Chic Inspiration

This is a multi-faceted post. One that yet again illustrates the close connection between fashion, art and design, and in this particular instance, perfume.

I'd been hearing a lot about the new scent that Aerin Lauder created for the Estee Lauder company called Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. It's based on a private collection perfume that her grandmother, Estee Lauder, created in 1973 for herself. The part of the story that is so interesting is that the bottle for the new perfume is based on a Joseph Hoffmann brooch found in the Neue Galerie, a museum founded by Aerin's father Ronald Lauder and dedicated to early-20th century German and Austrian art.

Above is the modern interpretation of the brooch in gold and encrusted with stones while below, the original Josef Hoffmann brooch made in Vienna in 1904 is made of silver, partial gilt, diamonds, moonstones, opal, lapis lazuli, coral, leopardite. I think it's really interesting to see them together and see how the bottle design was influenced by the vintage piece and the fact that inspiration can be found anywhere!

If you've never been to the Neue Gallerie, you really should plan a visit. It's a small little jewel box of a place with a fabulous restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky, named after the museum's co-founder Serge Sabarsky, that serves authentic Viennese specialties. It's a great place to enjoy a hot chocolate on a cold New York afternoon. The Neue Galerie (New Gallery) also has a Gustav Klimt exhibit opening on October 18th. Check it out and enjoy some beautiful art and maybe a little strudel.