Rush. To Be a Legend

by: Juliett Ptoyan

It was, now is and will be a long scarlet scarf, lingering from the shoulders, which can not fail to attract attention - and attracts it more than any diamonds, furs, cars and other glamour markers of the beginning of the 2000s. In fact, it is surely the scarf, and red lipstick, and stilettos - all that we could consider as 'hot' 20 years ago, and that continues to be a feast for the eyes nowadays.

It came just in time: the last year of the dangerous 90s, the first Gucci perfumery project under Tom Ford's direction, two years after the murder of Maurizio Gucci - everything exactly timed; it wouldn't have been accepted in the deep 80s or washy early nineties. The best time for it was acetate, hectic 2000s that brought us Tumulte, Cinema,Amor Amor, Flower by Kenzo and other similar juices - contrast, bright, fierce and which make us more interesting than we are.

15 years ago it tricked me, appearing at an ordinary family party emanating from the body of a woman who, for me, had always been a standard of noble beauty: bright, yet modern and organized. It seemed like the perfect sillage of her true self, her own nature; to imagine something better for her was impossible, and not necessary; it was an absolute delight. All these years he kept coming back to me, as if flirting and hinting - I needed time to learn its language; needed to grow up to it - just to have an opportunity to evaluate it not from the point of an exalted child who had just encountered the most precious scent ever.

Its packaging is instantly recognizable, and after 17 years has become almost neutral for the eye of a perfumery maniac like me; it's ideal in terms of the transmission of the heart of its contents: Rush is a pure color, fireworks; a burst of light. The vinyl red box is a videotape for adults; a matchbox with live fire inside; and a pill box which containts not vitamins but pepper uppers [Rush is also the name of the popular 80s poppers]. Ford, an architect by training, once said that this bottle reflected his professional ambitions.

Rush becomes even more interesting when you get to know his background: there were Gucci fashion colections with aggressive, sexy minimalism, color blockinf and emphasis on texture; the touch of Tom Ford, who, in general, restored the brand to life; of course, pop culture (Eros Ramazzotti, Ricky Martin with his Livin' la Vida Loca; Enrique Iglesias, Britney Spears, acid raves); finally, we cannot miss perfumery trends of the late 90's: rich flowers, extra saturation, perfumers playing with freshness.

 

Red was a reflection of this culture - and, of course, one of the most bizarre and fascinating reflections, I must say: it is like a kaleidoscope, that, once assembled, is not shaken, but becomes even more interesting; each piece of glass has a gradient, its own color changes. The thing is in its depth, color and richness, which no one(including Michel Almairac) can repeat. And this color, depth and brightness, are the main reasons for the unreal popularity of Rush in the 2000s - people hadn't experienced such a capacious formula that could describe the mood of the nineties and move it into a new form tin the 00s.

 

Posters of Gucci F/W 1999 collections

 

I know exactly what Rush became to me as a bright pop culture phenomenon of the 2000s, as the songs of Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, Victoria's Secret shows, "Sex and the City" - and he will be remembered the same way as them.

 

The trick is that we remember smells better than melodies or visual images, and so Red will be with us a little longer.

 

Did you wear Rush; do you wear it now? 

What is it for you?