Frederic Malle Interview

"The result is a good fragrance, a sexy thing, that makes you look better. It’s the salt and pepper of sex, I suppose. It makes people more attractive. It’s a very beautiful but abstract thing. But then when you make the perfume, it’s like a Rubik’s Cube. It’s a chemistry, very tangible, concrete and matter of fact. "


Thus explains the difference between the product and the creation process Frédéric Malle, founder of Les Editions de Parfums, the famous niche line which put the perfumers on the forefront 10 years ago. Malle is not mincing words when he disparages marketing people starting with the brief rather than the smell, because -obviously- they don't know anything about the creation process or what perfumery entails (Is it any wonder there's so much dreck and sameness in the market today?)
He also reveals the best-sellers of his line per country/continent: Bigarade for most Asia, En Passant and Lys Méditéranée for China, Carnal Flower (reportedly ahead of Chanel No.5 please note!) in the US and Une Rose in the Middle East, where he plans to open a boutique. Interesting!

Read more, including who is the perfumer he considers most knowledgable, where he was inspired from for the look of the line and what he thinks about online and eponymous star-spangled criticism, in Nathalie Atkinson's article on the National Post.

F.Malle to personally appear at Barneys to introduce Home Collection

"Freddie is like a fabulous character out of Proust. The mysterious cult of Frederic Malle draws followers from the grooviest and most sophisticated nooks and crannies of art, movies and fashion. With the introduction of the home collection Fréderic is taking his subtle, intoxicating magic to a wider audience," said Simon Doonan, Barneys New York's creative director.

Malle home collection of fragrances (candles, fleur mécanique and the new metal diffuser, you can read about them here and here) are introduced at Barneys stores across the US. Building on its legacy of launching exclusive products, Barneys will be the only specialty retailer to carry the collection in the U.S (in select stores and online at barneys.com). Malle himself will make personal appearences to private viewings for his most devoted customers.

Meet Frederic Malle at the following "Barneys New York" flagship stores:
Las Vegas - Wednesday, September 29, 4:30-6:30 PM
Scottsdale - Friday, October 1, 6-8 PM
Beverly Hills - Saturday, October 2, 4-6 PM
Chicago - Wednesday, October 6, 5-7 PM
New York – Friday, October 8, 5-7 PM

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Frederic Malle news & reviews, Myth Debunking: Scented candles cause cancer? The truth.

Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady: new fragrance

Les Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle have ventured into home fragrance lately (here & more below on this post), but the fine fragrance department was seemingly neglected for a while. Portrait of a Lady, their newest feminine fragrance is going to change all that, introducing another coveted item in the niche line. The name is of course inspired by the same-named novel by Henry James from 1881, focusing on a heroine who afronts her overwhelming destiny with all the tragic mood of a classical Greek tragedy and set in a context which clashes the Old and New World sensibilities to great aplomb.

Composed by Dominique Ropion (who had collaborated with Malle on Une Fleur de Cassie, Vétiver Extraordinaire, Carnal Flower and Géranium pour Monsieur), Portrait of a Lady, the upcoming F.Malle fragrance, is centered around rose alongside spicy notes of clove, cinnamon and incense, developing a complex sillage that is promising to be oscillating between an oriental and a chypre. After all the F.Malle Une Rose is indeed almost chypré already. The woody note in Portrait of a Lady is patchoulol, a terpene extracted from natural patchouli, whose one isomer is responsible for the scent of patchouli itself. This refinement allows to avoid some of the technical problems of using the unfractured patchouli and leads to a purer scent. Rose and patchouli have been a beloved theme of modern perfumery in the last decade with several worthy speciments in niche fragrances, from Voleur de Roses by L'Artisan to Lady Vengeance from Juliette has a Gun. But the orientalised take and the spice addition alongside the smokiness of incense seem like a novel take that seems exciting and promising. Could it prove to be the perfect Gothic rose fragrance that sometimes people are seeking?
Portrait of a Lady will retail from 145 to 215 euros for 50ml and 100ml respectively, available from November 2010.

In the home fragrancing front, ‘Diffuseur Solitaire’, a non electric minimally designed new gadget, shaped like an aluminum cylinder in either black or metal-finish adapts itself to confined spaces. The more modest price point (compared to the 360 euros that were asked for Fleur Mécanique) is another advantage. It is for the moment offered in re-worked scents of ‘Coffee Society’ and ‘Saint des Saints’ (review on the link) which were originally developed for the scented candles in the F.Malle line. But the recharges of the Fleur Mécanique line have also profited from a lifting: a new concentration extrême, touted as more than 50 % is being presented as "+" version.

All pious at the Malle shrine, enter!

Diffuseur Solitaire : 85 euros ; Recharge "+" : 55 à 75 euros, available on the oficial site editionsdeparfums.com/

Related reading on Perfumeshrine: Upcoming releases, Frederic Malle news & reviews

pic via osmoz

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur: fragrance review

Torrid opulence...When perfumer Maurice Roucel was developing Musc Ravageur (2000) for Les Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a young woman belonging to the creative team wore the powerful, dramatic "demo" of the fragrance to brave the afternoon commute home as part of testing. As she was sitting beside an elderly gentleman, she recounts she noticed him twitch his nose in puzzlement and vague alarm. Given that the team was trying to develop a feral animalic oriental (the name means " ravaging/devastating musk", clearly a politically-incorrect type of erotic discourse) which would trump current fads, it was clear they had succeeded!

The raunchy reputation

 Roucel had envisioned Musc Ravageur to communicate both "seduction and generosity". It was based on a fragrance formula he had developed in 1998, but which was deemed too racy to launch by most companies. Yet Roucel considered it one of his best works.
One more attuned to the American culture could claim this oriental would perfectly encapsulate those women which on US soil are called "skanks". Gallic civility probably restrained Roucel from voicing that thought. Yet, "skanky" doesn't necessarily denote negativity: A hint of vulgarity is often the element that puts the final brushstroke on a picture of beauty. Don't most vintage classics include such a note amidst all the refinement? Isn't a falling, slightly greasy tendril of hair or a little smudge of the eyeliner a promise of things unravelling later on? Isn't a small hole on the stockings an invitation to tear them apart? And isn't a slap begging to be chased with a kiss?
People react to it with either swooning indulgence or utter disgust and it's fun to see it never plays out the way one expects.

Demi Moore was shopping at Barney's some time ago observed by sales associates with loose mouths, whereupon she asked to try the Malle line. Upon being presented with Musc Ravageur she stopped the guy saying "Oh no, I don't like musk". After being shown the entire line, she was again presented with the infamous Musc without being told the name: "You saved the best for last" she murmured, her wrists stuck to her nose. [source] George Clooney and Pierce Brosnan have also fallen under the scent's charm (not on Demi, necessarily, we presume), so...India Knight, the British writer at any rate calls it "the olfactory equivalent of lucky pants". I defer to her experience of prose.

The incongruity: Scent vs. Name

In Musc Ravageur the explosive departure of bergamot, tangerine and cinnamon is set against a backdrop of vanilla, musk and amber. No flowers, just a refined skin scent. Yet contrary to name, Musc Ravageur isn't really about musk! On the contrary, there's a little synthetic musk and quite a bit of castoreum and civet in it (both of synthetic origin). And the reason I am including it in a section devoted to musks is mainly due to nomenclature and readers' expectation. If you have been fearing (or loving, like myself) the reputation of Muscs Kublai Khan and Christopher Brosius I Hate Perfume Musk Reinvented, you will be puzzled indeed by this one, recalling as it does the base of such classic orientals as Shalimar or even less classical, like Teatro alla Scala by Krizia.

