Showing posts with label roja dove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roja dove. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Roja Dove Diaghilev: fragrance review

 Much of our information on the particularities of Sergey Diaghilev the man come from the many exhibitions and press catalogues which have been relying on the lasting aftermath of Les Ballet Russes in Europe. Apparently the story of the Diaghilev by Roja Dove fragrance is more complex. 

The fragrance began as an Eau de Parfum concentration as attested by the older advertising images for the Victoria & Albert museum exhibitions and lectures. It then moved to the uniform "whiskey carafe" style of extrait de parfum bottles in a more concentrated form. It is indeed the Eau de Parfum which I had first tried years ago and proclaimed it inwardly "a Mitsouko analogue." (referencing the famous Guerlain perfume from 1919)


The reference is not lost upon those who know a thing or two about the man through the bibliography on his life and opus. Serge Diaghilev was enamoured with Guerlain's Mitsouko during the height of his career with Les Ballets Russes and used to drench his curtains with it. Drenching the curtains in perfume....sounds so decadent and eccentric, right? The impression must have been something of an autumnal twilight, just as the Guerlain scent segues into the forest floor after immersing you in a liqueur like the fuzzy skin of golden nectarous peaches ripened in the sun... Charlie Chaplin was also a fan. There's something about it that makes creative juices flow.


 joelm

In a way, both Mitsouko by Guerlain and Diaghilev by Roja Dove bring a sense of awakening to the senses upon smelling them. They're both lush, fruity chypre perfumes, and they're both like a beauty coming back from a long-forgotten slumber, like the princess sleeping in the Sleeping Beauty ballet that Les Ballets Russes performed.


 internationalposters


The transition from the citrusy top note is as smooth in Diaghilev as in the Guerlain, with the linalyl acetate of bergamot smoothing the pathway to the core of the chypre skeleton, and piquant notes of spices and herbs (cloves, peppery jolt, tarragon) give a lively burst alongside the plush. The spicy component is a counterpart to the fruity and floral aspects. It's never a flat scent; it's always bronze-y and lush.


 harrods


The modern re-issue took the structure of the Eau de Parfum and gave it in Extrait de Parfum an immensity of duration that far surpasses the 24-hour mark on skin. The old bases like Persicol have tremendous tenacity and the synthetic civet feels like it opens up the best elements, attaching itself to the fruity and floral aspects and making them extend into infinity.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Savouring Whiskey Components by Exploring a Scent Kit

“One of the things I find most frustrating about the way whisky is described is the level of parochialism with the terminology used - things like ‘peaty’ or ‘Christmas cake’ don’t really mean anything to an audience where peat doesn’t exist, or where there’s no such thing as a Christmas cake”.

Thus muses Roja Dove, the creator of the Harrod's Haute Perfumerie who collaborated with David Cox, director of brand education at The Macallan, producing The Macallan Aroma Box, a collection of 12 scents that help whisky drinkers identify the olfactory highlights in the distiller’s range of products. The Aroma Box looks a lot like a perfumery education scent kit, full of phials with individual "notes" or "bases" so as to acquaint oneself with the different ingredients that go into fragrances.
In this scent kit, the first 6 scents showcase the more common characteristics of whisky, arranged in pairs of opposites so as to provide an education by contrasts to the nose. The next 6 phials represent Dove’s interpretation of the essential sensory character of The Macallan matured in Spanish oak, sherry seasoned casks and American oak casks, seasoned with both sherry and bourbon, thus experiencing how wood affects the colour, flavour and fragrances of the finished product.

Candice Baker, will present The Aroma Box, at The Macallan Maturation Zone during this year’s FNB Whisky Live Festival, which is taking place in Cape Town and Johannesburg in November 2011. [Cape Town International Convention Centre from 2 – 4 November (18h00 to 22h00 daily) and at the Sandton Convention Centre, from 9 – 11 November (18h00 – 22h00 daily)].

Monday, March 14, 2011

Puredistance I & Puredistance M, master perfumes: fragrance reviews

The ultra-exclusive (and ultra-expensive) Puredistance perfumes prove that not all such claims are bogus: Here are fragrances worth the trouble of going to lengths to sample them at the very least: They're rich, smooth, very luxurious-feeling indeed and even if the campaign is positioned to extol the exclusivity factor, the jus does deliver each and every time. The current collection includes Puredistance I, Puredistance M and Antonia, the latter of which I intend to come back to in the near future.

