Paris. A view from the rooftops.And as you look downwards, a loss of balance, a sensation of whirling, a giddiness. Dizzy, you tumble faster and faster, plummeting dangerously. Towards something finite, certainly. And as you freefall someone grabs your hand. A lover. A guy or girl you looked at just a fraction too long. Daring you to leap into the unknown. Their touch electrifies, turns you inside out and upside down. With the power to transport you into some kind of all-consuming force-field. An ethereal emotional state that is warm, weightless, safe. And life rushes by, but time stands still. Deliciously so. For a moment. But you'll always surrender to it.
Capturing the spirit of an intense love affair that has the courage of its convictions and lives in the euphoria of the moment, YSL Beauté introduces a sensational expression of how we love now, inspired by the city of lovers, Paris.
Experimental and instinctive by nature, freed from the restrictions, rules and the judgment of yesteryear, today's modern lover is a free spirit, experiencing sensation, emotion, and sexuality regardless of convention.
Avant-garde, hyper-sensual, her love affair is fluid rather than permanent, stopping and starting as fantasy collides with freedom. She values her independence; plays with passion; loves with audacity.
And her spiritual home is Paris. What other city could offer a setting so supportive of love; so defiant of conformity; so impervious to the bigotry of others? The very foundations of Paris are built on freedom; and without freedom, love cannot survive.
Let desire take you somewhere new today. Let go of normality. And feel the excitement of vertigo, as love takes over your senses and leads you on a journey into the unknown passions of your soul. Mon Paris.
A STREET MAP FOR LOVERS
Obsessive. Intrusive. Consuming. Intense. Passionate. Sensual. Paris.
Paris for Monsieur Saint Laurent embodied a sense of truth, passion and purity of emotion, one that was defiant of social inhibitions and celebratory of moral freedom. In his heart, Paris was an eternal emblem of love. A constant inspiration in his work, his life, everything he created was underpinned by a deep connection with the city. In Paris, everything was possible.
" [..] I have chosen your name for this perfume, because none is more beautiful. Because I love you. My Paris."
Yves Saint Laurent
A city free from constraints. Spontaneous and intense, Paris is the city of lovers, complicit with their freedom, understanding of their desires. More than a backdrop to their love, it's a catalyst for it - a dare to fall madly, deeply, vertiginously in love. From the grandiose to the garrets, the cobbles to the courtyards, Paris is the very air you breathe. Just like modern love, it takes hold of us; and we willingly take hold of her.
Mon Paris: the scent of a city gripped by carnal desire; obsessively surrendering to an extreme love, holding all who succumb, captive to its needs. A fragrance for modern lovers the world over, inspired by the essence of the City of Light. Seize the moment; transcend the present; and prepare to fall into the arms of a passionate love, deeply, vertiginously.
PARIS
She slipped her hand in the back pocket of his jeans.He wrapped his arm around her waist. A free and vertiginous love in the warm streets of Paris.
They enter a cosy cocktail bar where old fifties rock'n'roll records play in the background. The place exudes the young, cool, timeless and outstandingly modern expressions of a Paris they cherish so much. She talks animatedly, confidently, at ease with herself, her lover, the Paris she loves.
They're heading to a concert on the borders of the Canal Saint-Martin, where all rock lovers gather. She pulls out a compact, checks her makeup in the mirror, snaps it shut. Sure of herself, she is determined to have fun.He looks at her with a mix of desire and pride. In the crowded room, their bodies brush past each other, gradually entering a sensual dialogue that only they can perceive. She lifts her arms up in the air and closes her eyes. Carried away by the rhythm of guitars.
Here they are now, wandering under the light of street lamps. Pigalle and the night impatiently await them. They can't wait to meet up again with the heady scents of nightclubs. In the distance, on the Butte Montmartre, the illuminated Sacré Coeur watches over them. She walks with a joyful step, letting her fingers slide along the familiar walls, enraptured by themagnificence of the surrounding atmosphere. The footpaths are covered with night birdsthat are ready to embrace the euphoria. Some of them recognise her and smile.
