Le Parfum (1996)
by Viktor & Rolf

I always thought that Helmut Lang's unbelievably expensive "non-scent" Velviona (a $300, limited release fragrance with a single synthetic musk that was barely perceptible on the skin) was the oddest conceptual art/fragrance creation ever done.

Then I saw the V&R and realized that they had topped Helmut.

Neat idea, but something that should have stayed on the drawing board. It's hardly one that can be reviewed here, as it can't be worn. It's more a piece of sculpture or conceptual art that fits into V&R's aesthetic of quirky, classic femininity... something like a postmodern French take on Comme des Garcons (which itself took a lot from French couture). I think V&R would get the appeal of being a copy of a copy of a copy... which in many ways is sort of what this "parfum" seems to be.

25th November, 2007.