Is it weird that I based my future on an ad campaign? "What is Remembered is Up to You" Do you recall that phrase? Well, actually it was a slogan. A slogan for a men's cologne. Paco Rabanne pour homme. This is what I imagined my life was going to be. What I wanted it to be. In some ways what I still want it to be:
Yes, I was going to be a painter, living in a shabby chic loft in either New York City or Paris, whispering sweet nothings into phones to paramours who had to jet off to places like Istanbul or Hong Kong. Or, I was going to be a writer, living somewhere like Truro or Cap d'Antibes or The Hamptons (whichever one is closest to the water). Or, I was going to be a violin maker/body-builder/sun-tan enthusiast (although I sort of was a sun-tan enthusiast; but who wasn't back in the day?):
Or living on a boat; ready to play chess at a moment's notice:
Well, maybe not that scenario. A boat's too claustrophobic for my taste and chess taxes my brain.
So what suckered me into this fantasy? Well what didn't? Actually, I believe I already had and was a fan of the cologne. These ads only cinched my love for it (it's still my all time favorite). I mean, how could I choose between these lifestyles? Artist? Aesthete? Urbanite with giant windows? Afternoon bed louching!
So what suckered me into this fantasy? Well what didn't? Actually, I believe I already had and was a fan of the cologne. These ads only cinched my love for it (it's still my all time favorite). I mean, how could I choose between these lifestyles? Artist? Aesthete? Urbanite with giant windows? Afternoon bed louching!
With the bed in the middle of the room yet! Which reminds me; I've gotta go uncrate my chandelier...
I'm back.
Oh, did you catch the ray of light from the yachtsman's porthole and where it's leading your eye? These ad-men knew what they were doing. Another amazing thing about these ads is the sexual ambiguity. Only one of them is gender specific (the yachtsman). If you read the dialogue of the others, the man could be talking to anyone of any sex or sexuality. This had to have been some kind of first.
But does Paco Rabanne pour homme actually smell good? Well, here's what it smells like:
I'm back.
Oh, did you catch the ray of light from the yachtsman's porthole and where it's leading your eye? These ad-men knew what they were doing. Another amazing thing about these ads is the sexual ambiguity. Only one of them is gender specific (the yachtsman). If you read the dialogue of the others, the man could be talking to anyone of any sex or sexuality. This had to have been some kind of first.
But does Paco Rabanne pour homme actually smell good? Well, here's what it smells like:
The "note pyramid" is missing a key ingredient: Oakmoss. Oakmoss is a lichen that grows on oaks and is used extensively in perfumery. But oakmoss has been shown to cause allergic reactions in people; so the perfume industry has more or less outlawed its use. Paco had a lot of oakmoss in it: real oakmoss, back in the day. But now, because of the ban, oakmoss has been chemically synthesized and it's that version that is now used in the perfume biz. Ergo, the current version of PRPH uses synthetic oakmoss. IMHO opinion, it has ruined the fragrance. Yeah, sure, it still kinda smells pretty much the same; but then, it doesn't. If your brain knows the original, the replacement simply will not do. Luckily, you can get vintage Paco pretty easily and at reasonable prices. And the really old bottles have a puffy, chromium sticker of the old-school logo. You can easily remove it from the bottle and use it for decorative purposes; e.g., a refrigerator magnet.
I actually had a three-way with Paco and a guy I was dating in the early 90's. The guy I was dating was named Walter and he rode a motorcycle. He looked very much like a young James Taylor:
Yeah, I had a three-way with a guy named Walter and Paco Rabanne. Well, not the designer himself; but his juice(!). Paco to his friends...
One evening in Watertown when Walter and I were getting all amorous; he produced a bottle of Paco and said: "Do you mind?" "Sure!" I enthused, "I love that stuff!" And Walter from Watertown proceeded to annoint and ablute us both in said cologne. It was like he was making one of those ads become real. And to answer my prior question; yes, it does smell good. It's obviously aphrodisiacal for a lot of people; ads notwithstanding. Any perfume with its own cult has to be good; like Smucker's!
