The Brand Behind Audrey Hepburn’s Favorite Perfume Opened a Paris Store
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In the heart of the 16th arrondissement in Paris—one of the more quiet and livable areas of the bustling metropolis—you’ll stumble across one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. The Peninsula is a palatial building where you might expect to see French royalty or celebrities with particularly refined taste. Now, you’ll also find the Parisian outpost of the 121-year-old luxury perfume brand Krigler.
Krigler is known for scenting old Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly, who wore Chateau Krigler, a light floral scent blended with almond and musk, and Marlene Dietrich, who wore the lavender-laced fragrance Lieber Gustav. Though Krigler is no stranger to opulent hotels (one of their most well-known U.S. stores is in New York City’s iconic Plaza hotel, of Home Alone and Eloise fame), this is the brand’s only store in Paris. It’s not the first time the house has had a place in the city, though. Krigler had a Paris store from 1909 to the 1950s, so this marks a return for the brand—one that perfumer Ben Krigler wanted to get just right. “For many years, people have been asking me, ‘Why don’t you have a store in Paris?’” Krigler tells ELLE.com. “I always knew that I wanted my store in Paris to be special and to be unique.”
The new store looks like a fancy candy shop, with perfumes lining the walls like assorted colorful sweets and workers presenting fragrances with white gloves. “I created a space that looks like an old apothecary,” Krigler says. “It’s like a bridge between the time we opened our first store in Paris and today.” The effect is that the store looks like it could just as easily have existed in 1909.
The hotel is also going to be a hub for the brand’s special Silver Tray collection; devoted Krigler fans will be able to buy rare and limited-edition scents that may never exist in the brand’s permanent collection. Only one or two bottles of each fragrance in the collection exist—and each will run you $1,700. The Silver Tray collection also has an extensive waiting list. “Someone told me, ‘It’s like buying a Birkin to buy a perfume from you,’” Krigler says.
For those who would rather stick to scents from the house’s core collection—like Audrey Hepburn’s signature, English Promenade 19, a white floral scent inspired by the Italian Riviera—they are also available at the Peninsula storefront. Since the brand has such a storied history, there are fragrances for everyone, and plenty of scents that represent Paris itself, like Emeraude Noir, a spicy perfume with notes like nutmeg and pepper, which was inspired by 1970s night clubs in the city. “That scent is the epitome of partying and enjoying yourself,” Krigler says. “It’s Paris.” C’est la vie.
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