L’Artisan Parfumeur Mure et Musc Scented Gloves

L’Artisan Parfumeur is reviving the 17th-century tradition of scented gloves with a limited edition collection. “An updated version of the house’s signature eau de parfum, created in 1993, Mûre et Musc Extrême is a “gourmand” fusion of blackcurrant and blackberry, infused in silk-lined, black kid-leather gloves by house of Causse, handmade in the south of France.” The gloves will be available in October 2012 at L’Artisan boutiques (€320). Via hintmag.com (discovered thanks to Rina!)

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47 Comments

  • rosarita: I’ve read about these scented gloves before. Don’t they sound like the last work in decadent, scented luxury? July 24, 2012 at 7:48am Reply

    • Victoria: Aren’t they! I think that there was another company that made scented gloves, but I can’t find a reference right now. July 24, 2012 at 8:58am Reply

  • josey: Thanks so much for posting this. They are expensive but I’m curious enough to start saving. I’ll explain. I did my fashion school project on the topic of scented gloves. It was soooo tricky to scent them. Either they were too strong, or too weak, or got too barnyardy thanks to the mix of leather’s own smell and perfume. But I had a small budget and I couldn’t afford the best quality leather.

    This is my first comment. I just discovered your blog and I love it. The first time I started reading it, I probably spent 3 hours glued to the computer screen. 😀 July 24, 2012 at 8:11am Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you and welcome! I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying my blog.
      Yours sounds like a fascinating project! Yesterday I was told at the boutique here that carries L’Artisan that these gloves are meant to retain their scent for at least 3 years. Now, I’m not sure if I want my hands scented so much (and the gloves are far too expensive for me anyway), but I like the idea. How did you end up scenting your gloves, Josey? July 24, 2012 at 9:00am Reply

      • Daisy: I agree. I would have to really, really, really, really like a fragrance to have it be on my hands in a strong concentration. July 24, 2012 at 3:31pm Reply

        • Victoria: Maybe, something simpler like vetiver or sheer incense would be more palatable for me, but even so… July 24, 2012 at 6:14pm Reply

      • josey: Thank you! It was a fun project and the results were ok in the end. So what I did, I just sprayed my leather pieces with perfume. I bought scented oils and mixed them with alcohol. July 25, 2012 at 10:43am Reply

  • Anna Minis: So this is really ”Maître Parfumeur et Gantier”! Lovely idea, these gloves, but unless you have some other gloves, you must wear the same perfume the whole winter. Perhaps you can layer with ”Van Cleef”, as I do with my Eau de Mûre MPG. Anyway, it is too expensive for most of us (I suppose). But lovely for those who can afford it! July 24, 2012 at 11:07am Reply

    • Victoria: That was my other concern. I don’t want to smell the same thing on my hands all winter long. Plus, with my work, that would be problematic anyway. But as an idea, it seems so interesting. July 24, 2012 at 1:06pm Reply

  • eminere: How absolutely intriguing! How would you clean the gloves though? July 24, 2012 at 11:56am Reply

    • Victoria: I didn’t think of that, but that’s good question! July 24, 2012 at 1:07pm Reply

  • Vishishta: Hello Victoria,
    So busy I haven’t written to you in a while (I am moving as well). But the art of scenting clothing has provoked a disturbing experience of late. The fragrence phobic sufferers of nerve damage! I have a woman in my singing group who cannot bear any perfume! Fortunately I only go once a week, but it is so disturbing to try and find something to wear that does not have any perfume in it! Have you encountered this problem? It would be a good discussion online. In spite of the compassion for this very awful disease, I feel attacked for my love of perfume!! A very hard conflict.

    Please send me your thoughts and experiences on this,

    Have loved your column of late–food stuff and photos–as well as perfume (of course)
    V July 24, 2012 at 12:03pm Reply

    • Victoria: Good luck with your move, V! Hope that everything goes smoothly.

