|
|
January 2008 Archive
Page 1 of 6 • 1 2 3 4 5 6
Chanel No. 5 by Andy Warhol, 1985 "La vérité en parfum n’existe pas, sauf à être la passagère coïncidence d’une senteur avec notre âme, ce qui fait bien des vérités pour tout autant d’âmes." ~ "Truth in perfume does not exist, unless one means by that the transient state of coincidence of a scent with our soul, which means that there are as many truths as there are souls." Note: quote from Dictionnaire du langage parfumé. Jean-François Blayn is a perfume expert and teaches at ISIPCA. This was written in 1990 when the perfume scene was relatively less uniform and therefore less obviously comparable within itself. The new level of homogeneity today pushes towards an objectification of perfume. The development of an active discourse on perfume that seeks other references than the simplistic sentimental "I" and what it likes and dislikes also contributes to disengaging perfume from mere triumphant and conclusive subjectivity.
This review of Skarb by Humiecki & Graef is continued from Part 1. I would like to pick up where I started last time to describe the scent proper, "...Skarb is romantic in a forgotten sense; the word "eruptive" chosen by the authors to describe this sensation is completely apt. The perfume opens with a hitherto unknown sense of aggression and dynamism, literally jumps at you like a surge of violent emotions breaking one's sense of tranquility and resounding of a diffuse noise that seems to emanate from a crowd. One is reminded of the tears streaming down on the faces of Czechoslovakian men standing on the streets when the German Nazis invaded Prague in 1938."
The smell-personality of the scent is immediately complex: leathery, fougère/fresh, peppery, a trace of semen-like impression (see Sécrétions Magnifiques), metal, a deepening spicy brew. There is a refined undertone of orris adding a sense of melancholia, tenderness, and femininity to the scent. It smells of, or perhaps abstractly suggests dusty history books whose leather covers would have kept, somehow, the faint traces of men's sweat and layered experiences; the sweat is refined and exquisite. The herbs are almost violent in their expression at times, like the scent and properties of natural plants can be. There is also a more systematic peppery and salty impression which makes one think of pepper gas and tears running down on one's face. A resinous quality emerges that conjures up a witch's hut in a forest whose door sill is announced by bunches of tied up herbs drying upside-down. The area feels vaguely magic and enchanted but also dangerous. The forest motif here suggests also a place of liminal danger in reference to it having been a locus of traumatic experiences during WWII. It signals hidden executions and refuge places for escapees from concentration camps or Nazi raids (perfumer Christopher Laudamiel worked with historical photographies we are told, but I do not know if this type of reference was included)........
Continue reading "Skarb by Humiecki & Graef (2007): How Men Cry - Part 2 {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Here is a latter day announcement about 9 Montale perfumes that were released in 2007. They are are: Chocolate Greedy, Fruits of the Musk, Musk to Musk, Boisé Vanille, Roses Musk, White Aouds, Aoud Blossom, Aoud Flowers, and Aoud Velvet (cf. list of new releases on the Montale website with descriptions of notes). ......
Continue reading "9 Montale Fragrances in 2007 {New Perfumes}" »
 Technology to communicate scent sensations in public areas and via the internet continues to develop. Spectrum Online whose audience are "Tech Insiders" reports on progresses in the field, "If you thought the art of communication had reached its zenith in multimedia technology’s ability to grab the attention of our eyes and ears through text, video, and sound, think again. Japan’s NTT Communications Corp., of Tokyo, is busy developing its Kaori Tsushin, or Fragrance Communications, as a way to pull our noses into the equation. The telecom and network services company has come up with an Internet-linked fragrance system that can be used to generate a wide variety of scents on demand with the aim of heightening experiences, influencing moods, and maybe opening wallets. [....] It all started in a rather unusual way,
The first instance of its use was in December 2004 when the company hooked up an Aromageur—a small sphere-shaped fragrance dispenser for rooms and personal use—to a PC used for telling fortunes at an Internet café. The type of fragrance released would depend on the fortune being delivered." Read more..... Image of an Aromageur from Digital Lifestyles
It is that time of the year again. Each year for 24 years, fragrance expert Michael Edwards has been publishing a reference book on new perfume launches that took place the preceding year. It is hard to believe, but the first Fragrances of the World listed only 323 new releases. In 2008, looking back at 2007, the fragrance scene is simply not the same anymore; the new edition sees the addition of 815 perfumes all begotten in one year time and comprises references to over 5,700 perfumes total. The industry "Bible" is now 196 pages thick,
"Available from early January, Fragrances of the World 2008 is the only guide to classify selective, niche, direct retail, 'masstige', mass market, limited edition and seasonal fragrances. It is dedicated to Michael Edwards' close friend and mentor Guy Robert, the master perfumer and 'nose' behind such legendary classics as Hermès Calèche, Madame Rochas and Dioressence.".......
Continue reading "Fragrances of the World - Parfums du Monde 2008 by Michael Edwards, Fresh Off The Press {Fragrance News}" »
This is news mainly for perfume bottle and jewelry collectors and lovers who will be hunting for a gift for Valentine's Day. Ferré Rose issued in 2007 will be offered in a Limited Diamond Edition from February 2008 just in time for Valentine's Day. The fruity-floral perfume was created by Alexandra Jouet and Francis Kurkdjian of Takasago and features a note of Japanese gardenia called the "Kuchinashi flower"......