Preceded as it is by its reputation as a best-selling fragrance in the Malle line, we're left with an incongruity: Is the audience buying fragrance from one of the quintessential niche lines really into feral mojo or are they searching for something else? Smelling Musc Ravageur on skin one cannot but form an opinion towards the latter. Musc Ravageur, just like the big paws of its creator, is more of a naughty & voracious home cat with a furry tongue giving you a bath, rather than a wild tiger in the jungle shredding its prey in pieces. A very sensual amber -rather than musk, compare with Kiehl's Original Musk oil for instance- is hiding in the core of the fragrance.
A characteristic and fairly dramatic citrus-spice top note is immediately perceptible (I detect mandarin, clove, cinnamon and possibly some lavender as well), which recalls the Gallified "oriental" mould in the most classical manner, and a silky vanilla dry down which isn't really sweet, but interplaying between warm & cool. In fact this drydown is structured by woods which offer the spine of the perfume: cedar, sandalwood and the warm gaiac wood. The artistry lies in having the amber-castoreum basenotes perform like a Chinese gymnast: all over the place, but with an elasticity that creates the illusion of weightlessness!

The shopping part: What and Where

The scent is presented in Eau de Parfum classic alcoholic version (which is a characteristic spicy ambery oriental) and in the Huile A Tout Faire oil version (a smooth clear oil for use on pulse points, hair or all over after the bath). The latter in my opinion is a lot smoother, rounder, with less of a spicy-lavender note on top, and extremely erotic, much more so than the somewhat "loud" spray. Both are fit for both sexes, amplifying what you naturally got. There is also a body products line available, including shower wash and body lotion, over which I still prefer the oil.

Musc Ravageur by F.Malle is available from the online boutique Editions de Parfums, at the eponymous Boutiques (see our article for the Parisian ones and the new one on Madison Ave.) and at Barney's.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Scented Musketeers (musks reviews), The Musk Series: ingredients, classification, cultural associations

Painting Seated Nude by Jacob Collins, via acores.canalblog.com.
Clip from the Andrei Zulawski film L'important c'est d'aimer with Romy Schneider.

Frederic Malle's Picks: Ready?

According to the latest column by Frédéric Malle, head of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle niche line, "The Fragrance Guy" in Allure Magazine, it's just the state of things that several synthetic ingredients are necessary to replicate natural scents. On his column Malle discusses how the science of aroma-chemicals is able to reproduce scents of nature more accurately than previously thought possible, through artistry approximating reality almost photorealistically. In the state of today's perfume market, where often aromachemicals act as the sole (or predominant) ingredients in perfume formulae, you'd think that they would have the mimicking of nature down pat. But perhaps that's not the point...

His interesting group of fragrant picks includes:
1.Diorissimo (lily of the valley bia hydroxycitronellal),
2.Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat (citron hesperidic cologne by Guerlain), 3.Lauder's Pleasures (soapy aldehydes and crystalline replicated peony and lilac),
4.L'Artisan L'Eau d'Ambre (the warm of fir resin) &
5.Carnal Flower (tuberose with an eycalyptus note which naturally occurs in the flower) from his own line. Fascinating to contemplate the relevance as Carnal Flower is reportedly the fragrance with the highest ratio of natural tuberose absolute in the market.
An eclectic bunch to be sure!

tuberose pic via indiamart.com

Interviews with Francis Kurkdjian, Mark Buxton and Frederic Malle

The Financial Times supplement How to Spend It had an interesting spin on perfumers this past weekend.


Francis Kurkjian (of Quest and currently Takagaso) and Mark Buxton (of Symrise) are featured in Of One's Own Accord by Karen Wheeler, a long article focusing on respective perfumers' launches of their own eponymous perfumery houses. Buxton discusses the smell of ink, an aroma which takes nuances of blood, horse sweat, and beaver and his inspiration by louche New York scenes manifesting themselves into scents, like the one inspired by a black-decked blonde with long hair he saw in a night-club or another inspired by the girls at Moulin Rouge all latexed-up and smelling of cigarettes, sweat and food.

Interestingly Le Male, Gaultier's bestseller made by Kurkdjian, is termed the male equivalent of No.5 (such is its ubiquitness I presume). Francis goes on to talk about his desire to bypass elitism with his eponymous house line (which apart from standard colognes, scented bracelets and incense features a fabric softener, a laundry detergent and even fragrant bubbles!) He purposely avoids the word luxury as "it's become a very devalued word". In creating functional perfumes for products in his line he was apparently inspired by that famous scene in Breakfast in Tiffany's when Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard only have 10$ to spend in the store, yet they manage to find something chic to spend them on. Cute!

Frédéric Malle is featured on Part 1 and Part 2 (latter a web exclusive) in The Aesthete in non-specifically perfumery-related snippets of style "confessions": He reveals his taste for sushi, Pilates, analogue sound (by George Harrison and Cat Stevens), Leica cameras and travels to Moscow, Egypt & Los Angels and French webzines among other things. And he's currently reading A Rebours by Huysmans: a decade too late, to most perfumephiles, I should think, but let's not judge; he admits being a visual person after all.

Please click the links to read the whole (interesting) articles.

Pic via fashionrules.com, prwebs.com

Frederic Malle’s New Madison Avenue boutique

With personal objects from Malle's collection and art deco exteriors hiding the futuristic "smelling columns" that were popularised for the ultimate sniffing experience in his other shops, the first free-standing F.Malle boutique in New York is reality. His 18 fragrances composed by some of the star-perfumers of today along with his new home fragrances collection (which we highlighted previously on this article) are waiting for the takers.

"Frédéric Malle’s new Upper East Side store — his first free-standing location in the states — is much like his fragrances: refined and multilayered. Nestled in a former doctor’s office at 898 Madison Avenue, the jewel-box boutique was designed by the French architect Patrick Naggar, who drew inspiration from the building’s storied Art Deco exterior."

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times clicking this link.

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, 898 Madison Avenue; (212) 249-7941.

Pic by Frances Janisch

Frederic Malle Home Collection Scents & Saint des Saints review

"In this new adventure, I have chosen to work with perfumers or noses specialized in fine fragrances, as opposed to those in functional fragrance who would normally work on home fragrances,” says Frédéric Malle, the auteur behind Editions de Parfums and the instigator of several "lines" of fragrances across the market. “A fragrance should become part of life without smothering it. The goal for this new home collection is to embellish the complex alchemy that makes up the odors of our world.”

With imaginative names such as Jurassic Flower (centered on magnolia, which we had mentioned in relation to Malle before) and Coffee Society (the aftermath of a rich dinner) the sparse packaging eschews the ultra-luxe presentation upscale home fragrance brands invest their offerings with such as the rococo-looking Cire Trudon and Ladurée. I see half the bet already won: it's all about the formula, we're left to think! Judging by his Saint des Saints, which I was fortunate enough to smell through an inward connection, the mission is accomplished. Saint des Saints is a holy offering of myrrh incense and balsams (I seem to detect Tolu and Peru balsams, but nothing official is forthcoming now) that is capable of conjuring Caspar in turbaned gear in nano-seconds. I can picture myself reading my beloved books on medieval and renaissance alchemy by the throw of this scent, a blazing fire burning in the fireplace and some fine Napeoleon cognac in my palm. It just seems to condone such an atmosphere, which were it not available it should have been invented.

