by Annie Vischer
Dolce&Gabbana have just launched their new Spring fragrance, Dolce, a gentle girlish mix of white flowers together with fresh Neroli leaves and White Amaryllis. White Amaryllis is a South African flower and this scent marks its first use within a fragrance. The opening notes bled the Neroli leaves with Papaya flower. Next, at the heart of the new fragrance, emerges a bouquet of White Water Lily, White Daffodil and White Amaryllis. Musky notes combine with Cashmeran, which gives a spiced depth to the scent.
The fragrance was made with Dolce&Gabbana‘s geographical history in mind, memories of Sicily. Dolce&Gabbana creates a verse-like snippet of description to highlight the nostalgia surrounding this new scent – ‘In the same antique mirror that was hanging in the tailor shop of Domenico’s father in Polizzi Generosa , near Palermo, and that today is in the Designers’ office, the reflections of emotions and traditional values come back to life’.
The scent is packaged in a flacon inspired by vintage perfume bottles, with a flower stopper that is crafted to be reminiscent of the marzipan sculptures that are seen in traditional Sicilian confectioners. The single black bow is designed to be evocative of the crisp white shirts and bow ties that characterised the early Dolce & Gabbana catwalk shows. More personally and touchingly, the ‘Dolce’ signature is a replica of Domenico Dolce’s father’s signature.
Domenico even shot the print campaign for the fragrance himself, with Stefano Gabbana acting as creative director on the project, creating a garden of white flowers, flanked by what would appear to be the wall of a large Sicilian home. Kate King stars in the campaign, a 20 year old Canadian model who is becoming increasingly associated with the brand. Both Domenico and Stefano say of her ‘Kate’s penetrating eyes are highly charged, yet tender and innocent too, and in her gaze you see the spirit of Sicilian girls, the character of Angelica from The Leopard, whose candour and modern style managed to shake up Tancredi’s ancient world’.
The film for the campaign was directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Of the project he says ‘Making a film for Dolce&Gabbana is not like making any ordinary commercial. Stefano and Domenico don’t give you a storyline, they give you a feeling: they asked me to recreate an atmosphere of delicate seduction and a sense of courtesy. This is how the Dolce campaign came to life, as the story of a courtship of love and great strength, a tale of great Sicilian ebullience’.
The Dolce Eau de Parfum is available exclusively at Harrods at the moment, and nationwide from 6th March.
Dolce Eau de Parfum 30ml (£45.00), Dolce Eau de Parfum 50ml (£62.00), Dolce Eau de Parfum 75ml (£73.00).