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It was in 1957 that Hubert de Givenchy crystalized his passion for Audrey Hepburn into a fragrance. L’Interdit was born. The iconic American actress is the founding inspiration of almost everything the French creator did in the following years. Audrey Hepburn incarnated elegance, youth, rebellion and sassiness. L’Interdit is part of Givenchy heritage and legacy to future generations. More than 60 years later, L’Interdit is still alive and the brand decided to relaunch it, this time with a new face: Ronney Mara.

Givenchy L’Interdit Original, the story

Hubert de Givenchy created the perfume for Audrey Hepburn, who wore it for a year before its release to the public. Audrey Hepburn also became the first actress to become the face of a perfume, for L’Interdit and created an enormous trend, still relevant nowadays. There is a very interesting story behind L’Interdit. This fragrance was created by Roure Bertrand Dupont in Grasse (now Givaudan) for Givenchy in 1954. Hubert de Givenchy wanted to offer a precious gift to Audrey Hepburn. The talented perfumer was Francis Fabron, a very influent perfumer in the 50’s who also created Monsieur de Givenchy for the French luxury house. The starting idea was this scent of a chic cleaning service (Pressing), translated by an Aldehyde accord. Without being sulfurous, L’Interdit evokes a passionate seduction. Behind a false innocence, we can scent voluptuous notes of Tonka Bean, Clove and a floral sensual note of Carnation.

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Audrey Hepburn loved the fragrance immediately and started wearing it everywhere she went. People all around her asking which fragrance she wore and she never betrayed the secret. More than a year later, Hubert de Givenchy asked if he could bring the fragrance to market, following by Audrey Hepburn’s answer: “Je vous l’Interdis !” . The fragrance name was born at that precise moment and later on, Audrey Hepburn accepted that the fragrance could go to market.

Rooney Mara, a new Interdit…

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Rooney Mara is a very talented actress (like Audrey Hepburn). In 2011, Mara had a career breakthrough when she portrayed Lisbeth Salander, the title character in David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on Stieg Larsson’s Millennium book series. She received critical acclaim for her performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. In 2013, she starred in the thriller Side Effects, the independent drama Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and the acclaimed sci-fi romantic drama, Her. The following year, she starred in the adventure drama film Trash (2014). In 2015, she garnered further critical acclaim for her performance in Todd Haynes’ romantic drama Carol, for which she tied for the Best Actress Award at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, SAG Award, BAFTA Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The film industry tends to compare Rooney Mara as the new Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn’s longtime relationship with Hubert de Givenchy (he made many of the clothes she wore in her films and elsewhere) is the stuff of fashion legend and launched the phenomenon of the Little Black Dress. Mara’s signature look is shaping up to be a striking Little Black Dress, often paired with dramatic red lipstick. It is not surprising that Givenchy has chosen Rooney Mara to be the new face of the L’Interdit relaunch.

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More than 60 years later after the launch of the original Givenchy L’Interdit, it is the creative work of three perfumers who allowed a new chapter for the iconic fragrance: Dominique Ropion, Anne Flipo and Fanny Bal. The interest of this fragrance is for sure its olfactory structure. There is a delightful contrast between a bright and feminine white floral bouquet made of Tuberose, Jasmine and Orange Blossom, and an intense woody foundation of Patchouli and Vetiver.

Last but not least, the fragrance flacon is a tribute to the original one, bringing the classicism of Givenchy towards a more contemporary line. It is probably one of the most beautiful launches this year, revisiting a great story of passion and freedom. L’Interdit is based on the foundation myth of the Givenchy brand and reminds ourselves that daring is not a problem, it is a quality.

José Amorim

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. WWD, The Cut, Getty images, New York Times, Vogue UK, Wikipedia and Harpers Baazar. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.