I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire

Chanel makes some of the most stunning commercials for perfume.
Some of them are revered and well known to a greater or lesser degree, most of which we have already discussed here on the Shrine. Some are rather strange and compelling in their weirdness, some are unexpected modern little gems.
However I recently came across three truly exceptional and rare Chanel commercials and I want to share them with you on these pages, one by one. They are different, witty, visually and conceptually imaginative and they pose their own train of thought.

From 1982 with the infamous shadow of an airplane gliding up the Transamerica building in San Francisco comes the first one for Chanel No.5. That image must have made quite an impression in its day, long prior to days of terror, prompting Chandler Burr to reference it in his review of Rose Barbare: "sweeps over you like the silent, massive shadow of an Airbus A340, a tactile component that makes you narrow your eyes".
This Chanel No.5 commercial, taking its message one surreal step further than the 1979 Ridley Scott predecessor, is set to a cover of The Ink Spots hit "I don't want to set the world on fire" in a half minute that urges us to think out of the box.



Charles and Catherine share the fantasy of one of the greatest commercials ever made. From the merging master editing which takes the scheme of a French garden to fall on the black and white keys of a piano, them in turn giving way to the straight lines of train tracks and to urban skyscrapers' windows, it uses that wonderful perspective which makes the eye travel deeper and further into the background; prompting us to seek beneath the obvious, beneath the visual restrictions of reality into the unchartered vistas of the imagination and the power of olfaction that makes us dream.
And which question could be more personal than what is your perfume!
In my heart I have but one desire...

Clip originally uploaded by louisadeck on youtube

Note Down on Your Notebook: Must Test This!

In case you're the type of person who is tidy and organised and makes lists of things to sample, get your pen and notebook or your spreadsheet and mouse and jolt down this: the new Vetiver (still unnamed) by Andy Tauer. And if not, do make an effort regardless. I am telling you, this is not to be missed! Although this is not supposed to be a full review, I just couldn't resist the temptation to give you a first glimpse into how it smells. It's peppery, bracing and rich head-on, with a complementary, bitter hesperidic note that segues on to a green accord and an underlying discreet sweetness that doesn't divert from the main character: the deep vetiver. It lasts for hours on skin and is very sexy!

The sample was a pre-sniff of the upcoming Vetiver fragrance which I was lucky to receive in Andy's "3 years perfume blogging" sample giveaway (amazing how time flies, isn't it?). It is a fragrance built around vetiver from Java, with fresh grapefruit, lots of black pepper and green clary notes in the head. Lily of the valley contrasts the dark vetiver and crisp Cedar wood, leading over to a soft ambergris base with hints of Tonka beans and cistus.

Vetiver is in itself a wonderful material for perfumery and I hope to be able at some point to devote more time to it on these pages. And even though the niche market is rather crowded with things "vetiver this" and "vetiver that", this new fragrance has its own deserved place. It seems men perfumers often excel in producing what they themselves would wear and this is such a case (I can picture Tauer sporting this wonderfully), which echoes beautifully the legend of Jean Paul Guerlain creating his Vetiver for himself. Or so the story goes...
In any case although Vetiver by Guerlain has been going citruisier and citruisier and lighter in later years, Tauer's reverts us to the essence of the tangly root with a richness that was hinted at the vintage Guerlain but never fully explored. It will be interesting to further test Tauer's take alongside Vero Kern's amazing leathery Onda and Vetiver Extraordinaire by Malle, which both also take vetiver to extremis.
Andy will launch it October 2008 and I am already alotting a budget for it, for myself and my loved one.

He is also working on a Lily of the Valley scent and a Chypre Rose, of whose developments he often speaks on his blog, so we're in for surprises in the future.

Pic from early flyer on Tauer's blog, somewhat manipulated by me.

Teatro Olfattivo di Parma: New Niche Line

"She curls up on the couch like a luxuriating cat, lights a cigarette with a vengeance": this is how I have always envisioned pleasure smoking to be like ~decadent, indulgent, nonchalant. Instead, most people I see smoking do it in a perfunctory way which actually repels rather than attracts: none of the silver screen magnetism. It's also rare to smell a really good blend. Fragrances however with their charming attribute of bringing back the best of things to memory manage to make me appreciate tobacco.