For this collection Frédéric Malle joined forces with fine fragrance "noses" Carlos Benaïm, a close colleague of the late Dr. Mookherjee (vice-president of IFF), the prolific and bestseller-producing Sophia Grosman, and Dominique Ropion, who has been working with Malle for a long time producing some of the line's most memorable creations. Since of the three only Carlos Benaïm hasn't collaborated with F.Malle before are we to expect the newest fragrance to join the fine fragrance line to be his creation?
The home range encompasses 5 florals, 1 woody and 3 compositions more attuned to orientalised sensibilities. The technology and artistry employed aimed to produce realistic scent “portraits” of flowers and essences for the home, combining head space techniques and natural essences, coming out with ways to emit the aroma as best as possible: that took the form of a candle (with wax especially formulated to aid diffusion, though what I smelled was not super potent), a diffuser (called "fleurs mécaniques" or mechanical flowers), or both. The innovation of the difuser is that it is an in-house development of the Editions de Parfums, a wireless cube that can be recharged with a refill. There is also another innovation available in one scent, Saint des Saints, which is called Rubber Incense: this is the Space-Age equivalent of the pot-pouri sachet that proviencial women put in closets to keep them aromatized; a small sheet of 100% recyclable plastic rubber is saturated with fragrance. The patented Polyiff technique from IFF allows diffusion for years without necessitating electricity or refills.

The Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle Home Collection Scents comprises:

• Un Gardénia, la Nuit by Dominique Ropion (available as a candle and fleurs mécaniques). The gardenia is one of Frédéric Malle’s favorite flowers and this is a rendition following the head space method of Dr. Braja Mookherjee producing a most convincing natural scent. Incidentally the most pricey of the range.

• 1er Mai by Dominique Ropion (candle and fleurs mécaniques). This near-reproduction of the fragrance of a cluster of lily of the valley (muguet) is the result of working with historic formulae (Coty Muguet de Bois, Dior Diorissimo) for the flower along with head space technology.

• Rosa Rugosa by Carlos Benaïm (candle and fleurs mécaniques). The reconstitution of the dry, cold, astringent-like scent of these wild rose bushes which grow on the Atlantic coast was developed by Benaïm “au nez”, just by using his nose.

• Rubrum Lily by Carlos Benaïm (candle and fleurs mécaniques). The ravishing perfume of a full bouquet of lilies which has dressed up rooms since the turn of the century: Floral, green, salty, and very spicy.

• Jurassic Flower by Carlos Benaïm (candle and fleurs mécaniques). A unique floral fragrance centered on magnolia thanks to top notes which resemble those of citrus fruits. A subtle lavender aspect and the sweetness of peaches complement this very natural smelling freshness.

• Saint des Saints by Carlos Benaïm (candle and rubber incense). The work that Dr. Mookherjee did to record scents included the analysis of his favorite places such as Indian temples which lead to the creation of this mystical fragrance.

• Coffee Society by Carlos Benaïm (available as a candle) This candle attempts to recreate that ephemeral odor of the living room after the end of a Parisian dinner, several dishes and the delicasies that accompany that demitasse. Among the perfumes of the home collection, this one most resembles a fragrance that is to be worn.

• Russian Nights by Sophia Grosman (available as a candle). This simple yet rich fragrance has notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, iris and sandalwood producing a soft spicy ambery oriental. It was designed to embody the suave warmth of long nights in Russia, although I imagine it has more to do with the cozy feeling of a log-fire room than actual nights in the great outdoors.

• Santal Cardamome by Dominique Ropion (available as a candle).The scent of sandalwood has become something of the far-reached Avalon for perfumers these days due to restrictions to its harvesting resulting in substitutions with sandalore. The Malle team came upon a chord of harmony of sandalwood cardamomthat compliment each other in a woody blend of raw attraction.

Frédéric Malle Home Collection Scents will be available in F.Malle's boutiques (at New York City and Paris) starting November 2009 as well as Barneys stores, and online at EditionsdeParfums.com in December 2009. Prices for candles between $85 and $150, Rubber Incense $105 for 5 pieces, and Fleurs Mécaniques $380 with one refill included in the price. Each scent refill surplus costs from $70 to $100.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Frederic Malle news & reviews, Myth Debunking: Scented candles cause cancer? The truth.

some info/prices via press release and Fragrantica, pic via osmoz

Will the upcoming Frederic Malle scent be a magnolia?

"Frederic Malle is the epitome of French elegance in a beige double-breasted gaberdine suit, crisp white shirt, polished brown shoes and wave of salt-and-pepper hair as he steps into Grandiflora, one of Sydney's finest florists".

This is how Frédéric Malle is introduced in an article on The Australian, on which he explains the concept of the smell booths that are installed in his boutiques (please see our Paris shopping Memoirs part 2 for more information). The story originally appeared in the July 2009 issue of Wish magazine. (a free insert inside metro editions of The Australian on the first Friday of each month).
In the photograph the caption reads: "Malle is developing a scent based on the magnolia-grandiflora". Therefore, after the unusual treatment that violet had in the hands of Maurice Roucel in Dans Tes Bras, another new Malle fragrance, after this season's Géranium pour Monsieur, is set to see the light of day, this time focused around this delightful blossom with citrusy and white floral facets. It remains to be seen which perfumer is undertaking this task (we will update when more info becomes available) and although Maurice Roucel has been credited with fragrances which feature magnolia notes (L'Instant comes to mind), let me point out that according to Luca Turin, who first mentioned this factoid in "Perfumes The Guide", it is magnolia leaf note and not magnolia blossom which is his "signature note". Bourdon is retired, Ropion had been all too recently working on the last one, Ellena has an exclusive contract he can't break, so this leaves us with interesting and unusual choices. Shall we propose a working title of "Magnolia pour Mademoiselle"?

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Frederic Malle scents and news

Pic via The Australian.

New Frederic Malle scent by Dominique Ropion: Geranium pour Monsieur

"A new fragrance named Geranium Pour Homme has been created for niche brand Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle by perfumer Dominique Ropion. It is expected to be available from Frederic Malle stockists, including Les Scenteurs, later on this year", according to today's Basenotes reportage by Danielle Cooper. Update 1: Later confirmation from Malle representatives corrects the name as Géranium pour Monsieur and sets the launch date in May.

Geranium is a rosy note distilled from the leaves of the plant and is traditionally used to render rose notes in masculine and unisex fragrances instead of more opulent rose essences traditionally considered more feminine. "An adventurer who abandons himself to instinct, Ropion is on a quest to create new, harmonious accords by pairing ingredients which are extreme opposites. His work is special because of the tension between precision and freedom." If indeed we take into consideration how Ropion usually works with his materials, we can expect a counterpoint of tense antithesis or the exagerration of the essence into its most baroque interpretation.

Update 2~"Now, after 18 months of "editing" with three-time contributor Dominique Ropion, Editions is poised to release an eighteenth scent, Géranium pour Monsieur. Though the perfume business is drenched in tradition, and there are plenty of flower petals where this one came from, make no mistake: this is a modern operation. Malle and Ropion used state of the art technologies to assemble an unlikely blend of raw Chinese geranium extract, mint absolute distilled at the molecular level, and cinnamon extracted with CO2.

"It's exactly like Photoshop," says Malle of his scientific manner of "amplifying" scents. A female friend of mine described Géranium pour Monsieur as smelling like a "cozy fireplace with fresh mint and licorice thrown in." Which is pretty close to the effect the two were going for. "It's super fresh, but it evolves to something warmer," says Malle, who will release Géranium in June then open his first stand-alone stateside boutique on Madison Avenue later this fall. [...] We came up with this idea by looking at toiletries from the 1920s. They all had mint in them, geranium, anise. When you think of mint you usually think of gum. These scents are associated to other things, but they're also truly pleasant. My son who desperately wants to be a playboy thought it was an asset, and he was wearing it the whole time we were designing it.[...]It's like a Darwinian chain. [The ingredients] all share things in common. Geranium and mint have things in common, mint and anise work together, anethol works with mint, and floralozone works with anethol. Then there's another facet—the cinnamon, clove, sandalwood, and incense—which creates warmth."

