Douglas Hannant: the scent

By Madeleine Marr3/1/2011

If you hang with the Palm Beach crowd, you may notice a new scent wafting amid the well-manicured masses. Designer Douglas Hannant, known for dramatic, glamorous evening gowns, believes his new signature fragrance will complement any woman’s outfit. We chatted with the Midwesterner turned New Yorker, who will debut a lingerie line in May, about the launch: How do you describe the perfume?

It’s a timeless, modern classic. Feminine, seductive and mysterious. I like an earthy layer to a fragrance, which explains the bottom notes of sandalwood, jasmine and white musk.

You’ve worked with many celebrities. Any favorites?

When Beyonce was doing her concert at Giants stadium, she invited me to the show and backstage to chat and take pictures. She is charming and strikingly beautiful. Another actress very much admire is Marcia Gay Harden. I’ve dressed her many times over the years and we became friends.

What do you think of Hollywood style?

It doesn’t really exist today the way that it once did. The studios used to really oversee the image of their stars and quite often they’d become identified with the designers who dress them. Today the moviestars are dressed by individual stylists and they don’t have the same loyalty to one designer.