Puredistance the brand was founded by Jan Ewoud Vos in Vienna, Austria. If you have ever been to Vienna, you can't have failed to notice how it's probably the most civilized place on planet earth: a place where music flows forth endlessly from every street corner, people smile to each other in the streets in greeting (I'm talking perfect strangers here) and the elegant center of art attracts artists and free thinkers from all over the world in peaceful co-existence of different idiosyncrasies. The world famous Wiener Werkstätte (a production community of visual artists founded in 1903 by the artists Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser) is characterized by pure lines and minimal decoration and it is this which provided the inspiration for Puredistance lean lines in Swarovski crystal for their bottles.
Jan Ewoud Vos says: "Since several decades, people have conceived a very distinct image of what a perfume is about. And that image does not fit Puredistance. This will make it harder for us to be noticed. Puredistance is not made to last for a few years, like most new perfumes do, it’s made to last forever. Therein also lies strength. We don’t need to rush things. It will take time, but it will happen. For as I’m concerned: also this is predestinated. Real beauty will never go unnoticed.".

Before you start rolling your eyes like I was before actually testing them out, let me state this once again: These are quality fragrances that last especially long, come in parfum concentration that is delightfully smooth-smelling and provide that can't-knock-it feeling like a million bucks mood. Now let's get down and start salivating over the details.

Puredistance I is the first creation of the Puredistance company; a floral oriental, which was created by Annie Buzantian from Firmenich, NY, on a formula she had been working for years. Byzantian considers it her favorite perfume and her personal Masterpiece, which should be a foregone conclusion as it began as a quest for creating her own personal scent. Puredistance I feels like Chanel No.5, Guerlain's Cruel Gardénia and Narciso Musk for Her (the precious oil parfum) fused into one crystal clear and delightfully "clean", lightly soapy-lightly powdery melody on skin. It's practically purring with delight on my arms, its cool and warm facets competing for center stage all the while. That element which makes No.5 so compelling, the muskiness that exalts the idea of freshly scrubbed bodies which exude their own natural scent, is reprised here in a composition that infuses a little powderiness into the fresh almost ozone top notes that surprises and enchants. Annie Byzantian eschewed the traditional "luxe" techniques (raw materials that scream "I'm expensive", heavy character to denote richness etc) and instead provided a streamlines, seamless formula that feels timeless. You don't have to stink to high heavens to prove your mettle as a perfume aficionado: Here is proof that a subtle, elegant, "fluted" approach is just as memorable.
The composition is a sophisticated floriental with fresh opening (magnolia and an ozone-watery lily of the valley accord) and an overall floral and soft character which shimmers delicately like rose gold set with tiny diamonds on lily-like fingers. The more you leave it on skin the more it gains in soapy-powdery feel, quite delicate and feminine to the core, like exploring a woman's intimate secrets revealed only in the quiet of the night. The white musk and sandalwood are what remains poised when the sing of the birds at dawn has echoed through the night chambers and the sweet embraces are over.

Notes for Puredistance I include tangerine blossom, cassis, neroli bigarade, magnolia, rose wardia, jasmine, parmenthia, natural mimosa, amber, vetiver and white musk.
The perfume extract contains 32 % perfume oil which makes for a very long-lasting experience; you will wake up to the beautiful scent still lingering on your pillow.
The limited edition Crystal Masterpiece is available as:
A Crystal & 24 carat Gold version - 2048 pieces (2750 Euro retail)
A Crystal & high-grade Steel version - 4824 pieces (1750 Euro retail)
The separately available refill, a 17.5 ml. perfume spray (165 Euro)

Thankfully Puredistance DO sell the refills without you having to fork out so much cash for the crystal flacons, beautiful as they are, so if you're just after the juice, here's the option: just ask them for details & stockists (site info on the bottom)


Puredistance M is a wonderful leather fragrance that is perfectly unisex (M can stand for male, but it could also be thought of as upside down, aka W, aka, for women!). Conceived as giving the luxurious sensation of sitting snugly inside the new leather interior of a grey Aston Martin, preferably on Her Majesty's Secret Service, it feels exactly like that: warm, comfortable, expensive, very satisfied with itself. Puredistance M Perfume was made in London by Roja Dove, famous for his own bespoke and semi-bespoke line at Harrods where he directs the Haute Parfumerie, as well as his position at Guerlain for years. Puredistance M is made from a high concentration of perfume oil (25%) and available as a 17.5 ml. perfume spray in a metal grey giftbox or a leather case for the purse (or that glove compartment of that grey Aston Martin!) besides the more expensive crystal presentations.

