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Zara is a Spanish fashion brand, famous for having made high fashion styles accessible to the demos. It was founded by Amancio Ortega Gaona, a notoriously reclusive personality, a fact that did not prevent him from becoming the richest man in Spain. Zara, in particular, is known for its exceptional turnover rate as new designs are brought into the stores in a matter of days and sold out or replaced equally swiftly, as need arises. The Zara boutiques usually receive new clothes twice a week. According to the Independent (May 23, 2001), "Zara has never conducted an advertising campaign. Word of mouth, and the rapidly changing clothes on offer, seem magnetic enough for customers to come flocking through the doors. The company owes its success to swiftly identifying stylish catwalk trends and bringing them to the high street at a fraction of the cost, within days."
Zara partnered with Puig in the past to introduce several fragrances starting with Zara Woman, Zara Man and four limited edition scents called Zara Textures in 1999. The fragrance line was originally set up by Carlos Benaïm and Alberto Morillas. The perfumes were created by Rosendo Mateu. In 2003 I Homme was launched. The brand this year released 6 new fragrances in the beginning of 2008, three for women and three for men: Rosa Bulgara, Flor de Azahar, Lirio de Agua, Sandalo, Vetiver, and Ambar, which are all part of a new line of perfumes called Agua Perfumada. The Perfumed Water line is also made by Puig. The spirit of the range is described as being "classical, minimalist, and elegant", according to Look 4 Fashion. Perhaps in keeping with the company's motto of proposing affordable versions of high-end patterns and materials, it is not surprising to notice that the packaging for the new perfumes resemble in shape and size the line of Les Exclusifs by Chanel......
Continue reading "Zara Rosa Bulgara with Notes on Flor de Azahar, Lirio de Agua (2008) {Perfume Review} {New Fragrances} {Rose Notebook}" »
The Huntington in San Marino, California is organizing an exhibition about the historical role Joséphine de Beauharnais played in developing the cultivation of modern roses in Europe through her passion for them. It is titled La Rose Impériale: The Development of Modern Roses. The show takes place as part of the 100th anniversary of the rose garden at The Huntington. Rose lovers will be able to see these: “ ...110 rare illustrated herbals and rose books, including a first edition of Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s glorious multivolume work, Les Roses (1817-24)...... (Image is from from Redouté's album)
Continue reading "La Rose Impériale: Exhibition at The Huntington Until April 28, 2008 {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses} {Rose Notebook}" »
French Florist brand Au Nom de la Rose (In the Name of the Rose) have introduced two debut personal fragrances for women and men which pay homage to the queen of the flowers, rose. The scents are called Au Nom de la Rose Femme and Au Nom de la Rose Homme The brand say that they had been dreaming for years of creating a line of beauty products based on rose and now this dream has become a reality. Au Nom de la Rose Femme is described as being both simple and refined like the flower itself and mixes classicism and originality....
Continue reading "Au Nom de la Rose Femme & Homme (2008) {New Fragrances} {Rose Notebook}" »
Note: The Rose Challenge becomes a permanent feature as the Rose Notebook. Dear Readers,
We are announcing a challenge for the next few weeks, the Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge. Until Valentine's Day, we will cover a rose scent or edible or rose-related topic a day. Rose remains the "queen of flowers" and is one of the most popular floral perfume categories that exist. We want to celebrate its beauty and track down its most discussion-worthy incarnations. Hopefully in doing this, we can help you choose the perfect rose to offer as a gift on Valentine's Day or just invite you to dream about the beauty of roses! There will be feminine roses, masculine roses, roses to drink and roses to eat, pourquoi pas?
See you soon,
Marie-Helene Roses, Roses, Roses, Roses.... Day 1: Comme Des Garçons Red Series: Rose (2001)
Day 2: Penhaligon's Hamman Bouquet (1872)/(2003) Day 3: Isabel Derroisné Rose Divine (2006).....
