JULIAN ROUAS PARIS

150 people were affected by a person who sprayed perfume. 34 of these people had to be taken to the hospital. This happened in Fort Worth, Texas but is by no means the only incident of people being sickened, literally, by perfume being sprayed.

We all remember the smokers being taken to task over their cigarette smoke which ended up with most of the country banning cigarette smoking in work places, bars, restaurants and most "public" areas. Not only that, cigarettes were deemed to be the biggest and baddest cause of almost every cancer known to man. We allowed those nasty ole' cigarette smokers to be taxed (what most would consider unlawfully) until they were forced to quit or they were forced to hide in their homes hoping that no one would get a "whiff" of smoke. Ah, we sure did teach smokers a thing or two about "their" smoke perfume!

All the while the chided smokers were trying to explain that almost any of them would willingly put out a cigarette if it bothered someone. They tried to explain that cigarette smoke, especially second hand smoke, was NOT the culprit of all cancers. People complaining of cigarette smoke were even asked if there could be another cause of their discomfort. Guess what? Perfume! Yes, perfume.

I remember one of the biggest anti-smoking people in our county was a large woman who did not know what a "spritz" of perfume was. She lathered it on until you were looking for the exits or a gas mask. But she was brazen enough to complain about someone smoking in a bar (that she never went in).

We've all been there, a restaurant, church, classroom, shopping aisle and yes a bar, when someone will walk in and the place turns to weeping eyes and sneezing. How well do you think people take it when asked to "remove" their perfume? But due to stories like the people above who fell ill due to someone's perfume I believe people are starting to look at perfume as the next cigarette.

Will they install a heavy tax on perfume like on cigarettes? Some have banned perfume in the workplace, will that carry on to public places as well? Will perfumed products like body and laudry soap be banned? Or maybe they will simply ban perfume on any level and in any product.

Perfume can make people sick. Perfume can make people sick that aren't even wearing it. More and more articles and studies are being written on perfume and the hazards of some of them. Yes, I vaguely see perfume as the new cigarette.

Jen's Perfume Smells Like Childless Misery; Justin Bieber Grapples With McQueen's Death

• The inevitable Aniston perfume is, oddly, not titled Desperation and Loneliness but, instead, "Lola V" - which sounds like the name of a Hollywood baby. That she'll never have!


• Celine Dion, meanwhile, presents yet another scent: "Pure Brilliance."

• Kimora, in her latest scent, takes a different approach: "This scent is meant to be a call to action - I am challenging everyone to be bold, inspired and intelligent," she declares. We appreciate the courage of launching a celebrity scent in a world sorely lacking in them.


• Bieber's style: "I'm not a splurger, but I like clothes like G-star and I really like shoes - I wear Supers a lot. I wear a lot of hoodies, but I also like Alexander McQueen. I think he is very original and does amazing stuff. [Interviewer: "Unfortunately, he died recently."] Rest in peace. I didn't know that."


• Jerry Hall calls Botox "hideous," saying, "I'm going to go for the eccentric, wrinkled suntanned look instead. I love the sun. I want to look like a North American Indian - big jewelery and wrinkled, suntanned skin. Much better than the skinny, cut-up look."


• Speaking of the family Jagger, daughter Georgia May is not, as bookies suspected, going to be replacing the disgraced Peaches Geldof as the face of Miss Ultimo. Her agent says she's just too in-demand.


• In a sign that the times they are a-changin', Diane Von Furstenberg is back to expanding her retail empire after a brief, recession-fueled hiatus. May we suggest more discount stores, a la Woodbury Commons? Thanks.


• On the other hand, denim line Rock and Republic has filed for bankruptcy as the denim bubble continues to pop.


• Photographer Todd Cole has shot Rodarte's latest short, a "futuristic film, which featured Guinivere Van Seenus wearing Rodarte's spring/summer dresses."


• One day's not enough for Origins: to celebrate Earth Month, the eco-friendly company's throwing an April 19th concert featuring Macy Gray.


• The appointment of one of the NY Governor's cronies to the board of trustees of the Fashion Institute of Technology is raising well-groomed eyebrows. The non-fashionista's appointment, says one official, "seemed a little out of left field."


• JustJared calls this still from Jesus Luz's Ellus Leather Denim campaign a "Shirtless Easter Treat." We'd call it more, a study in blankness - like a John Cage piece, but it's a person.


• A new social networking site, Fashion Stake, is trying to bring crowdsourcing to the least democratic of media. Says Reuters, "Fashion Stake will allow customers to directly fund fashion designers by browsing on-line collections and buying a stake in a collection in return for credits to buy clothes. Patrons can also share ideas with designers and vote on collections." Either brilliant or doomed!


• We love Garance Dore's dreamy fashion footage: check out her "month in fashion" vid. [Garance Dore via Fashionista]


• In honor of its 50th birthday, Doc Martens has commissioned a digital campaign in which artists like the Stone Roses and Noisette cover classic rock tunes. We were thinking more "The Queen is Dead," but sure!


• The (presumably post-Special K) red dress worn by an actress in a British Special K commercial has elicited so many queries that retailer Marks and Spencer's going to start selling it. And the beachy cotton frock is only £19.50!


• Kelly Osbourne has apparently gotten hooked on fake tan while dancing with the stars. Which is convenient, since she's a face of St. Tropez self-tanner!


• It's Lagerfeld's turn to decorate the iconic Coca-Cola bottle. The kaiser's emblazoned a white Diet Coke with his own silhouette - the svelte version.


• The DNC says that their "Big Fucking Deal" (or, BFD) tees are selling like undignified hotcakes, indeed, "faster than iPads this weekend."


• Speaking of politics! Cast your vote for your favorite American designer in CFDA's "Popular Vote." (Or, y'know, stay out of the whole thing.)

Send an email to Sadie Stein, the author of this post, at Sadie@jezebel.com.

So, basically, the ad is beyond airbrushing. HuffPo and New York Magazine are both theorizing about whether Kimora’s head really was popped onto some other lady’s body, and whether or not this was Kimora’s evil plan all along:

Kimora Lee Simmons’s new fragrance Dare Me is cheap. No, really. Instead of beginning with prestige distribution like her past fragrances, this will go straight to a total of 18,000 mass-market doors, like Walgreens, Target, and Kohl’s stores. Prices range from $12 for a travel-size bottle to $28 for a full ounce.

However, what probably wasn’t cheap about this launch were the marketing materials, because hello, retoucher! Either they Photoshopped Kimora’s body to death or stuck her head on a model’s body. The question is, if they did the latter, would they tell her? Ironically, Kimora says the “message with this fragrance is empowerment and self-reliance.”

[From New York Magazine]

Yep. And you know Kimora probably approved this sh-t 100%. What I’d really like to know is whether or not the staff was like, “Actually, we’re just going to pop your head onto this chick’s body” or if they didn’t say anything and Kimora actually thinks she looks like this. Note: I am not saying Kimora has a bad figure at all. Her normal body looks fine - great even, especially since she just gave birth to son Kenzo less than a year ago. And obviously, she’s got something going on, because Djimon Hounsou is still all over her. But let’s be straight - this is not her body, and she shouldn’t be putting herself out there, promotionally, with lines like “this fragrance is all about empowerment and self-reliance.” Empowerment is not your head on another woman’s body.

Here are some photos of Kimora from January and February:

Julian Rouas Paris