Memoir
Every perfume is a unique work of art, no different than a piece of music or a painting in its ability to evoke feelings in its audience. In 1976, Yves Saint Laurent fell in love with the idea of creating a new perfume that would convey the lush, sensual mood of the name he had already chosen, OPIUM.
Working with Yves, his personal and business partner Pierre, and so many others in the world of high fashion and fragrance could be exhilarating, infuriating, and often, a simmering pot-au-feu threatening to boil over. This narrative takes you behind the scenes, providing a glimpse of that fascinating world and the people who kept it spinning.
It is a highly personal story, and one I know well. It is my story.
Every perfume is a unique work of art, not unlike a piece of music or an abstract painting. It can reach deep into the primitive recesses of our brains and touch our souls, evoking feelings and emotions that are beyond language. Our sense of smell—the olfactory process—resides in the most ancient part of our brains, and for thousands of years, it has protected animals—as well as humans—from danger, warned them not to eat spoiled food, and aroused them with sexual desire. It still does.
The feelings evoked by a fragrance are not simply marketing ploys. An array of elements, called notes—sweet or leathery, fresh or spicy—are combined in a distinctive progression, not unlike turning musical notes into a melody that can stir the senses to despair or rapture. The powerful, heart-wrenching aria, “Un bel dì, vedremo,” can bring people to tears, even without understanding the words of Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly.
In 1976, Yves Saint Laurent fell in love with the idea of creating a new perfume that would convey the lush, sensual mood of the name he had already chosen. And although I am not a perfumer, I know that the scent that Charles of the Ritz Group, Ltd. went on to develop together with the name merged into something greater than the sum of its parts; it was, and remains, a phenomenon that has lasted almost half a century.
It’s Opium.
Perhaps you’re wondering how and why I fit into this story. Well, it’s complicated. In brief, Yves and his partner, Pierre Bergé, opened Yves Saint Laurent Couture in 1961 with financing from an American investor, Mack Robinson, in exchange for a controlling interest in this fledgling venture. The Company then registered YSL trademarks in an array of product categories, including perfumes and cosmetics. In 1965, Mack Robinson sold his controlling interest to Ritz. In 1971, Squibb Beech-Nut Corporation acquired Ritz, and after some fancy footwork, Ritz owned all YSL trademarks and Yves and Pierre owned YSL Couture.*
The bottom line is that Yves, the enfant terrible of the high fashion world, didn’t own his own trademarks and didn’t have the final authority to make decisions about the perfumes and cosmetics bearing his name. That responsibility became mine when I was named president of Ritz’s International Division.
Of course, in addition to YSL, I was also responsible for developing, producing, and marketing Ritz’s other cosmetics and fragrance brands outside the United States and exporting them from the US to countries around the world. It was a big job and an even bigger opportunity. I relished the challenge.
Working with Yves, his personal and business partner, Pierre, and so many others in the world of high fashion and fragrance could be exhilarating, infuriating, and often, a simmering pot-au-feu threatening to boil over. This narrative takes you behind the scenes and provides a glimpse of that fascinating world and the people who kept it spinning.
It is a highly personal story and one I know well.
It is my story.
About the Author
As a young boy, I was always absorbed in books about history—particularly that of the United States—and geography, yet still managed a healthy appetite of sports and a weekly outing to see the latest cowboy or adventure movie. Later, I was exposed to the Broadway stage and developed a great fondness for musical theater, at one point picturing it as a future career choice. But alas, as I grew older and realized I was not that talented, I became more serious about the future.
Fortunately, I wound up in a creative segment of the business world, which provided me the opportunity to travel the globe and stimulated my interest in world history. It also opened avenues into entertainment and politics. I found a home in the fashion industry and served as President of Charles of the Ritz Group, Ltd., then a wholly owned subsidiary of Squibb Corporation, where I also served on its Board of Directors. Here, I was deeply involved with well-known fashion designers, Yves Saint Laurent and Gianni Versace; Hollywood stars, Linda Evans and John Forsythe; and because of the success of the perfume, Opium, wound up in Washington meeting with senators, representatives and administration officials to obtain relief from gray market goods flooding the United States in the early 1980’s.
After my retirement, I wrote two novels based on my many years of experience in the fashion industry, and continually pursued my interest in history. Following a short break to write a non-fiction book on the relationship of taxes and jobs, I spent much of my time these past several years studying the biblical account of the rise of Christianity from the varying narratives of religion, history and archaeology. The results of that research were a source of information and inspiration for my wife, Leslie Schweitzer Miller, in writing her first novel, DISCOVERY.
Now my interest is in public policy on issues that affect the United States such as healthcare, taxes, job creation and foreign affairs, about which I will be commenting periodically.
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