“I’m a Halifax girl. I used to work in a perfume shop, literally just sweeping up. I loved the whole fantasy behind fragrance and the women that shopped there. What was wonderful was the women who bought fragrance were really amazing characters. At that time fragrance wasn’t accessible for everybody – it was only for the wealthy. We sold perfumes like Chanel, Guerlain, Lauder, Arden, Van Cleef. People had their hair done upstairs, and the perfumery and beauty department was downstairs. It was the first shop in the north to get a French fine fragrance. Being a perfumer was definitely my destiny and working in that perfume shop as a young girl was the start.” says Lyn Harris on the
M&S Magazine to editor Michelle Pamment. (It was a propos the creation of 3 feminine -
La Fleur, La Rose and La Poudree- and 3 masculine fragrances -
Le Cologne, Le Sauvage, Le Noir- which Lyn Harris
composed for Marks & Spencer, launching this past September)
And she gives us a tip on choosing a personal scent, as leaned from
the Telegraph: "When you're choosing a fragrance, try a few different scents and pick according to what makes you smile and makes you feel good. You will know that instantly. Everyone has an idea of what they like, but be wary of presumptions. A lot of people say, 'I hate anything musky' - but most fragrances have musk in them!"
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I really understand her. When I was a little girl we lived in a working class suburb and the Chemist we went to was a husband and wife team, The wife must of loved perfume for she had alot of very chic brands for sale amoungst the cheaper ones and I would just look at them in fascination. It was there that I got my first bottle of scent when I turned 16 - I did not want jeans or jewellery - I wanted that bottle of Infini by Caron and my Mum (some how) bought it for me - in the Parfum form too!! I have loved Infini ever since and I can see that bottle and smell it like it was yesterday and that was the early 1970's! If perfume is "in you" its there for life and Ms Harris was smart and lucky enough to make it her career!Good for her!! :)
ReplyDeleteLady Jicky you must be my scent twin! As soon as Infini was launched, I splurged some of my college grant on buying it (in that adorable asymetrical bottle) -I loved it so much, and still do.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, I bought it from somewhere similar: a little local chemist shop which was owned by a glamorous French lady, whom I called the White Witch as she was so wise. She had a collection of perfumes you would never expect in such a place, and she introduced me to Dior and Chanel, as well as the Caron.
Elena - I had a chance to smell Lyn Harris's perfumes at M&S. They were not what I was expecting: I thought I would like the rose the best, but found it a little heavy on woody geranium, and instead was drawn to Le Poudre, which was .... powdery! I could smell that quality ingredients were used in them all, which was again a surprise given that they are really relatively cheap. Bargains, in fact!
Jillie
Anon - how fabulous!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you are in Australia - we MUST be twins! LOL
Its hard to get Infini in Australia these days but .... I can go to the internet now :) Fabbo!
Lady Jicky - no, sadly not in Austrlia, but my sister emigrated there 15 years ago (that doesn't count, does it?).
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the internet!
Jillie
It's excellent to see readers interacting!
ReplyDeleteM,
thanks for sharing, I assumed that you had to have your excellent taste honed from an early age on.
Jillie,
the internet is a glorious thing. I sometimes can't understand how we operated without it.