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The new Vivara by Emilio Pucci officially signed by perfumer François Demachy but in reality co-created by perfumers Natalie Gracia-Cetto and Marie-Aude Bluche of Givaudan 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 enchanting? 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, unlike in fairy tales, hide the other beauty pretenders, here comes the one and it would be just unfair to compare her to others (can you tell I am excited by this new scent?)....... Pucci evening dress, 1966, MET collection
Continue reading "Vivara by Pucci (2007) {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume}" »
After our previous excursus into some of the historic background of Knize Ten by Knize we now come to our impressions of the scent in part II of the review. Knize Ten may have have had you expectant that it would hold the door for you and show off its perfectly pressed creases on its gray pearl pants while giving off "just the proper hint of Gentleman's Knize Ten cologne" as Patricia Soliman writes in Coco, The Novel, yet it suddenly morphs into a rococo, baroque form, a whirling ball gown under which some mirror-like shiny leather patent shoes peak and it suddenly is less Knize Ten and more Bal à Versailles created much later in 1962. The kinship is uncanny. It is that same treatment of the mosses and animalic odor di femina. But it could not have happened in the order we presented it to you. So what did take place? Little by little as the perfume unfolds, another familiar dancer appears that reveals yet another layer of historicity peeling back. Knize Ten becomes more clearly suffused with the golden light and round fruity peachy and plummy accents of Mitsouko by Guerlain introduced in 1919. This is a moving moment because Knize Ten now smells more like the ancient Mitsouko than the current Mitsouko itself. It has preserved this old gilded opulence and sillage of old Europe and sense of ideal Parisian elegance that have receded from Mitsouko.......
Continue reading "The Knize Ten by Knize {Perfume Review & Musings/Part II} {Fragrances of Paris}" »
 Knize Ten by Knize (pronounced "Kniesche") comes preceded by an aura of legend within certain circles as being one of the best leather colognes in the world, whose reputation has endured to this day and very rightly so. In some ways, it is the leather equivalent of Borsari Violetta Di Parma where violet perfumes are concerned both being confidentially, yet deeply appreciated by connoisseurs. Even more so than that, it is judged by some as simply one of the very best men's perfumes; it was in fact voted best masculine fragrance by The Best of The Best in 1989 and in 1999 it was listed (somewhere) amongst the 100 best fragrances to date. Knize Ten has enough character, complexity, yet also relaxed and comforting feel about it to become a signature perfume. That one fragrance that could not but be Knize Ten if you had to choose just one "eau de toilette" to bring with you to a desert island as writer Hans Habe once wrote, because then what would have mattered would not have been to love a beautiful woman but to strengthen one's spirit.......
 Adolf Loos in the Knize store in Paris in 1927
Continue reading "The Knize Ten or 10 by Knize (1924) {Perfume Review & Musings Part I} {Men's Cologne} {Fragrances of Paris}" »
Strip is the latest perfume creation by upscale whimsical lingerie brand Agent Provocateur founded in 1994 by Serena Rees and Joe Corres; the latter is the son of Vivienne Westwood another high priestess of sexiness. Agent Provocateur does not hesitate to advertise themselves as “The most erotic lingerie in the world” and it appears futile to try to argue with them after you have glimpsed at their catalog, which short of being X-rated is definitely under the auspices of Venus. They even succeeded in getting banned from the airwaves (see Kylie Minogue’s banned commercial for the brand). So when they decided to use the image of the stripper in this particular case one could anticipate that they would not only talk the talk but walk the walk.......
Continue reading "Strip by Agent Provocateur (2007) {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume}" »
Tuberose Gardenia Private Collection is the latest perfume launch by Estée Lauder. It was composed by perfumer Harry Fremont. The perfume is a personal homage on the part of the grand-daughter of the founder, Aerin Lauder, to her grand-mother Estée Lauder, to her sense of the rare and unique, but is also a strategic move in the current market context where more and more exclusive collections of scents are being released by houses wishing to demonstrate that they can be as niche and reveal as much discriminative taste as small perfume houses specializing in the creations of fragrances made with high quality ingredients. In the Estée Lauder context, one might also see this as going back to the roots of the company's history as well as constituting a subtle reminder that the Estée Lauder brand is not following but leading this trend in a sense, as the "Private Collection" concept came about long before either Tom Ford's Private Blend or Armani Privé saw the light of day.......
