What makes for the popular vote?

Now there's an interesting question for the new year! Isn't it?
The poll we conducted here at Perfume Shrine was intriguing on many levels, none the less important because it revealed certain finer points.

First of all, the poll confirmed that the people who activately participate in such projects are astounding less numerous than the actual readership. I don't know why the literally hundreds of people who visit every single day didn't want to cast a vote: perhaps they were not familiar with all the fragrances and didn't want to skew the poll by opting for something that might overshadow something else. Perhaps they don't believe in polls anyway. Perhaps they didn't deem any of the choices worthy, even. And to tell you the truth, the term "best" is quite binding and loaded for such a subjective matter as taste. Truthfully, in terms of innovation and vision, it was the smaller brands that made the grade for me. But since their offerings are not yet being discussed extensively (I am confident they will be soon!), it was inevitable that well-known brand names would be opted for as the gladiator contestants.

And they crossed their swords quite forcefully too! Apart from two choices of course, predictably the men's mainstream launches by Dior and Calvin Klein who tied with only one vote each.
This last part is indicative of two things to my mind: first, that our male readership is either rather limited (as is generally the case with perfume venues anyway) or much more demanding (a welcome thought). And secondly, that despite a few examples, much of the masculine fragrance launches by mainstream companies are simply unispiring, lacklustre and utimately dull.

The reason that I personally opted to include Dior Fahrenheit 32 over the more sympatico to my sensibilities Fleur du Mâle by Gaultier was due to the dire need to include at least one Dior offering: they had come out with two major launches this year, a move which resonates loudly throughout the buying audiences whatever we might say about the brand in recent years. Midnight Poison fell rather short of expectations and merely perpetuated the rose-patchouli accord we have come to sniff so regularly these past 2 years, leaving us with only the majestically gothic commercial and wonderful dark bottle to swoon over. Therefore the headstart of Fahrenheit 32 in the innovation stakes (abstract orange blossom in a men's fume) won the day.
Calvin Klein issued his first masculine fragrance Calvin Klein Man that didn't have a feminine counterpoint. The experiment wasn't bad, but it wasn't terribly bold either. Still, it is a major brand that accounts for lots of sales, therefore the inclusion. The fact that it wasn't voted for speaks for its relative diminished appeal in discerning circles.

The doyenne of the pretty, the Estée Lauder group, issued one of the most surprising launches of this year, Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. A scent that repositions the brand into a more exclusive plane that had already begun with Tom Ford's efforts a couple of seasons ago. But here is the tour de force: they did it with a beautiful fragrance that smells true, stays on long and doesn't cost the small fortune other brands ask for. Bravo Aérin Lauder on a well done feat! I am sure that the 11% of our readers who chose it as best scent of 2007 has a use for a white floral fragrance that makes them feel simply gorgeous when they step out to face the world.

Prada did a comparable thing with their lovely Infusion d'Iris, going through a different marketing route, that of masstige: supposedly costly ingredients in a classy bottle with the crest of tradition but available through Sephora and larger stores. Hence the 16% piece of the pie Prada snatched in this poll we conducted. Infusion d'Iris is unapopogetically pretty, classy, notably well suited to both sexes and distinct even if relying on less costly materials than touted (please note that they do not list the origin of iris on the packaging, contrary to the commercially cunning demonstration of other ingredients right in front of your eyes ~which points to the use of aromachemicals). In the year of iris, from Guerlain Iris Ganache to Iris Pallida by L'artisan, Prada's iris is a great option.


Hermès simply reconfirmed what they are after: individual, aesthete concepts that do not concern themselves much with trends. Despite Kelly Calèche having this rather gauche name, I might add ~borrowing from a previous scent (OK, this is standard practice among houses lately) but also from an actual accessory of the brand that acts as a status symbol: the Kelly bag (how transparently manipulative is that?). Additionally, the advertorials that talked about a leather floral did the scent a disservice, as did the naughty, defiant ad: had they mentioned a slight suede note, they might not had disappointed the die-hard leather fans who expected a potent mix of Cuir de Russie calibre. Instead they found a cool, composed, pretty feminine floral with the slightest whiff of smooth velvetine that hypnotises with its devious sillage and great tenacity. I predict that the fragrance will be vindicated in perfume circles for its meek 6% vote in no more than 3 years' time: note this comment, you have heard it here first!

