Fragrance and fashion met at The Metropolitan Museum’s 2015 gala last night, celebrating the opening of the Costume Institute’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition.
 
To accentuate her Chinese roots, designer Vivienne Tam had asked
Robertet Fragrance to created a special scent for her to wear as she made her way down the red carpet and into the Met’s extravaganza. The result: “Red Empress,” an exclusive, customized scent.
 
Tam said, “I wanted Robertet to create a fragrance for me that celebrated the glamour of the Met Gala, and captured the essence of who I am as a designer.”  Robertet Perfumer Jerome Epinette worked closely with Tam to create Red Empress,  “a scent that distills her Chinese heritage and passion with natural perfume ingredients.” 
 
“It was a dream,” said Epinette, “to translate into this special fragrance the weaving and embedding structure of her new collection as an olfactive mosaic.  Transparency, delicacy and vibrant flowers are laced on an impeccable structure, echoing the complex yet serene Phoenix’s motifs decorating Beijing’s Imperial Palace.”
 
He described Red Empress “as an effervescent floral that feels like a ray of sunshine dancing on the skin. Vibrant, juicy and water, it is the embodiment of contemporary sophistication. A deceptively simple modern bouquet composition with key notes of subtle Calabrian Bergamot, regal Sichuan Pepper, delicate Pink Lotus, translucent Golden Water Lilly, sensual Rose Petals and vibrant Sandalwood.”
 
 Furthermore, Epinette said, “Red Empress is a beautiful example of Tam’s East meets West sensibility and a perfumer’s intuitive ability to capture that essence.”

Photo: Epinette (L) and Tam.


For a look at all the Met Gala’s red carpet arrivals see WWD’s coverage here.