How to Get Away with Murder S06E04 (I Hate the World)

When Michaela (Aja Naomi King) realises her father is Solomon Vick, she goes to New York to meet him. She attends one of his conferences and aggressively asks him personal questions. Later, she intrudes into his hotel room and goes through his items.

In the bathroom there are two perfume bottles: one is John Varvatos Artisan, a creation by John Varvatos and Rodrigo Flores-Roux launched in 2009; the other is Dana Canoe, a Jean Carles creation first launched in 1936 as a fresh perfume for women and marketed as men’s cologne since the 1960s.

Michaela doesn’t resist and smells the Varvatos perfume. You may remember it made an appearance in the second season of the show, in Mike’s bedroom.

Alessandro Michele’s Perfume Collection (2019)

Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele published this picture in his Instagram Stories some days ago. It’s unclear whether all these perfumes belong to him or to somebody else, but nonetheless let’s bask in the beauty of this nocturnal shot.Starting from the left, I’ve spotted Xaris, a frankincense resinous fragrance by the Florentine brand Aquaflor.

Then there’s a French classic: Snob by Le Galion, originally created by Paul Vacher and launched in the 1950s. This is the new version by Thomas Fontaine, launched in 2014.

Next there’s a Baccarat splash bottle containing a Caron perfume. This bottle has been used since the 1930s for many different fragrances. Without a front label it’s impossible to say what perfume is sitting on Alessandro Michele’s table.

Last, there’s Rodin Olio Lusso for Women, a white floral fragrance created in 2012 by David Seth Moltz and Kavi Moltz.

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (2018)

Xavier Dolan must have a thing for perfumes mothers wear. In his films, there’s often a moment in which the protagonist’s mother explains what perfume she’s wearing [1], so I guess this must have something to do with a personal obsession of the director. In this case, Grace (Susan Sarandon) is wearing Nina Ricci L’air du temps, the classic floral/spicy creation by Francis Fabron launched after WWII, in 1948.

[1] In Mommy, Diane says she’s wearing Christian Dior Eau Sauvage.

Valley Girl (1983)

Julie, the film’s protagonist, is an only child but she’s hardly ever alone: she spends most of her time with her friends. Stacey (Heidi Holicker) is one of her closest friends: she often visits Julie at home, where they spend time together. In this scene, Stacey is painting her nails on a clear acrylic paint station which also works as organiser. It contains nail polish bottles and two perfumes.

There’s a miniature of Cacharel Anais Anais, which Julie owns in full size, too. It’s a lovely choice for someone trendy like Julie: the first Cacharel perfume, launched in 1978, was very popular in the 1980s.

On the other hand, the second perfume is quite surprising: it’s the now-discontinued Inoui by Shiseido, launched in 1976, described by Elena Vosnaki as a fragrance where “the alliance of juniper, with its gin-like background, with galbanum and pine, gives the initial jolt of seemingly frozen nostrils, icicles growing up your brain, which becomes the prelude for the harmony of peachy florals in the heart with a classic chypre base.” It sounds appealing, doesn’t it? That’s why finding it in the bedroom of a Valley Girl, someone who’s stereotypically interested in shopping, partying and dating, is so unusual.

Thanks to concepteaux for the Shiseido id.

A growing archive of beauty products and perfumes in movies and tv shows