Madonna and W.E.

W.E. is a new film about the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII), who abdicated the British throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American divorcée. It's directed and co-written by Madonna.

Yes, Madonna.

It's scheduled to be released in Los Angeles on December 9, 2011.

The Duke and Mrs. Simpson make an pivotal appearance in Princess Elizabeth's Spy, so I've also done my research on W.E. (short for Wallis and Edward and how they privately referred to themselves as a couple). I'm fascinated to see how the film will turn out.

The August issue of  Vanity Fair features a sumptuous spread on the film, called, "Windsor Dressing." The costumes look gorgeous. Walis may have been a Nazi sympathizer, but she did have style. The photo above show James D'Arcy and Andrea Riseborough as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The costumes are by the Oscar-nominated Arianne Phillips, who worked with Cartier, Dior, and and Dunhill.


(Personally, I have Wallis in Schiaparelli.)

Creed's Windsor

Recently we chatted about Lord Randolph and Sir Winston's fragrance, Bleinheim Bouquet (1902). This year, the venerable 250-year-old French perfume house, Creed, has introduced a new fragrance, albeit inspired by Great Britain of the past, called Windsor.

According to Creed, the Windsor fragrance was:

... created in 1936 for King Edward VIII of England from ingredients grown in the British Empire. Edward was the first air pilot to be king, and Windsor is presented in a shatterproof 1.7 oz. leather wrapped bottle ideal for aircraft carry-on (or in an 8.4 oz. flacon numbered by laser and signed by sixth-generation master perfumer Olivier CREED).

Edward made headlines when he quit the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. He wore Windsor as king and later when he and his wife began a new life in Paris as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, superstars of international society.

Classification: Citrus / Green. Windsor is as subtle as the Duke of Windsor’s hand-tailored suits, shirts and ties, following his philosophy, "Royalty need not shout"

• Top Note: Windsor is a tour of the British Empire Edward once ruled. Its top note is British gin, Jamaican lime and a touch of Scottish highland pine.
• Middle Note: "Duke of Windsor" roses, those he preferred in his own garden, the Nuits de Young variety.
• Bottom Note: Bahamian orange, Canadian cedar and a dab of Australian eucalyptus.

So, now for my own snarky take.... First off, King Edward VIII, who was renamed the Duke of Windsor after he abdicated the throne (and his wife, Mrs. Simpson, for that matter), are on record as being admirers of Nazi Germany in the 1930s — note the lack of reference to that or any "German" fragrance notes. (Edelweiss? No, wait — that's Austrian.)

Second, Edward and Mrs. Simpson were ultimately banished to the Bahamas during World War II (the Duke of Windsor was the British Ambassador to the Bahamas), which makes the note of "Bahamian orange" all the more amusing. (The Bahamas post was considered to be a punishment for the couple's German involvement and a way to remove them from Europe.)

Third, "Royalty need not shout"? Oh, for pity's sake...

Still, I'd give it a sniff, maybe next time I'm at Aedes. The notes sound promising (gin, lime, pine and rose). However, at over $400 per bottle, it's a bit rich for my blood....

Personally, I like Demeter's Gin & Tonic — and for $20 per bottle, it's a steal.