Sarah Jessica likes her own mixture of her beloved Bonne Belle Skin Musk, Comme des Garcons Avignon and Abdul Kareem's musk oil* The effect is positively naughty, as she jokingly intimated, yet for her first foray into fragrance, Coty Inc. decided to start with something decisively tamer and pretty (Lovely), while her second fragrance, Covet, was more unusual, yet still nowhere near what Sarah Jessica truly envisioned, apparently! For her the essential component in a sexy smell is a little...body odour! And that's what the next Sarah Jessica Parker celebrity fragrance under the aegis of trusty partner Coty is going to be after! Before you frown your pretty little face into a disgusted grimace, let me remind you that there is a primal instinct associated with a little body odour, that fresh sweat can actually smell rather good and that animalics are very popular on these pages, so I am assuming you have cottoned up to the fact that we're interested, by now. So what does Sarah Jessica Parker's upcoming new fragrance entail? And did she take a page off Matthew McConaughey who likes his body odour and doesn't wear deodorant?
The Sex & The City star told WENN: "I'm working on a new genderless fragrance that's not out yet. I can't even tell you what it's called."It has taken me three years to decide on the scent because I really like B.O. and I think it's sexy. I wanted to figure out a way to make it palatable to everybody."I was like, 'How do you get B.O. in a bottle and make an atomiser of it?' Then it was all about trying to capture the sense of naughtiness in a bottle that it would be good for a man and a woman." [source] In the interim "Parker has been trying out the new scent on journalists and bloggers during her press tour for new movie`Did You Hear About the Morgans?`, in which she stars with British heartthrob Hugh Grant".[source] Talk about stinky word of mouth! We will see, I guess, although I wouldn't exactly assume the glands of human beings would be squeezed out of their appecrine emitions or she'd target bromhidrosis exactly...That wouldn't be "palatable to everybody". But the desire to be clean yet smell a little skanky, a little 'rolling out of bed' ~that bed not exactly equipped with chastity belts~ seems like a sexy idea!
*[The latter wasn't revealed via Burr at all; in fact this is journalistic conjecture on our part, since she has been great friends with Narciso Rodriguez and a fan of his perfume ~Lovely was fashioned after Narciso, after all~ and Rodriguez had been inspired for his first fragrance by a musk oil that his muse Caroline Bessette was buying for the three of them in New York City, which was revealed to be Abdul Kareem's posthumously.]
Black & white photograph of Sarah Jessica Parker in a bikini via msanto/photobucket.
Accessing the popularity stakes and artistic success of a bestseller is never an easy thing. Perhaps it's the competitors who speak most frankly about its cachet: As Thierry Wasser, head perfumer at Guerlain at the moment, revealed in an interview on Swiss television, "Every one of us wants to make the next J'Adore!"
The aphorism ~on a fragrance with a name that means "I LOVE it!"~ was meant to convey the ubiquitousness of the scent, its staggering approval by consumers from young to old. Such ubiquitousness in fact that its commercial's televised air-time 10 years after its introduction in 1999 has raised questions on a popular perfume forum about the reasons behind it!
The makings of a best-seller
You see, gone are the days of Chanel No.5 when commercials were running for the same scent for decades: Today the fast-paced churning out of fragrances means that the bombarding with advertising images changes dramatically from season to season with the latest and the glossiest catching page after page and air-minute after air-minute in an attempt to lure us into the Great New Thing. Alas, so very few times they deliver. Yet there is no question about Christian Dior's fragrance enduring presence in both the media and ~what's more important~ on the dressers and the bodies of countless women on the planet: Yes, by that token Dior's J'Adore is a modern classic!
