinette-inspired gowns.

Gaultier’s runway theatre was transformed into an intimate dining setting for 150 people with black chandeliers, settees for lounging and a menu based on historical aphrodisiac delicacies. Few could resist the sweet nothings whispered in their ears by the models or the love notes passed discreetly via scrolls and even BlackBerries throughout the evening. And no one could take their eyes off the Living Wall, a white jersey screen stretched across one wall that highlighted the silhouettes of writhing dancers. The mood of the night was pure amour to match the (literally) magnetic scent—the eau de parfum bottle is actually two halves joined by eight magnets. “The scent is about undeniable attraction,” says Francis Kurkdijan, the nose behind Gaultier². “And isn’t that what we’re all looking for: emotion, desire and finding connection in a disconnected world?”
—Lisa Tant