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February 2008 Archive
Page 1 of 7 • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Eva Mendes will be the face of an upcoming Calvin Klein fragrance slated to be a global launch. She joins the celebrity perfumes portfolio managed by Coty Inc. (WWD) • Jean-Paul Guerlain has been promoted to the rank of officier de la Légion d'Honneur. So has been fashion designer Jean-Louis Sherrer. (AFP) • The 9th and 10th of February 2008 will see the celebration of the Violette de Toulouse in its native pink city. (Web City)....
Continue reading "Perfume News in Brief - 02/1/2008" »
Serge Lutens dans les jardins du Palais Royal - photo de Ling Fei Dans ce questions et réponses avec Serge Lutens, la discussion se déroule autour de sa dernière création, Five O' Clock Au Gingembre, et de la notion de luxe, un des concepts clés ayant inspiré cette nouvelle fragrance. Nous avions auparavant voulu aussi lui poser des questions du style: sommes nous les héritiers de Baudelaire en matière de parfumerie? L'orientalisme nourrit-il toujours la création et l'imaginaire des parfums à l'heure actuelle? Puis nous avons décidé de faire plus court. Nul n'a été besoin de coucher ces questions sur le papier, Baudelaire et le colonialisme (mais non l'orientalisme) sont évoqués. Voici une invitation à effectuer une traversée de l'univers Lutensien. Marie-Hélène Wagner: 1- Le goût redécouvert du gingembre semble avoir été ici votre source d’inspiration initiale. Vous êtes-vous dit quelque chose comme, on va tâcher de faire un parfum, beau, intéressant autour de la matière première gingembre? Si oui, quelles facettes olfactives ou impressions précises autour de ce rhizome parfumé avez-vous voulu faire ressortir? Y eut-il des surprises? Serge Lutens:
Traiter le gingembre comme une simple racine revigorante ne m’intéressait pas du tout. Je souhaitais surtout faire ressortir de cet ingrédient le côté confit, l’idée de luxe, associé au rare.
Comme vous le savez, la première bouchée de gingembre est rarement appréciée. Il fait partie de ces choses demandant un « apprentissage » du goût. La première fois que j’y ai goûté, c’était dans un restaurant vietnamien, au début des années 70. J’ai d’abord trouvé ça détestable. Avec le temps, j’ai appris à l’apprécier. C’est un raffinement culturel......
Continue reading "Questions & Réponses Avec Serge Lutens {Perfume Q & A}" »
In this Q & A with Serge Lutens, the discussion focuses on his latest creation, Five O 'Clock Au Gingembre (in the export range) and the notion of luxury, one of the key concepts that inspired the new scent. We had also wanted to ask him broader questions such as: are we still living with the legacy of Baudelaire where perfumery is concerned? Does Orientalism continue to nurture the creation and the imaginary world of perfumes? We decided to be more concise. But as it turns out, there was no need to put these words black on white. Baudelaire and colonialism (not Orientalism) are evoked. Here is an invitation to step into the Lutensian universe. Marie-Helene Wagner:
1 - The rediscovered taste of ginger seems to have been your initial source of inspiration. Did you tell yourself something like, we are going to try to make a perfume, a beautiful, interesting one, around the ginger raw material? If yes, what olfactory facets or precise impressions around this fragrant rhizome did you want to bring out? Were there any surprises?
Serge Lutens:
– Treating the ginger as a simple invigorating root did not interest me at all. I most of all wanted to bring out in this ingredient its candied aspect, the idea of luxury, associated with that of rarity.
As you know, the first time one takes a bite out of ginger, it is rarely appreciated. It is part of these things that require that our taste go through an “apprenticeship”. The first time I tasted it, it was in a Vietnamese restaurant in the early 1970s. I initially thought that it was foul. With time, I learned to appreciate it. It is a cultural refinement....... 
Continue reading "Q & A With Serge Lutens {Perfume Q & A}" »
Rose Kashmirie is the latest Les Parfums de Rosine and as its name indicates, it is inspired by an Oriental theme and the spices of India in particular. The composition is based on a discreetly spicy saffron and rose accord enhanced by green nuances and voluptuously folded into rich ambergris and vanilla. It is a warm oriental rose with fresh notes peeking through discreetly, evocative of both a rose garden in the spring, and wintry snow. The style can be characterized as that of a classical perfume with an updated feel.
