French Lover to be renamed
It is said that Frederic Malle's new scent, French Lover, will be renamed in the US into Bois d'Orage. Thank you, Judith, for the information! I know that I have been rather outspoken about not liking the name French Lover at first. But I have since changed my mind and now I am disappointed. "Bois Something" scents are dime a dozen. French Lover was original. So I am sorry to see it go. There is a great thread on Basenotes, about the new name. I like the ideas the guys have much more than Bois d'Orage. For example, one poster says that, in the red states, the scent would be called Freedom Lover, while in the blue states it would be politically-correctly renamed into French Domestic Partner. |
posted by Marina |
10:32 AM
29 Comments:
I'll be sniffing this next weekend with March, I hope. I wonder if it's called 'Fancypants bit-on-the-side' here?
I'm trying to work out what a wood storm is... must be idiomatic (and my french isn't anywhere good enough to pick up on them). I really like the ironic silliness of French Lover - it puts all those French perfume names into their real context of being fairly prosaic really.
L,
Please report if you do get to sniff "Fancypants bit-on-the-side" :-D
The sucking sound you hear is me wiping the egg of my face... After going through that whole song and dance to justify the name, they go and change it on me? Well, I guess it'll sell better to Anglos (including a couple of peoples' husbands)... Or maybe it's because "French" (as in "surrender monkeys") is now a dirty word in the USA... Bwah Dohraaj : fun to pronounce in English, isn't it?
Lee, Bois d'Orage doesn't mean much, something like "stormy wood" or "woods".
I`m disappointed. I already had this scents firmly connected with Lambert Wilson in my head :P
D,
It might or might not sell better here this way, but it became boring :-( I demand the return of French Lover! :-)
B,
Yep, I am disappointed too.
WAY more boring name. But then, I thought French Lover was a silly name. FM needs to hire new naming staff.
*immediately volunteers for the position*
:-)
well, color me disappointed. I wanted a French Lover. Thunder Woods sounds like a porn star.
Tom,
True, LOL!
I am sure if Malle is following the changes in our perceptions of the name of the new scent, he is probably thinking: Well, make up your minds, you silly annoying perfume nuts! First they hate, then they love it! Bah!
THEN PAY US!!!
Har har har har
When the focus is more on the name and marketing of the fragrance than the juice, thats never a good sign.
Faizan,
That is true.
I go for French Domestic Partner that sounds hillarious! I hope it is not taken yet...maybe I could use it one day ;-)
Please do, Andy. I will definitely buy it, just for the name alone :-)
I agree with Tom. FM kept referring to it as ThunderWood, which sounds even more obscene to me:) But I don't think there's really been that much thought put into the name (rather than the juice), Faizan. Malle said it was named "French Lover" because someone sniffed it on him and uttered that phrase. And apparently the French found it funny (so do I, along the lines Lee suggests). But then someone pointed out that "Americans on Wall Street" would probably not buy a scent with that name (so that's Malle's market. . .?). I said my husbamd thought it was fine, but FM replied that my DH obviously had a sense of humor. And so he does (and he's not on Wall street, either)!
Anyway, Malle was incredibly friendly and charming. Also handsome and impeccably dressed. And he signed bottles for us (but not of the new scent because there were none there):(
Judith,
I have an urge to go for a walk down Wall St., sniffing. Obviously, there are some great-smelling people there, since that's the target group for Editions de Parfums. :-)
judith, thats my point exactly. We all know that *niche* companies brag about solely focusing on the vision that their founder translates into fragrances, but the fact of the matter is that in todays competitive perfume world, Malle (and others) *do* care about perception in the market and the sales. As an example of a daring name, consider YSL's Opium, which is a still a very controversial name (even moreso in todays world) and continues to be offered around the world with the same consistent name.
that's so ridiculous. french lover is a wonderful name. are they afraid that there is still a backlash against the french over iraq? good grief. i don't know, maybe it's because i'm half-french... i really like the original name. it's fun and playful. - minette
Minette,
I think, not that I would know, that they are just concerned that an average male fragrance wearer (well, not so average really, if he is looking to buy a Malle scent) might consider the name to be something he'd be ridiculed for by his buddies...or something like that :-D
Does the change is for the American market only?
I think so, but I am not at all sure.
Well, I'm relieved that it's being renamed, even if the new name is a bit obscure. My husband really would like a nice chypre, but he just could not accept wearing a scent that, to his mind, was one step removed from Eau de Jacques Chirac or Dominique de Villepin. :-)
Maria,
Men are so difficult! We wear the most ridiculously named fragrances, and they are ever so picky. :-)
I think if I developed a perfume and gave it a name, and then every. Single. Person. I told about it looked at me like I had three heads and said, "What a terrible name!" (which seems to be pretty much what happened with this one) I might also think about changing it. Kind of a no-brainer, really.
"Thunder Wood" sounds like a location from a Tolkien novel to me: (In huge, echoing Gandalf voice while waving staff about my head) "Go now into the dark and distant Thunder Wood and return to me the Crystal Flacon of Smelliness, Frodoooooo!!!!"
Amy,
I am slightly more in favor of Thunder Wood, ever since you mention Tolkien. You could sell me practically anything by using that association :-D
Signed, Nerd.
I'm sorry, i just received this scent...Who cares about the name, this is the weakest of the FM range. No sillage, 7% concentration...no balls. It should be re-named.. Flacid Lover.
I walked into Barney's Beverly Hills last week and ask, to a small crew of young ladies - seemly snobbish and probably enrolled at Millionaire U, Do you have the "French Lover" by Malle? Well The frowns began along with some snickering and the lady in the middle looks at me with glazed eyes and slowly turned her head - raises her right arm with a limp wrist and an out stretched index finger pointing to a young man with lot of head hair and needing a shave (actually I did too) and let a little Barney's sigh. I took it that - that meant I was to speak with this man... well it did not take long for him to walk, float? (I often wonder how people walk like that) over to me and ask what I wanted? I said, as I said to the M.U. students, "Do you have the French Lover"? (No answer) Thought I would break the ice by a little joke... "Is she here"? (No response) "Well then is he here"? (No response but a slight wrinkle in the smooth forehead)"Well then, are they both here"? "I have no idea what you’re talking about" he says (in a boys adviser type tone)
Now I am beginning to feel a little hot and cold at the same time because all of them are looking at me with the Children of the Corn eyes - His, by the way, never blinked.
The only thing I could think to say was, “Well it’s on the Web Site".
At this point I felt I was in a little trouble had better leave because I needed to change my soaking wet Tasso Elba shirt.
So I tried to picture, as ran to the elevator, tried that floating walk but did not work, what would the average male(?)would feel like after asking for the "French Lover" as I had?
I suppose one could practice up all week and then go in to the customer friendly Barney's Beverly Hills and say...
Bonjour, vous porteur le parfum, Amoureux Français par Malle? hummm?
Be sure to get it right because the guy that does not blink will be sure to correct you in front of everyone.
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