Stating such a claim makes eyebrows raise on perfumistas' foreheads, accustomed as they are to the exclusive, the arcane, the unattainable or alternatively the vintage, the classic and the ultra-rare. But the beauty of perfumery is that one doesn't need to go up digging for Alexander the Great's grave (a task several worthy people have been unsuccessful at, its location forever unknown); one can find a good thing even almost on their doorstep (or in this case their local Sephora) and like Alexander's golden locks it is gilded and shiny with its "giraffe women" necklaces around the stem of the bottle and screaming with every drop of its jus "I'm covetable". A gorgeous face in Charlize Theron's shoes strutting her statuesque shape is challenging ~but also promising to~ every woman to become a living goddess! "Woman is an idol, and must be adorned to be adored," wrote Charles Baudelaire and Dior was quick to snatch the immortal line for their own purposes.
Pinkification: more to it than meets the eye J'Adore (pronounced Za-DORH) clout however took an unexpected and fascinating path to form. Back in 1999 the fruity floral vogue was just catching on, as consumers tired of the acquatics and ozonics of the 90s and of the realisation that the dot com prodigies were not something to sustain the economy as foretold were searching for a little girliness, a little pinkiness ~even a reversion to the mental age of Barbie some would say! (and who can blame them in retrospect?) A recent article at The Guardian talks about the pinkification of our culture where beauty "gurus" emote in exalted girly-tones that could shutter crystal and have you screaming up the walls with devious and not so devious plans on assassinating the perpatrators of those auditory crimes. (parodies abound, so not all hope is foresaken). The cultural background of this phenomenon is vaster than the scope of those pages, yet a fragrance such as J'Adore managed to come aboard at the exact time when the wave of girlishness was gaining momentum. And we have to grugingly admit: Among all the girly fruity florals, J'Adore actually manages to inject a little womanly touch there too: It's not completely air-headed! In Dior's portfolio it is something of a chasm, a no man's land where the classics (Miss Dior,Diorissimo, Eau Fraiche, Diorama, Diorling, Diorella, Dior-Diorand Dioressence) along with the established (Dune, Poison and some of the latter's flankers) veered off in favour of the modern specimens which are targeted to a different audience (Addict, Addict Shine, Forever and Ever etc.).
In a way J'Adore was the catalyst which ushered the pounding thumb of fruity florals not only chez Dior but along the widths and the breadths of the feminine fragrance market. Calice Becker, the perfumer behind J'Adore, is famous for her symphonic yet non-obese florals. Essentially linear, J'Adore begins and ends on a complicated yet quite fresh bouquet that oscillates between the velvety sheen of orchids and champaca with their sensuous air and the fruitier elements of rich plum, sprinkled with droplets of sweet citrus fruit, hints of greenery and a soupçon of violet & rose coquetry (ionones). The whole is underscored by cassis (a synthetic base very popular in the 80s, also used in Poême with which it shares an indefiniable vibe) with subtle woods. The longer the perfume stays on the more it projects that latter element. The eau de parfum's tenacity is indeed phenomenal and it manages to radiate even from the blotter for a while.
And when all is said and done, it smells nice. I wouldn't trail the Himalayan Route for it like I would with other fragrances and it's a little too sweet and ubiquitous for my personal tastes, but it's a round, feminine scent that attracts compliments. Think about how women have passed you by at the street, your nostrils quivered at their scent and you almost murmured j'adore....
Notes for Christian Dior J'Adore: Mandarin, champaca flowers, ivy, African orchid, rose, violet, Damascus plum, amaranth wood, blackberry musk
Dior J'Adore Special Editions and Flankers The face of J'adore was initially Esthonian beauty Carmen Kaas, but it was Hollywood star Charlize Theron who really "clicked" and gave J'Adore an immense visual advantage.
J'Adore is available at every Dior counter everywhere, available in the following versions/flankers:
1) the original J'AdoreEau de Parfum concentration (1999) in the golden toned bottle depicted in the ads and reviewed above
2) the lighter and less plummy J'AdoreEau de Toilette (2002) in the silvery-toned design (pictured on the right). In 2011 the eau de toilette concentration was re-orchestrated (due to changes in perfumery regulations) by Francois Demachy, giving it a sweeter and fresher appeal, and repackaged in the gold scheme packaging and presentation, only differentiated from the EDP by the notification on the packaging.
