KL by Karl Lagerfeld c1982

KL by Karl Lagerfeld: launched in 1982. Created by Roger Pellegrino of Firmenich. KL, a  blend of lush fruits, sumptuous flowers, intense spices, smoldering woods, amber and myrrh, was aimed at the woman with "a divine kind of madness," said the publicity material. 

Originally, Lagerfeld's perfume was to have been called Fantastic, a play on the designer's longtime love of fans, which he obsessively collected. Copyright problems necessitate the change of name to the rather subdued KL."I'm mad for perfumes, I could make one every week," said Lagerfeld in the film Karl Lagerfeld. "Chloe was a fragrance of the 70s, KL is a fragrance of the 80s."

I had read that the perfume KL, was "designed" by Karl Lagerfeld for Marshall Field's. KL, was his third perfume licence with Elizabeth Arden, and was launched in Europe at the end of 1982 with a huge party held at Versailles. A lavish black-tie party was held at the outdoor gazebo at Ledoyen, a restaurant on the Champs-Elysees on Oct 15, 1982.

 Achieving early success in Europe, the perfume was then introduced in the US in May 1983 with a two week promotional tour. Rumor circulated that Arden had delayed the launch of KL in the USA due to his move to Chanel. However, this was not the case, Arden spokesperson, Jack Bolster simply said that it was delayed in the USA because of the sluggish economy at the time. Stores in America did not believe that it was the right time to introduce a perfume that retailed for about $150 an ounce, he explained.

For the KL launch at Block's department store in Indianapolis, related special events including floral exhibits interpreting the Karl Lagerfeld fragrance was held at the downtown and suburban stores. Origami fan folding demonstrations were hosted by Michiko Selby. Rich's Lenox Square store in Atlanta exhibited fifteen of Lagerfeld's fans from his own personal collection as part of the launch.

In Canada, the fragrance was introduced to consumers with ads in nine publications across the nation including Ottawa Magazine, 680,000 scent strips, and 2,000 sample vials which were handed out at Holt's 240 Sparks store, which promised to be one of the most extravagant ever. The elegant gray, coral and gold packaging of the fragrance incorporated a stylized fan motif, and carrying our this theme is a traveling show of specimens from Karl Lagerfeld's personal fan collection. The touring fans spent a few days a in Toronto and Montreal. 

Bernard James Flynn was hired by Karl Lagerfeld Parfums to create the fine art logo for the "KL" fragrance and to make 120 lacquered fans for two "launchings" of the product - one for the press and the other for department stores. "I made the fans in Key West, which was stupid," said Flynn. "In 98% humidity, I was lacquering like crazy, surrounded by those little black mosquitoes that look like they have Jane Fonda leg warmers on." 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a spicy oriental fragrance for women. It starts with a spicy top, followed by a spicy floral heart, resting on a sweet balsamic base. 

A seductive gathering of lush citrus fruits are married to a bouquet of sumptuous flowers including rose, jasmine, magnolia, tender orchid, ylang ylang and freesia. Generously sprinkled with a pungent spice blend of pimento, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper, expertly layered over a base of precious woods and smoldering incense, lastly, revealing an animalic trace of ambergris, civet and sensuous musk.

• Top notes: spicy notes, aldehydes, mandarin orange, tangerine, magnolia, freesia, cassis, and bergamot 
• Middle notes: pimento berries, Madagascar clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, Jamaican pepper, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang and orchid
• Base notes: styrax, labdanum, frankincense, olibanum, civet, ambergris, myrrh, vanilla, vetiver, musk, sandalwood, patchouli and benzoin

Apparently, KL was Lagerfeld's own personal blending of passion fruit, tangerine, sandalwood, coriander and Madagascar cloves. Karl explained that the inclusion of cloves "adds a fresh fruit touch. Heavy but light. The contrast is like warm snow and cold sun. I adore fragrance. It is fashion for the nose. Perfume is an art, too. It creates an atmosphere. It becomes an identity. A woman should put a dot of it even on her stationary."

Bottle:

Karl Lagerfeld was an avid collector of antique hand fans from around the world. he subsequently donated them to various museums. The fashion designer was also a compulsive collector of perfume bottles. It was this joint passion that led him to develop a cut-glass bottle shaped as a fan for his KL perfume and bath collection. The resulting package was designed by Marc Rosen Associates of New York. Marc Rosen, said that "When we did KL, I made the bottle fan-shaped because Karl Lagerfeld wears a ponytail and sees himself as an 18th century man. It was the perfect symbol."

The package won a "Fifi" award from The Fragrance Foundation, otherwise regarded as the "Oscars" of the perfume industry.

The parfum flacon was available in three sizes:

• 1 oz - bottle measures 3" tall x 4" wide.
• 0.5 oz - bottle measures 2.5" tall x 3.5" wide.
• 0.25 oz - bottle measures 1.5" tall x 2.75" wide

He agreed to use the initials K.L. and a drawing of himself, complete with his famous ponytail in silhouette for the namesake perfume - only because the original name "Fanatic" was thrown out by the lawyers in a copyright confusion.  

KL was originally launched in the following:

• 1/4 oz Parfum
• 1/2 oz Parfum
• 1 oz Parfum
• 1 oz Eaud e Toilette Atomizer Spray
• 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 3.3 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 2 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
• 4.2 oz Eau de Toilette Splash

Other products included:

• 0.25 oz of Eau De Parfum
• 0.40 oz Flawless Finish Pressed Powder 
• 3.5 oz Perfumed Soap

In 1985, Karl told Punch magazine that perfumes and fragrances have always played an important part in his life. That's why he started up Parfums Lagerfeld.

In early 1980s, you could get a special gold tone fan-shaped purse mirror with a purchase of spray parfum.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Unfortunately, this fragrance was discontinued in the 1990s and can be hard to find.


KL was originally produced and distributed by Bethco Fragrances, Inc. of New York, New York (a subdivision of Elizabeth Arden-Faberge, Inc). Bethco operated as the upper end American producer of Chloe, Karl Lagerfeld and Fendi perfumes. Bottles will be found with labels with the Bethco names.

This earliest edition was distributed in the United States by Bethco. You may also find some bottles with the E.Arden-Milano label, while others may just say only "UTIF" or "UTIF - Milano" - UTIF is the acronym for the Italian alcohol sales license. These bottles were for distribution in Europe and probably the rest of the world. The mini bottles usually do not have the pink/gold stripe on the cap.

In 1989, Unilever purchased Bethco Fragrances, Inc, but the labels will still be branded with the Bethco name.

Around 1990, Elizabeth Arden organized a subdivision, Parfums International, Ltd, to control the other Unilever owned fragrance brands (Lagerfeld, Chloe, Fendi, Elizabeth Taylor, Decadence, etc). These labels will be marked with the Parfums International, Ltd name. I do not believe this suffered from reformulation. The bottles and packaging stayed the same. You can find the name difference on the labels and boxes.

The latest editions were reformulated and repackaged and distributed by Unilever who acquired Elizabeth Arden in 1989. These bottles were distinctive as the caps and bottles will not have the gold/pink stripes as seen on the original examples. The labels will say the Unilever name.