Annick Goutal Songes: fragrance review

There is nothing as captivating the imagination as the promise of what one doesn't have: The lure of tropical paradises amidst the harshest snowfall makes us forget that by summer we will be missing those white flakes and long for taking the cashmere and mohair down from the attic. Songes by Annick Goutal comes with the unctuous step of an intoxicating promise of sunshine and the warmth of a summery golden afternoon, right when winter paves its path onto spring, to make us dream and lose ourselves. Because Songes means exactly...dreams: the dreams of a newlywed, looking on life through the eyes of a girl becoming a woman who embarks on a new adventure in her life; perhaps the more rewarding of them all, the miracle of keeping love alive through it all.


An intense opera of white florals set in a tropical tone climate like "Les Pecheurs des Perles", Songes was inspired by an evening walk in a garden on the exotic island of Mauritius by Camille Goutal, Annick's daughter, while she was on her honeymoon. Camille lovingly collaborated with tried & trusted tenured Goutal perfumer Isabelle Doyen, on the creation of the fragrance in 2006. Interestingly, even though the inspiration is classically exotic-tropical, Camille revealed that the middle and base notes of Songes are also reflecting John William Waterhouse's painting aesthetic, especially as presented in the famous painting of Ophelia. Somehow the two are hard to reconcile and I'm not sure that this Goutal fragrance truly captures the balance, as it tilts more to the former part than the latter. Still, it's quite stunning.

Opening a bottle of Songes I'm struck by its diva-esque mien, all heady, entrance-making material, almost heaving, but also its inherent modesty and classy sensuality; as if the facade is flamboyant because it just can't help it, a bit of a Marilyn Monroe persona if you will: Glamorous but sensitive at heart. Frangipani (with a tiny peachy facet here, less than on the fresh bush) and potent ylang ylang immediately hit my nose, complicated into webs of indolic jasmine, sweet, yet with a slightly bitter element in the background which keeps it from saccharine overload. The frangipani is less fruity than in Ormonde Jayne's rendition of Frangipane Absolute, while the jasmine is the sambac variety which can have an ever higher pitch than the European and Middle Eastern grandiflora variety. There is a tuberose-like effect too, creamy and mollified instead of eucalyptus-green (a la Carnal Flower) or rubbery (a la Gardenia Passion); more like the tropical tiare gardenia than real tuberose. This stage with the small incensey-resinous hint resembles the velours of Noix de Tubereuse and shouldn't have tuberose-phobics all up in arms. The drydown of Songes consists of a woody-ambery accord (with creamier vanilla in the higher concentration) that revolves around pencil shavings and balsamic softeness/soapiness; a very delightful coda to an aria that has been bold and flamboyant as befits a Grand White Floral.


Altghough Annick Goutal fragrances often fall victims to criticism from hard-core aficionados on their scent being light and transparent, resulting in delicate sillage, Songes is one fragrance in the stable (alongside a few others such as Eau de Fier, Sables and Gardénia Passion) which does not follow that rule. In fact the Eau de Parfum version of Songes seems dense and a little opaque, creating an effect that could be considered engulfing for those who are more sensitive to their own scent trail; its vanilla creaminess however should please those who are seeking a sweeter edition of this sultry scent. In Songes Eau de Toilette concentration the proportion of space between the notes creates an aerated effect; like the perfect petit financier bite it has just the right sponginess without detracting from the satisfaction that it leaves on the palate. Both concentrations are especially lasting and sillage monsters, necessitating very steady hands and homeopathetical dosage in order to remain desirable and not cloying.
Over time, Songes can change colour in the bottle: The regular shade is golden-ambery but the inclusion of natural jasmine extracts in the formula conspires to give an orange tint to the Eau de Toilette and even a reddish hue to the Eau de Parfum!
A limited edition bottle in Baccarat crystal is available for Songes, the traditional boule topped by a romantic half moon.

