Video: Robert Graham fragrance trailer

This might be the best fragrance trailer (that doesn’t actually mention the fragrance) this writer has ever seen. Watch the new video for Robert Graham’s Blended Essences collection.

We’re used to perfume ads containing scantily clad women, shirtless hunks and beautiful bottle shots; perfume essences conveyed through stunning ingredient close-ups and sexually suggestive women and men. When it comes to selling fragrance, skin is definitely in. So colour us shocked when Robert Graham teased his three new fragrances—named Courage, Valour and Fortitude—with a trailer produced by Wet Hot American Summer alum Michael Showalter and David Wain. Two worlds we never thought would collide? Wet Hot American Summer and our love of fragrance.

The trailer

The film, called The Second Sound Barrier, follows three racers (Thelonious Courage, Roger Valour and Andrew Michael Fortitude) in their quest to break the second sound barrier to save Juliette Lewis (Lady Billionaire). How this will save her? We don’t know. Why do they need to break a barrier that’s already been broken? No clue. Are we given any sense of what the fragrances smell like? Nope. But this trailer is a lot of fun.

Full of cliches, this trailer satires all fragrance films—and pokes fun at action films in general. Overcomplicated plots (with plenty of plot holes), the stereotypical characters and the over-the-top action are all here and accounted for—with a naked woman thrown in for good measure.

The end result? You’ll be left wondering what you just watched—but you’ll be so entertained you might just look into what the fragrances actually smell like.

The scents

The characters of the film are named after the three scents being released in the Robert Graham Blended Essences collection (Courage, Valour and Fortitude).

Courage (The Powerhouse): Vodka citron, bergamot and guaiac wood are fresh and woody.

Valour (The Wildcard): Clary sage, amber woods and coffee create a fresh, but warm scent.

Fortitude (The Artist): Tobacco absolute, patchouli and tonka bean mingle for a dark and sensual blend.

Robert Graham Blended Essences, $295USD (250 ml) each, www.robertgraham.com (unavailable in Canada at the moment)