Bond No.9 made the most surprising entry of this year with their best yet release: Andy Warhol Silver Factory, the first of a series of instalments centered on the pope of Pop Art. Due partly to its release late in the year and its relative obscurity, it lagged in votes garnering only 5%. Yet this delectable incense is worth seeking out and although the big, really expensive bottles of Bond No.9 are often too costly for what they fragrantly bear, this one heralds a new leaf in the Bond book. If it is anything to go by, I am looking forward to their other Andy Warhol inspired scents soon.

Not so with Serge Lutens: this year has been a sort of let-down for his many, arduous fans who have come to expect the world from him. Whether this has to do with Chris Sheldrake getting a position at Chanel or with the rampant rumous of Serge Lutens himself getting slowly out of fragrance creation and focusing on makeup, it remains to be seen. Sarrassins was lovely, beautiful and with a slight animalic edge, but it didn't bring out the frisson we have come to expect from an exclusive Lutens! Louve is even less edgy, despite its smooth, fluffy qualities. But more on that on an upcoming review shortly...

Gucci by Gucci garnered a 5% percentage for much the same reason as Bond's Silver Factory: coming out late in the year and not yet available in all markets, it hasn't registered enough into people's minds to get more votes. Or the new chypres have become a little too predictable for their own good, like I had mentioned on my musings for 2007 in fragrance. Personally I haven't smelled this yet, so all bets are off till I do. But somehow I am not too excited.

Chanel and Guerlain proved again that they are considered sacred cows of the perfume world and that their new scents always make a ripple in the stagnant pond of new launches of mainstream brands. Despite the fact that both choices (Spirituelle Double Vanille from Guerlain which won the race by a thread and 31 Rue Cambon by Chanel) were rather exclusive to begin with lots of our discerning readers had a keen interest to sample them whatever it took, exactly because they were Chanel and Guerlain.

No matter how disillusioned perfume lovers might have become in general, Guerlain still is a bastion of rich perfume history and their adherence to their illustrious tradition with their boutique scents is worth the trouble of locating the elusive juices. One might argue that their practice of re-issuing past discarded experiments under new wraps is akin to the Emperor's new clothes (Mahora I am looking at you!). But still, the myth is going strong encased in opulent bottles. Spiritueuse Double Vanille is one of the loveliest vanillas out there and this is coming from someone who isn't enamoured with vanilla in the first place. Rich, pod-like, it possesses the vibrancy of trails of smoke lifting off for a flight of orientalised arabesque.
Last but not least, vanilla is an easier concept to like for the majority of people than a chypré floral, accounting for 23% versus 22%.

Chanel is equally respected for their history and austere class, perpetuated through lore, imagery and elegant packaging that accounts for much of the brand's cachet. If anything, they are the most recognised brandname throughout the world in luxury apparel and cosmetics and everyone, simply everyone, has come into -direct or indirect- contact with No.5 at some point in their lives.
31 Rue Cambon was announced as the new revolution in the industry that would put the chypre genre back in the map, following the restrictions of oakmoss percentage, by opting for a new accord (pepper and iris, reportedly) that would bypass the problem in the most elegant way.
Chypre didn't need re-invention: it is as iconic a notion to fragrance as it is lamentably obsolete ~the perfume police have made sure that none of the mainstream chypre perfumes of yore will ever be exactly the same. But chypre might have needed re-orchestration, reagrdless, so as to appeal to a new audience which isn't tied up into the legend of yesterday and isn't as involved in the terminology and greater onomastics rather than in what a fragrance exudes.
31 Rue Cambon indeed manages to smell elegant, confident, classy, like old money. It doesn't try too hard and this is its charm. But also its possible downfall. In the years to come it might be bypassed by bolder creations, such as the more old-fashioned Cuir de Russie or Bois des Iles, exactly because they are arresting compositions. And therefore if it is to become a classic, it will have to shed at least some of its exclusivity in order to become more well-known to wider audiences who are the ones who validate a fragrance through continuous, ardent loyalty through the decades.