(via Interviewmagazine.com)

Notes for Géranium pour Monsieur by F.Malle include: mint, Chinese Geranium, Rhodinol, Anéthol, cinnamon, clove, white musks, floraozone, incense, and benzoin.

Might I remind you that Roaster by Cartier was one successful launch of the previous season.

Dominique Ropion began his training at the acclaimed Roure Bertrand Dupont laboratory, later going on to work with Jean-Louis Sieuzac (the creator of Opium among other gems). Some of his most famous creations include Amarige, Ysatis (both for Givenchy), Dior Pure Poison, and Calvin Klein Euphoria. Ropion had been outsourced for the Frédéric Malle brand for exceptional and striking creations such as the masterfully realistic tuberose Carnal Flower, the wet cobblestones of Vétiver Extraordinaire and the deliciously animalic, meowing floral Une Fleur de Cassie. Ropion currently holds one of the major creators' seats at International Flavors and Fragrances.



Pic via F.Malle

Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle: fragrance review

If in vetiver veritas you pledge your allegiance, look no further. The whooping percentage of pure unadulterated vetiver essence in Vétiver Extraordinaire for Editions des Parfums Frédéric Malle goes for indubitably maximum overload for hardcore vetiver fans: you'd be hard-pressed to find one that contains more Haïtain vetiver out there (an alleged 25%) or is less devoid of the oily decorations of other contenstants.
Luca Turin praised perfumer Dominique Ropion's work here by saying that "lead-pencil cedar notes and a touch of lemon [...] act as makeup to hollow the cheeks of perfumery vetiver and give it back some of the striking bone structure of the starting material". I will go further and say that Vétiver Extraordinaire with its raw, wet cobblestones intensity recalls craggy faces of gaunt figures in chain-mail armor, shaded and revealed alternatively by a bright white light before they suddenly strike with a gigantic sword out of a dense dank forest.

The background story on its 2002 creation is caprivating: Frédéric Malle and Dominique Ropion had collaborated at Roure Bertrand Dupont in the past where Ropion had created an unusual exotic woody accord that Malle remembered fondly. When Ropion received a new extraction of vetiver that highlighted the qualitative nuances of the material in an unprecedented way, Malle had the idea to combine it with the old unfinished woody base and thus after extensive twinkering, the finished modern classic emerged. Ropion is well known for his style of overornate, dense, baroque signature, as evidenced in Ysatis or Amarige by Givenchy but also the intriguing Une Fleur de Cassie also for Frédéric Malle and it seems fitting that he achieved the painful intensity of extreme accuracy by addition instead of substraction using "a new essence of Vetiver, stripped of its bitter edge, which he matches with five woody notes to play up the scent's various facets".

Compared with soapy or citrusy vetivers like Vétiver by Guerlain or sweet, licorice-like vetivers such as Vétiver Oriental by Lutens, Vétiver Extraordinaire seems like a challenge: It lacks the light smoky refinement of Chanel's Sycomore, the nutty flou of Vetiver Tonka by Hermès or the spicy sexiness of Tauer's Vetiver Dance, elements which all contribute to easier acceptance. It should therefore be approached only when searching for something bitterly wet yet with a peppery, fresh herbaceous and earthy scent that will draw out a little savagery misleadingly dressed in bohemian clothing. The rooty, cardboard opening emphasizes the more difficult aspects of the genre but the overall character makes it delightfully panseasonal. The lasting power is excellent and the sillage moderate. Perhaps the closest to it is Encre Noire by Lalique which utilizes the same concept minus the foresty mossy tones, so those who have no access to the former, might find a pleasing alternative in the latter suggestion.


Notes for Vetiver Extraordinaire:Bergamot, Bigarade Orange, Pink pepper, Nutmeg, Floralozone*, Haïtain vetyver, Sandalwood, cedarwood, Oak moss, Myrrh, Cashmeran, Musketone**, Tonalide**.

Available in 10ml, 50ml and 100ml spray bottles and as shower gel at Barneys, Les Senteurs, and directly from Frédéric Malle boutiques and their site.

For a comprehensive analysis of vetiver fragrances click Vetiver Series.

*Florazone is a synthetic ozone muguet note patented by IFF with a fresh aldehydic floral profile reminiscent of ocean breezes.
**Musketone and Tonalide are synthesized musk variants.

Photograph of Hugh Laurie by Justin Stephens(Corbis). Bottle pic through F.Malle

Travel Memoirs: Paris, part 2 ~L'Artisan, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle

by guest writer Elysium

Since the first pioneering experiments by small artisanal brands like L’Artisan Parfumeur and Diptyque thirty years ago, the phenomenon called niche perfume has really blossomed. The small companies are now big names, their new releases once unnoticed are now highly anticipated. Being in Paris, I could not miss the chance to pay a visit to some of those who brought new ideas into a traditional craft and paved the way for the others.

There are several L’Artisan Parfumeur boutiques in Paris (in the 1er, 4eme, 7eme, 9eme and 16eme arrondissements). The one I visited is located at the banks of the Seine, a stone's throw from the Louvre Museum.
The boutique was minimalistically decorated yet stylish, using exactly the same concept as their perfume creations. Once inside, the first thing that meets the eye was the wall with their Harvest creations. Upon asking the friendly SA, I was told that the perfumers at the L’Artisan Parfumeur were at that time still working hard to find the suitable harvests to make the next one in the series. Moving a few steps towards the inner part of the shop there was a table with temporary decorations, highlighting scents that were especially suited for the season.

The diversity L’Artisan Parfumeur represents makes it easy for everyone to find something; if no perfume this time, then maybe a lovely amber ball for the home? And when you are tired of smelling perfumes, take a seat in the cozy couch and have some rest.

Only one place can match Guerlain’s ability to attract perfumistas to Paris ~the location Palais-Royal is indeed more than suitable for the royalty of niche perfume houses. Since its opening in 1991, Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido, or commonly called Serge Lutens, has not lost any of its mystery, largely due to the fact that only press is allowed to take photos inside the salon. Assisted by Google Maps I ended up at the backside of the boutique, but with some help of a written note on the glass window I managed to find the correctly entrance in the end. The first time one enters the Serge Lutens salon one is bound to make a theatrical pause: it is decorated solely in black and violet, with flourished decoration that yet whispers of pure elegance. Indeed, high-contrast is Ariadne’s thread through everything Mr. Lutens has ever touched: his photographs, his paintings, his makeup creations, his perfumes and his salon. Many of the previous limited-edition bell jars can be viewed, and a stair in the middle of the boutique leading to the unknown crowns the entire magical atmosphere. Presprayed test blotters are placed beside the perfume bottles and if you find any perfume particularly interesting you are very welcome to make skin tests. The exclusive range coming in the so called bell jars is of course the highlight of the visit, but be careful not overdosing your nose with these innocent beauties. Unfortunately Serge Lutens does not make any liquid samples of their exclusive range; however the staff readily gives you a set of wax samples to bring home. As for the export range liquid samples are available, but most often they can only be obtained with purchases. I myself took the advice of Luca Turin and “boldly demanded Bois de Violette” and ended up with another pretty bag in my hands.

