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Swanky new scent
Gulf News reporter I-Cheng Chan joins more than 300 of the world's journalists in Paris for the official unveiling of Guerlain's new scent.
- By I-Cheng Chan, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 14, 2006
There is a buzz of anticipation as we make our way, single file, along narrow Parisian streets to the secret location of the Guerlain gala.
Guests, immaculately dressed in their best heels, navigate uneven paving slabs as rain begins to fall in defiance of carefully coiffeured hair.
In the nick of time we are ushered into the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts for the event some have flown halfway around the world to witness.
Greeted with bubbly and innovative hors d'oeuvres, we chatter in high spirits and speculate about the new perfume Hollywood actress Hilary Swank has agreed to endorse.
Giant screens
The gala dinner takes place in a large covered courtyard as dark as night but for crystal ball chandeliers and illuminated buckets of roses and statues.
Two giant screens at either end cast a cosy glow over 42 gleaming chrome-plated tables, each with matching plates and its own silver dome centrepiece.
More than 300 media representatives take their designer plastic seats for the show to begin? and what a show it is.
Thundering music reverberates around the room as the screen comes to life flashing words to describe the mystery perfume. "Energy. Radiance. Femininity. Sensuality."
Suddenly, in the centre of our table, an inner sphere within the translucent silver dome lights up.
Just like waiters revealing the piece de resistance, each dome is removed simultaneously exposing glass bottles of the new fragrance lit from beneath.
And its name, (so incredulous, I had to double-check) ? Insolence.
Nude and all
But before we have a moment to ponder on the logic of using a negative word for something designed to allure, Hilary Swank is on our screens as we have never seen her before.
The double Oscar winner is nude and writhing with wind gently blowing through her hair as her modesty is barely protected by shafts of light against a black background.
Sexy, self assured and knowing, her unfaltering gaze holds a glint of mischief as she turns away almost tempting us to follow her into the abyss of Insolence.
Applause
As the daring advert concludes, the screens divide to reveal the actress - fully clothed - and the audience roars with applause.
Wearing a classic black dress with her long tresses tied back, the 31-year-old is positively demure.
She says she was honoured when Guerlain approached her to become its new muse.
"The company has such a great heritage and, as I did my research, I realised how they believe in women and how they have evolved with women in mind. I am someone who believes in following your dream and I think they honour that."
The word
Speaking of the name given to the new fragrance, Swank says: "Today's woman is very independent and allowed to follow her heart and her dreams. I think that word (insolence) defines rooting for that and believing in yourself."
And her views on the raunchy ad campaign? "It's great to show that side of me. We can be many different things and this is a side of me that I haven't shown as much of because the characters I play maybe aren't ultra feminine."
Beauty
Swank is confident on the subject of beauty despite her previous roles being on the masculine side.
However, when gushing journalists repeatedly comment on how beautiful she is, she is genuinely taken aback and sweet in her riposte.
"You guys are giving me so many compliments, I don't know what to do with it all," she said.
Giving her thoughts on how far we should go in our quest for beauty, she says: "It's all in the individual. Each woman needs to honour their own beauty in whatever way that is and every woman needs to find that for themselves. If you are looking for other people to make you feel good, it is probably not going to come from inside. You need to look within, and smell good doing it!"
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