All in all, 2007 proved that there is yet hope for the fragrance industry. Let's see how smartly they interpret the feedback.


Pic by whatktdoes.com, bottle of Kelly Caleche from Hermès

Best Wishes for the New Year!

From the good people at Hermès (who designed the above image and sent it) and from Perfume Shrine may the New Year be splendid for all of you!!

We will be back with surprises, the results of the poll and a lucky draw very soon. Stay tuned!

A Smooth Leather for the Tough 1930s: Lanvin Scandal

~by guest writer Denyse Beaulieu

Though the fashion pendulum swung back to femininity, away from the androgynous styles of the Garçonnes towards a more traditionally feminine silhouette ~waists, breasts and hips caressed by bias-cut satin, bobs set in platinum marcelled curls~ the Thirties were in fact a much tougher era than the Années Folles. Perhaps all-out modernism can only occur in an era of financial optimism…


The France in which Scandal was born in 1932 was riddled with unemployment, political instability and financial scandals. In the wake of the newly fashionable psychoanalysis, surrealism delved into the subconscious and its disturbing images. From the 1932 Tabu by Dana to Schiaparelli’s Shocking in 1937, perfume names reflected these troubled times…
It is strange, though, that the house of Lanvin would be the boldest in naming its scents: the milliner Jeanne Lanvin actually launched her brilliant career by producing for her high society clientele the designs she had created for her beloved daughter – the house logo by Paul Iribe showed a stylised mother and daughter embrace. However, starting with the sensuous My Sin in 1925, on to L’Ame Perdue (“Lost Soul”) and Pétales Froissés (“Crumpled Petals”, perhaps a vague allusion to “damaged goods”), both in 1928, Lanvin launched a series of racily-named perfumes. A shrewd marketer, she was in tune with the zeitgeist. In the year following the launch of Scandal, the most resounding politico-financial scandal of the decade, the Stavisky affair ~in which several prominent figures were embroiled~ would rock France to its very foundations.


Was Scandal scandalous for its day? As we have seen in the previous instalments of this series, leather had already entered the feminine scent wardrobe a decade earlier. But unlike its Twenties forerunners Tabac Blond, En Avion or Djedi, and to a much greater degree than Chanel Cuir de Russie, Scandal plays up the animalic, leathery side of leather. According to perfume historian Octavian Sever Coifan, who commented about it on these pages, André Fraysse had also composed a “cuir de Russie” base (i.e. a mixture of different components for ready use in perfumery) for Synarome.
This is possibly the “cuir de Russie” mentioned in the breakdown of notes:

Top: neroli, bergamot, mandarine, clary sage.
Heart: jüchten (cuir de Russie), iris, rose, ylang
Base: incense, civet, oakmoss, vanilla, vetiver, benzoin.

Considered by many perfume lovers to be the ultimate leather, Scandal was admired by no lesser an authority than the late, great Edmond Roudnitska. It is one of the few classics he mentions in his book Le Parfum(Presses Universitaires de France, 1980), firstly as the prototype of a “fruity-aldehydic-leather” family and secondly, as a prime example of compositions that evoke rather than represent a note (which he opposes to non-representational perfumes such as N°5, Arpège, Mitsouko or Femme).

“Leather and tobacco”, he observes, “are already transpositions of natural elements since they undergo painstaking preparations which alter the initial odour.”

My own version of Scandal is a flacon of extrait, of which one third has evaporated. The aldehydic top notes mentioned by Roudnitska have all but disappeared, except in the first fleeting moments of application, with a slight hint of citrus.

What immediately dominates is, well, leather, with a stronger birch tar edge than Chanel Cuir de Russie, with which it shares several notes: rich, deep, smooth as a fine old Bordeaux or a single malt whisky, with its complex peaty-mossy depths – oakmoss certainly, possibly vetiver because of the earthiness. A sombre undercurrent yields a vaguely licorice-y tinge to the heart, in a moment of olfactory illusionism: is it the clary sage? The floral notes seem so deeply blended in that they don’t appear as such any longer, which could be an effect of the age of the sample – a common phenomenon in older extraits. In its pristine version, the aldehydic fizz lifting the dark wood-resin-animal base, churning through the stately cool iris, tender rose and flesh-like carnality of the ylang-ylang must made for an intoxicating experience.
As it is, though, it is still a compellingly complex, opulent leather.

