Stella Observation

After three long years in production, which Stella McCartney puts down to her own perfectionism, she cannot help but describe her new perfume L.I.L.Y. with an element of romantic nostalgia; “Firstly, I think it’s a beautiful name: simple and feminine. It also links to one of the main ingredients, which is lily of the valley. On a more personal note, my parents (Paul and the late Linda McCartney) had nicknames for each other. My dad’s nickname for my mother was L.I.L.Y, which stood for ‘Linda I Love You’.”

The exclusive UK launch of L.I.L.Y took place at Selfridges last week, as their ‘World of Stella’ series of pop up stores draws to a close on  Valentine’s day. The customers who purchased the first hundred bottles of perfume got the opportunity to meet the woman herself and get their beautifully tactile, crystal bottle signed.

Selfridges certainly looked after the excited throng of Stella fans, offering cupcakes from their in-store bakery, Stella badges, and a beautiful promotional booklet.

L.I.L.Y perfume bottles were presented with delicate potted lily of the valley plants backed by the earthy images which have been used in the perfume’s promotion, reflecting its natural notes of moss, lily of the valley and truffles - as well as the wholesome price tag of £60 for 50ml. The scent is distinctly feminine but dries down to reveal a muskier edge after a few hours of wear.

Stella was extremely amicable and open, offering smiles, photos and conversation to each person – as it turned out almost exclusively women under 30 - who had waited to meet her.

The ‘World of Stella’ initiative which showcases Stella McCartney collections in lingerie, accessories, womenswear, kidswear, fragrance and sportswear has featured several fun activities to get people involved and promote a general awareness of the brand’s scope. The location of the pop up stores was announced on L.I.L.Y’s launch night by a series of huge silver balloons spelling I ‘heart’ Stella, lending a sense of cohesion to the experience of visiting them all despite the multitude of other brands lying between the Stella displays.

Selfridges created a ‘World of Stella’ map, encouraging customers to go on a hunt for the pop up stores situated on various floors to gather stamps. Once you had filled your map you were able to enter a competition to win £1500 worth of Stella goodies. The customer advisors that provided our stamps were more than happy to discuss the brand with us and, in practice, what proved to be the only irksome element of this particular venture was the fact that it was possible to enter the same competition online simply by entering an email address.

The second flurry of activity on launch night happened at the installation of Stella MCartney Adidas sportswear, where Stella met her team of London models. Having been commissioned to design the Team GB kit for the London 2012 Olympic Games, Stella has also created a celebratory collection available for purchase, about which she has said: “The starting point was to kick-off 2012 in style and celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games being hosted by London. The designs are intended to have an exciting energy and we worked around simple silhouettes in navy and grey marl, contrasted with bright block panels and prints to keep the collection fun and relaxed.”

Taking into account her Olympic collection, fragrance and the imminent opening of her second London store in Brompton Cross, it looks as though Stella’s world is determined not to remain confined within the walls of Selfridges. It might be subliminal, but I think I heart Stella!