3) the magnificent, limited (and costlier) edition of J'Adore L'Absolu (2007) a delightfully intense version of the classic favorite with Turkish rose, tuberose, and jasmine combine to make a truly pretty floral" (Eau de Parfum Absolute, created by Francois Demachy). A superior version of the formula, developed by Francois Demachy with premium floral essences.
4) the J'Adore L' Eau Cologne Florale 2009 (the bottle is in golden tones, but a little more slender), which reprises the floral theme with touches of lemony magnolia to render a very current modernisation of the brand. The range is complimented with ancilary body products and is often augmented with special editions that reprise the design of the bottle.
5) J'Adore L'Or is a essence de parfum edition launched in 2010 with the neck of the bottle in thin gold threads and the same amphora style body, available only in 40ml. It's an amped up and more expensive version of the eau de parfum with sweeter and headier florals and a more lasting and very perceptible vanilla base.
6) A limited edition from 2007 highlighting the jasmine note is J'Adore Le Jasmin, available in 100ml of alcohol-free eau de toilette for the summer. Longer, leaner amphora bottle, but otherwise same, with a box reading "summer fragrance" underneath the name. Not to be confused with the 2004 summer fragrance, which is encased in the familiar bottle that holds EDT or EDP, with the only difference being marked in the box ('summer fragrance').
The following limited editions are only different in the bottle presentation or visuals and do not bear a difference in the scent itself.
Special limited "anniversary" editions of J'Adore en Or come from 2004 and 2009 (for the 5 and 10 years of the market respectively); the former with curved drawn "lines" on the upper body of the matte gold bottle, the latter with a golden medallion with the initials CD hanging on a thread on the transparent glass familiar amphora-shaped body. A shimmery version called J'Adore Divinement d'Or (Gold Supreme) was issued in 2006 with gold shimmer suspended in the juice.
Most Christmas stories begin with sleighs and carols, Santa's little helpers and children's gifts, but mine does not. Instead, as befits the soil on which I am stationed, it mingles the salt of the sea, the cold wind of its tempests, the spirits of the past lurking, the Pleiades casting their faint light over the water in the depth of its nights and the glimmer of hope upon the approaching traveller's return.
Many Christmases ago, I happened to be sent to my uncle and aunt's summer house on a tiny, remote island off the shores of the monastery community of Mount Athos, Greece. My parents needed to travel to Europe and my imagination was piqued by the countryside which I hadn't seen in its December glory; rampant and wild, moor-ish almost, the sea salt mines shinning in the fangled sun from afar like a blanket of edible snow. Days were short and evenings were spent at the glimmer of the petrol-filled lamp, electricity not yet provided to the tiny island, ears perking up at the melancholy wailing of the dolphins streaming up the seaways at night. The logs in the fire were crackling merrily, telling their own tales of harvest and honest toil: olive-tree wood, chopped up in big rough chunks, its resinous, oligeanous essence perforating my memory with the sense of being at one with the silent nature around, its aroma the very essence of Greek history.
It was customary at the time for children to read Christmas stories by Alexander Papadiamantis(1851-1911); a Greek Dostoyevsky with shades of Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens thrown in, if only for his mysterious nuances, his predeliction for the less proviliged in life and his industriousness in turning out a new story for Christmas, Carnival and Easter every year. Those stories were filled with predicaments, premonitions, organically lived Orthodoxy and humble triumphs; those last often of a spiritual rather than a physical dimension. In one of them, The Sea-shore's Flower, unravelled on his native island of Skiathos, he occupied himself with the village's fool, a young innocent man who was seeing visions in the night. That kind of person is called ελαφροισκιωτος in Greek: person with a "short" shadow. In one of those repeated visions whilst on night-fishing on the boat, the youth was seeing a bright light over the sea-shore's edge in the shape of a flower. As the story progressed, we learn that the light reflects the tale of a local girl, named Flower, who was waiting for years for her beloved, a foreign seaman, to come back from his wars with the barbarians and marry her on Christmas Day; only to find out that her man had been captured in the interim and died in slavery. For ever since, every Christmas Eve the light can be seen on the night sky, its flickering the soul of the seaman withering in the heavy bondage of slavery, far away from his beloved, and only men with a clear soul could see it...
