La Prairie's new fragrance, Silver Rain, is now available in stores:

The top notes of the fragrance contain a hint of crisp green apple illuminated by verbena flower, dewfruit berry, Thai anise seed, crushed Moroccan coriander and bergamot zest. Middle notes of Moroccan red rose petal, juicy plum, gardenia tuberose blossom, Chinese star magnolia, dewfruit berry, crystallised sugar accord and night-blooming Indian jasmine dry down to a hint of Indonesian patchouli leaves, red sandalwood, creamy Venezuelan tonka bean, heliotrope flower, vanilla infusion, rare agarwood and rich musk.

At $135 for 1.7 oz, this is priced for the luxury market, and for the really big spenders, $2000 will get you a signed limited-edition sterling silver "cachette" of three 1/2-oz. vials, including the Silver Rain and two variations for layering: Silver Sensuality and Silver Spice.

Flowerbomb, the new fragrance from Dutch design team Viktor & Rolf, is also currently launching in stores. Described as "a heady mix of tea, bergamot, Sambac jasmine, cattleya orchid, freesia, Centifolia rose, and purified patchouli", the fragrance will launch in limited distribution; in the United States, it will be exclusive to Saks. The faceted bottle looks rather like a hand grenade. The UK Times Online was apparently less than impressed by the juice itself:

While the concept of Flowerbomb is undeniably Viktor & Rolf, it is arguable that the fragrance itself is blatantly commercial. Unlike, say, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, who has successfully translated her oblique aesthetic vision to scent, Viktor & Rolf have sold out. “We are not interested in niche,” responds Viktor. “Fashion is already for a small audience. We like to communicate with as many people as possible.”

To see the rest of the article, click here. Update: see a review of Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb.