Why Campaign Star Elle Fanning Calls Miu Miu's New Twist Eau De Toilette An "Extrovert Of A Fragrance"

Hearing Elle Fanning describe her February schedule makes you reconsider your own time management. “Right now I’m in London shooting The Great. I play Catherine the Great. And it’s the writer of The Favourite, so it’s very much that tone," Fanning tells me over the phone last November, adding that she's producing the upcoming miniseries as well and that it'll be "done" this month. "Then there’s a Netflix film called All the Bright Places that I also produced that’s coming out soon." (Feb. 28, according to a just-dropped trailer). Before both, though, came Miu Miu's new Twist Eau de Toilette — which debuted on Feb. 1, and features Fanning as the star of its campaign.

Dreamt up by perfumer Daniela Andrier and Miu Miu's Miuccia Prada, the new $107 eau de toilette is "airier" than the original Twist Eau de Parfum according to Fanning. "I do love that it’s kind of a fresh scent. It’s crisp and floral-y. Mandarin is the new ingredient in there, and instead of pink amber it’s white amber, so it’s just all-around a lighter scent," Fanning says. "It’s kind of an extrovert of a fragrance, much like me. It’s happy, and light, and makes me feel refreshed."

The fragrance's self-referential campaign reflects Miu Miu's more playful nature, tracking Fanning's journey to become a "Miuvie" star — something the actor calls "quite cheeky," and different than traditional perfume marketing. "I thought that it’s just a great concept for a perfume campaign, because when you think of perfume, you always (at least I do) think… it’s so romantic and we’re wearing perfumes to allure a man. And it’s like this perfume has nothing to do with that, which I love. As women, we’re wearing perfume to feel good about ourselves and show off our personality," she says. "And this campaign really represents that, and represents the Miu Miu brand so well."

It's a brand Fanning knows, too, having begun working with the house when she was 14 years old. She says she gravitated toward Miu Miu as a girl who thrifted and shopped vintage stores — "They really nod to the past" — and now as an actor. "Growing up, I could feel my personality in my clothes, which is what Miu Miu does and what Mrs. Prada does. I think that’s also a lot to do with her love of filmmaking," Fanning says. “Miu Miu is kind of the brand for actresses. Interestingly enough, it’s like we all love wearing Miu Miu because I think we feel like we’re wearing characters. When we put on their clothes, we can tell that Mrs. Prada is creating for a specific type of women."

Still, though, this doesn't mean that Miu Miu — or the Twist Eau de Toilette — have one mold that fits all. Rather, they accent the wearer, whether it be clothes or a spritz of fragrance. "They want to make you feel good. That’s what it is," Fanning explains. "They’re not trying to turn you into anything else. They’re trying to make you feel your most beautiful.”

Below, the new Miu Miu Twist Eau de Toilette, available on the house's website.