On Tuesday night, I got a sneak preview of haute couture designer Elie Saab’s debut women’s fragrance at an elegant launch party hosted by Vogue. The private event at the Clift Hotel drew an intimate crowd of local fashion, beauty, media and PR reps who sat down in the Spanish Suite to view a 20-minute film about the Lebanese designer’s behind-the-scenes work on the runway and the making of his first parfum.

After the film, in dramatic form, models accessorized in Elie Saab statement jewelry unveiled oversized bottles of “the juice” and presented each guest with a white grosgrain ribbon spritzed with the signature scent. Two lucky guests also walked away with the jewelry, which was raffled off as prizes.

Guests then moved onto the suite’s enclosed veranda for cocktails, passed Mediterranean nibbles, and a spectacular view of the city; meanwhile models weaved about offering samples of Saab’s coordinating body cream.
Created by renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, ELIE SAAB Le Parfum is based on a “floral, solar, woody theme,” according to its press release, with notes of orange blossom, jasmine, cedar, rose honey, and patchouli.

The bottle, designed by Sylvie de France, reflects Saab’s passion for architecture and design, with a faceted shape that plays on light.

“I wanted something simple. Straight lines, the rigor of a cube, and the sensation of an object made to be held in the hand, but with the density of beautiful objects,” says Saab in the press notes. “And as always, light as the overarching theme. For me, light is eternal strength.”

For those of you who enjoy rich, alluring, musky scents, this sultry new fragrance—available in September as an exclusive to Saks Fifth Avenue—will be the perfect final touch to that first-date cocktail outfit, or perhaps that frothy evening gown you’ve been dying to wear for gala season. Opening night of the opera, anyone?