Fragrance Friday: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

In late October Yves Saint Laurent launches Black Opium onto New Zealand counters, a new fragrance announced as a truly rock n' roll interpretation of the legendary classic. Designed to highlight the darker, more mysterious side of the YSL brand, it grabbed at my heart strings from first sniff and I have been wearing it on a rather regular basis since it arrived on my desk.

Master perfumers Nathalie Lorson and Marie Salamagne, in collaboration with Olivier Cresp and Honorine Blanc, developed the composition, which is actually softer on the nose than I expected. Notes of coffee, present in large quantities, dominate the scent. Additional accords are pink pepper, orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli and cedar. At odds with the heady original Opium scent, launched by Saint Laurent in 1977, Black Opium is a more of a gourmand floral fragrance, which opens with a strong coffee bean accord before developing with the aforementioned white flowers, vanilla, cedar and patchouli. It will make it the perfect spring an summer fragrance for after hours, and a dedicated daily once the cooler months come rolling around again.

The perfume comes in the same bottle designed as the last edition of the iconic Opium collection, but dark and decorated with sequins to give it a grittier, more urban and definitely glam rock look.

In an absolutely stellar move, the face of the perfume's campaign is British model Edie Campbell, shot by Daniel Wolfe. YVES SAINT LAURENT BEAUTÉ cites the inspiration for its new fragrance, as a woman who is "elegant, stylish and with a piercing intelligence and languorous beauty," - making Edie Campbell a fairly sensible choice IMHO. With an art history degree under her belt, a talent for the equestrian and a genuine interest in every fragrance, dress, bag or pair of sunglasses that she represents, Campbell fits the bill on every level and has a personal style that fits perfectly with the brand.

Black Opium is available as 30, 50 and 90 ml Eau de Parfum and is quite possibly destined to be as much of a modern classic as the legendary original. Love it.