To me Puredistance M feels like a clove-y leather fragrance reminiscent of retro fragrances that hard-core aficionados appreciate, such as En Avion by Caron; it's delightfully sensuous and uncompromising with a smoother underside than the Caron forebearer, all tactile satisfaction caressing the plush. In the first moments the spicy cinnamon-clove tinge embracing a discernible rose, is prominent, creating a vintage ambience with the slightly bitter nuances of leather in the mix, while the more it stays on skin the more it softens and becomes a skin scent with a faint whiff of ambery-musky sweetness that is delectable.
I know these are not Austrian images I'm going to conjure, but it's like the best things about 1960s Sean Connery and Michael Kaine in Alfie rolled into one and they produced an imaginary super-child that would smell of Puredistance M. I'm totally smitten!

Notes for Puredistance M include bergamot, Amalfi lemon, jasmine, rose, carnation, cinnamon, cloves, vetiver, patchouli, French cistus labdanum, oakmoss, musk, woods, and leather.

The Puredistance perfumes are available on the official Puredistance site, Harrods at London, Lianne Tio's boutique in Rotherdam (the one famous for her Goutal fragrances), at The Scent Bar in Los Angeles and other boutiques around the world (Find a complete list of retailers here).

Pics of Catherine Deneuve and Michael Kaine via Life magazine.
Disclosure: I was sent tiny samples of the perfumes from the manufacturer.

Friday, September 24, 2010

The Perfume Diaries ~ A Private View

~by guest writer Fiordiligi

On Tuesday afternoon, September 14, 2010, a small group of people had the tremendous privilege of attending a Private View of the Harrods exhibition The Perfume Diaries hosted by the curator, Roja Dove. (If you missed the previous reportage of the Guerlain evening, please read this article). The exhibition, the brainchild of perfumery buyer Emma Hockley, is the biggest that Harrods has ever staged and Roja’s reputation in the industry is such that legendary perfume houses, as well as private collectors including Roja himself, have lent priceless items, many of which have never been seen in public before.

Structured by reference to socio-economic influences over the past century, the exhibition opens with an explanation of the standard construction of perfumes (the pyramid) and the recognized fragrance families and moves on to mouth-watering displays of rare and beautiful items decade by decade. The initial display covers the century from 1800 to 1900 and Roja, a born raconteur, had his audience spellbound explaining the birth of perfumery in England and, later, in France. Many amazing examples were on display, including the original bottles of perfume made for Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Napoleon. Roja explained that in the early days there was no such thing as advertising and bottles were generally of a very simple apothecary style, but with large labels indicating the content. The hope was that passers-by would be enticed by the labels and drawn in to the shop to make a purchase.

We are all familiar with the idea of eau de toilette but the origin of the term was explained by Roja. In the very early days, toile (cloth) was scented with oils, dried, scented again, dried again, and so on, until it became thoroughly impregnated with perfume. It was a very costly luxury. The toile was then used, dry, to rub down the body after sleep and provide freshness and scent when bathing was not terribly common! After this start, it evolved into the liquid product called eau de toilette which we all use today. Roja pointed out an incredibly rare sealed bottle which was the original eau de toilette (“water from the little cloth.”)

In the beginning of the 20th century, great houses such as Guerlain, Houbigant and Piver moved from the simple soliflore scents they had been producing and started to give their perfumes fanciful names (how about Voila Pourquoi j’Aimais Rosine?) as they started to use some of the modern synthetics to make their fragrances more complex. Roja joked that celebrity scents are nothing new, as Guerlain named one of their perfumes Jasmiralda (and yes, there is a full bottle in the exhibition) after Esmeralda, the heroine of Victor Hugo’s popular novel Notre Dame de Paris.