Even though Walter didn't have Pratesi sheets, a crated chandelier or an onyx chess set: he had that motorcycle. That was pretty damn glamorous. My relationship with Walter was short-lived; but it was exciting. I mean, I barely knew the guy but was willing to get on a motorcycle with him. And we went on trips on that thing. He didn't just give me an around-the-block-joy-ride; he propelled me all around Boston and up and down major highways. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life (and why I still want a motorcycle). It's funny, because Walter--off the bike--was very much on the sedate side. A bit too sedate for me at that time in my life. He was very quiet and rather introverted. Which is probably one of the reasons the relationship failed. I really liked him though. But then who really wants to still be friends after a break-up. Not many.
Even though Walter didn't have Pratesi sheets, a crated chandelier or an onyx chess set: he had that motorcycle. That was pretty damn glamorous. My relationship with Walter was short-lived; but it was exciting. I mean, I barely knew the guy but was willing to get on a motorcycle with him. And we went on trips on that thing. He didn't just give me an around-the-block-joy-ride; he propelled me all around Boston and up and down major highways. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life (and why I still want a motorcycle). It's funny, because Walter--off the bike--was very much on the sedate side. A bit too sedate for me at that time in my life. He was very quiet and rather introverted. Which is probably one of the reasons the relationship failed. I really liked him though. But then who really wants to still be friends after a break-up. Not many.
Yes, you can actually purchase a bottle of Paco Rabanne pour homme that contains 1000ml (almoust 34 ounces) at retail establishments. This has to be the biggest bottle of fragrance commercially available. But I mean, as much as I love the stuff; who would ever need this much? Not even the guys in the ads, I imagine, have a bottle of Paco that big in their out-of-frame bathrooms. The only person I could envision buying the mega-economy Paco is maybe a Saudi prince who pours it in his bath with zero concern over price or over-toiletting.
The above ad is the "Writer" scenario. It's the only image I could find. I can't make out the dialogue but I'm sure it's somewhere along the lines of "I was trying to write about how you smell. Stop "borrowing" my perfume." And then the violin maker got his own double-page spread:
I don't know if he's having the same conversation. I would imagine this guy could handle an entire phone-sex line. But phone-sex lines didn't exist, circa '83-'84, which is when these ads are from. And would it kill him to throw his dirty socks in the hamper? I also like that these ads feature brunettes; such as moi-self (at that time, anyways). The vibe of the men in the ads is decidedly French, which seems strange for ads in the American market aimed at men. Particularly the myth that the French don't bathe and just douse themselves with cologne. But maybe that's what the ad-men were going for. Playing on some deep-seated psychological need for males to be stinky. I mean, like I said, these guys knew what they were doing!
So, did any of this fantasy come true for me? Well, in some ways, yes. I have an art studio in my house that has a fireplace. I write: not on an antique typewriter sur la mer; but on a laptop in a home office. Do I have a tan? No. I gave up sunbathing in 1985 after I fried myself at the beach so badly I feared I would be permanently scarred.
Looking back on this ad campaign, I see that the models couldn't have been more Caucasian. It would've been nice if the Paco men were of different ethnicities; but, times were different. Luckily they change. At least the advertisers were pushing the envelope with the inclusive sexuality.
If this campaign were launched today you'd not only have racial diversity; you'd probably have the woman (or they/them, etc.) lolling on the bed with the bottle of Paco. And that's a good thing.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- Geroge Santayana
Or, if you like:
What is remembered is up to you. -- Paco Rabanne
Looking back on this ad campaign, I see that the models couldn't have been more Caucasian. It would've been nice if the Paco men were of different ethnicities; but, times were different. Luckily they change. At least the advertisers were pushing the envelope with the inclusive sexuality.
If this campaign were launched today you'd not only have racial diversity; you'd probably have the woman (or they/them, etc.) lolling on the bed with the bottle of Paco. And that's a good thing.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- Geroge Santayana
Or, if you like:
What is remembered is up to you. -- Paco Rabanne
P.S.: I was able to find a larger version of "The Writer" ad. He talks of luring "maidens" out of the woods; but the person on the other end of the phone, still, could be a guy. Which would make the writer bisexual. Which is even more envelope pushing.
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