The rose is the specialty of Les Parfums de Rosine; it is a flower fascinating to perfumers as it can reveal a number of facets for an aroma that is naturally composed of over 300 fragrant molecules; not all of them have been reproduced but more and more are. Here the rose was made precious, coquettish, like the rouged cheeks of a belle marquise on her face made up with blanc de céruse. But also natural like the vision of a rose orchard. The freshness of the rose is enveloped by a cashmere-like impression as soft as a white shawl...... Saffron flower in the fall with its three filaments of spice
Continue reading "Les Parfums de Rosine Rose Kashmirie - A Wintry Rose {Perfume Review} {Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge - Day 17}" »
The Duftstars 2008, the German equivalent of the Fifi awards in the US, have released the list of their finalists. The winners will be announced on April 26th, 2008 in Berlin. The Duftstars have four categories for both men and women: Exclusive, Prestige, Lifestyle, and Classical. What many people call "niche" perfumes are to be found in the Exclusive category; Prestige regroups what is usually loosely described as "department-store" fragrances; Lifestyle includes mass-marketed and celebrity perfumes; Classical is a more historical category that offers the chance to put the spotlight on classical greats of the past that are still marketed. This last category is particularly interesting because it seems that the competition is more wide open and it invites commentators to understand why a certain classic fragrance is remembered one particular year. This year it is nice to see that Knize Ten (1924) is a finalist; it is a confidential perfume that deserves to be better known for its beauty (see our review Part 1 & Part 2). Kategorie Exklusiv
Damen Herren
JIL SANDER, Scent 79 Woman CREED, Virgin Island Water
JUICY COUTURE, Juicy Couture DSQUARED², He Wood
MARC JACOBS, Splash Collection JIL SANDER, Scent 79 Man
TOM FORD, Private Blend NARCISO RODRIGUEZ for him
VALENTINO, Rock`n Rose VIKTOR & ROLF, Antidote.....
Continue reading "Duftstars 2008 Perfume Finalists {Fragrance News}" »
 In Mars and April 2008, M.A.C. will release a new makeup collection called Chick-A-Boom. The graphic design for the line was entrusted to cartoonist Fafi who created three new Fafinette characters for the collection: Eriko, Monoka, and Ermine. As part of her MAC 2008 world tour, please note that she will be present at Bendel's in New York City on February 13.....
Continue reading "New M.A.C. Chick-A-Boom Collection by Fafi {Beauty News}" »
If there is a rose perfume that embodies the spirit of Valentine's Day in a typical Hallmark-card way that screams "It's Love Day!", that would be 100 % Love by S-Perfume.The style of this rose perfume evokes the glaring obviousness of pop art after the fact; it is like a representation of love made accessible to all - almost cartoonish - and made iconic at the same time by selecting characteristic images of mass culture: the rose, the chocolate, and the good feelings....
Continue reading "S-Perfume 100 % Love (2003, 05, & 07), 100 % Love (More) {Perfume Review} {Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge - Day 18}" »
Photographie de Serge Lutens, reproduite avec la permission de Peter Gabor - © toute reproduction interdite, usage strictement pédagogique Comme vous pourrez le constater en lisant cette deuxième partie de notre interview avec Serge Lutens (voir la première partie), il est un esprit qui pense toujours au-delà des limites prévisibles assignées par les questions. Ici, il s'exprime sur l'héritage baudelairien, sa collection de fards, le parfum mythique Nombre Noir, la parfumerie dite de "niche", et sa contribution à la parfumerie contemporaine.
Marie-Hélène Wagner:
16 - Pensez-vous qu’en matière de parfumerie, nous soyons les héritiers de Baudelaire ? Serge Lutens: - Le parfum n’est pas en soi qu’une senteur. Il est porteur d’imaginaire. Le parfum est épais, il est poison et désir pur. C’est Eros en prison ! Je pense que nous sommes avant tout héritiers de la frustration, mais aussi de la révolte qui fait que les non-soumis aspirent encore…
Continue reading "Questions & Réponses Avec Serge Lutens - 2ème Partie {Perfume Q & A}" »
Photography by Serge Lutens, reproduced with the permission of Peter Gabor - © Reproduction is forbidden, used for pedagogical purposes. As people will see in the second part of our interview with Serge Lutens (see Part 1), he is a mind that always thinks beyond the predictable limits set by a question. Here he expresses himself regarding Baudelaire's legacy, his line of makeup, the mythical Nombre Noir fragrance, niche perfumery, and his contribution to contemporary perfumery. Marie-Helene Wagner: 16 – Do you think that speaking of perfumery, we are the heirs to Baudelaire?
Serge Lutens:
- Perfume, in and of itself, is not just an aroma. It is potentially a carrier for the imagination. Perfume is thick; it is poison and pure desire. It is Eros in prison! I think that we are first and foremost the heirs to frustration, but also to revolt, with means that the ones who have not subjected themselves still have aspirations…. "Coiffe façon Tatlin Tower" by Serge Lutens, an interpretation of the unfinished Tatlin Tower built by architect Vladimir Tatlin.
Continue reading "Q & A With Serge Lutens - Part 2 {Perfume Q & A}" »
L'Or (Gold) by Torrente was released in 2001. It was created by perfumer Jean Jacques for Torrente, a French fashion house that was established in 1969 by Rose Met-Torrente, one of the few women that managed to be at the helm of a couture house. She is also known as Rose or Rosette Lapidus-Met (she is the sister of fashion designer Ted Lapidus). She retired in 2003 after selling her fashion house, and wrote a book of memoirs entitled Le Droit Fil (2005). When L'Or came out in the US in 2002, it was described as being a "nontraditional floral" and a "unique scent" that was expected to "do very well in the U.S. market" (WWD, June 7, 2002). Six years later, one could legitimately wonder at the possibility of retrieving a hidden gem from the discounters. The bottle is conventionally gorgeous; it was created by Herve Van Der Straeten and was clearly seen as a selling point by the brand. The perfume boasts a coffee and rose accord, an intriguing combination that made it worth seeking out for the rose-challenge series. The rose note is either described as being " rose absolute", "rose essence", or "rosebuds"......
