As previously announced, L'Occitane introduced this fall a collection of four fragrances called Notre Flore (Our Flora) and Les Quatre Vents (The Four Winds). It is inspired by richly historic aromas of the Mediterranean region, in particular as they were perceived by mariners upon approaching the coastal areas. Myrtle in this case is the scent carried by the winds around Corsica, which signaled the imminent appearance of the "Island of Beauty".
The concept is a priori lovely as it intertwines history, affective memories, and poetry. To attempt to recreate the past through an immediate olfactory sensation is the best time-travel machine man has constructed thus far. Devoting attention to very specific micro geographic areas and and attempting to revive a history of the senses, further contribute to the interest of the project........
"Le Myrte" in Les fleurs animées by Grandville, 1867
The art of Perfumery in the 1920s is being duly paid homage to at the international level, from Paris to Tokyo this season. In Tokyo, Shiseido Co. is organizing an exhibit titled "Romance and Fragrance" on perfume bottles and fashion plates by George Barbier, a famous illustrator from the art deco period alongside artists like Erté or Iribe. Barbier contributed illustrations to a book on fragrance entitled The Romance of Perfume by Richard Le Gallienne in 1928, from which the title of the exhibit is borrowed although the plates on show will be from two other works of his, Le Bonheur du Jour and Falbalas and Fanfreluches........
As a follow-up to our previous post on The One for Men by Dolce & Gabbana, here are a couple of pictures from the launch party for the cologne which took place on Dec 4, 2007.
The team: Stefano Gabbana, Matthew McConaughey, his girl-friend model Camilla Alves, and Domenico Dolce at the Gramercy Park Hotel
Images Countess/Wireimage.com - Do not reproduce without Wireimage.com's permission
Complementary information is now available on the upcoming Burberry The Beat. You can read our previous post about the young audience it wants to reach with well-established youth-culture references of the past. The juice was composed by a team of three perfumers: Dominique Ropion, Olivier Polge, and Béatrice Piquet who are important commercial perfumers often participating in big industry launches.......
WWD reports that Guerlain have opened their first freestanding boutique in the US earlier this week. It is located on the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Another US-based boutique is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008.
Christina Aguilera who earlier this fall launched an European version of her signature scent and has a few more already under her belt is reported to be preparing for a launch specifically tailored to American tastes in the fall of 2008. Name is still unknown.
The next popular celebrity fragrance might be the one bearing the name of Jennifer Aniston. The actress is rumored to have shot an ad campaign and to be in talks with Elizabeth Arden to develop her fragrance. (cf. WWD)
While doing research on a different perfume, I happened on an advert for Tonka by Esteban in their collection focusing on Matières (Raw Materials), which is a rather rare occurrence in the world of niche perfume brands. Last year Serge Lutens released a stylish poster for Rousse but it is still unusual to lay eyes on a niche fragrance advert. The reason for this extra publicity effort is that, as I learned, Tonka won the "Oscar" for best unisex perfume of 2007 by Cosmétique Magazine, a leading cosmetics trade magazine in France. The composition is signed by perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin.
Coincidentally, just before realizing it had been distinguished by a prize, I had bought the scent at long last, based on my memory of it.
It was fairly easy to conjure up its exceptionally smooth texture, round body, and luminous, comforting personality. With the lights starting to twinkle on early Christmas trees and bedecked main streets, these fireflies reminded me of the gentle glow of the perfume and created a craving for the intoxicating scent of tonka bean which is, to put it simply, like a more vegetal, almost watery vanilla for some of its facets, yet also smoky, leathery and savory with hints of coconut and hay. I remembered that the Esteban rendition was probably one of the least perfume-y ones and offered a nice one-note aspect......
Spanish company Idesa Parfums in collaboration with internationally renowned flamenco artist Joaquín Cortés have released his first signature perfume called Night Show. Cortés has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Almodovar, Alicia Keyes in the past. For flamenco aficionados, he will be presenting his show, Mi Soledad, at the Broadway's Palace Theater from Dec 11 to Dec 22, 2007.