Though Lanvin has recently re-launched a scent of the same André Fraysse series, Rumeur (there was also Crescendo and Prétexte), there seems to be no chance of their resurrecting Scandal, discontinued in 1971: British perfumer Roja Dove has appropriated the name which had fallen into the public domain for one of his own compositions, an opulent white floral. Lancôme’s 2007 re-edition of Révolte/Cuir, another animalic leather of the period, was quickly followed by its discontinuation, allegedly because it was too costly to produce.

Thus, the original Scandal seems condemned to the limbo of long-lost scents. The few drops remaining are all the more precious: a reminder of an age where to dab your skin in the scent of a flower-drenched leather would send an iconoclastic frisson coursing through well-bred salons…


Pics from the "Gosford Park" film by Robert Altman, set in 1932, courtesy of djuna.cine21.
Pic of the french film "La règle du jeu" by Jean Renoir from wikipedia.
Lanvin ad originally uploaded at cofe.ru

2007 in Retrospect: 13 Honest and Cynical Musings of a Perfume Lover

What I liked in 2007

1) So many lovely new releases were mainstream perfumes that could be actually had at a big store. From Infusion d’Iris by Prada to Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia by Estée Lauder through Hèrmes Kelly Calècheand Gaultier Le Fleur du Mâle, I found quite a few scents that I am thinking of upgrading into a full bottle in the future. There is something to be said for being able to purchase a decent perfume without having to jump through hoops or paying inordinate amounts of money on online auctions or sellers.

2) So many fledging or “smaller” (in terms of reputation or business volume, not value) perfumers have come to my attention in the last year and it has been a real pleasure knowing them and sampling their work. Although Perfume Shrine has shown an interest for the artisanal houses from the very start, it is encouraging to see that those perfumers have gained recognition and respect. We will continue to back up their efforts whenever they deserve it.

3) The vogue for “celebrity” scents has finally begun to show signs of waning. Although the releases have been certainly numerous, they have often gone out of the scene without making much of a bleep on the radar. This is what I mean by waning…I interpret this as a healthy sign, after whole seasons when there were sane people who were eager to purchase Jessica Simpson’s nauseating Dessert line! This will allow the few, decent and sometimes quite good fragrances that have arisen from this trend of emulating one’s favourite celebrity through olfactory terms to stand prouder on the shelf and be unapologetic for their till now declassé image.

4) The direction towards the new “chypres” away from the fruity florals of the past few years is a welcome relief. However, this is risky, because they might pose the danger of becoming ubiquitous themselves. In fact they’re about to…I can’t begin to note how many feature the “clean” patchouli base so prevalent among these new contestants: YSL Elle, Dior Midnight Poison, Gucci by Gucci, DKNY Delicious Night, Britney Spears Believe... Companies, take note!

5) Givenchy did the coup and issued decent, delectable re-issues of their classic fragrances in their line Les Mythiques. If only every house did it as well. Brownie points, good people at Givenchy: you have redeemed yourselves for the lapses of previous years which had turned a luxury brand into a run-of-the-mill department store name.

6) Perfume lovers are not that stupid after all. After a scandal on Ebay this past summer, when someone was revealed to be bying and filling up vintage empty perfume bottles with undefined juice and then selling them masquerading as the authentic thing, it was determined that people do pay attention. Some more than others; but that’s nothing new. At least, those who did had the good sense of community to alert other people to the scam. Justice hasn’t been metted out yet, because damages to disenchanted buyers haven’t been paid, but at least now people pay a lot more attention and are not that ready to believe that there is some huge vault of vintage treasures that someone out of the goodness of their heart is selling at moderate prices.

6) The huge readership of Perfume Shrine has shown yet again that they are here for the –hopefully good- content first and foremost and not for public relations or networking. I value that and appreciate it more than you know. Even you, numerous lurkers who don’t want to admit reading us regularly! Heartfelt thanks for the support, your interesting commentary and your valueable feedback on assorted scented matters.