The genius known as the father of modern perfumery, the Corsican Francois Coty, revolutionised the perfume world in the early part of the 20th century, not only with his wonderfully innovative creations but also with the presentation of his scents. He had his friend Baccarat make bottles and another friend, a jeweller by the name of Rene Lalique, make labels and boxes for his perfumes (previously unheard of). The rest, as they say, is history.

The 1920s saw the launch of many masterpieces, and the creation of Chanel No 5 in 1921 with the use of aldehydes was a milestone. Roja showed us an exhibit which belongs to him – a red leather box containing Chanel No 2 (never produced commercially), Chanel No 5, Chanel No 11 (again, not a commercial production) and Chanel No 22. His box is the only one known in the world!

As the exhibition moved through the decades, the stories came thick and fast. We saw the fabulous silver ship presentation of Patou’s Normandie which was presented to every lady in First Class on the inaugural voyage of the luxurious transatlantic liner of the same name. The example of the bottle on display is numbered one, belongs to Roja and was recovered from a skip where it had been jettisoned after Patou was sold.

In the 1940s the wind of change was sweeping through the world after World War II and it brought with it fragrances such as Vent Vert and Miss Dior. One of the few non-perfume exhibits is the original dress from Dior’s New Look collection of 1947, named Miss Dior. Roja also pointed out a bottle in the shape of a dog, called Tian, which contains Miss Dior. This incredibly rare item is named after Monsieur Dior’s dog, called Tian as a diminutive of Christian, his owner’s name.

As we moved into the 1960s Roja talked about the social changes which would have such a huge influence on everyone – the Beatles, the Pill, the mini-skirt and the new freedom of the decade. Dior launched Eau Sauvage which capitalised on the new synthetic hedione (a jasmine derivative). Such was the influence of this scent that just about every perfume made since that time has incorporated this element. Roja showed us an unbelievably rare bottle in the familiar Eau Sauvage ribbed style but with the label Favorit, for that was to be the name until a Dior employee named Monsieur Sauvage, always late for meetings, walked in one day, late as usual, and a colleague said “oh, Sauvage!” The perfume had its new name.

The display for the 1980s had everyone laughing and amongst the tales of excess was the one recounted by Roja which was that when Giorgio was released there was a line outside Harvey Nichols in London stretching right down the street every single day as people rushed to buy this blockbuster! It is also interesting that the first true celebrity fragrance appeared in the 80s, and it was Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds.

The 1990s, with the rejection of excess and embracing of minimalism, together with the fear of HIV/Aids, brought us the anti-scents of Calvin Klein’s Escape and Issey Miyake’s l’Eau d’Issey, using the synthetic Calone, previously used to fragrance detergents. It also brought us the return to childhood which is the sweet and sticky candy-floss of ethyl maltol found in the astonishingly successful Angel.

None of those present wanted the guided tour to end, but after almost two hours we landed in the present day with its “sets” of fragrance, such as Cartier les Heures, Chanel’s Les Exclusifs and Van Cleef and Arpels range. Roja pointed out that this craze for a group of perfumes was started with Guerlain’s Aqua Allegorias and Jean-Charles Brosseau’s Fleurs d’Homme, so there really is nothing new under the sun.

Among the highlights of the afternoon were the incredibly rare early bottles and all the amazing Guerlains, many in mint condition and in very large sizes, all described so vividly by Roja. Next time you feel guilty about buying perfume, remember that until relatively recently, perfume extrait was sold in 30 ml, 60 ml, 120 ml and 250 ml bottles. The little 7.5 ml size was for a lady to keep in her handbag, before the advent of the travel-sized atomizer. And Hermes made (unsigned) coloured leather or crocodile cases for Guerlain, containing bulb atomizers to fill with your favourite scent. Imagine!

A few of the other special items on display and their stories:
  • The Baccarat Papillon (bow-tie) bottles were made of blue glass and covered in gold (they originally contained Guerlain’s Coque d’Or) but some were not covered in gold. Why? Well, the factory doing the gilding burnt down!
  • Receipts and bills for Marie Antoinette, who had the Sevres factory make porcelain flowers for her garden at Versailles, which were scented every day with her favourite perfume.
  • A large leather ledger from Floris shows orders for the King and Queen. The late Queen Mother paid her Floris bill by Postal Order!
  • A “plan” of the Chanel No 5 bottle (i.e. the view looking down from above on the stopper and bottle) reveals itself as a diagram of the layout of the Place Vendome in Paris.