Comparing to the slightly austere feeling at Serge Lutens, the Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle boutique on 37 Rue Grenelle was much more relaxed. It is minimalistically decorated with a touch of high tech. On the elegant wood paneled walls hang framed photographs of all the perfumers that have contributed to the Frédéric Malle brand. This is a company which puts the brains behind the fragrances into focus, giving the masters the credit they deserve. Therefore the Frédéric Malle line stands for creativity and diversity, ranging from the purest tuberose soliflore (Carnal Flower) to the most complex musk (Musc Ravageur); high quality is the only thing uniting them. You can either freely play with the perfumes by yourself, or you can also step into one of the special designed smelling boots to feel a scent surrounding you. Except for the testers all the perfumes are placed inside refrigerators, to keep them at constant temperature. At the time of my visit I knew a new Frédéric Malle perfume was coming out (Dans tes Bras). Naturally I had to ask the lady working in the boutique about it, only a small test bottle was available for the inquisitive one to sample. Since at the time Dans tes Bras was not officially released, the lady curiously asked me how I knew about it, at which prompt I happily took the chance to avdertise the perfume blogosphere.

Paris would not be Paris without the great variety of choices; the last part of this travel story will be devoted to a few hidden gems among the Parisian perfumeries. That’s all for now...

You can read Part 1 of Paris Memoirs clicking here

Shopping Guide:
L'Artisan Parfumeur: 2 Rue de l'Admiral de Coligny, Paris, Phone: +33 01-4488-2750.
32 Rue du Bourg Tibourg 75004 Paris, Phone : 01.48.04.55.66

Salons du Palais-Royal Shiseido, Serge Lutens: 142 Galerie de Valois-25 Rue de Valois, 1er arrondissement Louvre/Tuileries, Paris. Metro station: Palais-Royal. Car access: 25 Rue de Valois. Phone: +33 01-49-27-09-09 Fax: +33 01-49-27-92-12 (open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm)Map here

Editions des Parfums Frederic Malle: 37 rue de Grenelle, 7e, St-Germain-des-Pres, Paris Phone: +33 01-42-22-76-40 Metro: Rue du Bac
{Other locations: 140 av. Victor Hugo, 16e, Trocadero/Tour Eiffel, Paris, +33 01-45-05-39-02, Metro: Victor Hugo. 21 rue du Mont Thabor, 1er, Louvre/Tuileries, Paris, +33 01-42-22-77-22, Metro: Tuileries}

See a Google map of perfumeries/perfume & beauty shopping in Paris on this link (printable)

Pics copyrighted by Elysium (with the sole exception of the Lutens interiors where photography taking isn't allowed), not to be reproduced without permission.

Dans Tes Bras by Frederic Malle: fragrance review

It would not be an overstatement to say that the “library” comprised of Frédéric Malle edited tomes of olfactory literature is one of the most stimulating lines in modern perfumery. Now perfumer Maurice Roucel gives us another volume to gnaw our teeth on, Dans Tes Bras (In Your Arms). Their previous collaboration on Musc Ravageur (2000), a best-selling vanillic oriental that despite the name has more of a pronounced spicy, sensual accord than the musky effluvium of a warm body à la Muscs Kublaï Khän, managed to entice even those afraid of the risqué intimacy of the latter.

Inspirations
Dans Tes Bras aims for a new interpretation of sexiness:

“The deep and lasting odor of warm skin, with all of its salty hints and rich overtones. A fragrance carved with hefty chunks of cashmeran, sandalwood, musk and patchouli, reinforced with salicylates and incense, softened with heliotrope, colored with a violet accord. An intimate but deep sensuality, an exalted skin scent, the real essence of the perfume”.

Dans Tes Bras communicates seduction and generosity in an amalgam of masculine-like nuances simultaneously clean and dirty, like a man confident of his prowess enough to show a tender side as well.

Scent Profile

The habitually damsel-like violet note is treated here as an unforeseen touch of freshly turned soil with the merest sprinkle of powderiness due to heliotropin, the unifying element with Roucel’s much sweeter and tartly fruity Insolence Eau de Toilette, its hairspray-opening and all. Green bittersweet patchouli and abstract woods create a bodily landscape of earthy delights which blooms with every passing minute. I do not significantly perceive frankincense smoke, even though it is there, while Six’s impression of fields of mushrooms is another image for the wet undergrowth that arrested my perception: favorably. The creamy, discreetly musky summation stays poised on skin for hours radiating warmth. In sum Dans Tes Bras makes me yearn to don a pair of breeches and trudge along bucolic sceneries of still humid, autumnal beds of decaying leaves accompanied by roborant company.

Maurice Roucel, an autodidact starting at Chanel’s Fragrances Laboratory in 1973, is a sensuous aesthete, with streamlined formulae as his signature evident in such marvels as 24 Faubourg, L de Lolita Lempicka and the missile-in-the-air Insolence. It is therefore of great interest to see how he proceeded with Dans Tes Bras.

Composing Dans Tes Bras

Violet, a symbol of ancient Athens where it was used in scenting wine and Napoleon Bonaparte’s favorite flower, is a complicated matter in perfumery for two reasons: First the natural extract of viola odorata (sweet violet/English violet), although it exists, is rarely used for reasons of cost and versatility. Secondly because there is a distinction between violet flower and violet leaf: the two have a world of difference in terms of odor profile, but that’s not always clear in fragrance descriptions. The flowers have a sweet, powdery ~and when fresh slightly spicy~ note, while the leaf is earthy, green with a cut-grass feel.

The symbolism of violets as emblematic of death at an early age is apparent in the John Everett Millais painting "The Death of Ophelia" and violets which stood for constancy or devotion were traditionally used in mourning. Most people however associate violet with Parma Violets, a violet-flavoured confectionary manufactured by the Derbyshire-based company Swizzels Matlow; or alternatively, depending on cultural memories, with Violettes de Toulouse, violets preserved by a coating of egg white and crystallised sugar still made commercially at Toulouse, France. These tender, playful associations might account for the popularity of several sweet florals in the market, such as Drôle de Rose, Lipstick Rose and indeed Insolence.In violets along with terpenes, a major component of the scent is a ketone compound called ionone, which temporarily desensitises the receptors in the nose; this prevents any further scent being detected from the flower. Ionones were first isolated from the Parma violet by Tiemann and Kruger in 1893. The discovery of ionones enabled cheap and extensive production of violet scents, cataclysming the market with inexpensive violet colognes which became au courant. The ionones palette ranges from the scent of fresh blossoms to mild woodsy sweet-floral tonalities, while methyl ionones possess a stronger woodsy nuance, similar to iris rhizomes, binding woody and floral notes perfectly such as in the masterful Lutens creations Féminité du Bois and Bois de Violette. And let’s not forget that Roucel was the composer of the mournful, cooly wistful Iris Silver Mist for Lutens focused on the nitrile Irival too!

Violet Leaf absolute on the other hand smells herbaceous with an oily earthy nuance and naturally includes salicylates, more on which below. Octin esters and methyl heptin carbonate are used to render the floral green violet leaf odour with watery accents of melon and cucumber, customary in many modern masculine fragrances and the family of fougères (an aromatic group based on the accord of lavender-coumarin-oakmoss). It also gave the older version of Farhenheit its distinctive feel. If you want to get a good impression of violet leaf in a contemporary composition, smell Eau de Cartier. Several of the greener violet fragrances in the market such as Verte Violette by L’artisan or La Violette by Annick Goutal explore those aspects.
In Dans Tes Bras the tone comes from Iraldeine, a base that helps recreate the freshness of violet flowers. The aromachemical α-n-methyl ionone became commercially available around 1935 in Haarmann & Reimer's Iraldeine Alpha rein and Givaudan's Raldeine A (the main constituent of Fath’s legendary Iris Gris) which Ernest Beaux ~good friends with Leon Givaudan~ is said to have included in 25% concentration in the long-lost Mademoiselle Chanel No.1 from 1942-1946 (as analysed and publicized in 2007 in Perfumer & Flavorist magazine).

