Victoria: 2669 posts

“Why does all I do become Byzantine?” mused Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. The silhouettes of her garments might have been streamlined and paired down, but the embellishments would be sumptuous: baroque jewels, ornate camellias, richly textured embroideries. Byzantine may not be the first association with Chanel fragrances, which tend to be polished and understated. Yet, if you look closer, you will find plenty of intricate details that make each perfume memorable: the luscious ylang-ylang of No 5, the smoky incense of No 22 or even the vivid technicolor jasmine of Coco Mademoiselle. Coco Noir, the latest addition to Chanel’s collection, promises to take Byzantine a notch further.

With Venetian fabrics and colors inspiring perfumer Jacques Polge, how can Coco Noir be anything but Byzantine! In order to weave his perfume story, Polge looked to the time Coco Chanel spent in Venice in 1919. She fell in love with the city, which she visited in an attempt to ease the pain of the sudden death of her lover, Boy Capel. The exquisite beauty of Venice seduces her and its Byzanthine influences stayed with Chanel for the rest of her life.

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A consequence of the popularity of Middle Eastern style fragrances and the need to understand the local market is that the big companies are seeking to hire perfumers of Middle Eastern origin. Firmenich is currently looking:

“We are thinking of recruiting a perfumer from the GCC countries: an Emirati perfumer, a Saudi perfumer or an Omani perfumer,” said Firmenich general manager Louis Lecoeur. “We want someone with the culture of oils and fragrances who we could train to follow the practices of perfumers today.”

More via thenational.ae

A man at the outdoor market where I shop each Friday cuts melons to entice customers. He lays out a colorful platter that looks like a Byzanthine mosaic of golden cantaloupe slivers, opalescent musk melon cubes, with an occasional splash of watermelon red. The colors makes me wish that I had a big pile of summer dresses in these shades, but it’s the scent that makes me bring home more fruit than the two of us can possibly eat. The perfume of ripe melon has an almost tangible quality, and its musky sweetness is so seductive, I feel lightheaded.

Yet, as much as I love melons, when I hear that a perfume contains this note, I approach it with caution. Too many melon fragrances have crossed my path that smelled either too sweet, too artificial or both. For this reason, it took me a very long time to try Parfums DelRae Emotionnelle.

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More Noir perfumes for fall. Agent Provocateur will release a new fragrance called Pétale Noir in October 2012. The concept behind the fragrance is a hidden dark secret.  Pétale Noir is a floral oriental perfume, which includes notes of water lily, violet leaves, hyacinth, magnolia, rose absolute, ylang ylang, neroli, heliotrope, osmanthus, ginger, tobacco leaf, amber, and leather.

A body elixir will be launched alongside the perfume, “promising aphrodisiac properties and a tingly feeling on the skin.” Via theupcoming

Over the past few weeks, I’ve reviewed a few summery fruity-floral fragrances, from Parfums de Nicolaï L’Eau à la Folie to Parfums DelRae Emotionnelle. As I was wearing these fun and bubbly perfumes, I realized that I’m enjoying them far more than I thought I would.

I love iris, woods and jasmine notes. Those scents are immediately appealing and don’t require me to try too hard. But I always think of fruity notes as difficult. Yet, when I examine some of my favorites closely, I realize that I have quite a few fruity scents that I love and wouldn’t give up for anything: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune (my most recent rediscovery thanks to Suzanna’s review), Hermès Un Jardin Après La Mousson, Vero Profumo Rubj, Donna Karan Be Delicious, to name a few.

What about you? What are your favorite fruity or fruity floral perfumes? And feel free to say that you dislike all fruity fragrances!

By the way, you might have noticed that there is a clear summer theme on Bois de Jasmin this week. This is because even my rainy Northern city has finally received its share of sunshine!

Gooseberries photo by Bois de Jasmin