But let's take things from the top. This tobacco vignette was instigated by smelling Bell'Antonio, part of a new niche line by Hilde Soliani. Perfume Shrine is proud to get the exclusive for its discerning readers: the new line Teatro Olfattivo Di Parma by Italian jewellery and fragrance designer Hilde Soliani has just launched in Italy with plans to bring it to the US by the end of the year, hopefully.
The first line of Hilde Soliani Profumi, comprising scents which form the acronym Ti Amo (I love you) have been hosted on these pages, available at New London Pharmacy and they garnered lots of interest in mails; so I am hoping that you will be interested in this one as well. The scents have been inspired by experiences and feelings produced at the Teatro di Regio di Parma as well as Lenz Rifrazioni, where Hilda sometimes performs herself.

The line includes the following:

SIPARIO is inspired by piña colada, a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with light rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, and replicates the sweet yet refreshingly tingiling sensation of sipping one yourself (Notes of rum, coconut and pineapple).
STECCA embraces the unusual note of tomato leaf, first explored in Eau de Campagne and Folavril and still very individual and unique in the fragrance world. The name playfully derives from Italian, in which stecca means error, because it was not unheard of for people to actually throw tomatoes upon a bad performance once upon a time (thankfully we have moved on!) Its refreshing bitterness is great for summer.
MANGIAMI DOPO TEATRO (eating out after the theatre) is a fruity scent with emphasis on melon, typical of Parma. Hilde divulges that the inspiration came from eating out with friends after the theatrical performances, a bit of camaraderie and good fun. A succulent fruity, but not only.
BELL'ANTONIO (beautiful Antonio): tobacco and coffee notes, dedicated to Hilde's father who is named Antonio; inspired by her love of drinking coffee and smoking after the theatre. A true masterpiece!
VECCHI ROSETTI-ARIA DI PARMA is the most nostalgic of the lot, reminiscent of the smell of the old camerino theatre including the makeup, the woodfloor polish and the air of solitude yet plentifulness that an empty theatre produces after you have watched a splendid performance. The powdery iris and vanilla are flanked by bergamot on top and what seems like the dark, sensual mossy greenery of oakmoss.
{You can buy samples directly using Paypal mailing Hilde at hildesol@tin.it }

Bell' Antonio managed to immediately snare me into its lair, as unsuspecting of its wiles I put it on my skin with the lackadaisical mode of sampling fragrances a seasoned aficionado professes faced with drawers full of small vials of smelly liquids. Nary had two seconds passed, when I was woken out of my lethargy with a sledgehammer wake-up call that this was something seriously good and to be taken note of!
The smell of tobacco in itself is wonderfully rich and evocative of many things, like gingerbread, honey, dried fruits and boozy whiskey as well as the cut hay and distant marzipan smell of coumarin. Somehow in this day and age when smoking has become the object of dire prohibition and consequently fetishisation, tobacco fragrances might be the only way one has the chance to savour the wonderful aroma of pipe tobacco or a quality maduro.

The allure of smoke goes back to antiquity: Herodotus described Scythians inhaling the fumes of burning leaves to induce intoxication; although in their case it must have been cannabis rather than Nicotiana, I suppose. The Arabic tabbaq, a word reportedly dating to the 9th century, was the name of various herbs used for smoking and probably predates the westernised tobacco, a word said to be brought to Europe by Bartolome de Las Casas. Barring actual smoking however, from the classic Habanita and Caron's Tabac Blond to the new niche of New Haarlem by Bond no.9, the rich aroma of tobacco has inspired perfumers to come up with arresting compositions.

Bell' Antonio highlights all the tobacco aspects with proficiency, lacing them with a cordon of black espresso stretto, the wonderful aroma of freshly grated, roasted coffee beans to make you swoon with pleasure, nostrils quivering.
Having never set eyes on Hilde's father I imagine him of the suave Antonio Banderas type, the bronzed southern type who grows five o'clock shadows before it's time for lunch and who drags his cigar with nonchalance and panache. If only actual smoking were that good...

