What do Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich have in common? Besides being Hollywood royalty (and actual royalty in the case of Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier), all three iconic actresses were known to wear fragrances by the same brand: Krigler.
It’s no wonder that this storied scent house, in business over a century, has attracted the A-list. (Fashion royalty, including Coco Chanel, and modern-day muses like Cynthia Erivo flock to the fragrances, too.) The brand concocts truly special potions inspired by tony destinations, the unique vibe of which impart indelible memories. Plus, they’re sold in shops inside the world’s most luxurious hotels (think The Plaza in New York City and the South of France favorite Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat). The latest — a limited-edition take on one of the brand’s most noteworthy — makes it easier than ever to smell like a luminary.
For the first time ever, the House of Krigler is launching a 12ml bottle of an intense formula of its fabled Eleganter Schwan 06 scent sold in a luxe coffret with three interchangeable tops: an ultra-glamorous atomizer that conjures an Old Hollywood vintage vanity; a spray pump; and a short cap that offers a traditional flacon application with 21st century technology. “It’s very jet-set,” Ben Krigler, the current head of the family brand, tells Us of the travel-friendly packaging.
But the bottle is far more significant than just being TSA-approved. Krigler dreamed up this special project to celebrate the opening of his latest boutique, a jewel box located just inside the doors of Munich’s Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski right in the center of the capital of Bavaria’s chicest neighborhood. The brand’s full library of scents can be tested at the shop while patons gaze upon portraits of Bavarian icons including Ludwig II and Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi, the Beauty Queen (and, also the focus of Netfix’s wildly popular series The Empress.)
There is history here! In a full circle moment, it was in Bavaria that Krigler’s great-great-grandfather Albert created the brand’s first official scent in 1906, dubbed Eleganter Schwan 06. The woody-floral fragrance contains notes of German rose, sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla. The new limited-edition offering has the identical note composition, but in a formula that boasts a higher concentration of perfume — 45 percent, to be exact, as opposed to 36 percent in the original. “The scent smells more intense and will also last longer,” Krigler explains.
The decorative bottle pays homage to the brand’s Bavarian heritage, too. The silk-screened gold etching was inspired by the embroidery patten on traditional dirndl dresses and reminiscent of the gilding on the façade of Nyphenburg Palace, where Bavarian ruler Ludwig II was born and resided during much of his reign. Quite apropos, the monarch was known for his love of beauty and art and for living a colorful life.
But the special scent won’t be around as long as the Bavarian dynasty. Sold at the Munich boutique and at krigler.com, the limited-edition parfum costs a cool $450 while supplies last. “We will not issue additional bottles after that,” says Krigler. Though those who have purchased the special run may have their bottles refilled. The royal treatment, indeed.
