The Fashion of Fragrance

Signature fragrances have increasingly become compulsory to any designer’s oeuvre , but Adrienne Vittadini admonishes that “developing a scent was always in the back of my mind,” ever since she and her husband, Gianluigi, began their clothing business in 1979.

Vittadini charmed fans last week who lined up in the cosmetics department at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza for the launch of her premiere fragrance AV. As customers greeted her with bottles of AV that they wanted her to autograph, they were handed single sprigs of orchids in return.

Like her sophisticated, contemporary clothes that ease from season to season, Vittadini said she wanted to create a scent that was “a modern classic.”

With the guidance of perfumer Givaudan Roure, Vittadini has created a floral scent that is light. Bergamot, Lemon Italian, Rose de Mai, yellow freesia and cyclamen harmonize with warmer hints of ylang-ylang, white jasmine, geranium bourbon and other accords. Sandalwood and oak moss, she said, add a sexiness to it. It took two years to finalize a formula.

“When it comes to fragrance, there’s a whole different vocabulary and way things are done,” Vittadini said. She recalled getting headaches from sniffing many different scents until she was satisfied.

Vittadini said she strived to create a fragrance that would flavor the total lifestyle. Before AV became her obvious favorite, she alternated between Lady Hermes, Guerlain’s Le Blue and even her husband’s Kuros.

“A modern woman doesn’t have the time to change through the day--especially a scent,” she noted. “She wants beautiful things, but she needs them to be practical, too.”