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

The most surprising aspect of Hermès Hiris is the contrast between the softness of its composition and the strength of its character. Created in 1999 by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, it exemplifies the style of perfumery that she went on to cultivate—linear, pastel toned etudes that are nevertheless quite memorable and distinctive. The iris in Hiris is a bold, vibrant note, yet wrapped in a soft aldehydic accord as if in layers of tulle. It appears cool, abstract and luminous. Perhaps this teasing, distant iris, like a vision of something beautiful through the fog, is what gives Hiris its introspective aura.

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My reader, Red, put it quite succinctly when we were discussing our fragrance shopping experience, “I am often confused and frustrated with the way retail fragrance counters are arranged and have all but given up the past pleasure of trying new scents on my lunch break.” Department stores with their crowded and poorly organized fragrance bars, commission driven sales personnel and lack of useful information definitely make fragrance shopping frustrating. Of course, in New York and other big cities there are various fragrance boutiques,where one can find a broad range of fragrances as well as passionate and well-informed staff; however, the reality for most fragrance shoppers is the department store. As much as I complain about the department store fragrance bar, I still love having lots of different fragrances to sample in one location while also checking in on the latest shoe sale. What if all one has nearby is Macy’s? It is in fact possible optimize the fragrance shopping experience. Below I will share several tips that have worked for me during my department store expeditions. Do you have tips of your own? Please feel free to share! I am always up for anything to make the fragrance shopping as efficient and pleasant as possible.

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

Ukiyo-e refers to the Japanese genre of wood block prints that depict nature, landscapes, town life, and pleasure quarters, with the word itself meaning “pictures of the floating world.” An allusion to evanescence, fleeting encounters and ephemeral visions is fitting for the style of perfumery that has become the trademark of Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. His fragrances are marked by minimalism and refinement, and Hermessence Hris Ukiyoé is no exception. It is a fresh green floral composition that is executed with all of the classical Ellena elements intact—sheer floral notes, watery green accords, subtle accents of woods.

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Fragrance of the orange
Flowering at last in June
Wafts through the summer night
The memory of scented sleeves
Of someone long ago.
Kokinshu III:139 Anonymous , from collection of Japanese poetry compiled in the 10th century AD

Fragrances that can make one fall deep into a daydream are to be cherished, particularly because they are rare. Over the past week, I found myself dabbing Temple on my wrists and pushing aside my fragrance chemistry papers.  Instead I was reaching for anthologies of Japanese poetry and I knew that I had found my potion. Temple made me wonder if the scented sleeves of the poem were perfumed with kyara/agarwood incense; it made me remember a visit to the Mahalakshmi shrine in Mumbai where incense offered to the goddess was then distributed among the worshippers; it made me yearn for a perfume souk in Damascus where one can still find fine aged oud beside the knockoffs of Hugo Boss. All of this in a drop of perfume… If that is not special, I do not know what is.

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Imagine if you walked into a liquor shop and found that every single bottle of wine, red or white, French or Chilean, vintage or regular table variety, was actually touted to be the best wine in the whole world. The shop assistant, instead of listening to your likes and your dinner plans, would flatly state, “Let me show you the latest thing we have received. It is my favorite. It is made from the special, “radiant golden” grapes. Men especially happen to like it.” To top it all off, imagine if all wines were haphazardly arranged on shelves, with no logical organization method. It sounds absurd, yet this is the way fragrance is sold today. Perhaps the main issue is that while the pace of fragrance launches has accelerated from about 100 in 1990 to nearly a thousand in 2009, the way fragrance is sold has not changed in decades.

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