Notes for Annick Goutal Songes:
frangipani, tiare, jasmine, incense, vanilla, copahu balm, pepper, ylang-ylang, vetiver, sandalwood, amber, styrax.

Painting Dreams on the Beach 1934 by Salvador Dali.

Photo of Camille Goutal & Isabelle Doyen by Antoine de Perceval 2007 via Swell City Guide

How Far Can One's Allegiance to a Brand Go? (vis a vis the Galliano Incident)

Last week's fashion news involved drunken stupor, brawl fights and a surprising revival of what we had deemed long forgotten past in the form of a "I Love Hitler" video captured on cell phone. The protagonist of all was fashion designer and formerly head designer for Dior, John Galliano who hurled anti-Semitic slurs on a Parisian outing, obviously under the influence of heavy liquor. The news traveled with the speed of lightning, Dior (LVMH actually) fired him and Galliano issued a non-apology apology.


Like reported on RealBeauty.com "Newsworthy events like these can, for better or worse, impact the way people view brands and celebrities. Many were impressed with the haste with which these songbirds and Galliano’s business partners distanced themselves from their entangled alliances". (Interesting correlation made, go read it)

Sidney Toledano, himself Jewish, opened the anticipated Dior Fall 2011 show with the following statement:

“Since its founding by Monsieur Dior, the House of Christian Dior has lived an extraordinary and wonderful story and has had the honor of embodying France’s image, and its values, all around the world. What has happened over the last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal to us all. It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be. Such statements are intolerable because of our collective duty to never forget the Holocaust and its victims, and because of the respect for human dignity that is owed to each person and to all peoples. These statements have deeply shocked and saddened all at Dior who give body and soul to their work, and it is particularly painful that they came from someone so admired for his remarkable creative talent.”

I hate to break this to them, but there is some sketchy past in the house of Dior...

The crux of the matter remains: Where does that thin line between artist and public figure begin and end? When Woody Allen rocked the celebrity circuit and raised outcry with his admitting of being in love with Soon Yi Previn, things were different: Not only was Soon Yi not his adopted daughter (the adoption papers were in Mia Farrow's name), what most people missed was the fact that the two didn't even live in the same house! Woody and Mia never really shared apartments, instead choosing to each having their own. Plus the motive was love.
Art redeems, or rather, the artist can be brilliant in his art, although flawed in his human being comportment: When homosexuality was considered a "flaw" how many nowadays revered artists (from the Great Masters of painting down to classical music) would be outcasts in their societies?
Racial slur and hate however is something completely different. Different because it perpetuates that which art is supposed to suppress and man-handle: the beast in us.

Even Jean Paul Guerlain, an old guard veteran, rocked waters a little while ago, when his quote on working on the Guerlain classic Samsara, apparently hinted at his not believing in blacks slavery being that harsh. (catch that discussion on this link). His quote was qualitatively different because the offensive part in the press relied on a fundamental mistranslation: the N word was never actually uttered. LVMH summarily severed all ties from Jean Paul (we're not supposed to ever hear again his name in mystical relation to the creation of another new Guerlain launch...) and he publicly apologized. The incident was considered comparatively mild and put behind for digestion.

With Galliano, things are on a distinctly different path. Not only is he much younger than grandpa Jean Paul Guerlain, thus not able to claim age-related haziness, he's also in the midst of the cultural milieu that involves all races and religions of the world, all erotic persuasions and all possible human variables: fashion! If Jean Paul Gaultier, an equally formidable designer in his own right, says that Galliano's work never exhibited racism, then why is Galliano showing such an attitude in his words? And where do words end and opus begins? Where does the "do I as I say and not as I do" get in the way and mix up things? How can anyone endorse his fashions or eponymous beauty products and fragrances now without a twitch of guilt and self-loathing?
What is especially vexing is that Galliano used those epithets alongside a tirade against "ugliness" and (allegedly) bad taste in a manner that shows that the worst enemy of equality and dignity is one who has been raised on the wrong side of opportunity and who got a break thanks to his many talents. A serious pity...