Benzyl Salicylate (benzyl ortho hydroxy benzoate) is an almost colourless liquid that has a mild balsamic, sweetly floral note possessing excellent blending capabilities. Often used as the foundation for heavy florals such as ylang, gardenia, jasmine, lily etc., it is also used in functional products such as soap, shampoo and fabric softener. Along with Methyl Salicylate, salicylates “turn the most banal floral composition into a real perfume, with majestic weight and sweep” divulges Luca Turin. However some people are anosmic to it, including some perfumers. Guy Robert could not smell benzyl salicylate at all, but could instantly recognize its presence in perfume: “I recognize it as if it were a friend seen from behind in a crowd, by the cut of his shoulders”. Indeed in the words of nose Bernand Chant “it produces a diffusing, blooming effect very pleasing to the public”. Many orchid fragrances are built on salicylates, while the mysterious emerald glow of the vintage Je Reviens is also due to them. Coupled with eugenol and isoeugenol, the effect becomes almost carnation-like with its clove tint. The magic of benzyl salicylate can be best experienced in the archetypal floral bouquet of L’air du Temps featuring an overdose of the ingredient. Its progeny included Wind Song, Norell, Estée, Charlie, even Angel! However the recent restrictions on the use of benzyl salicylates have taken their toll on many floral fragrances, L’air du Temps included, which simply do not smell as they used to.

Methyl salicylate (salicylic acid methyl ester or oil of wintergreen ~because it is present in lots of evergreens such as birch and also rhododendrons~ and commonly featured in arthritis and muscle body rubs but also in Life Savers) has a green glow with camporeous aspects. Naturally occuring in tuberose, jasmine and hyacinth absolutes, as well as ylang ylang and neroli oil, it provides that characteristic eucalyptus-mint nuance of Tubéreuse Criminelle and to a lesser degree Carnal Flower. It is also a big ingredient in birch tar, used in Russia in treating leather and therefore associated with Cuir-de-Russie-themed fragrances, modernly interpreted in Dzing! and Bulgari Black. Also present in cassie absolute, so it seems to be the bridge between those and Une Fleur de Cassie; the connection being that acacia bark (the inspiration behind the latter) was also used in treating leather, in France.

Finally Cashmere Woods or Cashmeran, a favorite of both Roucel and Malle, is a IFF patented, complex aromachemical that provides a beautiful, velours note with diffuse nuances of earthy-wood and spicy notes (pine, patchouli), fruits and flowers (heliotrope, red fruits, apples and jasmine) and is softly musky-vanillic, entering Dans Tes Bras at the appropriate dosage. It's featured in Ysatis, Amarige, Michael, Lacroix Rouge, Perles de Lalique, Beautiful Love and many more.

Dans Tes Bras is thus an excellent example of a fragrance in which analysis makes for much better understanding and appreciation.

Official Notes:bergamot, cloves, salicylates, violet, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, frankincense, cashmeran, heliotrope, white musk

Dans Tes Bras has been available in Europe since September ’08 and will become available in the US this coming October, in Eau de Parfum bottles of 50ml/1.7oz and 100ml/3.4oz through the appointed select doors and the Editions des Parfums site.

Pic of actor Ken Watanabee originally uploaded on MUA, I believe it's by Anne Leibovich. Bottle pic via F.Malle

With One Eye on Summer

Perfume Shrine presents you a glimpse of the upcoming lists of top fragrances for summer. Never too early to get prepared in the perfume stakes! In the new issue of Allure magazine (page 134) Frédéric Malle recommends some of his fave summer scents:

Cristalle by Chanel
Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat by Guerlain
Armani Eau Pour Homme with notes of lemon, basil, oakmoss
Light Blue by Dolce & Gabanna
Eau Sauvage by Dior
Pleasures by Lauder
Diorella by Dior
Lys Méditerranée by Malle
Cologne Bigarade by Malle
Eau du Ciel by Annick Goutal

The punchline? "The smell of the ocean, lemon paired with greens, and lilies are a few of Malle's favorites for summer." As reflected in his fragrant choices obviously, agreeing or not.
Which ones would you pick?

And because Friday should herald the joys of the weekend, a little diversion with a trully summery song for you, a big hit in Europe: Ville Vallo from HIM and the actress Natalia Avelon from the the "8 Mile High" film.



Next on Perfume Shrine: a niche line gets a detailed presentation, reviews of new scents and other wonderful surprises!

Pic of Greek beach sent to me by mail unaccredited.

Frederic Malle Weighs In

Frederic Malle talks about his gorgeous, niche line Edition des Parfums.
The clip is shot in Holt-Renfrew in Vancouver, Canada and is brought to you courtesy of dabbler.ca and youtube.



And here are the perfumes that Frederic Malle considers top picks.



From left to right

Top row: Je reviens, Opium, Miss Dior, Shalimar, L'heure Bleue, Bigarade Concentree, Annick Goutal(?), White Linen, Oscar de la Renta

Bottom row: Aromatics Elixir, Noir Epices, Arpege, Must, L'eau d'Issey, Coco Mademoiselle, Diorissimo, Pleasures, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique.

Pic courtesy of Allure mag

Twin Peaks: Iris Poudre, UDV Pour Elle, Ferre by Ferre

As improbable as some comparisons seem, like say contrasting a beaming, shinning Mercedes KLC to a tiny compact Smart, sometimes they hit the nail on the head: both cars are made by the same makers. There are of course countless details that separate them, but they are equally attended to for standards of quality.
Which brings us to our improbable theme today: The augustus scent of Iris Poudre by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle side by side to the lowly and humble Ulric de Varens Pour Elle.

Iris Poudre needs no introduction, really. Although I haven't reviewed it in full yet, it is probably my favourite within the confines of this much esteemed niche brand that caters to the tastes of perfumephiles and perfumers both: The former because they can sample the vision of some of the best noses of our days with trully good ingredients. The latter because they are at last given free reign to do what they had always wanted to do but couldn't, due to commercial restrictions.
Iris Poudre was created by Pierre Bourdon, one of the finest noses in the field. Frédéric Malle professes that "if it were a garment, it would be a cashmere sweater - classic but personal, appropriate for most occasions, something one never tires of". Although touted to be a grand floral aldehydic, to me it has no distinct relation to aldehydic fragrances that people perceive as typical of their classification, such as Chanel No.5, Madame Rochas or Arpège. It is subtler and less sparkly, more powdery. However it does have touches of the cool allure and rosiness of Rive Gauche or Calandre, both scents with a beautiful coolness contrasted with a little warmth in the base. Iris Poudre utilises the caramel butteriness of tonka bean, the cosiness of musks and just a hint of fluffy vanilla to instill that faint warmth that surrounds you like a precious pashmina on a chilly evening on a walk back from the theatre or an art exhibit.