      I wonder how she manages day to day, because absolutely everything is scented. And unscented things are actually scented too, but very lightly. I have never encountered someone with such an awful disease, but I so feel for her. Just smelling people’s hair products on the subway can give me a headache, and I am not even talking about perfume. Does she suffer from any scent at all? Would the smell from your laundry detergent on your clothes bother her? July 24, 2012 at 1:10pm Reply

  • Vishishta: Apparently. I wore unscented deoderant last night and nothing else, but I believe that the old perfumes, sprayed on my clothing were still disturbing to her.
    I encountered this problem before, while working in the wine industry–with one man who insisted upon no scent in the environment as well (so to keep his nose free). It seems to be a growing concern here in California. Amazing that you have not encountered it! July 24, 2012 at 1:17pm Reply

    • Victoria: Part of the reason is that working in the fragrance industry, I’m surrounded by people who smell and smell of something all the time. There is no such thing as an unscented space in the fragrance lab. So, it isn’t really the same attitude as in the food or wine business. Perfumers learn to smell through many different odors and even to smell when they have allergies and colds. Maybe, it’s also the California thing. I noticed that a bulk of legislation concerning chemicals used in cosmetics and fragrances tends to originate there. Not all, but a lot of it. There was a motion in one of the states around here to pass a law banning the public employees from wearing perfume, but it never got anywhere. People were complaining that this limits their rights, and that it put a very heavy burden on them. After all, as you’ve discovered, finding unscented products is so darn hard. July 24, 2012 at 2:26pm Reply

    • Undina: Of course, we need to be mindful of others and try to accommodate people with disabilities, illnesses, etc. But at some point it becomes ridiculous. This poor woman – if she really suffers phisically from any scent that much and it’s not (at least partially) in her head shouldn’t impose her problems on others. Whereas it might be reasonable to ask people not to wear perfumes to a singing group, asking a big group of people to eliminate all the scents – laundry detergents, shampoos, deodorants, etc. is NOT reasonable. You can ask that from your family and close friends, maybe from co-workers if you have to work in the closed space with several of them but beyond that – it’s your problem, as any other disability that prevent you from functioning the same way as people without that disability.
      I would stop wearing perfumes to that group but everything else – well, life isn’t fair: if she cannot tolerate those smells she should live in a bubble (or see a specialist for her phobia). July 24, 2012 at 2:57pm Reply

  • Vishishta: Well thanks for you comments on it. I have gone between compassion for these poor people, who literally get so ill that they cannot go out of their houses, and feeling as though my own lifestyle and love of fragrance is being limited. There are indeed a lot of ‘purists’ here, but when confronted with pollution in the air, city smells, restaurant smells on the street, they don’t seem to get bent out of shape. So I’m thinking it is just a prejudice to the perfume industry. My friend who is ill, states that all perfume ingredients are carcinogenic! Enough said. Thanks for your fabulous blog!
    V July 24, 2012 at 3:01pm Reply

    • Victoria: I admit that I may not fully understand this disease, but what do you do about the scented plants and other things you mentioned? I think that you’ve done your part by being as unscented as possible for the singing, but beyond avoiding obvious scents on your skin and clothes, I can’t see what you can do. Totally odor free products besides being rare are also quite much more expensive, so it would seem strange to require you to use them.
      I think that the fragrance industry has brought some of it upon itself but not educating the consumers about what’s contained in their products. Plus, some people think that the perfume is a useless and frivolous thing anyway, so that colors their attitudes further. July 24, 2012 at 3:11pm Reply

  • Vishishta: Yes, I agree. I was always aware of that idea with the wine connoisseur–but he didn’t seem to mind the harsh smells of street resurfacing, or fast food restaurants–so it just seemed like a prejudice. The friend says her throat closes up and later it produces a terrible nerve pain that takes days to go away. She has been a nurse, and had some damage while at work, but insists that the public is not informed about the ill effects of ingredients in perfume. She knows nothing about natural perfumes or the history of perfume. I have tried to educate a little, but no interest. July 24, 2012 at 3:23pm Reply

    • Victoria: Then I always counter–what about the ill effects of sunshine, too much time in front of the computer, pesticides in our food, our hectic lifestyles. I really don’t think that perfume is any more dangerous than any of those. But people panic about scents, because inhaling them is such an intimate act. You really feel as if your body is absorbing the odors. Which is not exactly true. This idea is nothing new, especially if you think about the medieval belief that the disease is caused by bad odors. If you’re curious about this topic, I recommend that you read The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the French Social Imagination by Alain Corbin. Such a great book. July 24, 2012 at 6:04pm Reply

  • Daisy: There is something really charming about scented leather gloves. Such a romantic idea!

    But knowing me, the day I spend €320 for L’Artisan Parfumeur gloves would be the day that I lose one of them in a cab. Or spill something like jalapeño hot sauce all over them.

    Then I would just feel like a fancy smelling Michael Jackson with the glove that was left 🙁 July 24, 2012 at 3:34pm Reply

    • Victoria: I’m laughing out so hard, I spilled my tea. 🙂 If I ever paid this one for a pair of gloves (and that’s a big if!), I would be so paranoid about losing them that I wouldn’t even wear them at all. July 24, 2012 at 6:08pm Reply

      • Daisy: Oh I would wear them! I always have always said that if it ever gets to the point where I have some wedding dress that cost thousands and thousands of dollars, I would wear that dress until it fell apart.