Continue reading "Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge {Fragrance News} {Notebook: Rose}" »
The new Vivara by Emilio Pucci created by perfumer François Demachy is a perfume that manages to surprise you, enchant you, and mesmerize you all along the way. It actually blew my mind. At first you think that it is a very interesting fragrance, then it becomes frankly beautiful, then you think no, it is more than interesting, it is original and a bit strange, yet endlessly beautiful. You then wonder: how did they manage to create a perfume that is both so obviously quirky yet classically and superlatively beautiful? Vivara will keep you guessing for ever. It is a breathtaking beauty that is extremely sophisticated in its structure and will make your more traditional perfumes look like they were made in the kitchen sink. Remember the Edmond Roudnitska dictum that says never to compare two perfumes, it is unfair? In this case one would be tempted to add, hide the others, here comes a woman of unparalleled beauty and charm and it would be just nonsensical to compare other more ordinary beauties to her....... Pucci evening dress, 1966, MET collection
Continue reading "Vivara by Pucci (2007) {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume}" »
François Joyaux, who used to be best known as a specialist of political sciences and Asia (cf. La Nouvelle Question d'Extrême-Orient), has become a renowned rose expert and author. He has already written several books on the topic including his latest one bearing the title Les Roses de l'Impératrice: la rosomanie au temps de Joséphine (The Roses of the Empress: rose mania in the times of Joséphine), in which he studies the rose craze in the society of the First Empire which reflected itself in all aspects of culture and society from architectural ornamentation to rose collecting. Joséphine de Beauharnais in particular is famous for having developed a unique collection of roses in the greenhouses at Malmaison, which were drawn very precisely by artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) and published in a book of prints called Les Roses (1817-1824)....... Rosa Gallica Charles de Mills
Continue reading "Roseraie de la Cour de Commer, Les Roses de l'Impératrice: La Rosomanie au Temps de Joséphine by François Joyaux {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses} {Fragrant Reading} {Rose Notebook}" »
 As the summer approaches I want to retain the mood of spring and crave freshness and dewiness more than at the end of winter when all one can think of is about the forthcoming warmer days. As the temperature heats up I anticipate some of the more scorching days of summer and realize that I want to cultivate a freshness that is precisely that of spring, not that of winter nor of summer's cooler days. Perfumes help us cultivate the moment and turn the wheel of time a little. Rose Essentielle by Bulgari feels just right for today's purpose of slowing down the advance of the season and put back the arm of the clock to that position in earlier spring when the new chilliness was too close to the rough cold to be fully appreciated. Especially in New England where temperatures can swing from one extreme to the other in record time, fragrances may prove helpful in making one not feel entirely deprived of these more subtle-feeling days.........
Continue reading "Rose Essentielle by Bulgari {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 Les Parfums de Rosine, a niche perfume house exclusively dedicated to the celebration of the rich multiple facets of the rose flower, has released their latest creation, Diabolo Rose. It was composed by nose François Robert based on an idea by Marie-Hélène Rogeon, the founder and owner of the brand.....
Continue reading "Diabolo Rose by Les Parfums de Rosine {New Perfume}" »
Futuristic Perfumes After having whetted our appetite with the announcement of the upcoming release of Azzaro Now and, especially, recently reviewed the new CK IN2U, we wanted to seek out other examples of the futuristic trend in fragrance creation. For these fragrances, the sensations that they create make one feel like one is entering an universe that has been depicted most often in science-fiction novels or movies. They aim at disorienting the perfume wearer, but it must be added, only to some extent. Taking into account the fact that olfaction is the sense of memory, these perfumes, although they make reference to a world that seems hard to place at first, are really artful combinations of familiar and novel notes that tease our senses of both the affective past and the projected future......
Continue reading "Neblina/L'Esprit de Neblina by Yves Rocher {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 The latest creation by the house of Balmain is called La Môme (The Kid) and pays homage to an encounter in the 1950s between the great propular French singer Edith Piaf and couturier Pierre Balmain. It was released in February 2007 to coïncide with the debut of Olivier Dahan's biopic La Môme about the life of the singer. The perfume was created by Guillaume Flavigny who is also the composer for Purple Lips by Dali and Lulu by Lulu Castagnette, together with Antoine Lie, amongst others. The young perfumer won a prize in 2002 with the Société Française des Parfumeurs for a fragrance called In The Mood For Love. La Môme has top notes of May Rose, freesia, and pink pepper. Heart notes are Damas Rose absolute, violet, raspberry, and myrrh. Base notes are orris, musk, amber, and opoponax.....