They pop by the Mansartand the Glass.They dance at Chez Moune and at the Carmen. Lights flash. Glasses get smashed. Feet and legs start moving. Their laughter becomes the original soundtrack of a fantastic and fantastical Paris that gives substance to their bashful heartbeats.
The sun rises. She takes him by the hand, leads him through an already frenetic dawn. And with that gesture, she puts an end to all notion of time. The present unleashes its unreal splendour. Sitting on a rooftop, her look lost in the greatness of the horizon, she leans her head on his shoulder. She feels weightless and free. So does he. They are Paris.
LUMINOUS, INTOXICATING, CARNAL
THE CHYPRE REINVENTED
Vertiginous love leaves a vertiginous trail. Mon Paris is a subversive reinvention of the traditional chypre; a fragrance that envelopes its wearer with a new intention and a passionate glow.
Traditionally a chypre is classical, with a very beautiful but strict structure, the epitome of retro Parisian chic. Mon Paris turns that notion on its head, literally, creating a new flowing harmony by turning the original chypre model upside down and introducing a brave, bold narcotic white chypre fit for a modern age of love.
The result is an ultra-modern, unprecedented chypre, unlike any other, created by not one, but three master perfumers: Olivier Cresp, Dora Baghriche and Harry Fremont.
Turning their back on the conventional structure and playing with new materials and sensations, they worked together to create a very different chypre experience. A carnal fullness and transparentfloral quality distinguishes Mon Paris asa modern floral and fruitychypre; onewhich feels exciting, seductive, and completely compelling.
Spell-binding, head-spinning, this new white chypre captivates from the very first time it is worn thanks to its ultra-pure crystalline nature, which binds patchouli to luminous, white notes, and balances it with the sensuality of musk.
Where there is darkness, there is light; where you'd expect sweetness, you find sexual attraction. Just as all is inverted in love; so too it is with Mon Paris.
VERTIGINOUS ACCORDS
Two new accords create this head-spinning white chypre.
Datura flower, feared and adored in equal measure, is a legendary and bewitching flower known to take on a more sexual character as the night develops. Elusive by day, the only way to capture its hypnotic essence is with the use of headspace technology.
Underpinning it; a base of clear, clean whiteness that floats off into a long-lasting trail of intrigue, thanks to not one but two types of patchouli. Different from each other, they are nonetheless complementary. From Guatemala, the essence of patchouli, loved for its woody, amber undertones. From Indonesia, a patchouli heart, known for its spicy warmth. Thispatchouli pairing creates a potent accord that leaves a trail of desire in its wake. Combined with exceptional musks, they metamorphose into a unique structure that feels aerated, white, and clean. The classic code is broken. In its place: a new, vertiginous accord.
AN UPSIDE DOWN STRUCTURE
Crisp as a smoking jacket, as flowing as a pussy-bow blouse, the luminous Mon Paris is a precise balancing act between sex and sensuality that inverts the classic chypre fragrance structure. An exercise in fluidity and control, it is as spell-binding and eclectic as the force of love that inspires it.
Each perfumer worked in a collective co-writing experience that highlights their individual strokes of genius. From Olivier Cresp: the idea of re-inventing the traditional chypre and the concept of a clean, fresh, vertiginous modern chypre. From Harry Fremont: the desire to open up and illuminate from within, thanks to the sheer floral radiance running through the fragrance. And from Dora Baghriche: a new elegance and sophistication born from her knowledge and expertise on the chypre signature.
How does this new chapter of modern chypre begin? Opening with a head accord of zingy bergamot from Calabre, with the freshness of raspberry and strawberry accords, the addition of a pear note provides a juicy, crispy tone - a blind step towards euphoria.