        I would wear it to the supermarket, on the subway. I would wear it to dog sit my friend’s pooch.

        And I would change my email to [email protected] 🙂 July 24, 2012 at 9:07pm Reply

        • Daisy: That’s not my email, btw 🙂 July 24, 2012 at 9:07pm Reply

        • Victoria: Imagining you shopping at the Union Square market in a wedding gown. Hysterical! I bet that in NYC nobody would bat an eye at something like this. Brussels is much more conservative in terms of fashion in comparison to New York or Paris or Amsterdam. Even slightly north of Brussels, the fashion look is different. When we lived in the Flanders, I was always amazed to see men wearing neon colored trousers. We talked about it here once before, and it seems like bright red jeans on men is considered very stylish. I would see older gentlemen saunter around with shocking pink pullovers tied around their shoulders. July 25, 2012 at 8:41am Reply

          • Daisy: It would be hysterical 🙂

            Once, I was wearing this giant animal print caftan and some guy leaned out of his car window and shouted, “Leopard!!!”

            And I instinctually raised my fist in the air and yelled, “IT’S CHEETAH, YOU IDIOT!”

            Which caused my friend to collapse on the sidewalk in laughter. July 25, 2012 at 7:16pm Reply

            • Victoria: I need to learn not to take a sip of tea just as I’m about to read your comments! In tears laughing… You go, Daisy! July 26, 2012 at 8:37am Reply

  • HB: I’m curious and at the same time not sure if I’d want a scented glove all winter, like you. It does make me wonder how to accomplish a light scent – even a single accord – on gloves of my own.

    Chiming in on the fragrance sensitivity thing – I’m a migraine sufferer and have an unusual (and long) list of dietary and environmental allergies – this sadly includes many of the perfumes I recognize and appreciate as excellent…just from afar. At the same time, I almost always wear fragrance, just being extra careful about what I use. Because I pay good money for my perfumes (and also because of my allergies) I am diligent about using unscented and natural products for laundry, bathing and cleaning. My nose can detect the difference between shampoo and an EDP but it leads to a confused effect I don’t enjoy. I wish more personal and household products were fragrance free for that reason as much as any other.

    It is true that there are people out there who suffer mightily from sensitivities, but it’s frequently related to the pervasive use of fragrances and plasticizers in products like fabric softener, shampoo, facial tissues (!),packaging, etc.. There are also dietary triggers which go unexamined but which can play into the whole disease. Our bodies are ecosystems linked to the larger one that surrounds us. July 24, 2012 at 5:32pm Reply

    • Victoria: My guess would be to spray inside the cuff. Leather generally retains scents really well. I’m curious if you end up trying it. Imagine how much fun you could have–red leather gloves scented with Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose or Annick Goutal Rose Absolue!

      I also like functional products with as delicate scent as possible. In Belgium I find that I need to use massive amounts of fabric softener if I don’t want my towels to end up rough and rigid. The water is really hard here. But fabric softeners are often very strongly scented. Today I realized that the scent from my freshly laundered T-shirt overwhelmed that of the perfume I was testing! July 24, 2012 at 6:22pm Reply

      • Daisy: I remember the water being quite hard in Paris too. Fabric softener tends to make me break out, so I would pop in these anti-calcaire tablets (they exists also for dishwashers). I heard someone suggest using vinegar instead, but I never tried that . . . July 24, 2012 at 9:05pm Reply

        • Victoria: That’s a good advice, thank you. I’ll check out these tablets at the supermarket today. I’ve been doing the washing of some delicate things by hand, so I might try vinegar on those fabrics that I know should handle it. July 25, 2012 at 8:37am Reply

  • Lynn Morgan: What a gorgeous idea, altghough I do think the description of the actual scent makes it sound like one I would pass on- black current and blackberry sound delicious, spread on a warm, butterd scone, but not a perfume I could wear. If only these gorgeous gloves came drenched in gardenia, tuberose jasmine, honeysuckle and/or sandalwood and musk, I’d be swooning. If this appeals to you, you might like to check out the website: forloveofoperagloves.com- a little treat for all glove lovers! July 24, 2012 at 5:36pm Reply

    • Victoria: Lynn, those are the perfect scents for you. I can’t imagine you wearing blackberry and musk, even if it’s a charming L’Artisan version. July 24, 2012 at 6:23pm Reply

