Classique (fragrance)


Classique is a women's fragrance created by Jacques Cavallier for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1993. It has been manufactured by Puig since 2016, and was previously manufactured by Shiseido subsidiary Beauté Prestige International from 1995 until 2015. The men's fragrance Le Male was developed as a counterpart to Classique, and was introduced in 1995.
A number of flanker fragrances have since been released on the strength of the Classique name. The most recent fragrance, Classique Pin Up, was launched in 2020.

Conception and scent

Classique is described as an oriental floral women's fragrance, a classification which is identified by the combination of a "sweet, warm, powdery base" and flowery or spicy notes. The eau de parfum Classique contains top notes of rose and rum; middle notes of narcissus and vanilla orchid; and base notes of vanilla, amber, tonka bean, and sandalwood.
The bottle design, a female torso wearing a pink corset, has been compared to the corset Gaultier designed for Madonna for her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. The fragrance is packaged in an aluminum can, a motif he has used in his collections since 1980; Gaultier felt that "it was in some way a kind of a provocation to put it in something very industrial," and noted that some perfume shops did not offer the fragrance because it was "scandalous". Media personality Kim Kardashian was accused of copying the Classique bottle design for her KKW Body fragrance in April 2018. She claimed that " iconic and celebrates the woman’s body, but inspiration was a statue wanted to be really personal with exact mold." Gaultier responded that " couldn’t put body , so put a different body. She did her own body, so it's different."

Release and impact

The fragrance was released as JPGaultier Eau de Parfum in 1993, and renamed as Classique in 1995.
Shiseido subsidiary Beauté Prestige International distributed Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances, including Classique from launch in 1993, through a license agreement that was to extend from 1991 through June 30, 2016. On January 1, 2016, Puig acquired the fragrance license from Shiseido for $79.2 million and compensated the early termination of the license for $22.6 million. With this purchase, Puig now holds control of both the fashion and fragrance divisions of the Jean Paul Gaultier brand. A new advertising campaign was premiered in Paris during a relaunch party held by Puig on January 28, 2016, in which a joint commercial for Classique and Le Male retains the "Casta diva" aria from the original commercial and Dutch model Daphne Groeneveld portrays the lead female figure.
The brand's fragrance general manager Thomas James acknowledged Classique and Le Male as "the flagship of the brand represent all the Jean Paul Gaultier values continue to be an emblematic and historical pillar" at the launch of the women's fragrance Scandal in 2017.

Products

YearNameConcentrationPerfumer
1997Jean Paul Gaultier Summer
1997Classique L'Eau d'Ete
1998Classique Robe VeloursEau de toilette
2001Classique La Robe ChinoiseEau de toilette
2003Classique Eau d'été 2003Eau de toilette
2003Classique Limited Edition 2003
2004Classique L'Eau d'Ete Sans Alcohol
2005Classique Bien Roulee
2005Classique Corset CouturePerfume extract
2005Classique Les d'Ete 2005
2005Classique Rock Star
2006Classique Alcohol Free Summer Fragrance 2006
2006Classique Autumn Winter
2006Classique Prestige
2007Classique l'Eau d'Ete 2007
2008Classique Gold CollectionEau de toilette
2008Classique Summer Fragrance 2008
2009Classique Summer Fragrance 2009
2010Classique Charm EditionEau de toilette
2010Classique Summer 2010Eau de toilette
2010Classique XEau de toilette
2010Classique X ExtraitPerfume extract
2011Classique Love Actually
2011Classique X Jewel Edition
2011Classique Silver My Skin
2011Classique Summer 2011Eau de toilette
2011Classique X Love Actually
2012Classique Summer 2012Eau de toilette
2012Classique X Eau de ParfumEau de parfum
2012Classique X L'EauEau de toilette
2013Classique Belle en Corset
2013Classique CoupleEau de toilette
2013Classique Summer 2013Eau de toilette
2014Classique Edition Collector
2014Classique IntenseEau de parfum
2014Classique Summer Edition 2014Eau de toilette
2015Classique Collector Glam Edition
2015Classique Intense Collector Glam Edition
2015Classique Pirate EditionEau de toilette
2015Classique Summer 2015Eau de toilette
2016Classique Betty Boop Eau FraicheEau de toilette
2016Classique Essence de ParfumEau de parfum
2017Classique Eau de Parfum Collector 2017Eau de parfum
2017Classique Eau de Toilette Collector 2017Eau de toilette
2017Classique Wonder Woman Eau FraicheEau de toilette
2018Classique Collector Edition 2018
2018Classique Eau Fraiche André EditionEau de toilette
2018Classique Eau Fraiche Gaultier AirlinesEau de toilette
2019Classique Cabaret Eau de ParfumEau de parfum
2019Classique Collector's Snow Globe
2019La Belle
2019La Belle
2020Classique Pin Up
2020Classique AirlinesEau de parfum