Continue reading "Balmain La Môme (2007) {Perfume Review}" »
Indult is a new high-end French perfume label that made its debut in January of 2007 and is currently exclusively sold at Sephora France. The name of the brand comes from Christian Latin "Indultum" meaning "concession, favor". Their name embodies their marketing approach which is typically one that is characterized by a new-luxury philosophy. As we already noted on TSS, "...Indeed to buy one of the Indult perfumes amounts to being a king or a prince granted a privilege from the Pope or feels like paying the King of Spain's tax on precious metals and products originating from America as the historical references go. Only 999 copies of each will be marketed...." Buying an Indult perfume in fact equates to buying a membership into a select club of perfume aficionados as only those who have purchased one of the fewer than 3000 flacons will be able to re-purchase in the future.
The three perfumes were composed by nose Francis Kurkdjian. Each one of the scents is said to be dedicated to the interpretation of an important note in perfumery: rose for Manakara, Patchouli for Isvaraya, and vanilla for Tihota. The perfumes convey a sense of luxurious exoticism coupled with urban elegance and even edginess, the latter trait not being too overtly expressed. The complexity is more structural than narrative, that is, the perfumes do not offer very complex developments but the satisfactory olfactory experience one derives from them rests upon an inner, understated complexity. The fragrances are high quality and elaborate. There seems to be a common thread running through them pointing to an interest for a sugar theme. Rather than feel infantile, it evokes the passionate quest for the raw material and the connoisseur's appreciation for its many nuances. It explodes nowhere better than in Tihota....
Continue reading "Manakara, Isvaraya, & Tihota by Indult {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfumes}" »
 In the emails I receive from readers I am often asked questions about rose fragrances. These requests make me realize that despite the fact that many people might think rose fragrances are a bit passé, not original enough, harking back to the days of yore when women wore flowery hats and scented their kerchiefs with violet and rose scents, that in spite of that stereotype there are many amateurs of rose perfumes.
I also realize that the slight prejudice that exists against rose fragrances amongst people who seek rarer scents may stem from the fact that many a rose fragrances smell a bit dull and conventional to the nose or appear to never smell as enthralling as the original natural flower. A recurring request is that the desirable rose scents smell both natural and have an interesting touch to them. Oftentimes I find that rose scents strip down roses of their character, their earthiness, their verdant freshness, their aqueous quality, their woodiness, in other words, of their complexity. Too often we are reminded of the flattened unidimensional scent of a rose soap. In this manner a rose scent can easily be perceived to be boring due to its enduring popularity and typification......
Continue reading "A Rose by Inis {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Recently a reader from Greece contacted me to ask for some assistance in finding information about Borsari, a venerable perfume house based in Parma, Italy and in particular about one of its perfumes, Rosa Thea. This person was looking for a full bottle of it, a much more difficult task it seems than finding a miniature version of it. Seeing such enthusiasm for a perfume is always contagious and it made me want to seek out the fragrance and see by myself what all the fuss was about.....
Continue reading "Rosa Thea by Borsari 1870 {Perfume Short - Express Perfume Review}" »
 Eau d'Italie Le Sirenuse Positano is a line of perfumes originally inspired by Hotel Le Sirenuse in the locale of Positano on the Italian Amalfian Coast. To the initial Eau d'Italie have succeeded three other perfumes, all inspired by the Italian land and history: Paestum Rose, Sienne L'Hiver (Sienna in Winter), and Bois D'Ombrie (Umbria Woods). I find that perfume and nostalgia being intimately linked, it is only fitting that a sense of place be translated into perfumes. The symbolic gesture of taking a handful of dirt and inhaling its scent deeply to be reminded of one's roots and provenance is something that all people who have been transplanted in their lives can relate to. It may be those few grams of earth, that some even take with them upon leaving, as it may be any types of physical evidences of our lives past that relate to our original environments. We also realized earlier that nationalism as a deeply aesthetic emotion could be potentially shared and reactivated through the sharing of common, iconic smells. Le Sirenuse seems thus to be piecing together an image of Italy, ideal and worth remembering. It is a romanticized version of the Italian peninsula in the fall and winter...