Next, the heart.Instead of rooting the perfume in a solid central core typical of most chypres, the heart of Mon Paris is transparent, clean and fresh, soaring upwards and downwards like a beam of light throughout the whole fragrance. Blooming, lustrous, incandescent, thanks to an aerial peony accord combined with richJasmine Sambac absolute from India and an infusion of Jasmine from the Yunnan province, China, it creates an overwhelming burst of femininity which bathes the Datura in a spell-binding luminosity, grounded in turn by the warmth and earthiness of patchouli.
The final accord.And again, a break with tradition.Instead of appearing only in the drydown as is the usual way with chypre perfumes, Mon Paris defies convention, with a burst of exceptional musk which vibrates and oscillates its way throughout the fragrance, present from top to bottom and back again.
Three types of carnal white musks play this crucial yet complex role, melding with the white flowers to bathe the narcotic chypre in a bright, white light. Radiant, sheer, crystalline, they strengthen the airy volume of the floral heart and the clear, luminous patchouli, bringing an unusual sense of translucency and purity.
To round it all off, a note of sensual, warm, mineralambrox, which brings a potent sense of luxe, like the comfort of a lover's arms, to balance the brightness of Mon Paris, underlining it with a richness, an elegance and a style all of its own - and certainly removed from the dark and moody moss.
The overwhelming sensation? A vibrancy that feels voluminous, vertiginous, modern. A purity that is omnipotent.A clear, radiant whiteness.
A new chypre is born.
THE FIRST SEDUCTION
Sweetly subversive.Solid yet sensual.
The Mon Paris bottle is set to join the ranks of some of the most iconic YSL fragrance bottle designs, and continues the legacy of the original Paris fragrance bottle. A multi-faceted glass flacon that is more than deserving of the precious pink elixir within, it is a fitting tribute to the Mon Paris woman with a rock star's allure and an edgy couture style all of its own.
Inspired by archive sketches of lavallières, the classic pussy bow at the front of the neck of a blouse, perfume bottle designer Catherine Krunas took this piece and inverted it, turning it into a metaphor for a modern love affair at the peak of its passion. At first constrained by the neck-tie, the Mon Paris lover is overcome by a daring power of seduction, the untying of the bow symbolic of the release that comes with love.
Distinctly modern, quintessentially cool, thelavallièrethat sits securely around the neck of the Mon Paris bottle is made from soft silk ribbon, juxtaposed by two rock leather ties and a stylish shining gold YSL Cassandre.
For the shape of the bottle, Krunas turned to the rectangular shape of le smoking, the black-tie tuxedo-style jacket. Heavy glass echoes the boldness and substance behind the rectangular form of the jacket, while the edges and corners of the Mon Paris bottle are softly curved, as feminine as a woman's shoulders, relaxed in the embrace of her lover.
Reassuringly solid when held in the palm of the hand, the bottle's softly ridged glass composed of three bars of horizontal faceted glass at the bottom, with twelve vertical bars reaching upwards and converging at the bottle's neck, brings a three dimensional effect, reflecting the light, the passion and the many vertiginous facets of the Mon Paris woman.
L'AMOUR FOU
They love the whirling rush of life - when their senses awaken and their heart turns upside down. They express their love affair in clubs and on rooftops; listen to La Femme, read Françoise Sagan all over again. They celebrate Patti Smith and her freedom. They dance till dizziness. Out go marriage and promises of eternity. In 2016, love is lived intensely.
Now that dating apps are booming and women are living a more liberated sexuality, love flows freely. Outside of social standards, often on a short-term basis and with passion. Whatever tomorrow brings, love embraces the present and finds its poetry in an instant, ephemeral. No need to comply with mainstream expectations anymore. It's now all about subversion. The subversion of the underground scene, where electrifyingmusic gives way to blazing statements of desire.
All shook up, the rules are bound to be rewritten: everything is possible and within reach. We choose who we are and with whom we want to be. The experiences we want to live and the way we want to live them. Vertiginous love is all about fulfilment. Erotic fulfilment. Not fearing to impulsively express your desires and need to shudder, your urge to find yourself by deeply losing yourself in the arms of the other.