Continue reading "Torrente L'Or (2001): Coffee & Roses? {Perfume Review} {Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day - Day 19}" »
As announced previously, Comme Des Garçons have started a movement of double-branding their perfumes by creating customized fragrances for celebrities and sometimes, alternative cultural institutions. This trend is mirroring the popularity of celebrity fragrances trend in the mass market without being exactly the same. Obviously the image references are going to be different to give coherence to the values of edginess, avant-garde, and cultural refinement that they represent. Hinoki by Monocle Magazine is one of these projects. It was created by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, who is also very much a part of the creative team at the counter-cultural perfume house Etat Libre d'Orange.....
Continue reading "Monocle Scent One: Hinoki (2008) {New Perfume}" »
Possessive by Yvonna K is now available at Aedes for the sampling and buying pleasures of US-based customers. A little known fragrance that is exclusively distributed by the Ritz Hotel in Paris, like Ambre et Diamant Noir by Ambregris, it includes notes of Bitter Orange Blossom from Andalusia, Roses from Anatolia, Tuberose and Jasmin Sambac from India, Patchouli and Sandalwood. "Possessive is available in three distinctive bottle coverings; gold-flecked cork, bronze leatherette and beige animalic leatherette." Each bottle is embossed with the word Possessive and retails for $95. Aedes offers a sample program, 7 samples for $15 including shipping.
We recently discovered that The house of Caron offers a very convenient perfume sampling program for those who cannot make it to their boutiques in New York City or Paris or prefer to sample at leisure at home. You can order any number of samples you wish for $5 each. They come packaged in adorable little individual cardboard boxes stamped with Caron's trademark gold dots and reading Caron Paris. As I ordered, amongst others, a sample of Lady Caron (a stupendous tuberose-gardenia scent by André Fraysse, review forthcoming), they also sent a lovely luxury miniature booklet telling the story of this special perfume. It is a collector's item.
Just call (212) 319-4888 to order the samples of your choice.
Here is an article that will make you appreciate the efforts that go into marketing a luxury fragrance, the new Chloé in this case. In the best tradition inaugurated by François Coty, the container is seen to be as crucial as the contents of the perfume bottle. Every detail counts in order to convey the right message about a particular perfume and more importantly, the brand behind it that sends it out as an ambassador of its image. Guess how long it took to find the perfect ribbon?....
Continue reading "It's All In The Grain Of The Ribbon {The Fifth Sense in the News}" »
If one is to attempt to diagnose the causes behind rose perfumes going officially out of fashion in the course of the 20th century, notwithstanding exceptions such as Tea Rose by Perfumer's Workshop, Trésor by Lancôme, YSL Paris, (Guerlain Nahéma was not a success), one is tempted to turn one's gaze in the direction of Gabrielle Coco Chanel as one possible culprit. Chanel had an enormous influence on the redefining of the woman's silhouette and her self-perception as being modern, updated, dans le vent. Rose as fashion may have well ceased to exist with one of the utterances of Coco Chanel who never felt shy about pronouncing aesthetic diktats. She claimed to hate natural flowers and instead pushed flowers cut out of material. She also pronounced real jewelry to be grotesque and pushed bold, fake costume jewelry. Would you wear real flowers? Ridiculous, so same thing for jewelry, she would snap. If you walk in the streets of Paris today, you can still feel this principle at work. Very few Parisian women wear real jewelry, it is almost considered impolite it seems. It may be both tastefully Republican (egalitarian) and Chanel-esque not to give in to any nouveau-riche foibles. Of course, never mind that a Chanel costume jewelry piece today may cost more than gold jewelry. Never mind.The subtext seems to be that it is much more stylish to wear fake pieces, affirm style rather than money, and hide your heirloom jewelry where it belongs, in the recesses of your jewelry box and your consciousness (you will wear them internally or know that you can). Real flowers in hair or in buttonholes are even more of a rarity as if people might be afraid to suddenly hear the sardonic laughter of Coco Chanel coming out of mouthpieces hidden in some street corners. How ridiculous! Real flowers! Ha, ha, ha! The Chanel police, somehow, has left its imprint and the violet vendors are only occasionally spotted in My Fair Lady.
Roses to her connoted of naturalness, too much so probably to merit her admiration. If you cannot improve on the perfection of the rose, is it really interesting to a creative mind? Chanel No. 5 may well rely on the magic of a superlative Rosa Centifolia cultivated in Grasse in fields reserved for the fashion house, this does not mean that it had not to be fully domesticated and stylized before being deemed suitable and couture.....
Emilienne d'Alençon, one of the inspirations behind Chanel No. 5
Continue reading "Of Gabrielle Coco Chanel & Roses: Chanel No. 5 As The Anti-Rose Scent {Scented Thoughts} {Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge - Day 20}" »
February 2008 Archive
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