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Miller Harris has mostly been an unsung brand by the perfume online community, mainly because -I am hypothesizing- the style of the fragrances is limpid and diaphanous which possibly are not desirable attributes for the budding perfume lover as well as the more seasoned perfume collector: too often there is the plunge for the dark and mysteriously orientalised with a sinister twist or antithetically for the ascetically sparse and architecturally focused on a single abstract interplay of steel and glass.
Miller Harris scents, the brainchild of Lyn Harris, an independent perfumer working on several high-class commissions for the famous and for perfume lines that do not always reveal their secrets, are neither.
Instead they began as an affair of simple compositions with no pretence, but with good quality ingredients, often expensive natural floral essences, and they progressed into producing fragrances that went beyond: Feuilles de Tabac with its smokey, comforting whiskey-tobacco dream of a pipe, the crystalline honeysuckle chased with champagne that is Fleur du Matin, the fantastically "ripe" and sexy, naughtily commissioned by Jane Birkin L'air de Rien, the wonderful orange burst inside a leather jacket that is Cuir Oranger as well as the salty earthiness of salt mines in Fleur de Sel.
This spring, Miller Harris is releasing a variation on the 4 fragrances in their ‘Classics’ collection. Cœur de Fleur, Terre de Bois, Citron Citron and Fleur Oriental have been unveiled in a new extract concentration, ‘Les Parfums’. Presented in delicate engraved bottles, they’ll bring a touch of chic to your boudoir, vanity or bathroom.
Perfume 1 oz/30ml, €215. Available at selected points of sale.
~Via Osmoz.com
Might I remind you that three out of these also come in candle form which is a good way to try out to get the feel for the line.
However not to bypass another new release: Le Petit Grain, an exclusive to their eponymous boutiques, which puts the heavenly feeling of standing beneath an orange grove in spring. To quote:
"Incorporating every element of the orange tree from the oil from the peel of the fruit, to the flowers, to the leaves and the twigs, Le Petit Grain celebrates the great tradition of the cologne family and can be worn and enjoyed by the whole family.
With Le Petit Grain, Lyn has created a careful fusion between each material. The sweet orange sets the tone and is enhanced by angelica racine, eau de brouts absolute (extraction from the leaves), bergamot from Italy and Sicilian lemon".
Eau de Parfum comes in 100ml/2.4oz and costs 110 British pounds
~Via the Miller Harris website
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I'm a huge fan of MH, and wear many of her scents; she always uses marvellous quality fragrance materials, so they NEVER smell 'cheap'...
ReplyDeleteI'm very eager to sniff the new one- it sounds so fresh.
Unfortunately, cost is a factor, these days.
You're so right dear I! Good materials make for fragrances smelling of them.
ReplyDeleteI have been very much intrigued by the latest one as well: that vision of the whole tree is very tempting.
Alas, the pound vs. the US dollar is in not so favourable a balance these days; I understand and sympathise.
Have a great day :-)
"crystalline honeysuckle chased with champagne" - this sounds so great!
ReplyDeleteI have a sample of Fleur Oriental and when I tried it, I thought that my hand was burning for the first half an hour, but two hours later it started to smell like a spicy powder, very exclusive powder and I loved it so much. I sniffed my hand constantly while reading a book and even in the morning the scent was still on my hand. I'd love to try their other scents.
lavinia
Dear Lavinia,
ReplyDeletethank you: it is indeed a very likeable scent, like a bright, spasser take on Cristalle EDP. Uplifting!
I didn't have such intense reactions to Fleur Oriental, but I liked it quite a bit. I very much like the ones I memntioned in the article and Piment des Baies too (a spicy floral).
I admit I have only ever smelled MH's Tangerine Verte, but it was quite lovely, but here is the thing I just do not have the bucks for exclusivity unless some how in those miraculous moments it ends up on an online discounter thus not becoming exclusive. Ack and this new one sounds like something I would really love.
ReplyDeleteThe real question is do the rich appreciate these scents better?
ReplyDeleteJen, I agree that them being exclusives (and some of the best alas are) makes for a slight bummer...
ReplyDeleteOn whether the rich really do appreciate them better, I can't really say. The rich people I know are a mixed bag of goods and they're all over the place.
Do you think they do?
As for the rich having better sense of smell, I don't think they do, but I will say this because they have lots of money they are allowed to smell the best of the best, which gives them access to better smelling things, not a better nose. Besides this should be kept in mind I would say most great artists did not come wealthy backgrounds, taste is not to be had because of wealth, although wealth will give you better oppurtunities to appreciate art. But look at the Paris Hilton's of the world, rich since they day they were born, and completely and utterly tasteless.
ReplyDeleteGood point that they have access to the best of the best! Thanks for clarifying. But yes, indeed, sometimes crass vulgarity ensues.... :O
ReplyDelete