Allure irrésistible. At a party on Paris’ rive gauche (where the ‘intellectuals’ with black AMEX cards study…party and shop) a woman’s fur coat (SO 80s, SO démodé) is lifted from her bare shoulders, exposing her neck to the candlelight (what about her face?…tiny candle?) Aware of many eyes upon her (“What a NECK!”), she pauses, smiling to herself, before emerging like a conqueror from the shadows. (Doesn’t take much! Sounds like Kim Kardashian, doesn’t it?)

Delete the bold type and this is how Frédéric Malle PR describes Music For A While,* the brand’s latest perfume. I grunt and roll my eyes as I read the fuddy-duddy copy, but as often happens with this brand (its backstories annoy l’enfer out of me), the fragrance makes me smile and present my (non-black) American Express card at Barneys New York…

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