There is so much to see in this museum-class and absolutely enthralling exhibition and anyone who can manage to get to London should make a point of visiting as soon as possible.

pics via cultbeauty.co.uk, vintageposterart.com, britishbeautyexperts.com, quirkyfinds.com

Monday, September 6, 2010

Buzz by The Sun: Tabloid Perfume

Did you think that the celebrity perfume business was a tired concept? After thousands of A-, B- and Z-listers having their very own celebo-fragrance out, now it's the time to see something unusual: A famous tabloid, UK's The Sun collaborated with no less than Roja Dove (of Guerlain and Harrods Haute Parfumerie fame) to bring out their new fragrance, aptly called...Buzz!

Taking inspiration from The Sun, Dove has created Buzz, a perfume that embodies the glamour of a movie premiere and the excitement of a red carpet line up. To create the scent, Dove has created a heady blend of the effortless style of Sarah-Jessica Parker, the charisma of Sophia Loren, the intoxicating sass of Beyonce Knowles and the girl-next-door charm of Cheryl Cole. Speaking of his exciting project with The Sun, Roja Dove said:
“Collaborating with The Sun is an unusual step for me. In my work I create bespoke one-off fragrances for individual clients so I was surprised when I was asked to create a scent for a newspaper. “However, I’ve always loved the idea that everybody should be able to share the world of exquisite fragrance. Working with the biggest newspaper in the English speaking world is a fantastic opportunity for me to bring my world and my work to a wider audience and share the magic of fragrance".
Entertainment comes in many guises but the one thing it should do is feel good and leave us buzzing with happy memories. Buzz Eau de Parfum opens with a blend of bright, breezy citrus notes where Bergamot reigns supreme, before leading directly to a sensual heart of Jasmine and Ylang Ylang which capture the glamour of the Oscars, BAFTAs, opening nights and debuts, before revealing a soft layering base of Vanilla and Sandalwood, that enhance all sensations of pleasure, evocative of a red-carpet moment.

Buzz eau de parfum will be sold at £59 per 50ml from September onwards at the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie on the fifth floor of Harrods. More details can be found at the-sun.co.uk/buzz

What do you think? Is this an original concept or what? Do you have expectations from the juice?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Essence of Perfume by Roja Dove: book review and preview

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Roja Dove is the encyclopaedic resource to turn to on everything perfume-related. Even better that he is a very charming man to talk to as well. A former Cambridge medical student, Roja worked for many years for Guerlain: it all started when Robert Guerlain decided to stop his insistent questioning the company's global subsidiaries for info by harnessing this rampant enthusiasm of the 21-year-old by recruiting him and later appointing him Global Ambassador of parfums Guerlain; a title never before bestowed to non-Guerlain family members. Roja later teamed up with George Hammer (founder of the Sanctuary in Covent Garden and the one who brought Aveda to Britain) to create Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie in the Urban Retreat in Harrods. The mission stated in the brochure? "Haute Parfumerie defies the contemporary notion of "spray and pray" to bring together the finest fragrance offerings within sumptuous, lavish surroundings. Roja's personally trained experts will be on hand to help each customer find their signature fragrance." He continues to lecture audiences for prestigious establishments such as the Victoria & Albert Museum and oversees the creation of a bespoke line of exclusive fragrances for a select clientele as well as his own very special trilogy (Scandal, Enslaved, Unspoken) available at Harrods.

All this experience and passion has been distilled into Roja's newest book The Essence of Perfume. A coffee-table sized volume of glossy luxury, it is beautifully illustrated with photos of rare vintage bottles, especially in the final chapter: from the Egyptian Sphinx inspired Gardez-moi by Jovay (1926) to Baccarat crystal flacons such as the jewel-hued yet tastefully spartan hip-flask shaped Ybry line (1925-27), the Art Deco malachite-green of Trois Passions by Myon from 1928 and the rococo style decorative Bertelli perfumes from 1917. The exquisite naturalistic Lalique flacons for Bouquet des Faunes for Guerlain (1925) and their poetically formed L'Effleurt for Coty (1908) and Ambre d'Orsay from 1913 are also presented in all their glory. Bottles from Roja's private collection such as the Guerlain Bouquet de Victoria, Prince Albert's Bouquet and Bouquet de Napoléon (III) from the 1850-70s make a unique appearence as does the only known complete Chanel box containing No.5 and the never commercially released No.2 and No.11