What's your take?

Dita Von Teese Loves a Bit of Vulgarity in her Celebrity Perfume!

Gorgeous and always immaculate burlesque artist Dita Von Teese is no stranger to perfume loving: For years she has been an aficionado of Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs (a start of the the 20th century floral creation that was amber-boosted in the 1980s) which she has been loving since the age of 14. She's now developing her own perfume and what's more interesting: the raven-haired, porcelain-skinned beauty tweeted about the process!

"No fruit, no vanilla, no candy," she insists. "Velvet sensuality with a dash of vulgarity! I want to evoke passion with fragrance: intense love/lust and distaste/fear rather than merely popular acceptance." Dita counts Kilian Hennesy among her friends, to whom she had confided that she was troubled about wearing the same fragrance as her boyfriend's mother (Quelques Fleurs) and who had advised that she should either ditch the man or the fragrance [WWD], so the prospects of having a top notch creative team behind her fragrance is particularly optimistic. That plus her breaking the cookie-cutter mold image of beauty of course.
Among her other fragrance loves (see many more of them scrolling this link), if this is any indication, she loves Dior Passage No.4, a fragrance in retro packaging exclusively made for La Collection Particulière, a collection created by perfumer François Demachy that celebrated Dior's 60th birthday a few seasons back. Dior Passage No.4 we remind you is a rose based fragrance blended with notes of orange, pepper, amber and musk, and it is named after Dior's muse, France (Passage No.8 and No.9 are focused on iris and tuberose respectively)

Interestingly, as Dita is writing a beauty guide book and is preparing a make-up line of her own, she confesses that she actually likes to share her beauty secrets and perhaps perfume is just another one of them? We will see when we actually try out the eponymous fragrance, set to launch sometime late in 2011 (or early 2012 at the latest).

Any one care to guess what Dita's fragrance would entail?

Edit to add: The news arrived on our desks. Dita Von Teese's fragrance is called Femme Totale, it's a woody floral musk (aka "nouveau chypre" a la Narciso Rodriguez for Her) created by perfumer Nathalie Lorson and you can see the advertisement below. Femme Totale by Dita Von Teese opens with fresh bergamot, peony and Bourbon pepper. The heart includes Bulgarian rose, Tahitian tiare flower and jasmine while the base is warm with incense, patchouli, musk, guaiac wood and sandalwood.
I have to say the bottle looks totally unlike the curvalicious figure it got named after....

Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus Soap, Discount & New Stores

Ormonde Jayne is launching what many modern day perfume enthusiasts have been lusting over: a stunning new soap scented with Osmanthus. Two bars of triple-milled soap will be presented with a handmade soap dish made from bone china in the gold Ormonde Jayne gift box. The Osmanthus Soap Boxes will be available mid-March in good time for Mother’s Day.
£52 – includes 2 x 125g soap (paraben free) and bone china soap dish



Additionally Ormonde Jayne will be soon be opening two new points of sale on Avenue Louis in Brussels & on the prestigious Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich. The staffed concessions will stock the full range of products and the Perfume Portraits complimentary service will be available in both.The new points of sale will be opening in Brussels in late June & in Zurich on May 26th.

Plus a new Osmanthus promotion is under way on Ormonde Jayne e-store and boutiques: This month’s perfume promotion is Osmanthus and thus clients will receive a complimentary Purse Spray (10mls of Eau de Parfum) with every bottle of Eau de Parfum or Pure Parfum purchased in March. Keep your eyes peeled for more such promotions of the line each consecutive month!

The winners of the draw...

...for the Puredistance Parfum Deluxe Set is Bloody Frida and for Atelier Cologne sample is Marianne. Congratulations to both and please email me using the contact on Profile or About page with a shipping address so I can have these out to you shortly.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!