Such was the story's impact that I found my childish self seeking to find out outlines of starry designs on the pitch-black sky, the flower of the sea-shore mingling in my mind with the Star of Bethleem we had been taught about at school; the crushed love of one person versus the uniting love that was incarnated for all. And it dawned on me that perhaps one of the most precious elements which we bid farewell so soon, eager to shed its perceived obstacles, is our innocence. The innocence that had allowed us to believe in Santa Claus as children (suspension of disbelief, if you prefer); the innocence that had us all excited over holidays instead of moaning and groaning over the sheer torture that is the holiday shopping, cleaning, preparing and arranging everything into place. The innocence that allowed us to give, rather than receive, often from the very things we lacked instead of possessed, in order to make someone happy on these holy days.
Upon my parents' return I didn't see the Sea-shore's Flower, although my excitement was so palpable as I unpackaged my gifts and spent the Christmas day with all the family that I could have easily seen visions of reindeers on the sky raining packages through the smoking chimney. I haven't seen it, ever. I doubt I ever will. And every day I pine for the lost innocence of that childhood, which was the only time when one can truly feel like Christmas.
With this story I am participating in The Circle, an Advent collaboration beginning on November 29 and ending on Christmas Day on which various perfume writers and artists, led by Roxana Villa, natural perfumery artist, are writing something special for each day. Please don't forget to enjoy all the participants' writing by clicking this link.
The story The Sea Shore's Flower by Alexander Papadiamantis can be read in Greek on this link. Painting Ship under the Moonlight by Greek painter Konstantinos Volanakis via Un Petit Bateau III
Shocking news have come to our ears about one of the most popular and well-loved fragrances in the Guerlain stable: Attrape-Coeur, the Parisiennes fragrance by Mathilde Laurent that followed its predecessors Guet Apens and No.68will be no more...The scent is getting discontinued!!
The information has just been confirmed by two different sources and leaves little doubt that there is a serious reason behind its production stalling. As Sylvaine Delacourte had revealed to us last June, there is a desire NOT to "assasinate" fragrances which are considered perfectly-made with the renovations necessitated to conform to today's standards (IFRA restrictions etc). Attrape Coeur fell into its own hearty snare, apparently, so you'd be advised to stock up if your life or pleasure (equally important) depends on it.
Many fragrances in the Les Parisiennes have been recently chopped off the block, includingLiu(in the forseeable future I'm told), Metalys, Purple Fantasy, Chant d'Aromesin pure parfum and Plus Que Jamais. The upcoming restrictions along with slow sales in a few cases have contributed synergistically into losing some of the most lovely Jean Paul Guerlain creations which were commemorated for modern audiences in a line that was noted for its elegance.
Bid Attrape Coeur adieu with a little tear in your eye and clutch on dearly to what you have! If there is any new development I will keep you posted.
The more organised amongst you have already thought out of suitable Christmas Gifts for all your eventualities. If you have been following our Christmas '09 Gift Ideas articles you are all set on great scented trinkets. But there are a few more that are worthy of note and can be bought at the nick of time, to offer at the hostess where you're invited for Christmas dinner or on New Year's Eve, to be the perfect little stocking stuffers, as well as pamepring for yourself or someone close to you.
