Napoleon and Awards Shows: Just Another Day With Creed (No, not from The Office)

A little outdoor adventure this weekend inspired me to do a little rearranging on my vanity this weekend.  The end result was a semi- shrine to my fragrance collection- all two bottles of it. I’m not a huge perfume person. I love smelling wonderful like any girl would, and I also appreciate how a fragrance can be that one last step in adding ambiance to your look, but after working with it all day long sometimes, the thought of it makes me nauseous.  Somehow though, these two scents by CREED manage to hold a special place in my heart… and nose.

For as much of a girly girl as I may seem to be, you might be surprised to know that both of these fragrances are actually intended for men. Well, Aventus is legitimately a men’s fragrance, Millesime Imperial is unisex.  I’ve always been attracted to scents with subtle woodsy aromas… I’m pretty sure this dates back to a family trip in Egypt where we visited an essential oils manufacturer and I fell in love with sandalwood and cedar.  Both of these CREED fragrances have that woodsy base, but their top and middle notes make each one distinctly different. The inspiration behind both is also distinctly unique, one taking a page from history, the other pop culture.

Aventus, the newest fragrance in the CREED line was launched in 2010 and was inspired by the illustrious career of Napoleon. This inspiration runs across everything from the ingredients that were chosen to the design of the bottle, and certainly the name (which comes from an archaic word meaning “success”).   The ingredients tell the story of Napoleon’s conquests and victories, from black currant from Corsica, the island which he was born, Caville Blanc apples, native to France, the headquarters of his Empire, Dry Louisiana Birch, the wood of his throne, to even pineapple, his favorite desert.  Along with subtle hints of oak moss, ambergris and Gourmand vanilla the ingredients combine to form an elixir that smells, quite simply like bottled ambition.

I can’t explain it, but for me it’s a scent that inspires confidence and strength. This could all just be the result of a female wearing a man’s cologne, but I love it. I reserve it for those special occasions on colder days when I need an extra backbone. Another special touch that adds to that masculine power-trip feel is the bottle itself. It is actually wrapped in leather- a first for the Creed line-. The flask shape of the bottle actually dates back to the Nepoleonic era, just another way to tie in the inspiration.

Millesime Imperial (the other fragrance nestled so nicely alongside Aventus on my vanity) takes a different tone. The inspiration for this one is not quite as robust- it is actually inspired by the Hollywood awards season. With all the glitz and gold of Emmys, Tonys, Oscars, and Golden Globes CREED produced what is now often lauded as the “Gold Standard” of fragrance (this comes from the gold bottle inspired the statues synonymous with the awards season). This fragrance is lighter and definitely geared toward warmer weather. While it has a similar woodsy base to Aventus, it also draws on sea salt, lemon, bergamot and Florentine iris to deliver a completely different feel- one that is supposed to, according to CREED, “transport you to another world of opulence and luxury.” I’d say it at least helps you pretend.

If there is one thing CREED gets, it is luxury. Since 1760 the company that has been passed down from generation to generation has used the finest ingredients harvested from all over the world to produce its fragrances. In fact that’s where the “Millesime” comes from. CREED always uses ingredients of incredible quality, but the “Millesime” perfumes are the ones that are made with cream of the crop from that year- it’s a mark of quality.

It’s that long standing history and dedication to quality that I will cover on Wednesday in Part II of the CREED Odyssey. You’ll see why CREED should be part of any Well-Versed Wardrobe.