But the book is not primarily aimed at the bottle collector. The Essence of Perfume strives to be a tome comprising information on various aspects of perfumery starting with a brief consice history of fragrance creation and use from antiquity through the birth of modern perfumery in the 19th century: I find little known facts that delight my historian soul such as the Appolonius' quote "perfumes are sweetest when the scent comes from the wrist" or who the first Grasse company to use solvent exctraction invented by the Robert clan (them of great perfumers' fame) is. The chapters then follow the course of introducing the perfume lover into the methodology of perfumery: explaining the methods of aromatics extraction (steam distillation, solvent extraction, expression, enfleurage and tincturing) with the aid of diagrams; a description of raw materials of natural origin accompanied by photographs and a two-word descriptor of their odour facet as well as a very brief guide to aroma-synthetics (not strictly non occuring in nature, such as natural isolates, lab reconstitutions, novel synthesized molecules and aldehydes), useful to the budding perfumephile who is questioning what is that long series of ingredients listed in their new box's allergens list. Roja then goes into detail explaining how the composition of a fragrance is constructed in the classic pyramidal style, the basic fragrance families (floral, chypré, oriental, fougère) and the fragrance facets within those divisions (for instance the "aromatic" facet is further divided into lavender, aniseed and minty tones or the distinction between "soft", "resinous" and "powdery" balsamic) as well as the differences in concentration of compound in the finished product resulting in Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, Extrait de Parfum/pure parfum and the always confusing matter of Eau de Cologne and the origin of Eau Fraîche types. Basically the seasoned perfumephile will want to leaf through these and instead focus on the delightful perusal through the great classics that follows.

From Jicky by Guerlain (1889) and L'origan (1905) by Coty all the way through to Narciso Rodriguez (2003) and Perles de Lalique (2006) Roja Dove saves the bulk of the book for the detailed exposition classified by decade of the perfumes that marked their era due to their popularity and innovation. This is accompanied by vintage ads, socio-economic commentary on the evolving mores that were expressed into the change in tastes and trends on each sub-chapter introduction and pictures of iconic style representations such as Great Garbo, Barbara Goalen in a Dior couture dress from 1947, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Andy Warhol entourage of the 70s, Lady Diana Spencer and Jennifer Lopez. Reading about them we come across facts we have encountered and shared before and others which we have not. Jacques Guerlain being touched by a previous Guerlain mention by Claude Farrere leading to using one of the author's heroines name in Mitsouko. Patou wanted "Joy to be to perfume what Roll-Royce is to cars". How naive older practices like the one used by Opium (and Caron 60 years before it) to cut short the long waiting list when the product did come in the stores to keep fueling the demand seem in our marketing-obsessed times...And how truly it resonates with poignancy about the changes in attitude towards intimate smells when Roja describes Shocking by Schiaparelli "like the interior of ladies' underwear" and its progeny Boudoir by Westwood "like Shocking wihout the knickers"!

After this mesmerising foray into anecdotes and descriptions on so many fragrances, there are alphabetized entries on each house from Coty to Carven through Robert Piguet and Christian Dior to Jean Patou and Yves Saint Laurent also illustrated with famous and not so famous pictures of the protagonists behind perfume vision and little stories about some of the myths that surround them: it is here that we find more detailed info on Coco Chanel's sobriquet being inspired by a tune sang by her in cafes with the chorus "Qui Qu'a Vu Coco" about a little dog ~dispelling the rumour that it had to do with hosting cocaine parties; that Madame Carven was behind fragrances sold aboard airplanes concept; that Patrick Alès (the buyer of the Caron house) calls Roja "Monsieur Caron" for his dedication while Anarchist was named in tribute to the revolutionary spirit of the house's founder Ernest Daltroff; and that Cacharel is named after a small migratory bird of the Camargue.