Continue reading "Ferré Rose Limited Diamond Edition (2008) by Gianfranco Ferré {Fragrance News}" »
Lancôme has announced that young actress Anne Hathaway will join the ranks of Kate Winslet and Clive Owen to represent the brand's image for a new perfume to be launched in September of 2008,
"Anne Hathaway is a radiant young woman who perfectly embodies modern femininity," Lancôme International president Odile Roujol said in making the announcement. "We know she will portray all the passion and excitement of our new fragrance, to be launched throughout the world in September 2008."
Via E! News , Au Féminin
Cosmetics brand Uslu Airlines has partnered with creative director Bernhard Willhelm and issued three new nail polishes in subdued metallic colors meant to dress your nails, not just in any season, but in winter.....
Continue reading "KNO, JDP, & GWW by Uslu Airlines & Bernhard Willhelm: Winter Light Catchers {Beauty Notes}" »
A series of research studies on auto-immune diseases reveal some links existing between perfume addiction, over-application of fumes, and depression, “Our scientific findings suggest that women who are depressed are also losing their sense of smell, and may overcompensate by using more perfume,” explains researcher Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, a member of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. “We also believe that depression has biological roots and may be an immune system response to certain physiological cues.” [....]......
Continue reading "Perfume Nuts Might Be More Depressed Than Nutty {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
 What will be doing on Valentine's Day 2008? Here's an idea; why not go to the sniff-dating event organized by the Dana Centre at the Science Museum in London, UK? "We each have smells we find attractive and others we don’t. Is it possible to sniff out your ideal partner? Perfumer and aroma scientist George Dodd will lead you through this sniff-dating event."
When? February 14, 2008, 19:00-21:00 at the Dana Centre. You can book your tickets here.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of L'Air du Temps (1948) created by perfumer Francis Fabron right after WWII as a renewed affirmation of femininity, Nina Ricci has asked its creative director Olivier Theyskens to dress the flacon for which purpose he selected a design inspired by a yellow silk jacquard gown he created for the couture house (see after the jump).......
Continue reading "L'Air du Temps 60th Anniversary Couture Edition by Nina Ricci & Olivier Theyskens (2008) {Fragrance News}" »
Silver Coke Bottles, Andy Warhol, 1967 Joan Kron, contributing editor at large for Allure, wrote to WWD to inform readers that she was the first person to produce an Andy Warhol scent together with the artist in 1967. You can also still spot some Andy Warhol fragrances that were released in the 1990s, bottled with his art on them (see pic after the jump). According to her testimonial, "I personally produced the first Andy Warhol fragrance with Andy himself for a Pop Art Store called "The Museum of Merchandise," held by the Arts Council of the YMHA in Philadelphia (now the Gershman Y). The show opened on May 10, 1967. At the time I was the chairman of the Arts Council and a creative director (along with Audrey Sabol) of the Museum of Merchandise, which featured useful objects designed by artists......
Continue reading "Andy Warhol Perfumes Before Bond No.9 {Perfume History & Facts}" »
This spring Vera Wang will add two new scents to her portfolio, Bouquet and Flower Princess. Bouquet continues to develop the bridal theme in Vera Wang's Signature Collection while Flower Princess is a flanker to the best-seller Princess targeting a younger age group although this time we hear that they "...want to create a fragrance wardrobe for many princesses, of all ages." "Bouquet has top notes of dew drops, Sicilian bergamot and black current leaves; a heart of paperwhite narcissus and honeysuckle, and a drydown of lavender musk accord, Moroccan cedar and white iris root." It is scheduled to debut in April of 2008 .......
Continue reading "Vera Wang Bouquet & Flower Princess: From Sleek To Kawaii (2008) {New Fragrances}" »
Yves Saint Laurent has issued a Limited Collector Edition for Young Sexy Lovely. The flacon is strewn with small pink and red hearts surrounding a transparent window in the shape of a bigger heart to celebrate love and Valentine's Day. Available at Sephora, 1.6 oz for $60.
Midnight Poison by Christian Dior is the fifth perfume in the Poison collection since 1985. It comes after Poison (1985), Tendre Poison (1994), Hypnotic Poison (1998), and Pure Poison (2004). It was one of the most prestigious launches of 2007 as if in an attempt to recapture the glamor of the golden age of perfumery -- modeled after the golden age of Hollywood -- a reminder of the era of mega launches such as those of the original Poison or Opium or Trésor when such means were deployed that a perfume could become the center of attention for an enduring period. The campaign seems to have been mostly visual as articles on the perfume are not that numerous. Actress Eva Green was enlisted and director Wang Kar-Wai shot one of the most luxurious and romantic advertisements of last year (check the French version) in a year that was not lacking in them (Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Guerlain L'Instant Magic, the ad). Like for Coco Mademoiselle, it is a storied advertising campaign, mostly visually, re-interpreting the story of Cinderella who now swings from the roof of the opéra Garnier in Paris at the stroke of midnight.........
Continue reading "Christian Dior Midnight Poison (2007) {Perfume Review & Musings} 2008 Collector Edition {Fragrance News}" »
January 2008 Archive
Page 1 of 6 • 1 2 3 4 5 6
|
All original content and translations herein copyright © 2006. All rights reserved; reproduction requires the author’s prior written consent. You are however welcome to provide a link back to the posts on this site as long as you explicitly mention their authorship, recognize the original source of the information you give, and acknowledge the site of origin.
Powered by Movable Type 4.32-en
|
Digg This
Stumble
Facebook
Del.icio.us
