August 30, 2019 |
Image by Inez & Vinoodh, taken from @chloessevigny
Ever wondered what “cool” smells like? As you could have guessed, Chloë Sevigny has the answer. The real queen of indie cinema and fashion’s darling of over two decades, Sevigny is the kind of girl that you want to hang out with and ask for life advice. She started her career in modelling before making her on-screen debut in Kids in 1995 – and the rest is history. Quickly, designers began to take notice and falling in love. Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony (and previously Kenzo) became good friends, while names like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Jonathan Anderson all hired Sevigny to front their ad campaigns. Most recently, she walked in Simone Rocha’s AW19 show along with Lily Cole, Kirsten Owen, Marie Sophie Wilson-Carr and Lindsey Wixon.
In 2007, it was announced she was named as the ambassador of Chloé’s new perfume which was not only a great tongue-in-cheek partnership, but also a massive deal for the actress who is a long-time collector of fragrances. Putting her scented pedigree into use, this year Sevigny partnered up with L.A.-based niche perfumery Régime des Fleurs to work on her first ever fragrance. Little Flower is described as “dewy, romantic and fleshy, with a woody musk finish,” and is packaged up in an old-school bottle with a pearly cap. The well-known granny-approved rose scent is now elevated with complex notes of citrus, berries and black tea. It’s sexy, irreverent and – sorry to say it – f*cking cool. And in celebration of its launch, we asked the cult beauty and fashion icon that is Chloë Sevigny 10 totally scented questions.
Image by Inez & Vinoodh, taken from @chloessevigny
Dino Bonacic: What colour roses are your favourite?
Chloë Sevigny: Lavender roses are special, unique, and just really beautiful.
DB: You’re finishing a long night of karaoke – what’s the last song?
CS: Skulls by Misfits.
DB: What’s your least favourite smell?
CS: Nail polish remover – too toxic.
DB: How did you decide on the notes in Little Flower?
CS: I worked with Alia and Ezra and their laboratory, and we smelled hundreds of ingredients and dozens of combinations. For the most part I didn’t choose ingredients individually, because you have to consider the whole formula, but one thing I knew I wanted with rose was black tea. It has such a smooth and refined smell.
DB: What’s your favourite childhood smell?
CS: The tea rose oil I wore as a perfume in grade school.
DB: What’s the first perfume you bought?
CS: I collected many perfumes for the bottles. I loved the glamour, the decoration. I even showed my collection at the library in my home town.
DB: Which one of your characters would be the best ambassador for Little Flower?
CS: I honestly can’t think of a single character I’ve played who wouldn’t smell good wearing Little Flower. It works on all of us!
DB: What’s the one piece from your wardrobe you would never get rid of?
CS: I’m very partial to denim cutoffs. They’re easy, they work on my body, they go with almost everything.
DB: What’s your party trick?
CS: I spray an edible perfume made by Régime des Fleurs in my guests’ cocktails. It tastes like jasmine, rose, and shiso leaf, and people go crazy for it.
DB: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given and who was it from?
CS: “Stand up straight and put on some blush,” from my mother.
‘Little Flower’ by Chloë Sevigny for Régime des Fleurs is available to buy online and will be available at Dover Street Market from September 14th.