Continue reading "Paestum Rose, Sienne L'Hiver, Bois D'Ombrie by Eau D'Italie Le Sirenuse Positano" »
 West Side is the latest perfume launch by Bond no 9, an upscale niche perfume house dedicated to interpreting in fragrances the different neighborhoods of New York City. This time it is the West Side, home to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Birdland and the Copacabana, that is honored in relation to its musical heritage. West Side is the house's 27th fragrance. The fragrance was composed by nose Michel Almairac who previously created for the same house The Scent of Peace and Fire Island. Some of his other works include the wonderful Burberry Burberry for Women, L'Artisan Voleur de Roses, Grès Cabaret, and my personal favorite hands down Gucci Pour Homme, a truly exceptional jus. West Side features top notes of rose, ylang-ylang, and peony; heart notes of sandalwood and amber; the drydown is redolent of vanilla and musk.
As West Side is meant to embody the musical beat of New York City it is described by Bond no 9 as "...an ultra-melodious eau de parfum that finds the scent equivalent for the sounds of music in its full-bodied, mellow composition, its undulating rhythms, its harmonies, its pitch—and yes, its notes. Whether they’re high or low, dark or light, sweet or sharp—notes are what music and fragrance are both about". Perfume and music are made to be even more consciously associated than is usual in perfumery with the evocation of an explicit musical imagery to guide the interpretation of the fragrance. The bold treble keys drawn on the flacons with vivid colors illustrate this artistic theme. All listening are invited to offer their own interpretations as "Fragrance, like music, is open to interpretation. Everyone who sniffs it will hear—and smell—a different melody of their own". So what is the sound of West Side on this day and as heard by this listener?...
Continue reading "West Side by Bond no 9 {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 Perles de Lalique (Pearls of Lalique) is the most recent women's perfume edition by the house of Lalique. It was released in May in Europe and will be introduced in the USA in September. This modern take on a chypre was composed by nose Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich. Ideas behind the perfume were both a desire to tip one's hat to the Roaring Twenties as well as herald a revival of the chypres in modern perfumery. The flacon for the perfume is designed after the famous boîte à cactus created by founder and glass artist René Lalique (1860-1945.) The rectangular flacons for the edp are also inspired by it but in a more indirect fashion only keeping the opalescent white coloring dotted with onyx but still referring themselves to an art deco style...
Continue reading "Lalique Perles de Lalique (2006) {Perfume Review}" »
 Maréchale 90 is the modern 1994 reformulation of the original Eau à la Maréchale created in 1669 for la Maréchale d'Aumont wife of Antoine d'Aumont. Her name is also attached to a powdery concoction for hair and wigs called "Poudre à la Maréchale" which she created herself. It is reported that the air in the salons was heavily perfumed with this powder covering many an aristocrat's head. References to this preparation can be found in 19th century French literature where it designates a face powder as well. According to the Société Française des Parfumeurs, this perfumed powder originally comprised orris, coriander, clove, calamus root, and sedge...
Continue reading "Crown Perfumery Maréchale 90 {Perfume Review}" »
What I like about Rose d'Été (summer rose) and what makes it a distinctive rose fragrance to me is the slight scent of decay that emanates from it. It is not at all a fresh rose but on the contrary it is a rose redolent with all the scents of ripe summer fruits that surround this flower in the imaginary garden evoked by its creator. The way I sense it, it is that antepenultimate time of summer not quite yet that time just before the end of summer.
As the fragrance liberates itself from the glass phial there is a very brief moment dominated by fresh notes.Then you are invited to dip your nose into the soft satiny heart of a rose, that part of the flower which retains its scent at the heaviest. According to the description of the notes it is a yellow rose and it smells realistically so...
Continue reading "Perfume Review & Musings: Rose d'Été by Les Parfums de Rosine" »
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