Farewell destructive passions. Love is from now on impregnated with mutual trust. Complicity is found in the shared pleasure of sexy, intertwined bodies. Because it is at the peak of love's drunkenness, when minds sway and naked skins quiver, that lovers live that tremendous intoxicating feeling of being alive. Vertiginously alive.
TWO HEARTS BEAT AS ONE
To introduce Mon Paris; two burning lovers.
SHE: Crista Cober
A Canadian model whose career has seen her feature in global advertising campaigns and appear on countless glossy magazine covers, Crista's high cheekbones, blue eyes, full lips and strong, yet sensual body amount to a singular beauty. Based in New York, Crista has frequently taken time out from her ten year modeling career to travel and explore cities around the world; she is a true free spirit, a YSL woman par excellence. An independent woman, with each frame of the Mon Paris film, her hypnotic gaze becomes more instinctive, her body's movements more unleashed, as love vertigo takes hold.
HE: JérémieLaheurte
Paris-born, actor Jérémie is best known for his performance in the AbdellatifKechiche film, La Vie d'Adèle (Blue is the Warmest Colour). Playing a sensuous and caring boyfriend, he received rave reviews. A lover of the piano, in particular the works of Chopin; a rebel dreamer; he has also appeared as a model on the international runways, his enigmatic looks giving him standout appeal, both powerful and sensitive at the same time. Unafraid of exploring his sensuality, in the Mon Paris film he plays a game of letting go, and resisting, not caring what others think, but focusing only on his lover. A true YSL man, dressed in black and white, he is also a true Parisian, and knows his city by heart.
CREATIVELY SPEAKING
Behind the visual campaigns of MON PARIS, an innovative and inspired creative team.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Billy Kidd
To create a campaign that speaks volumes about love, a photographer who is both rule-breaking and sensitive. Billy Kidd, who hails from Florida, is one of today's most sought-after talents. His love of the work of Man Ray, AndréKertész and Irving Penn is reflected in his translucent daylight portraits, and his way of seeing light and colour.
Now living in Brooklyn, he shot models Crista Cober and JérémieLaheurte on the usually inaccessible rooftops of the OpéraGarnier. Precariously balancing throughout the shoot, an assistant's hand firmly gripping his shoulder to stop him from falling while moving around on the roof, Kidd captured the energy of this normally forbidden grand and historic location, weaving the location's sense of danger, purity and passion into the vertiginous love story of Mon Paris.
THE CAMPAIGN: We Are From L.A.
The creative duo behind We Are From L.A, Clément Durou and Pierre Dupaquier are the perfect visionaries for Mon Paris. Able to impart a sense of adventure, fun and sensuality through their work, they are most famous for winning the Best Music Video Grammy Award for the Pharrell Williams song, "Happy".
Parisians down to the very last fibre of their being, reinventing their city for Mon Paris was a passion-project, as they stepped outside the traditional Parisian clichés and turned the City of Light upside down for a completely new perspective. As vertiginously evocative of the desires of the Mon Paris couple but at the same time totally immersive for the viewer, their Mon Paris campaign carries us away on a powerful wave of emotion and sends us spinning into the heart of a passionate whirlpool. Watch it if you dare.
A SPELL-BINDING KISS
A vivid telling of a modern love story. Sensual. Impulsive. Convention and the city are turned on their heads; and a new vertiginous burning love is unleashed upon the world.
The rooftop of the OpéraGarnier.A Paris metro station. Entwined in the sultry heat of a nightclub. Each setting for MON PARIS is the chosen foil for its two protagonists, played by the enigmatic Crista Cober and the mysterious and handsome JérémieLaheurte.
Lost in each other's embrace in an upside down Paris. A kiss until dizziness takes hold. Embarking on a head-spinning and vertiginous love affair that sees them losing their sense space. As they move seamlessly through the city, on a timeless passionate adventure. Left in their wake, a trail of solar lightness and sensuality.
The inspiration for all lovers to follow after.
