OUR FRAGRANCE COMMERCIAL PICKS

At Vintage & Coupe, perfumes and colognes play a significant role in fashion. A scent can bring personality to an outfit for a casual day or a night out on the town. As individuals who have dabbled in our fair share of scents, we know that fragrances define our aesthetic choices and can help us define ourselves.  

No commercial leaves more awe than a fragrance commercial. These advertisements are art forms that never cease to set the tone of their products with glamor and wonder. Growing up, we watched numerous commercials that inspired us to look for those scents, hoping to emulate the vibes from the visuals. We like to think of these commercials as short art films. And before you ask, we have yet to find a lousy fragrance commercial. 

With that in mind, here are five of our favorite fragrance commercials: 

Dior J’adore: The New Absolu

Director: Romain Gavras

Starring: Charlize Theron 

This 2018 ad perfectly exemplifies "no plot, just vibes."

The simple visual of Charlize Theron sensually emerging from a pool of ichor in a golden bathhouse as a remix of Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" instrumental plays is so mesmerizing that we can't help but replay the ad numerous times. It is intoxicating and elicits goosebumps no matter how often we watch it. 

Gucci Guilty Intense

Director: Frank Miller 

Starring: Chris Evans and Evan Rachel Wood

This is one of the many Gucci Guilty commercials on TV between the early to mid-2010s. The plot was relatively simple: Chris Evans would ride on a motorcycle through a traffic-free film noir city, encounter a mysterious Evan Rachel Wood along the way, steamily hook up with her, receive a Gucci necklace as a token of her affection, and then ride off into the sexy black-white sunset, leaving a trail of flame with his ride. We never learn anything about these silent protagonists or their history together, but their mysterious, sultry interactions kept us hooked each time the ad popped up on TV. 

The ad is an enduring legacy of Gucci's erotic advertising era. We can thank creative directors  Tom Ford and Frida Giannini for that. No offense to the vampy glam-rock revamp that Alessandro Michele brought to the brand, but sexy Gucci hits different.   

Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana 

Director: Steven Brahms

Starring: David Gandy and Bianca Balti 

While the commercial doesn't have much context aside from the couple having a romantic time by the sea, we are obsessed with the video's vibe. We don't know if it is because of the unreal background of the ocean, the ridiculously good-looking people, or the Italian music in the background. All we know is that we can't get enough of Dolce & Gabbana's commercial. 

Bleu de Chanel

Director: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Timothée Chalamet 

Though Chanel's commercials typically present a glamorous aesthetic, Scorsese's "cool guy" angle brings a certain kind of urban glam to the commercial. Timothée Chalamet, being the It Boy of the moment, brings a type of swagger not typically seen in fragrance commercials, let alone Chanel. The cinematic approach suits the director and actor, making it so unique that it's hard to forget. 

Egoiste by Chanel 

Director: Jean-Paul Goude

Set to "Dance of the Knights" from Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet with dialogue adapted from Pierre Corneille's Le Cid, this ballgown-clad commercial is peak camp. It's dramatic and random, with a theatricality akin to a chorus in a Greek tragedy, and that's precisely what makes it so entertaining and memorable.

Here's a fun fact: Jean-Paul Goude won a Golden Lion for this commercial at the 37th International Advertising Film Festival in Cannes.

What are your favorite fragrance commercials? Let us know in the comments!