Amo. I love. Not I love you, or I love myself, or I love it, just... I love. Saying it a few times feels like one of those cheesy exercises in positivity, like writing down three things you're grateful for before bed, but here's the thing: It kind of works.
If mantras aren't your thing, though, Salvatore Ferragamo has found a way to bottle the sentiment inside its just-launched fragrance, Amo. Hardly what you'd expect from the storied Italian fashion house, it smells like young, fun, party-girl spirit — which makes its face, model and actress Suki Waterhouse, a no-brainer.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
In the campaign video, shot by famed photographer Ellen von Unwerth, Waterhouse dances around Florence without a care in the world... Amo lighting up the party, Amo having men at my feet, Amo traveling. And, of course, she loves Amo, which she calls her perfect day scent. "It encompasses a really beautiful experience for me," she told Refinery29 back in September, at a Ferragamo fashion week party in Milan announcing the campaign. "It reminds me of the Italian way, the incredible flair and passion they have, of being a sexy woman... It makes me giggle."
"Giggly" might seem like a strange way to describe a scent, but surprisingly, it works. Amo strikes just the right balance between sharp and sweet; it hits you with a bitter Campari note and herb-y rosemary before introducing jasmine sambac and rhubarb, then settling down on the skin with a richer, warmer base of sandalwood, musk, and the star ingredient: white vanilla from Polynesia. As perfumer Marie Salamagne describes it, "It's luminous, it's audacious, it's happiness."
We sat down with Waterhouse after hours, as her party was in full swing, to talk falling in — and out — of love, Valentine's Day, and more.
What's your go-to first date look?
"I always try not to look like I've made an effort in any way, which I find to be very effective. I'm obviously wearing makeup, but looking like I'm not wearing any — that old one. Honestly, all of the best outfits I wear usually aren’t for dates. I'll never put heels on for a date. All of the big looks are usually for work things or for when I go out with my friends."
"I always try not to look like I've made an effort in any way, which I find to be very effective. I'm obviously wearing makeup, but looking like I'm not wearing any — that old one. Honestly, all of the best outfits I wear usually aren’t for dates. I'll never put heels on for a date. All of the big looks are usually for work things or for when I go out with my friends."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
What do you like to smell like?
"At night, I like to be kind of natural. I think part of feeling romantic and sexy is feeling clean and well put together, so I don’t have to be really overdone but I have to feel like I've looked after myself. So smell goes into that. Nothing too strong, but kind of jasmine-toned or lavender."
"At night, I like to be kind of natural. I think part of feeling romantic and sexy is feeling clean and well put together, so I don’t have to be really overdone but I have to feel like I've looked after myself. So smell goes into that. Nothing too strong, but kind of jasmine-toned or lavender."
What's your ideal Valentine's Day?
"I think the most romantic thing is just not doing much. There's something very romantic about making a meal together and going to the supermarket together to get all the ingredients, it creates a really memorable day."
"I think the most romantic thing is just not doing much. There's something very romantic about making a meal together and going to the supermarket together to get all the ingredients, it creates a really memorable day."
Have you had an especially bad Valentine's Day?
"Breakups around Valentine's Day tend to happen quite a lot. Just being miserable and alone. I always feel like that happens."
"Breakups around Valentine's Day tend to happen quite a lot. Just being miserable and alone. I always feel like that happens."
Do you have a post-breakup beauty treatment you do?
"I have a three-hour bath and eat a lot of cereal in the bath. I love making coffee grain and honey masks and covering my body with it to exfoliate. It's quite bad for cleaning up after."
"I have a three-hour bath and eat a lot of cereal in the bath. I love making coffee grain and honey masks and covering my body with it to exfoliate. It's quite bad for cleaning up after."
Have you ever gotten a breakup haircut?
"Yeah, pretty much every time I try and cut fringe. I've cut my own hair a lot of times in the mirror, just wanting to be different. It's incredibly dangerous."
"Yeah, pretty much every time I try and cut fringe. I've cut my own hair a lot of times in the mirror, just wanting to be different. It's incredibly dangerous."
How do you know when you're in love?
"When I start looking up horoscopes. You can type in exact birthdates and find out compatibility."
"When I start looking up horoscopes. You can type in exact birthdates and find out compatibility."
Below, watch Waterhouse share her more of her favorite things behind the scenes of the Amo shoot.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Travel and expenses for the author were provided by Ferragamo for the purpose of writing this story.