The perfume comes just after another celebrity fragrance called Siete was developed by Idesa with pop singer Alejandro Sanz.......
An American study published in the journal Psychological Science indicates that so-called "subliminal smells", ones that are not consciously perceived by the brain because they derive from extremely minute quantities, play a key role in our evaluation of a fellow human being (drawn face in this test) and bear more impact actually than consciously perceived smells.......
Demeter who want to put the whole world in fragrance bottles continue to expand their fragrance library with the addition of a season's favorite, Egg Nog. If you are looking for stocking stuffers or home fragrances to olfactorily "decorate" your house for the holidays, you can check Egg Nog and Christmas Tree. One might ask, "why bother to add a layer of the scents that already exist in the room?".......
We saw some discussions on threads trying to sort out whether the L'Instant Magic (see our review) ad features Bar Refaeli or Michelle Buswell. We do not have this information in the press release from Guerlain and so initially put Bar Refaeli based on another press source. Now that we have seen the TV commercial, it is clear it is not Refaeli in the TV spot but Buswell as indicated by You Tube and other sources. The printed ad looks a bit more like it could be Refaeli hence the confusion. I think also that it makes sense they would hire a taller model to wear this extraordinary gown (Buswell is 1,80 m vs. Refaeli is 1,74 m).
You can watch the sumptuous ad directed by Jean Bocheux,
You might have already read the biography of Marie-Antoinette's perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon A Scented Palace by Elisabeth Feydeau (see our review) or it might still be on your wish list or you are simply looking for a Christmas gift for your friend who is a perfume fiend or a history buff or a fashionista (Marie-Antoinette was a great fashionista) or all of the three above?......
Esteban launched in January of 2007 a new series of perfumes titled Collection Couleurs which includes, Colère d'Epices (Wrath of Spices), Tourbillon de Thé (Whirl of Tea), Fureur d'Agrumes (Furor of Citruses), Tempête de Zeste (Storm of Zeste), and Folie de Figue (Fig Madness).
They are now available at Four Seasons. Free ground shipping with any purchase over $45 in the US. Free samples with every purchase. Valid through December 18th 2007.
The Sunday Herald is running two pieces on celebrity fragrances. The first one by Paul Dalgarno features perfumer George Dodd who is asked to evaluate popular celebrity perfumes. His conclusion? They all smell more or less the same and only pretend to be distinctive. Dodd much prefers "traditional French perfumery" to this non-offensive "cheap plonk",
"George Dodd is a world-renowned perfumer and the founding father of the psychology of smell. Drawing on decades of experience, he creates personal perfumes at his Aroma Sciences studio in Wester Ross, based on a series of in-depth interviews with his clients. He has agreed to give me the lowdown on a selection, by no means complete, of the celebrity fragrance range. In turn, I have smuggled him as many free samples as I can carry: a whiff of Kate Moss in my pocket, a sachet of Paris Hilton in my hands; I've snatched the Beckhams (his and hers), a bottle of Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker, the scents of Kylie, Britney and several others.......
John Varvatos by John Varvatos was launched in 2003-2004 and created by perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux (Clinique Happy, Donna Karan Black Cashmere, Hilary Duff With Love, Bagdley Mishka Fleurs de Nuit....). This was the debut fragrance by the men's fashion brand and was followed in 2006 by John Varvatos Vintage by the same nose. John Varvatos is described as a woody oriental and reportedly includes notes that, at the time, had never been used in a man's scent such as Tamarind tree leaves, medjool dates, eaglewood "including Auramber, a secret potion exclusive to Quest". The scent is remarkable for the restrained intensity it offers, its palpable masculine character, and the showcasing of dark, resinous, and peaty notes reminiscent of Islay whiskeys. Its character remains classic, even traditionalist, with a hint of seductive wildness and an erotic appeal.........
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