  • Ariadne: Attaining an odor free environment? Not likely. Just because there must be odors that are off the human detectability spectrum, similar to our sense of hearing and a dog whistle. I have worked with toxicologists and have learned that everyone has an allergic reaction to SOMETHING in this world. I think some folks are hypersensitive to smells just as some are hypersensitive to noise and touch. Also some perfumes may be more prone to inducing mass hypersensitivity than others ;+) and we may have spoken of them. July 24, 2012 at 5:37pm Reply

    • Victoria: There is a great movie called “Caro Diario” (Dear Diary). It has a terrific scene based on the film director’s own story. He experiences a terrible itch and goes from one doctor to another. The dermatologist makes him go through a number of tests for allergies, and he discovers that he’s allergic to just about everything. In the end, the cause for his itch was something completely different.
      And adding to your point, just because you can’t smell something, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t trigger some sort of reaction in your body. July 24, 2012 at 6:28pm Reply

  • Lynn Morgan: I stand corrected- it’s OperaGloves.com!
    Enjoy! July 24, 2012 at 5:37pm Reply

    • Victoria: Off to check it out! Thank you, Lynn. July 24, 2012 at 6:24pm Reply

  • Vishishta: Thanks V for the book recommendation. I always order your recommendations. Just got the Middle Eastern cookbook you liked. I love the description of the apricot desserts and how they’re made.
    I also love the idea of a scented glove, but of course it’s useless in California! July 24, 2012 at 6:25pm Reply

    • Victoria: 🙂 In California I wished I had little cotton gloves to protect my hands from too much sun. They kept burning even if I wore sunscreen.

      Yay! I’m so happy that you got Claudia Roden’s book. I love all of her books, and her recipes work perfectly. I made her recipe for Egyptian Dukkah just the other day. It’s similar to the South Indian dry powders. With with bread and olive oil, it’s downright addictive. July 24, 2012 at 6:37pm Reply

      • Daisy: I LOVE dukkah!So easy and so yummy. Mmmmm! July 24, 2012 at 9:00pm Reply

        • Victoria: Do you just eat it with bread and olive oil and do something else with it? July 25, 2012 at 8:36am Reply

          • Daisy: Yes, bread and olive oil. I’ve seen it used as a crust or part of a breading seasoning, but can’t vouch for that usage personally. It does sound delicious right now 🙂 July 25, 2012 at 7:19pm Reply

  • Lynn Morgan: So-called “fragrance sensitivity” has about the same scientific credence as abducted by UFOs and probed by aliens! When did bogus allergies become a status symbol? It’s just a sign that Darwin was right and you should have never survived this long! Please stop sniveling, and for the love of god bail out of the gene pool before you breed- you’re weakenig the species. This “heightened sensitivity” doesn’t make you a more refined or superior person, galloping neuransthenia having gone out with the vapors and smelling salts, and bloomers on piano legs. It doesn’t make you special, just socially tedious- witness anyone at a diner party who expounds upon the evils of gluten or whatever food fetish du jour while others are trying to enjoy the food and the company. I am sorry if some scents bother you- amn up and stay up wind! July 24, 2012 at 7:02pm Reply

    • Victoria: Now, this is a classic Lynn Morgan comment! I’m laughing so hard I woke up my husband.
      I’m sure that strong odors can trigger migraines (and as a migraine sufferer I’ve experienced that), but what Vishishta described, a reaction triggered by the traces of scent on her clothing, seems very strong. I believe that this woman really suffers, but it also makes me wonder how on earth she manages to survive in our scented world. You can’t even go grocery shopping without being assaulted by the scents of fabric softeners and candles. July 24, 2012 at 7:11pm Reply

  • Vishishta: She had to stay home and in her room for quite some time. Now, she says that exposure to scents that disturb can be less disturbing if she carefully limits the amount of time she is exposed to them–like walking quickly through the detergent section. She is one of many I’ve heard of with this severe limitation–one other woman I knew had to live in her car! Now she is better.
    I agree though, that it is not a sign of extreme sensitivity, only of some damage–because these people, over time, do recover somewhat.
    Yes, I love the Egyptian recipes. Can’t wait to try some in my new abode! And also will order that great sounding Oder and the French Imagination! Thanks! July 24, 2012 at 7:18pm Reply

    • Victoria: Gosh, that sounds really awful!

      Take care with your move! I’ve moved already 2 times in the past 3 months, and a third move is on the horizon. So, if you need any moving pointers, I might have developed a minor expertise there. 🙂 July 25, 2012 at 8:35am Reply

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