Hilton Buzz

As a general assignment reporter for a metropolitan daily newspaper, you meet your share of intriguing figures. Some are infamous. Others are saintly. Most are shilling something if they’re not promoting themselves.

But few interview subjects have generated the kind of interest from colleagues, friends or acquaintances as Paris Hilton. (I will not even get into the type of questions folks suggested I ask). I spoke to her a few hours ago at an event to promote her Can Can perfume at Macy’s at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara.

Hilton left me with some very unexpected impressions in the brief time we chatted. Though at times she seems well coached in her answers, such as her “I’m just a normal girl” responses, she gives off this air of obliviousness to many things around her. She’s incredibly gracious and sweet. And she can contradict herself in a single answer. (After all, not every “normal girl” routinely wears a combination of pink Christian Dior shoes, a BCGB dress and a Damiani necklace with earrings).

Here’s what she said before going out to greet the hundreds of fans who had puchased her perfume:

Q: Who do you see as the target audience for Can Can?

A: At every signing, the age range has been from three year olds to a 90-year-old woman getting the fragrance. So I just think it’s a great gift for any age. It’s my most sophisticated fragrance so far. It’s the first one (where) we’ve done the Can Can theme. The fragrance is really warm and it smells really great and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it.

Q: How were you involved with selecting this fragrance? You linked up with Firmenich, one of the top perfume houses.

A: This is something I’ve been wanting to do since I was 17 and we came up with these fragrances. We’re now on the fourth fragrance. I’ll go and meet with the perfumer and we’ll go over scents and I’ll tell him what I like. Just mixing things together. Testing them out. Having my mom and sister and all my friends each put it on and not say which is which and have people pick what they like the best. And just from the response of my friends and family and from me, we would pick out what we liked.

Q: It obviously helps your brand, but I’m curious: What do you personally get out of this intense coverage? Is there any sort of fulfillment that comes with all this attention?

A: Well, I’m a business woman, and this is all for my business. When I’m walking around, usually I’m wearing my clothing line, I’m promoting my fragrance or promoting a movie, so all this is just me doing my job and making a living. And sometimes that attention can get to be too much. But that comes with the territory, so I handle it very well.

For more of the interview, Mercury News.

[Photo Credit: PopSugar]