n the video for ‘Edge of Seventeen’, Stevie Nicks urgently belts out the all-or-nothing drama of youth.
Flicky hair and satin cape seemingly borne aloft by a wind farm of turbines, Nicks’ performance embodies that volatile cusp of adulthood: adolescent cravings crowding out boring good judgement, with stimulation being the goal no matter how jangling. One such stimulant is Louis Vuitton’s new perfume, City of Stars, a teen dream confection of citrus, candy and sunshine.
Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud created City of Stars as the latest in LV’s Los Angeles-inspired collection, and as an ex-Angeleno, I doff my Camp Beverly Hills visor to them for successfully capturing its specific beach-side excess.
Olfactorily speaking, City of Stars broadcasts from the Santa Monica Pier, day-glo sun dropping low in the ocean as twilight heightens the sex appeal of guys and girls working the rickety rollercoaster. A cocktail of blood orange, lemon, mandarin and lime is twinned with monoi — tiaré flower macerated in coconut oil — conjuring the buttery haze of tanning lotion on warm skin along with sticky boardwalk sweets. After a few hours of wearing it, City of Stars’ initial sparkle calms into a musky murmur… much like the transition from youth to adulthood.
LOUIS VUITTON City of Stars cologne, £215 for 100 ml (louisvuitton.com)