Fragrance and fashion

Fragrance and fashion, fashion and fragrance, two words and two worlds. Yet these two worlds have more in common than we care to realise.

Boadicea the Victorious resounds deeply with fashion and its values, a brand enriched in tradition, that pays homage to its heritage. A brand that honours craftsmanship and artisanship. A brand that challenges norms and disrupts the market and noses along the way. A brand that understands the importance of longevity, quality and desires to create masterpieces that make a lasting impact on those around them and the wearer. A brand that appreciates and creates luxury time and time again. A brand that is classic but is innovative and moves with the times, much like the powerhouses of fashion. And this is what Boadicea the Victorious brings, luxury in a spritz.

“Luxury is the ease of a T-shirt in a very expensive dress.”

- Karl Lagerfeld

When it comes to fashion and fragrance, both have trends, however unlike fashion, fragrance doesn’t have runways, yet it does have conferences, shows and exhibitions. Fashion has capsule collections, fragrance brands release perfume collections, fashion has ready to wear and fragrances are always ready to wear.

According to Paloma Picasso, a perfume is like a piece of clothing, a message, a way of presenting oneself, a costume that differs according to the woman who wears it.” Many of us consider the outfits we wish to wear each day, we opt for style, comfort an outfit that embodies our personas, something that makes us feel good and fragrance is either an afterthought or the final flourishing touch, an accessory. As Coco Chanel was quoted “No elegance is possible without perfume. It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory. For others, fragrance is the outfit. It portrays personality, enhances the mood, shows style and much like leaving the house without clothes, leaving the house without fragrance feels just as naked.

Fashion is enriched in heritage and created to make you feel something, like Diana Vreeland once said "Fashion is part of the daily air and it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see and feel everything in clothes." Whereas fragrance evokes emotion, it ignites memories and forms bonds, fragrance works with the olfactory system and connects directly to the brain, no one has summarised this better than Christian Dior.

“Long after one has forgotten what a woman wore, the memory of her perfume lingers.”

- Christian Dior

Fashion is synonymous with trends however, fashion, trends and style all differ in meaning. Gianni Versace summarised this when he said "Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live." However, without trends we become stagnant, and creativity can lack, fashion expresses the mood, the time and often reflects the movement of the world, be that economic, social, or political. Trends allow you to decide what to wear for different times, places, and occasions. So, to completely disregard trends as trivial would be wrong.

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

- Yves Saint Laurent

Applying this statement to fragrance would mean, releasing a fragrance that follows a trend, doesn’t mean it’s a gimmick, as if it’s a little contemporary, of high quality and has a classic edge to it, then the fragrance is truly timeless. Each luxury fragrance masterpiece created is also selected by a person with a specific taste and the perfume will reflect who they are, so if a fragrance falls into a person’s personal collection, then it is automatically their style so regardless of trends it will stay there, as part of their identity.

The Spring Summer 23 shows of course took place in September last year and AW23 showcases started this week. One thing with fashion is that each season, there seem to be similarities that are synonymous across the designers and the cities, whether that be patterns, palettes, threads or silhouettes. With that said we have created our own version of a trend report, by selecting four key trends from LFW SS23 and four of our fragrances that fit with the current fashion trends but at the same time represent the values of Boadicea the Victorious.

As AW23 shows begin, we will also delve into how our fragrances align with those trends too. As who we are as a brand and the fragrances we create, will fall into trends but will never go out of style.

Metallics & Holographics

All that glitters is more than gold, featuring in shows like Valentino, David Koma and Jil Sanders, metallic and holographic fabrics featured heavily. From chrome shoes to glittered dresses and sequin jackets, the party season vibe isn’t reserved for the festive season as this spring and summer, we’ll be glistening in the summer sunshine in statement pieces. Don’t leave the glitter just for your garments though, as our Fairy Dust can take this trend to the next level. Available in our best-selling fragrances, Nemer and Blue Sapphire, Fairy Dust is a scented highlighting powder that illuminates the skin through a flurry of sparkling powder.

Feminine grunge

The 90s have reigned supreme for the last few seasons and feminine grunge made an appearance in total contrast of the dazzling metallics. An oversized, slightly masculine take on sensuality, this trend is a combination of silk slip dresses and chunky boots and smudged eyeliner. Versace, KNWLS & Chopova Lowena all showcased the trend with their own take on it. Our own version of feminine grunge is in the form of Nebulous; dark, brooding, and sensual. An opulent fragrance of saffron and rose with violet, amber and musk for a dark but feminine perfume that intertwines with the skin to captivate the wearer.

Layering

David Koma wasn’t just a fan of metalics, he also incorporated layer upon layer of clothing, as did Susan Fang and Molly Goddard. Tulle, jeans, dresses, you name it, layers were a key feature and if there was ever a trend to fit perfectly with fragrance, it’s layering. Within the industry, layering can mean two things, the first being combining two or more fragrances to create your own unique scent DNA. The second being layering body lotions, fragrances, hair mists and any scented products to further enhance the projection, sillage and longevity of your chosen scent.

To opt for the second option, layer our Nemer products. Start with the body souffle, a luxurious formula that nourishes and hydrates the skin whilst enveloping it in a sensual yet light scented lotion. The second layer would be our Nemer version of Fairy Dust to add a soft flurry of the scent and enhance the key notes. The final layer would of course, the powerfully provocative pure perfume of Nemer. Turkish and Moroccan rose blended oud creates pure unequivocal decadence.

Sensuality

The final trend in our mini SS23 LFW report is sensuality. Not necessarily scantily clad, but the vibe and state of mind was that of seduction through style. Enter our aptly named Seductive; a fragrance that embraces the captivating power of seduction. Igniting and intriguing the senses through, menthol, rosemary and musk Seduction intimately envelopes the skin in an alluring and indulgent manner. We look forward to seeing how Boadicea the Victorious can be showcased through the AW23 shows this week.

Until then, we will linger with the words of Mary Quant, "Fashion as we knew it is over; people wear now exactly what they feel like wearing”. Which in the context of fragrance means, wear what you love.