Continue reading "Tuberose Gardenia Private Collection by Estée Lauder {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Fragrance}" »
ESS Bouquet by The Crown Perfumery Co. as one of the oldest English fragrances to exist is one of those perfumes steeped in history and antique exotic tastes that require further investigation and elucidation to fully appreciate.
First we have to address the meaning of the name, which sounds a bit puzzling to the modern ear: "Ess Bouquet" we learn from Septimus Piesse writing in 1857 is the contraction of the word "essence of bouquet". The original recipe for the scent by an anonymous London perfumer is recorded as early as 1711. By the time Piesse writes his The Art of Perfumery in the mid-19th century this original date has been forgotten and the much imitated perfume formula is attributed to, not its rightful creators whoever they may be, but rather to its famous developers, Bayley and Co., established 1739.
Septimus Piesse thus mistakenly attributes the paternity of Ess Bouquet to its most celebrated makers at the time,
"The reputation of this perfume has given rise to numerous imitations of the original article, more particularly on the continent. In many of the shops in Germany and in France will be seen bottles labelled in close imitation of those sent out by Bayley and Co., Cockspur Street, London, who are, in truth, the original makers.".......
Continue reading "Ess Bouquet by The Crown Perfumery Co. {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Fracas for Men by Robert Piguet is nominally only linked to Fracas (for women), as it does not attempt to be a masculine rendition of the famous classic tuberose fragrance created by Germaine Cellier in 1948. We do not know when exactly and by whom it was composed, although it is certainly a late creation that was probably destined for the American market. It presents itself as a spin-off, but only for commercial reasons and to seemingly participate in a brand recognition effort. The flacon is quite basic and reveals the fact that the launch was not a prestigious one.
The scent is a floral fougère, apparently almost out of fortuitous coincidence sharing notes of orange blossom, orris, sandalwood, and musk with the feminine Fracas. If there is any tuberose in it, it would solely contribute to a soft floral core dominated by the orange blossom without being made to stand out. The coolness of lavender within the fougère accord is truly the most dominant floral note.........
Continue reading "Fracas for Men by Robert Piguet with Notes on Fracas & Bandit {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne}" »
ElizabethW is an artisan perfumery based in San Francisco which was founded in 1995 by Albert Nichols, a former architect, and Michael Lindsay, an ex-management consultant and journalist. The name of the house pays homage to the great grandmother of Albert Nichols, Elizabeth Wightman, whose spirit of independence and determination which led her to found a ranch in the Sierra Nevada in the 1800s, continues to inspire her great grandson, just like the olfactory memories derived from that childhood home do........
Continue reading "Vetiver by elizabethW {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
In 1965 as Marchese Emilio Pucci of Florence was reflecting upon his place in history and more particularly upon his place in the history of fashion he had to both name a great predecessor, Chanel, and call her "out of date". He explained that if Chanel had created the casual look and casual fragrance for women that is Chanel no 5 - described in his own words as a light floral - his unique contribution, the tenor of his own sartorial revolution would have to be the specialized functional outfit from the days of his inaugural ski outfit designed on a whim for Poppi Thomas, which put him overnight on the map of international fashion, to his current clothing designs for airline crews. He explained, "I believe I started a second revolution in clothes, I started creating clothes for special activities".......
Continue reading "Vivara by Emilio Pucci (1965) {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 Courtesan by Worth Paris is a very subtle and quite refined fragrance with just enough sharpness and spiciness to lift it above the level of a murmur on the skin. The luminous bergamot interplays with its very hushed down notes to bring a certain quality of luminosity and brightness to it, one that can however fade away easily if the scent is applied only sparingly. The intricate weaving of the scent transfigures fruity notes that are used as if to isolate this and that aspect only: the slight tartness of the red berries and sweetness of the raspberry, the yellowness of the pineapple, the translucence of the bergamot. It is as if it were a veiled painting, a mysterious nature morte hung in the house of a courtesan in which one can guess the shapes of fruits that are only half-shaping, half-vanishing into a dreamier fabric. At the same time, the erotic character of the scent is unmistakable with the dusty cocoa and spicy accents that evoke an erotic concoction like the special recipe of a fiery Mexican cocoa drink sprinkled with chili pepper and other spices and drunk as an aphrodisiac. The musk and cocoa are the least secret ingredients of this quasi dusting powder meant for amorous games......