Ayala Moriel Mini : Cute as a button and sweet as a treat, this mini splash bottle is the perfect size to sneak into a stocking, a pocket or a purse... Yet large enough to contain 4ml (1/8oz) of pure perfume bliss! Ayala Moriel, the talented Vancouver indie naturals perfumer, wants everyone on your list to have a scent to call their own this holiday season, yet without blowing up your budget - the Ayala Moriel Mini is therefore only $35 and comes in a cute jewelry box bow-tied with a satin ribbon, ready for gift-giving. All you need to do is pick your scent! Visit Ayala Moriel Parfums: http://www.ayalamoriel.com/
Caron needs no introduction: Their fabulously French chic perfumes have written their own history. For Christmas there is the ultimate glove-fitting scent ~Nuit de Noël (Christmas Night). Created in 1922 by founder Ernest Daltroff, Nuit de Noël is a chypre in structure, with a citrus top and oakmoss base, yet the feeling is of an orientalised bottom with sandalwood and vanilla with darkness creeping at the corners. Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, orris root, and precious woods with a sprinkling of spicy cinnamon mingle in its heart along with an overdose of the mysterious Mousse de Saxe "base" (an accord which contains geranium, licorice, leather, iodine and vanillin and which characterises many of the classic Caron scents). Roja Dove, the perfumery head of Urban Retreat at Harrods, saves it to wear every Christmas night. Why don't you try it for this time of the year too?
Indian Song candle (Amouage) The luxury fragrance brand from the Sultanate of Oman also proposes elegant candles. This one offers an oriental trail of exotic woods, ginger, cumin, vanilla and sweet-scented flowers.www.amouage.com/boutique
Infusion d’Iris candle (Prada) This luxurious white candle engraved with the Prada logo reveals a very gentle balsamy-iris fragrance that will thrill fans of Infusion d’Iris and Infusion d’Homme.www.prada.com/fragrances
Roxana Illuminated Perfume: Support the handmade, the arts and an agricultural based industry while gift giving this season. Be part of the change you want to see in the world. Natural botanical perfume is a necessary luxury, most especially during dynamic times. In this age of synthetic chemicals, large corporate structures and computers, botanical perfume offers an escape into the wilderness of nature. Now through Thursday December 31st receive 15% discount on any order over $25, excluding jewelry at the Illuminated Perfume shop at Etsy. Enter the code word "PURPLE" upon checking out. Read more about the special under the heading Coupons in the shop policy section.
Paul Smith Man candle (Paul Smith) Men CAN like candles, if they look solid, no frills and functional and if they accompany a nice bottle of something drinkable in there too (Tuck this into a basket with home delights). Iris, violet, tonka bean, patchouli, frankincense… the composition follows latest Paul Smith fragrance. Limited edition, available online only.http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/
Elixir candle (Penhaligon’s) The classic British brand has a candle to match their fragrance Elixir: warm wisps of spices, frankincense, balms, woods and more. http://www.penhaligons.co.uk/
Candied Rose candle (L’Occitane) A limited-edition candle to give the subtle scent of sweet petals around the house, in longing for spring. Also delicious? The brand’s Sweet Cherry and Delicious Almond candles.http://www.occitane.com/
Eau de Jade candle (Armani Privé) In its dark wooden candleholder, this candle recreates the refreshing charm of the fragrance Eau de Jade. Featuring Calabrian bergamot adorned with accents of neroli, pepper and vanilla. http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty.com/
Pics & notes via official sites, some pics via ebay
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Sarah Jessica likes her own mixture of her beloved Bonne Belle Skin Musk, Comme des Garcons Avignon and Abdul Kareem's musk oil* The effect is positively naughty, as she jokingly intimated, yet for her first foray into fragrance, Coty Inc. decided to start with something decisively tamer and pretty (Lovely), while her second fragrance, Covet, was more unusual, yet still nowhere near what Sarah Jessica truly envisioned, apparently! For her the essential component in a sexy smell is a little...body odour! And that's what the next Sarah Jessica Parker celebrity fragrance under the aegis of trusty partner Coty is going to be after!
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