Brad Pitts Chanel No. 5 advert message more nonsensical than inevitable: Von Hahn

Chanel

Brad Pitt istars in the new Chanel No. 5 ad.

What is the face of a perfume? Literally speaking, it might be the front of the pretty bottle its packaged in, but the controversial debut of Brad Pitt as the first male face of Chanel No. 5 does prompt the deeper question. What does a scent look like? Does it best resemble its aspirations? Or, more likely, does the mere image of still-pretty boy Pitt, at 48, motivate women intently curious as to what the actor himself smells like, to go out and buy more Chanel No. 5?

Clearly the folks at Chanel, who reap a coolness bump just for hiring a man for the gig previously held by the likes of such divinities as Ali MacGraw, Lauren Hutton, Nicole Kidman, Vanessa Paradis and Audrey Tautou, think the latter. According to Hollywoodgossip.com, Pitt is being paid something in the neighbourhood of seven figures to intone with grave seriousness, in a black and white video directed by Atonement filmmaker Joe Wright released to mass confusion on YouTube an almost laughably enigmatic message that of course has nothing to do with perfume.

Its not a journey. Every journey ends, but we go on, philosophizes the bearded Pitt, in an open-collared white dress shirt against an appropriately cloudy backdrop. The world turns, and we turn with it. Plans disappear, dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are my luck, my fate, my fortune. His final message: Chanel No. 5. Inevitable.

I guess there is something inevitable, if not completely nonsensical, about marrying a face the world admires with one of the worlds most popular and enduring scents. Ever since Coco Chanel first released it in 1921,! the magic juice has been reaping bags of cash for the brand. It has always had a place in popular culture; Warhol silkscreened portraits of its iconic bottle, and Marilyn Monroe claimed to have slept every night in nothing else.

It is thanks to the rise of celebrity culture that magazines on newsstands sell in direct proportion to the popularity of the celeb on their covers. And of course, ever since Elizabeth Taylor came out with her own scent, White Diamonds, in 1991 (still a bestseller), its been almost a matter of course for celebrities to hawk their own essence in a bottle.

In just the past six months both Madonna and her much less fascinating imitator Lady Gaga have released their own fragrances into the atmosphere for us to sniff on test strips in department stores (helpful beauty hint: a key ingredient in both must be the oil of hell-bent ambition). In doing so, they join the illustrious company of such repeat celebrity perfume offenders as Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker and Britney Spears. Hell, even Donald Trump and Paris Hilton want us to pay through the nose to smell like them, while Justin Bieber was in early on the gender-bending perfume thing coming out with a bestselling scent, Girlfriend, not for men, but for women.

In the case of Pitts turn for Chanel, however, its not essence of Brad thats in the bottle, but a case of the brand determining that it wants somehow to identify with and express a certain Pittness. Gucci has recently done the same with fashion It Girl Blake Lively as the face of the new scent Premiere.

Calvin Klein has opted to rent out that of the dishy Alexander Skarsgard for Encounter, while for its new Florabotanica, Balenciaga has chosen the pale visage of vampire bride Kristen Stewart.

According to Chanel CEO Maureen Chiquet, the choice of Brad Pitt as the face of Chanel No. 5 was obvious. Chanel No. 5 is the most iconic fragrance of our time and Brad Pitt is the most iconic actor of our time. Women in every culture love Chanel No.! 5. No ma! tter where you are, Chanel No. 5 is there. Given that irrefutably empty logic, Pitt was definitely the right choice. Ever since his breakout role in Thelma and Louise, no matter how hard he tries to be taken seriously, its clear the guy is all looks and no substance. Appearing as a sage for our times in a perfume ad, Pitts essential lack of gravitas is now bottled and sealed. Blessed, or cursed, with a face that is desired by all, he is the perfect face.

Karen von Hahn is a Toronto-based writer, trend observer and style commentator. Contact her at kvh@karenvonhahn.com.