Monday night was the fabulous event that launched the new LA MACHINE L.12.12 by LACOSTE. The concept for the three new fragrances was inspired by the original Lacoste polo shirt. The unveiling of a spectacular mechanical and virtual social media instillation and the launch of Eau de Lacoste was held at New York’s iconic Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central. The event included a performance by a haute flash mob and Grand Master’s Furious Five (Melle Mel & Scorpio). I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with LACOSTE Fragrances Marketing Director Antoine Delgrange and Social Network star Max Minghella. Check out Haute Living’s exclusive interview with Delgrange and Minghella.

First, I spoke with the charming Delgrange:

ML: What inspired the new fragrances?

AD: What inspired us is really the Lacoste polo shirt, the L.12.12 which was created by Ron de Lacoste in 1927 and the whole idea was to go back to the core of the brand by celebrating and going back to the roots of the brand so you will see on the packaging we have the texture, the real crocodile logo-the same as the t-shirts and its quite a simplistic approach and its made of a trio- we have the blanc, blu and vert.

ML: Which one would you say best describes you?

AD: Tonight I wear the blue one which is a bit more powerful, it s a good mix of fresh and intense. It has some aquatic notes of peppermint so this one is a little bit more powerful, a bit stronger. The white is also quite nice, it is a bit fresh and the green is a bit more relaxed.

ML: What’s your favorite part about NYC?

AD: A little story about New York City, I used to be a student here 20 years ago, I did my junior year in 11^th grade in NYC and sometimes I was commuting to central station and I really think that this place is fool of energy and vibe. But there are many parts. This one for me I like the mix of history and still many people crossing around its at the center of the transportation of this melting pot so that’s why we also chose this location

Next, it was onto the very talented Minghella.

ML: How did you get involved with Lacoste?

MM: I kind of wanted to be here. I’m a huge fan of Lacoste. I’ve been asked to do this kind of stuff before and I never wanted to do it but there’s something about Lacoste to me that’s totally timeless. Fashion is this thing that’s constantly evolving and it’s so dependent on zeitgeist and what I love about Lacoste is that what’s beautiful remains beautiful forever and I think they seem to really understand that. I was genuine in my speech; I think its amazing that this shirt was designed 80 years ago and peoples still wear it today. I’m 26 years old and I still wear this shirt I think that’s an amazing thing. I’m proud to be here, I’m proud to be associated with the brand and I just wanted to come say hi.

ML: What do you think about this sculpture?

MM: Its so contemporary and so of now and I’m interested in what’s now so I wanted to see what it was going to be and this is an amazing venue for it.

ML: Which sent would you say best suits your personality?

MM: I like the white one. I mean of course they are super tasteful and I had the privilege of trying some of the fragrances they’ve done and the are beautiful, I mean they are going to do really well. They are subtle and not overbearing, not going to scare anyone away.

ML: Can you tell me about your latest project?

MM: Right now I’m whoring myself out. I’ve got a couple of movies coming out. The Ides of March in two weeks that George Clooney directed, it’s a really great movie. And then on Christmas day I have this one called The Darkest Hour, which is a very different kind of film. It’s an alien invasion movie with Emile Hirsh. Just a popcorn movie but I hope people turn out to them