Ulric de Varens is a french brand founded in 1982 that features in the mainstream and lower end of distribution, appearing in what the Americans call "the drugstore". Apart from the eponymous line, they also produce the Lily Prune line and the Jacques de Saint Prez line. And yet their offerings are often surprisingly good: their Patchouli Chic was one of the better scents to feature that note by popular vote, their Sublime Vanille and also their Ulric Fun are composed by none other than Jean Claude Ellena, their UDV Men is composed by Maurice Roucel. Coincidentally two of the bright stars in the gallaxy of F.Malle. You get the drift...

Ulric de Varens Pour Elle also known as UDV, came out in 1999. It is a delicate, powdery floral with the merest hint of woody sweetness in the base. According to the official press release:

Pour Elle contains pear, finely supported by the king accord of Rose, Jasmine and Lily of the Valley, with a layer of sensual, bewitching white musks which open up thanks to precious woods and sweet scents of Vanilla.

Although it is advertised as a fruity, musky floral, to my nose there is no really discernible fruity element and the predominent impression is that of the smooth powdery accord of iris. The impression is quite realistic. Which in itself might be a good indicator of what is an industry secret: that lots of perfumes that claim iris notes construct the acccord with synthetic molecules and not the dearly costly rhizomes of the Florentine variety.
There is really no discernible rose or jasmine per se, but rather the hazy impression of a floral bouquet dusted with air-spun powder and a little icing sugar. It smells ivory, betraying the pink shade of the juice itself. There is a soft, caressing, cosy quality about the musks used and a little woodiness. The whole is very feminine and smells much more expensive than anticipated. Contrasted to Iris Poudre it shares much in the beginning stage, when both diffuse with little puffs of liquid snow. It then warms up, somewhat more pronounced than Iris Poudre and with a sweeter drydown phase which is perhaps its shortcoming side by side with the aristocratic dryness of the Malle fragrance. The latter is simply rootier, earthier, with a slight nod to Iris Silver Mist by Lutens or Hiris by Hermès.

UDV’s whimsical and rather kitchy little purse bottle (the spray is atop the upper part of the "bag" part) in a horrible plastic case might have better served a teenager's budding boudoir rather than my more somber vaults, but it will have to pass. As it is, it is an indulgence one can spray with abandon and toss with no regrets when it eventually spoils.

Ulric de Varens Pour Elle can be found in the drugstore as well as online stores and comes in:
- Eau de parfum 30 et 75 ml
- Déodorant Spray Parfumant 125 ml
- Coffret EDP 75 ML + Déo 125 ml
- Coffret EDP 75 ml + Body lotion 75 ml

Addition:
Ferre by Ferre is another fragrance that I got round smelling prompted by my readers and found out that it has numerous similarities to Iris Poudre, indeed: in fact this is not so strange, as they were both created by the same perfumer, the great Pierre Bourdon. They do smell almost identical, if you lean a little on both, with perhaps the possible exception that Iris Poudre has a slightly more metallic finish in its development that is more distinctive and a little aloof, with an aldehydic tinge perceptible. The lasting power is comparable.
However, for those of you who cannot get Iris Poudre easily, Ferre by Ferre is a great alternative and with a much more respectable-looking, architectural bottle than UDV pour Elle .

Twins by Dianne Arbus courtesy of Transindex. Pic of Ulric de Varens Pour Elle bottle from the official site. Pic of Vogue cover from 1950 by Jeannie Pattchet from allposters.

Fragrant news: new Frédéric Malle scent

The following exciting info comes from Osmoz.com:

In May, Fréderic Malle will be launching a new fragrance designed by perfumer Pierre Bourdon and christened "French Lover". Frédéric Malle’s original idea was to create a fuller-bodied version of the scent Angéliques sous la Pluie. But the creator and the perfumer soon went beyond that concept to come up with a sophisticated men’s scent, ‘super-sensual, but not trashy.’ The ingredients include dazzling green notes of pimento and galbanum, iris, cedar, trimofix, angelica, frankincense and vetiver. Mosses, musks, ambroxan and karanal bestow ‘a kind of plant-based animal quality that immediately evoked the smell of a man’ [for the creators]. 1.7 fl. oz.: €90; 3.4 fl. oz.: €135.

Please note that this the third one in the line that will be named with an english name after Lipstick Rose and Carnal Flower.
Ambroxin is a synthetic amber note, while trimofix is a fixative with ambergris, mossy and vetiver-like tonalities and the karanal aromachemical has a woody ambery tone.

Sounds exciting and wily!

You're the touch of wind, that surprises my body

For reasons of symmetry with my previous post, and antithesis as well (taking into account the above song talks about a never-ending internal winter that the singer cannot put up with anymore), I have decided to present you a list of male perfumes that could be used throughout winter; so as to "be a touch of wind, that surprises the body".

The song above can be listened to by clicking on the window. (courtesy of mpanikos on Youtube). It is sung by Greek songwriter Alkinoons Ioannidis from a record composed by Nikos Zoudiaris and is called "I cannot". The title of today's post is actually a line from the lyrics.

The whole text follows, translated by me:

If you could only slip in the darkness,
if you could only fly like an elf;
Tonight I will surely die,
I will die if I can't see you.

Aided with sweet wine I will become
an argonaut and come and find you.
To just meet you for a while
in my soul's seabed.

No, I cannot. Winter is hurting me.
Any more I cannot...
My yard is burned by snow, any more I cannot.

You're the touch of wind
that suprises my body
I have never satiated myself of you,
it was all but a moment.

XS Black by Paco Rabanne
Don't think of it as Extra Small, think of it phonetically: Ex-Cess. Excess of loveliness, of novelty points, of prettiness in a new release antithetical to the blandness of recent offering for men. Young and sweet, redolent of strawberries, pralines and patchouli with an unidentified floral note in there. Official notes: calabrian lemon, kalamazni, praline, cinnamon, balsam, black cardamon, palissander wood, black amber and patchouli. To me it's the illegitemate child of Innocent by Mugler and L'artisan's Voleur de Roses who has inherited very becoming genes.
If one is as cute as the boy advertising it, it doesn't hurt either.

London men by Burberry
The best tobacco and mulled wine-spice combo I have smelled from the recent batch. I have already said my piece . Go read it and then hurry and go test it!

Habit Rouge by Guerlain
Named after the red riding jacket of men for going hunting on horses in the english countryside this is class and comfort in a bottle. For men timid enough to go for the iconic oriental Shalimar and women who want a little less vanilla on their body.
First launched in 1965, composed by perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain, the fragrance has attained classic status. It opens with citrus, then meanders along a slightly spicy path to some cinnamon paired with patchouli, finally leaving a leathery, vanillic impression. Powdery like opoponax and soft like a caress. Take care as the eau de parfum now circulating does not share the same formula as the classic Eau de cologne.

Arabie by Serge Lutens
Do you hide a man from the souk in your heart? All khol-ed eyes and heavy languorous lips? (This last bit brings to mind another great Alkinoos song which I will post when I fully review this one). One of the few fruity scents I like. Dried, candied fruits like dates in a gold liquid and the magic of benzoin bring exotic and intense pulsations to your mind. It smells coppery...

Obsession for men by Calvin Klein
The scent of choice for a rich, intense, dark, full-bodied amber with a touch of sweetness. It is single-minded and has one single effect. Makes one want to jumb your bones. Even felines seem to be attracted to it, per one zoo study (!) I won't elaborate. Needs to be sold with a NC-17 warning label on the box.

Antaeus by Chanel
This is pure man's clean sweat and animalistic labdanum. Created in 1981, still sexy after all those years. Complex and passionate like the mythological hero that inspired it. For when you want to make an impact!

Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle
After all the sweet recommendations, a dry one for the grand finale. Vetivers are usually left aside for warmer weather as they have the quality of giving a grassy, earthy, cooling feeling that is so welcome in summer. This has the best qualities of the erathy aroma, not coupled with citrus as usually happens and lasts well and it struck me that it could be worn on a very bright, cold, snowy day, when the whole world is glistening with the pureness. The resinous base hints at you that pleasures of the home await after snowfighting.

An essay on art in perfumery

The issue of what constitutes art and what does not has been on my mind for years. Being an historian and having a degree in History of Art as well is no help though, because one would be amazed at the diversity of opinion in such circles as to what exactly would be the deciding factor. As perfumery might be considered an art form by us perfume fanatics, I wanted to discuss what exactly would define it as such and pose some questions.
I was reading an interview of painter and sculptor Fernando Botero -probably South America's greatest living artist today- given to Thanasis Lalas on Vima magazine the other day, which inspired this post.

Botero went on to give 9 suggestions to young artists which pretty much define the meaning of art to me. I roughly translate the suggestions and put my personal comment/explanation in parenthesis. Here they are:

1. Choose the right influence (meaning: the best ones! Get to know that
great masters and get influenced in a constructive way)
2. Art should
give some pleasure (he elaborates by saying he is old school in those
matters and doesn't think that you need a PhD to appreciate art, it just
"clicks" and makes you feel)
3. Develop your own sensibilities (ergo
develop a theoretical thesis about art and its meaning)
4. Abide by your
convictions (develop a personal style)
5. Be a rebel
(innovation, what else?)
6. Look upon your work as if it is someone
else's (objectivity is of paramount importance)
7. We all make
mistakes (he goes on to elaborate that an artwork's main mistake is to have
nothing to say in the first place, which is indeed much to the chagrin of a
modern art appreciator)
8. Success is never complete (personal
growth is tantamount to evolving in one’s style)
9. Art can be greater
than life (What a great line!!)

In that maxim I see a very nice summing up of what art is really all about (to me at least). It should make a point, it should have something to convey, it should innovate and not rely in its self-importance, it should be evolving and growing, making the artist as well as the audience grow with it.
I think it applies not only to sculpture and painting, but to music, literature, theater, you name it! Hence I thought about perfumery, which although does have a commercial aim (since the product of the creation is to be commercialized through marketing, advertising and sales) it does retain an artistic vision, much in the same way that a designer kitchen appliance designed by Phillip Stark can stand on its own as a modern day art piece (an “artefact” of a certain lifestyle, I’m afraid)
So a thing can have an aesthetic value as well as a commercial one, in that it can provide pleasure and to the degree that it does not break any other rule, it can be sold and bought.

JaeLynn (alias), a prolific writer and a poster on some of the fora I frequent said to me this great line and I quote:

“But then you start getting into the Frankfurt Schoolers versus
Jenkins/Hills/et al, which is a darned fine row if I do say so myself. What
constitutes "art" and are there divisions of high/middle/low? To put it
fragrantly, is there (Frankfurt) or is there not (Jenkins gang) a quantitative
and qualitative difference between a Lutens or Malle perfume and a Comptoir Sud
or Britney Spears perfume? “

What could we say to that? What exactly differentiates a Serge Lutens and a Frederic Malle from a Comptoir Sud Pacifique or Britney Spears perfume, if there is indeed a differentiation?

Surely when one approaches the different lines there is some snobbism inherent, especially among those who are just budding into perfume niches, because, let’s face it, the persona of the celebrity promoting the perfume with his/her name on has an uncanny way of entering our subconscious in more ways than one, alternatively influencing us into giving the perfume bonus points or inherent flaws, depending on our perception of Ms. Spears or any other eponymous celebrity or designer for that matter. Because many designers are capitalising on their name too in order to sustain their couture houses which would only crumble to the ground if left to the moguls clients only (after all how many are those and how many gowns could they wear in a given season?).

Lump in that category too overpriced exercises in trends, like sickly foody smells in a hundred different variations imaginable or oils that purportedly have a secret recipe and are all the rage among the famous. They are nothing special appearing as something that could be. Perhaps their art lies in clever marketing, but maybe that is a science after all?
Only blind testing would provide objective data in that stratum and we know this is a utopia for most of us when testing those particular scents.
Nevertheless, the one salient characteristic of most commercial perfumes is their ability to appeal and be pleasant across the boards for initiated and uninitiated alike. By that I do not mean that they are great, fabulous, wonderful or anything along those lines, because despite their pleasantness they often fail to make one genuinely interested and involved, leading to the launch of another new one that will in its turn become obsolete after the 5-year-time frame that modern day perfumes work within. They are perhaps too boring and forgettable to compel us to renew our purchase, so we become serial monogamists: using the new scent until the juice finishes and then on to another. They do smell inoffensive and “nice” though and sometimes being composed by the same noses who make other niche compositions with often comparable ingredients might beg the question why they aren’t considered art as well, per dictum number 2 discussed already.

The Frederic Malle line, on the other hand, started with an artistic reference point from the start as perpetuated by their motto perfumes without compromise: Malle gave the chance to top perfumers to create something they really wanted with the best materials available given no commercial restraints and he, like an editor, would promote it and distribute it for them. Hence the peculiar and sometimes bold nature of such animals as the lush, bombastic baroque Fleur de Cassie by Dominique Ropion or the pungent, bitter minimalism of Bigarade Concentreé by Jean Claude Ellena. In correlating this to the criteria we talked about in the beginning, the Malle line displays no specific homogenous “style” but rather the individual style of his artists who may indeed “abide by their convictions”. However among perfume loving circles I have come across many people who although they like and condone the concept have not found themselves in love with a single one in the line, at least not enough to buy a full bottle of it (what is affectionately termed as being “full bottle worthy” ).

Serge Lutens didn’t begin with such a concept, however there is a definite vision behind his creations with sidekick nose Chris Sheldrake: evoking the rich tradition of the Arabian world, however interpreted in a completely modern way with modern materials and procedures. The results are not erratic as with the Malle line because the collaboration of those two individuals in the line (with the exception of Maurice Roucel on Iris Silver Mist and Pierre Bourdon on Feminité du bois) has ensured coherence of style which however has the disadvantage of not always hitting the right spot. Hence the passionate feelings most Lutens scents arouse in perfume appreciation fans, whether their remarks are mostly positive (Chergui, Fleurs d’oranger) or mostly negative (Miel de bois, Gris Clair). The amount of pleasure one derives is subject to one’s personal associations and memories, as is with the majority of scents, however there is no denying that these are perfumes constructed as an exercise in pleasure recalling an opulence and sultriness of a modern odalisque that is active in an urban territory.

In their elitist mentality though (which in my humble opinion hides a snickering marketing angle too) they go on and produce such shocking segments such as the mentholated top note of Tubereuse Criminelle and the urine-like sweetness of Miel du bois that greet you when you open the vial. That would divert from the pleasure aspect if only there weren’t segments that transport the senses and validate the best wet dreams of an incurable perfumeholic (the creaminess of Un Lys, the deep plush of chocolate-patchouli in Borneo, the sweaty rot of the candied fruits in Arabie).

And then one stumbles on contradictory quotes such as this one:

"We don't care about celebrities at Hermès, it's the artists who drive us,"

Mr Ellena said.

"I do this for me. If it sells, it's a bonus."

The quote comes from TheAustralian.news.com on July 27th from an article about Ellena being in Sydney for the launch of Terre d’Hermès. Which left me wondering the obvious: if perfume is just art and not business, why travel to promote it?

OK, Mr Ellena, I forgive you the lapse this one time.