Back in June 2018, we wrote about Storie Veneziane, a collection of five fragrances that Sophie and Didier Guillon, who head the Valmont Group’s Swiss beauty line, created for the company, inspired by their passion for Venice. Now the couple, she is Valmont’s CEO; he, its artistic director, are extending the Storie Veneziane narrative by collaborating on two new collections — Palazzo Nobile, after Didier’s nickname for Venice’s Palazzo Bonvicini, which he purchased and refurbished to present exhibits that include his own works; and Collezione Privata, which captures different facets of womanhood.
The fragrances are built around a central character, Venice’s native bad boy, Giacomo Casanova (1725-98) — played so deliciously by the late, lamented Heath Ledger in the movie “Casanova” (2005). Inspired by the eternal seducer, Didier has created Casanova 2161 (Palazzo Nobile’s address). Its woody essence is embellished with spicy juniper, elegant iris and grassy vetiver.
For the pleasure seeker in every man — or every woman — Sophie has created five eaux de toilette:
Sea Bliss — in which the tiare flower and white musk blend for a beachy effect;
Secret Bamboo — a powdery floral with green notes;
Satin Musk — created with a bouquet of exotic flowers;
Bright Poppy — whose floral musk sports a youthful air; and
Blooming Ballet — with freesia, roses and white musk joining in a pas de trois of fresh femininity.
Casanova meets his match in the women who’ve inspired the three eaux de parfum in Sophie’s Collezione Privata. The first is a free spirit. For her Sophie has created Jazzy Twist, a floral gourmand with notes of magnolia, tuberose, Madagascar black pepper, chocolate, patchouli, vanilla and Tonka beans.
Lady Code is for those coolly elegant ladies who know how to keep their passion in check until the right moment. This chypre gourmand combines spicy pink berries with fruity Arabian jasmine and candied almonds.
The inner-directed women who’d wear Private Mind may prove the most challenging of all. Imagine a Damask rose swathed in cashmere and couched in velvet. It’s the perfect scent for the woman who takes her cue only from herself.
Palazzo Nobile and Collezione Privata are available this month at lamaisonvalmont.com; saksfifthavenue.com; Spa Valmont at Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Manhattan, 212-606-4675; and Valmont for The Spa at The Setai, Miami Beach, 855-923-7908.