Lingerie by Atsuko Miyawaki, spring 2007 from China Daily
Continue reading "Courtesan by Worth Paris {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Night Scented Jasmine by Floris London is the 2006 recreation by in-house perfumer Shelagh Foyle of an original fragrance composed by Juan Floris in 1806. The house of Floris was established in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris a Spaniard hailing from the island of Menorca who had studied perfumery for a time in Montpellier, France at the time a major center of European perfumery. The flagship store is still, quite remarkably so, located at the original address at 89 Jermyn Street. Initially a barber and comb-maker store, it soon evolved into a fashionable London perfumery with the creation of its first perfume and commercial success called Lavender, which is still available today. Sometimes presented as the oldest perfumery still in existence this honor could be in reality disputed at least by Santa Maria Novella in Florence, est. 1612 (but more ancient than that), if one makes abstraction of the doubling up of the latter as a pharmacy......
Continue reading "Night Scented Jasmine EDP & Luxury Soap by Floris {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Notes: Top: Green of hyacinth, bergamot, muguet; heart: rose, ylang, hawthorn, heliotrope, almond-y notes; base: cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, tonka bean. Jacomo For Her by Jacomo is one of those fragrances that we like to call "closet-musk fragrances"(see Floris Malmaison), whose definite musky nature and erotic power lie further hidden within the folds of the perfume. They are not advertised officially as musk fragrances, but they possess the simplicity of purpose of their less subtle sisters who bear the title of a day or evening program of erotic approach on their packages. "Musk" is written in bold lettering on the box to help guide the shopping hand; it would flash and twinkle if it could. "Buy me, I will make you more desirable..." are the words whispered by practically every perfumes on earth, but musk fragrances, even more so than others, are born to seduce......
Continue reading "Jacomo For Her by Jacomo {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Diabolo Rose is the latest rose perfume creation by Les Parfums de Rosine, a niche perfume house established in 1991 and located at the Palais Royal in Paris, which centers its collection exclusively on the queen of the flowers, her majesty the rose. The perfume was composed by nose François Robert interpreting an idea proposed by Marie-Hélène Rogeon, the founder and owner of the brand. The scent is described as a fresh floral, which is adequate enough, except that this does not do entirely justice to the central showcasing of the heavier sensual character of the rose absolute......
Continue reading "Les Parfums de Rosine Diabolo Rose {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume}" »
Floris Malmaison was created in the 19th century, in an era when Malmaison Carnations had become all the rage within the elegant circles of society since their introductions from France in the early 1860s. Named after Joséphine de Beauharnais’ residence of La Malmaison, they soon intoxicated England. They were commonly displayed by the fashion-conscious as a buttonhole or corsage accessory whose heady spicy scent was but another mark of refinement and distinction. Oscar Wilde is famous for having had a fetish for the bloom, which he liked to dye each day anew in green. But he was far from being the only one enamored with it. Malmaison Carnation expert Jim Marshall writes that these flowers were “…the cult flower for the Edwardian Summer Season” as they bloomed from June to August. It was also traditional to compose bouquets of Malmaisons laced with Asparagus Fern and to put them in crystal vases. Peter Coates evocatively describes the flower as “…wonderfully opulent, with deeply fimbriated petals bursting from jade calyxes like bosoms of Edwardian beauties and as powerfully scented”...... 
Continue reading "Malmaison by Floris of London {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Acqua di Sale (Salt Water), by upscale Italian niche perfume house Profumum Roma is like the promise offered by those glass bottles with thick bottoms that contain a fishermen’s boat inside their bellies. Except that through the magic of perfume we are able, not just to daydream of sea voyages looking at a trinket, but also enter inside its universe and suddenly find ourselves in a Mediterranean cove on a beach between the dark blue sea and a rocky cliff shaded by intricate pine trees. There we can imagine ourselves resting, lulled by the rote of the sea while inhaling the brackish air......
Continue reading "Acqua di Sale by Profumum {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
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