In lieu of Guinness and corned beef, more than 80 cosmetic reps and sales associates gathered in the Crystal Room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Tuesday night for the launch of three new scents by Sisley Cosmetics. The company choose the green-painted room to evoke its botanical-based brand, not St. Patrick’s Day, though several guests acknowledged the appropriateness of being in such a room on such a day.
“This room has soul, and it’s exactly what Sisley is about,” said Lynn Julian, the company’s press attaché, when asked about the choice of venue. “We are a green and luxury brand. This"—she pointed to the ceiling and walls—"says it all. In fact, this room looks very similar to our owners'—the d’Ornanos'—apartment in Paris.”
The event began with a two-hour training for regional Sisley reps (most of whom work at Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue), including a marketing presentation displayed on a screen at the front of the room. Later, at a cocktail party, bow-tied waiters passed three martinis—flavored with notes from each scent (grapefruit, rosewater, and lemon)—and bite-size ham-and-cheese quiches and beef empanadas.
Technicians uplit three metallic pedestals in yellow, blue, and red—one to promote each fragrance—which served as the main design elements in the room. Created by New York-based SPEC Entertainment, each pedestal held a silk Sisley logo and represented joy (for eau de Sisley 1), confidence (eau de Sisley 2), and sensuality (eau de Sisley 3). Parent company Sisley Paris provided the three large signs in the front of the room.
Catering staffers set the tables simply (conducive to note-taking for the training session) but included water goblets decorated with a clear Sisley logo sticker and small white vases with flowers to match each perfume: yellow makora orchids for eau de Sisley 1, blue delphinium for eau de Sisley 2, and red anemone for eau de Sisley 3. Guests took home a gift bag with the three-ounce scent of their choice.
Sisley has upcoming regional events in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas.
