Those of you who enjoy eaux de cologne know how refreshing and uplifting these citrus accented fragrances can be. The effervescence of bergamot peel and orange blossom gives a jolt that I find comparable to a cup of coffee. Even if the buzz wears off quickly—citrus perfumes are quite volatile—the initial effect is rejuvenating. But what took me longer to understand–and what I discovered via the iris inflected Thirdman Eau Moderne—is how elegant and versatile citrus colognes can be.

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What perfume or fashion habits have you picked up from your mother or grandmother?

“My grandmother will not leave the house without perfect hair and perfect makeup and her splash of perfume,” explained actress Natalie Portman about her “new mom” fashion style. Portman always seems to be well-put together and elegant. Her photos in fashion magazines usually appear in the best-dressed, rather than fashion disaster columns. Still, I liked the quote and the accompanying photos of the movie star in a trench coat and black pumps.

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I have to thank my reader Jill for helping me discover the vintage perfume gem that is Nicky Verfaillie Grain de Sable. Jill contacted me to add a couple of fragrances to the Long Lost Favorite Perfume series I started to run on Fridays, and Grain de Sable was one of them.  “I had never smelled anything like it then, and I still pine for it,” explained Jill.  As it turns out, she keeps company with Luca Turin in her love for Grain de Sable. Luca called it an “obscure masterpiece” in his NZZ Folio article, and it was to him that I turned for help.

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In a Wall Street Journal article Frédéric Malle Finds the Perfect Chemistry the founder of Editions de Parfums talks about his attention to quality, love for New York’s Central Park and Friday night routines.

What’s your Friday routine like?

I might go to the movies if there is anything interesting. I try to see very good movies. I am an absolute sucker for the very stupid American comedies. I could have seen “Bridesmaids” two times. So I go very low. But on the other hand I love the genre noir. My oldest son is now trying to earn his living making movies. Since he was 5 years old, we have gone to the cinema together. I recently saw “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” with him. I thought it was very well-made.

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Smoky leather and green jasmine… The first time I smelled Coty Chypre I was startled by its wistful aura. For months before Chypre and I finally met I had fantasized about how dramatic and roughhewn it must have been to simultaneously set a new trend and to shock its contemporaries. But as I discovered, Chypre is alluring and harmonious, if not exactly well-behaved. I fell hard for its dark leather accord, which I subsequently spotted in Chanel Cuir de Russie, enjoyed in Robert Piguet Bandit and mourned in the reformulated Parfums Gres Cabochard. Finding Knize Ten is a flashback to the first time I dabbed a few dark drops of Chypre on my wrist and discovered that leather can be devastatingly seductive.

Knize Ten was created in 1924—just seven years after Chypre—by François Coty and Vincent Roubert, and it isn’t surprising that someone who loves the early 20^th century perfumes would be taken by it as well. (A perfume lab rumor is that Ernest Beaux also was involved, which makes Knize Ten one of the best collaborative efforts.) More unexpected is how well this gem has weathered the past century. Today the fragrances are reformulated on what seems to be a daily basis, and anything older than a year is likely to be altered. Knize Ten, however, has managed to survive more or less intact. As I’m writing this review, I have the current Eau de Toilette on one wrist and the 1950s formulation on another. The new version is wonderful.

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