May 2008: 13 posts

The deeper I delve into perfumery, the more often I pose the question, “why perfume?” to myself. Why do I write about perfume? Why is it that exploring this subject never fails to be exciting and fascinating? Perhaps, it is because scents provide a way to experience the world in a manner that cannot be replicated with any of our other senses. Recently, an illustration of this appeared in the guise of Annick Goutal Les Orientalistes, a trio of fragrances inspired by the classical oriental notes—amber (Ambre Fétiche,) myrrh (Myrrhe Ardente) and frankincense (Encens Flamboyant.) They offered me an inspiration to dream.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

White jasmine, black jasmine. New love, old flame. That is how I think of Sarrasins, the newest fragrance from Serge Lutens’s exclusive range, and À La Nuit, the 2000 launch. Given the deep purple color of Sarrasins, one is led to expect a dark and sonorous rendition of jasmine. However, nothing could be further from the truth—Sarrasins is radiant, almost see-through, from its initial burst of citrus and wintergreen notes to the dry, leathery base. By contrast, À La Nuit has a remarkable heft, given its high calorie oriental base of vanillic balsams and resins. …

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It is now almost the end of May, and while it is too early to tally up the launches and pick favorites, I cannot resist making a list of upcoming fragrances that spark my curiosity. It is not a complete list of new launches, by any means, but simply a list I keep for myself of new perfumes that catch my eye for one reason or another. They may be coming from a brand I like, have an interesting story behind them or just seem like they could offer something different.

• NEW: Serge Lutens El Attarine–attar, everlasting flowers, Serge Lutens’s Morocco… It sounds like a Lutens classic in the making. Exclusive collection.

• NEW: Serge Lutens Serge Noire –Another exciting Lutens to anticipate. Export collection.

• NEW: Tom Ford White Patchouli, Italian Cypress, Arabian Wood–White Patchouli is coming in September, and it is going to be a fragrance based around patchouli, a counterpart to Black Orchid. The notes include dark, smoky patchouli, peony, bergamot, jasmine, rose, coriander, ambrette seeds. Italian Cypress and Arabian Wood will be the new fragrances in the Private Blend Collection. They will commemorate the opening of Tom Ford boutiques in Milan and Kuwait.

• NEW: Prada Infusion for Men–a masculine counterpart to Infusion d’Iris. Features notes of neroli, iris pallida, vetiver, cedarwood, incense and benzoin. Sounds simply wonderful!

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The winners of 2008 have been announced. As The Fragrance Foundation commented, “On Tuesday evening, the 36th Annual FiFi® Awards were hosted by The Fragrance Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The stars were out as notable presenters Zac Posen, Salt-N-Pepa, Danity Kane, Alyson Hannigan, Cynthia Rowley, and Bernadette Peters took the stage to honor the industry’s luminaries with the coveted FiFi ® Awards trophy.”

Hall of Fame Award Winner: Vera Wang

FRAGRANCE HALL OF FAME
Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien – Gary Farn, Ltd.

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S LUXE
Daisy Marc Jacobs – Coty Prestige

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S LUXE
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S NOUVEAU NICHE
Prada Infusion d’Iris – Puig Beauty & Fashion Group

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S NOUVEAU NICHE
Armani Privé Vetiver Babylone – Giorgio Armani Beauty

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Life is full of ironies. The more I smell Dior Addict, the more I admire it and the more I realize that I will never be able to wear it. The contrasts between a languid floral oriental and an assertive dry chypre that fascinate me on a technical level render the fragrance very sharp. The impressive sillage of dry woody notes and rich vanilla drapes around me like heavy velvet. Russian women, whose tastes in perfume run the gamut from classical floral aldehydic to high calorie orientals, embraced it, but according to market research, they are the only ones who did. …

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