What I didn’t like in 2007

1) The pretence in advertorials continues: from the Nasomatto manifesto for their scent for hysteria(!) ~which reminds me of 19th century “scientific” treatises focusing on abusing women~ to the By Kilian encyclopedic name-dropping of famous authors and oeuvres (to a zenith of excess!), there is a point of saturation when a little modesty and restraint might serve them better. The consumer becomes jaded or sceptical after a while and –dare I utter the word? - a little repulsed.

2) The prices of niche lines have escalated inordinarily. At this point one has to put a small mortgage on one’s house, car or favourite pet in order to be able to get the scent they have been craving. Surely, more expensive doesn’t automatically equate more upscale quality.
But the online business catering to perfume lovers has also gone upward in prices. Understandably, they need to make up for the costs. But somewhere deep, deep down it saddens me to think that people who would really love to sample an exclusive Serge Lutens have to pay upwards of 130$ for a bell jar that is 1/3 full, when the new, full one is available throughout Europe for –the comparatively meak- 100euros. For their sake, I hope prices go down.

3) Chanel decided to make it hard for their discerning fans to get Les Exclusifs. I have elaborated on this sufficiently in the past. But, to add insult to injury, they have withdrawn the small extrait de parfum bottles from the online shops and almost all the boutiques across the world (barring Paris ~and Harrods perhaps), making it very difficult to get what is essentially the best representation of their illustrious creations. On top of that, private sources that shall remain unnamed tell me that at L’Osmothèque there is a practice of recreating the jus from the rather recent batches of Chanel parfums and not the vintages from the start of the century. This is sad…

4) Lancôme also decided to abandon the plans for a complete revival of their long lost wonders. Cuir/Révolte proved too costly to produce, Climat is getting harder to get when it was widely available before, Sagamore and Sikkim are not the easiest to come by. Lanvin is comparable: Rumeur has been drastically changed and although very pretty in its recent incarnation, it is misleading to retain the old name. Scandal is not scheduled for re-issue. Ever.

5) Luxury seems to have lost its meaning. What passes for luxury is overpriced scented liquid that has an obscure place of origin and is only available at two doors tops around the world. I am sorry, but this is so bourgeois to want to have that just because of its above mentioned attributes that it self-evidently contradicts the élite approach of luxe.
What happened to the genuine enjoyment of something that you love for the associations it has or its intrinsic value? The privilege of time and the attention to detail that went into selecting it for a loved one? The intimate knowledge that you are wearing it in your own unique way on your own unique person that will never be the same as anyone else’s? There will come a time when luxury will be to wear nothing but one’s own natural skin odour. That will be a hard time for the perfume industry I predict.

6) Ava Luxe decided to take an indefinite break. Just when I was discovering her line and finding favourites, worse luck! Serena Ava Franco needed a break after filling order after order for her coveted samples: I can understand that it must have gotten on her last nerve after a while, not being able to do nothing much besides. I just hope she returns full force at some point.

7) I was not really surprised, but I was a little disillusioned to find that so many people (judging by comments left here and there on the Net) found the Nasomatto practice of not issuing notes for their ~variable in quality~ fragrances lamentable and even insulting. For once, I thought this was an innovative and trully liberating move; a course of action that would allow us to really smell what we perceive with our olfactive nerves and not what we have been conditioned to smell through advertorials about notes and accords, when in reality the actual ingredients bear no relation to them.

But I am asking too much, I know... It's cool, Dude!

Pics from allposters.com

Our Leather posts will continue next week with a review of a rare gem. There will be lots of exciting surprises too.

Enchanted Forest of Desire

Watch this wonderful commercial for the Lolita Lempicka fragrance I came across. Subtitled L'Eveil du Désir (the awakening of desire) it is centered around the sensual awakening of a young woman who enters an enchanted forest when the apple, fruit of sin and desire casts a spell on her with its fragrant message. I especially love the devious movement of the bottle, creeping up out of its own -seemingly- volition, like a poisonous vampiric little weed, entangling people in its wake in Jung-loaded imagery. Feast your eyes...


(uploaded by iccops)

Credits: Vincent Baguian/Bruno LeRoux (ouistiti.com)

Please visit again tomorrow for an assesment of the year in scent in my style and I remind you to vote on the poll at the upper right hand column.