Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum: fragrance review

"On these days he rose early, set off at a gallop, urging on his horse, then got down to wipe his boots in the grass and put on black gloves before entering. He liked going into the courtyard, and noticing the gate turn against his shoulder, the cock crow on the wall, the lads run to meet him. He liked the granary and the stables; he liked old Rouault, who pressed his hand and called him his saviour; he liked the small wooden shoes of Mademoiselle Emma on the scoured flags of the kitchen--her high heels made her a little taller; and when she walked in front of him, the wooden soles springing up quickly struck with a sharp sound against the leather of her boots." ~Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, ch.II

If, like me, you've ever swooned over the austerely sensuous implications of leather in all its forms: from the tight-fitting driving gloves of an enigmatic heist wheelman (on they go like part of a superhero's suit), to the posh interiors of a Bentley, all through the fetishistically-fitted dresses that populated Helmut Newton's wet dreams......
If you've admired Florentine artisan handbags, fondly remembering your hand caressing the supple leather surface and the feeling of understated luxury and elegance they exude...
If you yearn for the sweetly pungent and at the same time totally "fabricated" smell of a good, old-school leather fragrance...
...then the fragrance release introduced by the Bottega Veneta brand (the apex of leather luxury) is set to stir your heart with unbridled longing. And deservedly so: Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum is unquestionably among the finest releases of 2011.

The scent
Bottega Veneta follows into glorious lineage: it unites elements of both posh-smelling floral leathers of yore (Chanel Cuir de Russie, Grès Cabochard), fusing the narcotic sex of jasmine with the plush of leather, and some of the plummy-citrusy goodness of legendary fruity chypres (Diorama, Guerlain Parure, Femme by Rochas). In the past, "woody plum" was based on the famous De Laire Prunol base: peach, ionones, aldehydes C-14 and C-18, cumin, cardamom, methyl isobutyl ketone V and patchouli.
But Grasse-born, renowned perfumer Micheal Almariac gave a decidedly modern feel to the Bottega Veneta composition; like a vegetal, herbal sub-segment which opens the perfume for the first 10 minutes, shared with Chanel's 31 Rue Cambon or Dior Homme, quickly meeting the patchouli-vanilla of Gucci Rush alongside a plum-rose-leather accord; if you can fathom the quirky marriage of such diverse elements. If I were to liken the perfume's overall effect to other perfumes though, it would be to Boxeuses by Serge Lutens, or Cuir Améthyste by Armani (on which Almairac also worked).

There are four key notes in Bottega Veneta's Eau de Parfum: jasmine sambac, Brazilian pink peppercorn, bergamot, and Indian patchouli (a not particularly "dirty" but richly mature kind, like the one in Almairac's patchouli opus Voleur de Roses, which grows as time lapses and becomes more comforting). The citrus and leather are recoginisable from the opening spraying, while the fragrance warms increasingly with perceptible candied plum notes fanning the floral heart of jasmine, on a resinous backdrop of caramelic benzoin and dark earthy oak moss. Bottega Veneta gains in patchouli strength (nuttier and sweeter) boosted by the humming leather the longer it stays on.
The scent of Bottega Veneta is by no means a powerhouse, but the sillage and tenacity are undeniably very good (even though you might not notice it all the time!) floating over your skin in a delicious murmur and spontaneously eliciting three unsolicited compliments on the morning I tested it for the first time. I think it opens up like a fine cognac when used with a spray; a dab or a blotter test hides its intimate, skin-like tonalities. Although usually I discourage readers from blind buys, this is one of the rare releases that sounds like a good bet for perfume enthusiasts into leathery chypres and who like the notes listed. Even though it's gloriously feminine, daring men might pull it off without eliciting raised eyebrows.

The perfumer
Fragrance composer Michel Almairac told The Moodie Report, “I was asked to create a fragrance that would mirror the brand, which would convey its feeling and atmosphere. That image of Bottega Veneta incorporates elements such as a countryside villa, the smell of furniture, food, and vegetation - in short, the whole ambience of Vicenza, where the brand was born. And as this is the very first  Bottega Veneta fragrance, the parameters were broad, and I could give full rein to my imagination.”
Almairac zeroed on chypre: “Chypre is rich, elegant, and timeless, and very helpful in terms of conveying the abstract floral affect that Tomas wanted me to convey, in addition to the subtle leather tones” and married it to the leather accord of his dreams. 
 “The choice and quality of components is even more important when you have a simple formula such as this,” noted Almairac. “My company, Robertet, is known for using natural products. We treated the four ingredients of this fragrance to enhance or diminish certain qualities. For example, we treated the jasmine to give it a stronger character, but a lighter color.” He succeeded most admirably, hitting upon a soft leather accord which is polished like a fine kid glove and caressing without turning wimpy.

The looks
Fronted by model Nine D’Urso (daughter of Inès de la Fressange and Italian businessman & art dealer Luigi d’Urso) on the beach, the advertising campaign for Bottega Venete Eau de Parfum is dreamy but nicely restrained. Pity those who might think it involves a "marine" type light affair though, as Bottega Veneta is a perfume drenched in ciaroscuro, very specifically full of the warmth of indoors as opposed to outdoors.

The fragrance's bottle harkens back to Murano glass and the traditional Italian carafes. It features a brunito cap and collar, an ebano logo, and a nude leather ribbon clipped with a brunito butterfly, while the underside features Bottega Veneta's famous woven look.

The shopping
Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum is available in 30ml/1oz (65$), 50ml/1.7oz (for $95) and 75ml/2.4oz (for $130), in matching body products (shower gel, body crème and lotion) and as limited edition Extrait de Parfum in Murano (available at Harrods and the Bond Street BV boutique in the UK for £365). The fragrance is currently available in Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus in the US and Debenhams and House of Fraser in the UK and will launch more widely in November.