Roja Dove thinks "perfume has become debased over the past 10 to 15 years. The marketing brief is getting younger and younger: it's all for 18-25s. I don't know of any house that's creating perfumes for women over 30, and all the great perfumes are disappearing by stealth. Perfumers are frightened to take risks, but many of the great perfumes came about by mistake." and "A lot of perfumes disappeared because they were no good or were of the moment and ceased to be relevant. But these ones - all the ones in my parfumerie - are more than relevant today; they were probably just ahead of their time. When you take scents like Miss Dior or Vol de Nuit by Guerlain, you have formulas which are still avant-garde and totally wearable. Commercial perfumery is nowhere near as creative," as quoted in an interview to Alison Kerr in The Scotsman. "But a small renaissance has begun as not everyone wants to smell cheap. Consumers are waking up to the idea of individuality once more; the cognoscente is turning back on mass-marketed fragrances. There is a revival in creative perfumery; shifting the craft back to the genius of the master perfumers", Roja comments on the foreword of his new tome. A sigh of relief...

If I were to find fault with anything it would be that there is some English-ised construction in several French phrases (eau de colognes instead of eaux de cologne, Professeur de parfums instead of des parfums, fougere's for the plural fougeres on page 86), as well as the perennial but widely standardised formulas instead of the Latin plural formulae. But these are misdemeanors that can be easily sidetracked by the sheer scope of the book. If not absolutely indispensable to those who have perhaps read too much on the subject, it is still a very concise and worthy addition to a library that focuses on fine fragrance.

You can watch Roja Dove talk about his niche and classic fragrance choices here:

"When you wear a fragrance you create tomorrow's memories". Aaah!

Official issue date of The Essence of Perfume for the US is 28th October (70$) Apart from pre-ordering at Amazon, you can get a 40% discount off the retail price by contacting Jess Atkins at jess@blackdogonline.com stating "Perfume Shrine discount" in the title of your mail.


Pics through Black Dog Publishing, not to be reproduced without permission
Clip provided via handbag.com

Monday, September 15, 2008

Roja Dove's New Book at a Discount for our Readers

Roja Dove, for years "professeur des parfums" at Guerlain and mastermind of Harrod's Haute Parfumerie in London (a Mekka pilgrimage for any perfume afficionado) has written a new book, The Essence of Perfume. What is it about?
"Dove leads us on a fascinating journey through the world of scent, from Ancient Egypt, where myth has it that the fragrance Kypi induced mass surrender, through to the 1920s, when Jean Harlow's husband--maddened by his love and frustrated by his impotence--drenched himself in his wife's perfume before ending his life. We read about the bitter rivalry between Coco Chanel and "that Italian", Elsa Schiaparelli, and how this inspired some of history's most iconic scents. The Essence of Perfume is the first book by the world's only Professeur de Parfums, and it is as captivating as it is informative. Beginning with a comprehensive discussion of the sense of smell and the materials of the master perfumer, The Essence of Perfume goes on to celebrate the great classics, the makers who brought them to life and the designers who gave them shape. In an age where the methods and motivations of the original perfumers are all but forgotten, Roja Dove unfolds the gripping story of scent with all the passion and devotion of a true artist".

Like Hannah Betts of the Sunday Times said: "If there's a perfume that Roja doesn't have an anecdote about I have yet to discover it. Talking perfume with mr.Dove is as rich a pleasure as it is a priviledge."

Published by Black Dog Publishing, its official issue date is 28 October 2008.
Hardback, 288 pages, 350 b/w and colour illustrations
ISBN: 978 1 906155 49 0
UK price £40.00

However, apart from pre-ordering at Amazon, you can get a 40% discount on the retail price by contacting Jess Atkins at jess@blackdogonline.com stating "Perfume Shrine discount" in the title of your mail.

Pics through Black Dog Publishing, not to be reproduced without permission

Monday, August 20, 2007

London Calling...part 4: at Roja Dove's place


When one is faced with greatness it manifests itself in no uncertain terms. Awe, amazement and a feeling of having tingles down the spine greet you upon entering one of the sacred altars of perfume, Roja Dove’s Haute Parfumerie on the 5th floor of Harrod’s, the Titanic of all stores: impressive, astounding in fact and certain to lead you to your doom. Financially speaking, that is.

Roja Dove is no stranger to perfume and his very special place in that Mecca of shoppers is magnificent. Formerly professeur de parfums at Guerlain (a title he gave himself, when they were at a loss on how to call him, as he is not a “nose” ~meaning a practicing perfumer) he is in reality a Roger who spelled his name the way it is pronounced in a heavy-set aristocratic English accent.
Haute Parfumerie was a concept near and dear to his heart, as it is meant to work like a museum and a shop combined: among the myriads of vintage bottles in opulent Bacarrat crystals there are many recreations and infinitesimal versions of favourite smells for customers to pick and choose, so that they are guaranteed to find their perfect holy grail scent or just the latest fling with which to dance the night away. All subject to their taste.

