If you can read in French, I highly recommend the new book about perfumer Laurent Bruyère. Titled Laurent Bruyère : Formules Secrètes d’ un Parfumeur, it’s written by Soraya Bouvier Feder and features a preface by perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez. Bruyère’s story is as inspiring as it is tragic, since he passed away in 2008 at the age of 43.
In her book, Felder interviews Laurent’s close friends and colleagues, including Jean Paul Guerlain, Jean Michel Duriez, Daniel Harlant, Anne-Marie Saget, and Thierry Trotobas, and gives us a glimpse into his world. Bruyère worked for many years at International Flavors & Fragrances before leaving for Mane, and IFF’s perfumer Dominique Ropion was one of his mentors.
Bruyère was a self-taught perfumer with an incredible passion for older fragrances, especially Guerlain (he had a Mitsouko label tattooed on his arm). You only need to take a look at his portfolio to see the range of his talent: Cacharel Amor Amor, Thierry Mugler Alien, Costume National Scent and Scent Intense, Escada Sexy Graffiti (easily one of the best from Escada), to name a few. I hope this tribute to his art will be available in English too.
Available at arbrealettres.com, chapitre.com. 27-29.00 € (in French)
10 Comments
Anka: Thanks for the tip, my french is rather mediocre but I’ll try to read it because it sounds very interesting.
I really like Bruyère’s tattoo … such a unique statement! August 5, 2013 at 9:02am
Victoria: He definitely was a unique character! By the time I started working for IFF, he already left for Mane, but I heard so many stories about him and his passion for Guerlain. August 5, 2013 at 10:29am
Ziggy: I should read this–sounds like a good way to brush up on my awful French, and an interesting read to boot.
Appreciate the mention of Sexy Graffiti. My parents brought it back as a gift for me after a visit to Paris in the early 2000s. I’m usually not a fan of fruity scents, but my memory of that frag is of a sensuous grapefruit musk. Sounds awful, but at the time, I loved it. I haven’t smelled the 2011 version. I don’t want to ruin my memory of the original. August 5, 2013 at 10:32am
Victoria: Doesn’t sound awful at all! Plus, it takes more skill to create a clever fruity floral than one of those heavy amber blends, which are so beloved by the niche perfume lines. Escada had another terrific citrus-fruity blend, Chiffon Sorbet. It had such a bright, delicious black currant and mango top and a soft blend of woods and vanilla in the drydown. Fun, vivid and not at all boring. August 5, 2013 at 12:30pm
Ziggy: Ooh, I love that name. Makes me want to make a summer dessert! August 5, 2013 at 3:52pm
Victoria: Makes me hungry just thinking about it. I imagine a vanilla chiffon cake served with lemon sorbet, but the perfume doesn’t really smell like that. 🙂 August 6, 2013 at 8:24am
Ziggy: OK, this weekend I was out sniffing and smelled the 2011 version of Sexy Graffiti. I don’t knee-jerk hate reformulations, but this was a sad, sour shadow of the magnificent original. Makes me wish I had cherished my 2002 bottle! August 9, 2013 at 2:50pm
Victoria: Oh no! I’m so disappointed to hear this. August 10, 2013 at 4:24pm
Daisy: Am sending a note to a friend of mine to bring this back from Paris. Sounds like a fascinating read even if the subject was troubled.
This post makes me think of The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski about the chef Bernard Loiseau? It’s a well-done biography. August 5, 2013 at 12:16pm
Victoria: Funny that you mention The Perfectionist, because I’m reading it right now. It’s an excellent biography, very well researched. August 5, 2013 at 12:39pm