Drive film artwork featuring Ryan Gosling via Soraiah Zohdi

Swallowable Perfume: A Perfume Pill that Makes You Smell Sweet?

A team is working on edible perfume – a digestible pill that will emit a scent through the skin during perspiration. Men and women will no longer have to bring out the perfume or the body spray in order to prepare for a date; a pill with all the right ingredients will help make them smell attractive and confident instead (and making that nervous sweat smell of golden nectar)! Part of the Beauty from Within concept, it's set to hit the market at a future date.

“Body architect” Lucy McRae and synthetic biologist Sheref Mansy of Harvard University are in the research phase of exactly that. "Swallowable Parfum consists of scented lipid molecules that copy the structure of fat molecules found in the body. Because our bodies have enzymes that metabolise fat, this perfume works on the basis that the enzymes will also metabolise the perfumed molecules, excreting them through the skin. The proposed digestible capsule will emit an odour unique to the individual the more they perspire, as the perfume emerges as droplets on the skin’s surface.
Harvard biologist Mansy and Amsterdam- based Australian artist McRae have created a video at swallowableparfum.com to illustrate the process." (quote via Irish Times) The clip is tagged with "Go beyond accessory", "express uniqueness" and "a new cycle of evolution". Making a perfume uniquelly your own has always been the Holy Grail in the quest for the perfect scent.

According to the makers: “Once absorbed, the capsule enables the skin to become a platform, an atomizer, a biologically enhanced second skin synthesized directly from the natural processes of the body,” explains the website. “Fragrance molecules are excreted through the skin’s surface during perspiration, leaving tiny golden droplets on the skin that emanate a unique odor. A biologically enhanced second skin synthesized directly from the natural processes of the body,
redefining the role of skin.”
The strength of the scent is determined by varying factors including an individual’s ability to acclimatization to temperatures, reactions to stress, exercise, and sexual arousal. [pic source]

Of course the idea that eating fragrant foodstuff would help aromatize an individual's personal odour is not new: As explained in our article Musk & Civet in Food: Challenging our Perceptions, Chinese concubines were regularly fed on natural deer musk, so that they would benefit of sexy body emissions. Their body would excrete pure musk at every caress...
And who can forget that infamous movie scene in James Ivory's Le Divorce, with Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson, the latter being the paramour of a French politician who mentions that a tisane of rosewater, orange blossoms and mint is to be drunk before lovemaking to perfume "the juices"? (offered as a course of intimate French lessons for the American young girl)

Spraying, dabbing or even dousing will soon be entirely optional....

Changing Perfumes to Suit the Character

"I've always chosen different scents for different characters I've played," Kirsten Dunst explained to the British edition of Company magazine.

"In All Good Things I wore patchouli-based scents. At the moment it's Bulgari's Mon Jasmin Noir". (No wonder, she posed for it!) In the past she used to wear Blush by Marc Jacobs. One is curious to see whether her memorable turn as a child blood-sucker in "Interview with a Vampire" was accompanied by any specific fragrant choice!
Another actress who does the same is Kerry Washington: For "Ray" she wore rose oil. Otherwise her staple is Piguet's Fracas. Perfume does lend itself into helping you feel differently!

Ormonde Jayne perfumes: And now for some complimentary shipping

Ormonde Jayne does ship internationally her high-quality perfume, but the steep international shipping prices have been the obstacle for many people across the pond from the UK where the British brand resides. Just for October Ormonde Jayne is offering free shipping on all orders though, so if you have had something in mind, now's a good opportunity.
Enter the promotional code 'yippee' on the official Ormonde Jayne site for complimentary international shipping on every order from 14th October to November 1st.
NB. Their sample set is on complimentary shipping throughout the world all year long.

Guerlain Exclusive Fragrance Experience with Marie Line Patry

Guerlain is introducing a new in-store event that aims to give customers an
unexpected way of interacting with fragrance. 

Guerlain Exclusive Fragrance Experience with Marie Line Patry

Guerlain’s history as a perfumer is legendary, having created exquisite fragrances without interruption for more than 180 years. With nearly 800 compositions to its name, Guerlain is justly proud of its unsurpassed olfactory heritage, a rare collection representing the epitome of excellence, luxury and sophistication.

Beginning this fall, Guerlain will offer customers a brand new way to experience this unique heritage and fragrance expertise. National Fragrance and Beauty Director, Marie Line Patry, will host exclusive Fragrance Experience events in stores, debuting a luxurious, bespoke Guerlain trunk that houses a complete fragrance experience within its walls.  

The fragrance trunk is a multi-sensorial tool that will help bring to life each of the main pillars within Guerlain’s Exclusive Fragrance Collection. Marie Line can now take every customer on a journey to La Maison Guerlain at 68 Champs Elysées, through the brand’s history and deep into the legacy of craftsmanship and know-how that sets Guerlain apart from all other fragrance houses. The experience includes videos, music and elements that illustrate the perfumer’s inspiration for each of the creations. As each drawer is opened the customer is able to uncover an exceptional 360° view of the fragrance collection inside. At over five feet tall, it is a theatrical experience designed to heighten the senses and enhance the emotions we feel when we encounter a new fragrance. 

Marie Line Patry has an unparalleled ability to guide customers toward finding their perfect scent by using a thorough approach that involves learning about specific aspects of a person’s life in order to make this connection. Her approach matches a customer with a scent that both reflects and enhances their personality.

Guerlain’s fragrance history includes many pioneering firsts: the first modern fragrance with Jicky, the first oriental fragrance with Shalimar and now this unprecedented in-store experience with the Exclusive Fragrance Experience.