The grand staircase that recalls an Egyptian tomb fit for a Pharaoh in a modern version of Liz Taylor’s "Cleopatra"is nowhere near possible to describe without being unjust and the evocative lighting of the space is akin to entering a shrine to the high priest of perfume indeed. Rows and rows of vintage bottles with impressive names stand in aloof poise, among them the Bacarrat rarity Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes (=sacred tears of Thebes ~fit for the Egyptian theme!), Nina Ricci’s discontinued classic Coeur Joie (=heart of joy), Ombre Rose by Jean Charles Brosseau with its rich powdery hay and oppoponax base or the individual Caron masterpiece of Ernest Daltroff En Avion, dedicated to aviation and its brave first steps. Indeed they do have many of the Caron urn perfumes: those are the pure parfum/extrait perfumes that the venerable French house only sells from big crystal “vats” at their boutiques by request.
They also have the rare gems of Christian Dior from the days of their illustrious past: Diorama and Diorling. They are too beautiful to dismiss in a single expletive, so they deserve their own space and time in the near future to which you will be treated shortly.

Additionally Roja has created some individual scents for selling there, as I found out for about £2000 a bottle. The price being prohibitive I was reluctant to even try them out for fear I might have to break down and put a little mortgage to acquire one of them. On the other hand he is also launching three more moderately priced yet quality superior feminine scents for the upcoming season (October to be precise). They are based around one fragrance family each and they are named Scandal (a rich white floral), Enslaved(an oriental) and Unspoken (a chypre).

Roja’s theory of why smell is so important to us is interesting though and worth recounting. He maintains that the part of the brain that deals with odour is empty when we are born and we spend the first years of our lives (well into our puberty and beyond, I get to understand) forming preferences and distastes. This might be the reason why babies and small children often do not have a notion of “bad” smells and they venture into skatole-filled adventures that would make us shudder. It might also explain why there are definite preferences in certain aromas when we grow up that we can’t seem to shake off: they just move us on a deeper level, reminiscing of our childhood experiences and memories.

Roja elaborates that this is what is called an “odour profile”, sounding very much like a special FBI agent intent on capturing a serial killer, and in a way, you might want to think that smell is a serial killer, the way it strikes again and again and again with shocking results every single time. This odour profile constitutes what we find appealing and what not and also pinpoints which fragrance families tend to attract us more, giving a glimpse into our personalities in the process. This also coincides with what Mandy Aftel has to say when creating a bespoke fragrance for a client, by the way. She maintains that you can judge somewhat the tendencies of a personality according to the basenotes they choose for their tailor-made fragrance: shy or conventional types go for vanilla; hell-cats go for hay or blond tobacco and so on.
It’s an interesting thought, to be sure.

To revert to the subject at hand though, Roja continues by elaborating on how to choose an appropriate scent for oneself, using the odour profile. First there is some testing to determine which fragrance family is most appealing in general. For general purposes this is three-fold, encompassing floral, chypre and oriental. It is essential to clarify at this point that this is not meant to exclude one from the other or indeed disregard the nuances of cross-pollination that very often happen across families. It is simply a matter of simplifying a basic tendency that might produce more recommendations that would be most suitable. It doesn’t mean that a person can’t very well enjoy certain fragrances from all those families above.
Indeed after establishing a preference, one then goes through a process of elimination and specification that involves smelling separate notes. This is done through the use of scented candles, Diptyque it was from what I recall, and they let you smell the glasses they came in and share your impressions, as those particular candles are single-note based. My own preference for Oak, Oeillet, Jasmine and Pomander resulted in recommendations of Bellodgia, Mitsouko, Bal a Versailles and Coup de Fouet. Oh, dear, I already knew that…, I inwardly think.
Still, the process is fascinating, especially as there is no divulging of what you are smelling till after you have proffered an opinion. Which maintains the quintessential factors of a good test: objectivity and no influence by advertising or packaging.
I highly recommend the trip!



Pic "Favourably inclined" originally uploaded by cishikilauren /flickr

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