La Prairie Life Threads Explore Facets of Women’s Lives

La Prairie's new Life Threads fragrance line is available in Silver, Gold and Platinum scents.

When we first sampled the three new Life Threads fragrances from La Prairie, we were sure that Silver was our favorite. The next day, we reconsidered; perhaps we preferred Gold or Platinum? Upon learning more about the scents, which debut this month, we realized that we’re not indecisive — just complex. Each scent represents a different aspect of a woman, whose experiences are like threads woven together to form a tapestry. The bottles display a literal interpretation: Each one is bound with threads corresponding to the contents.

Silver is a romantic scent, with bergamot, Indian jasmine, musk, moss, orange blossom, sandalwood, tuberose and ylang-ylang. Gold is exotic and warm, with a list of ingredients that includes Chinese plum, cinnamon, clove, coriander, Kyoto rose, lily of the valley, myrrh, patchouli and tangerine. The most unusual of the three, Platinum, is a chypre floral containing amber, cardamom, Indonesian patchouli, iris, oakmoss, Persian rose and violet leaf.

La Prairie, known for its luxury skin-care collection, has commissioned nine “fragrance fantasies,” short films that tell a story about the woman who wears Life Threads. Three currently appear on the website: a Silver story of romance, a Gold tale of happiness and introspection and a Platinum narrative in which a woman makes a bold decision. More films will be posted in November and December on the Life Threads website, where you can purchase the fragrances ($125 each). (They are also available at Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.)

La Prairie president Lynne Florio enlisted New York City-based singer/songwriter Lucy Kaplansky to compose a song inspired by the fragrance called “Life Threads.” Florio had previously heard Kaplansky perform a song about connections between people called “The Red Thread,” which she wrote after adopting her daughter, Molly, from China. Read Kaplansky’s VIV Moment about the experience here.

We think that each scent appeals to a different mood. Since fragrances often evoke memories, do you think they can also subtly influence your actions?

Tags: Biology, Botany, China, Chypre, Entertainment/Culture, Essential oils, Fragrances, Incense, Kyoto, La Prairie, Lamiaceae, Lucy Kaplansky, Lynne Florio, M, Medicinal plants, Molly, New York City, Nordstrom Inc., Patchouli, president, Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises, singer-songwriter, THE NEIMAN MARCUS GROUP INC., Threads, USD, Ylang-ylang