I have samples of Bell'Antonio and Sipario to give to two lucky winners (chance draw for which goes to who). Please state your interest in the comments.
Pics courtesy of H.Soliani and Wikipedia

The winner of the draw for the Patou samples is Six! Please mail me with your info, so I can send the goody bag your way. Thank you all for participating!
Stay tuned for a Perfume Shrine Exclusive up very shortly for something completely new and completely fabulous with another draw attached. Check back later!

Rekindled Interest in Perfume: A Reader Asks

Here at Perfume Shrine we receive lots of mail and the questions of readers often give us pause for thought and commentary. Amanda, a kind reader who lives somewhere where perfume choices are restricted to the department store asked me advice about what to sample for her renewed interest in perfume.
Without further ado, here is the questioning part of her mail:

"I haven't worn perfume since my first child was born. He will be 17 soon and I think it is time for me to indulge in it again. Back then I had a love hate relationship with Diorissimo and wore Madame Rochas for nights out. A friend has given me some ideas and I have tried Carolina Herrera and Valentino which are beautiful but don't suit me and Sensi and Opium which I find too sweet and indolent: They make me feel I should be lounging back on cushions eating Turkish delight. I have on my list to try Yvresse, Baby Doll and Princess by Vera Wang and since I read the first few pages of your blog I will try Miss Dior although it was never right for me in the past. Have you any suggestions for perfumes that might contain similar constituents to Madame Rochas?
When I add essential oils to my bath I always seem to choose geranium, clary sage and rose. I don't much care for vetiver"

In her follow up mail to me, prompted by my Yves Saint Laurent Series, she told me that:

"This past week I have tried the fragrances from Yves St Laurent. I found them all too sweet and not sophisticated enough. The opening notes to Baby doll were delicious but once they had past it was too much like body soap and lost its appeal."

With that in mind, I gave some thought to her issue and welcome your suggestions as well.
Personally I think that since Amanda had success with Madame Rochas, she should stay true to an equally elegant concept. Madame Rochas was one of the favourites of both my mother and grandmother and they both smelled wonderful in it, making me swoon. Since that one, alas, has been altered in recent years, she should probably search for a comparable floral aldehydic along those classy lines. Of course there is no guarantee that anything currently on the market could approximate the fragrance she wore and loved, but we can try, can't we?
Amanda also seems to like rosey scents, as both geranium and rose oils feature powdery floral notes and to dislike too sweet scents (which I can sympathise with!) and current musks.

I would have suggested the metallic rose of Rive Gauche laced with icy splendour, but she has mentioned sampling the Laurent line and I deduce she must have dismissed it.
My first recommendation then would be Le Dix by Balenciaga, a perfume hailing from 1947 but with such elegance that it should stand on its legs today just as well. It has been also reformulated, as has everything, but it hasn't lost its appeal.
Another suggestion would be Caleche by Hermes, which also denotes polished class in its aldehydic florancy with some chypre overtones, never too sweet, never too decadent.
I would also recommend Calandre by Paco Rabanne, another cool rose with aldehydes which smells perfumey in the best sense, but also has the slightly clean/warm feel of Madame Rochas.

In the more recent crop of fragrances I would suggest Amanda tries 212 by Carolina Herrera as well as Sicily by Dolce & Gabanna: they feature a cool-warm contrast with a lathery element and aldehydic accents which contribute to an elegant disposition, despite their young age. While she's at it I think she would like the original Dolce & Gabanna Pour Femme, the one in the red velvet box with the red cap. It's one of those traditional-smelling contemporary fragrances that smell good on just about anyone, although she might find it a little floral-sweet.
Bearing in mind both the cool-warm rose and the lathery ambience I can't help but suggest the very sophisticated "clean" of Allesandro dell'Aqua: it features rose and geranium and has a light floriental character which is discreet and good-mannered. And for something that has the opening grapefruit accent of Baby Doll but none of the sweetness or the soapiness, I'd suggest Un Jardin sur le Nil by Hermes in their Jardins line, for day wear.

Please help Amanda find a fragrance: suggest away! (but keep it in the easy-to-get markpoint)

Illustration by Rene Gruau courtesy of operagloves.com