Taking page from the vintage principle, Thierry Mugler Angel shall receive a new treatment. As the press release explains, Angel La Part des Anges “is macerated in a cherry wood cask for a more subtle fragrance. In this experiment, the Perfume Extract comes into contact with elements that are usually incompatible in the process of making a perfume: air and time. The wood allows the Perfume Extract to “breathe” and with the air and the passing of days, it is gradually transformed into the famous “part” or “share” which delights the Angels. And as with Eaux-de-vie, time reduces the volume to an Extract whose fragrance transcends the original.”

The Swarowski crystal decorated .33oz bottle ($220) will be available in November 2007 at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks5thAvenue and Bloomingdales.

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

In many ways, perfumery has to build upon its past—within every new and groundbreaking idea there is a kernel of tradition. Over the past few years, we have seen Guerlain, Chanel, Robert Piguet, and Lancôme opening their archives. Although Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia is not a re-issue of the classical Estée Lauder Private Collection introduced in 1973, its clear connection with the great Lauder legacy makes it an exciting launch. Whatever expectations I had of this fragrance, they were more than exceeded when I finally had a chance to try it….

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“Smell and Taste – the chemical senses. They carry meaning to perceive and evaluate reality, but also evoke memories, feelings, and desires, and the power of olfactory sensations seems almost magical to many of us. The chemistry behind these, however, is no mystery.”

Thus is introduced the conference which will take place on 24-26 September, 2007 at Imperial College in London. The topics of this event which is open to researchers, industry professionals, journalists as well as anyone interested in fragrance range from natural products and flavors, to olfaction, perfumery and fragrance chemistry. While the full program can be viewed on the Conference website, among the speakers discussing perfumery and olfaction, the schedule includes perfumers Céline Ellena (Charabot, Neuilly sur Seine), Geza Schoen (Escentric Molecules, Berlin) and Christophe Laudamiel (IFF, New York).

For further information and visiting arrangements, please see the Conference website or email at [email protected].

Bonus reading: interview with Celine Ellena in Smithsonian Magazine.

Shiloh (meaning “his gift” in Hebrew) is the latest fragrance created by perfumer Michel Roudnitska. Collaborating with Symine Salimpour, he composed a fragrance that combines bergamot, rose, patchouli, and woods in a dramatic and ravishing manner. Hors là Monde, the company created by Salimpour, has witnessed a law suit from Angelina Jolie over the name Shiloh.

As Washington Post article mentions, “After a five-month legal battle with perhaps the most famous mother and child on the planet, Angelina Jolie and Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, Salimpour won the legal right to call her new perfume Shiloh.” Salimpour began developing the fragrance long before Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt was born on May 27, 2006.

Painting: Marc Chagall, Bride with a Fan.

I detest the heat, but I love the scents of summer, from the warm, almost suffocating smell of the sun parched asphalt to the vivid green aroma of fresh tomatoes. The heat amplifies everything in the air, extending and twisting the facets of scents that are unobtrusive and subtle at other times. Below is my list of ten fragrances (in no particular order) that would make any summer day even better. Or any other day, for that matter…

1. Christian Dior Miss Dior

I find that many chypre fragrances embody the concept of jolie-laide (pretty-ugly), a beauty that it is oddly off key and yet incredibly striking. Wearing Miss Dior this summer, I am moved not only by its elegant form, but also by many of its twists—from the green sharpness of galbanum in the top notes to the animalic richness of the base. Its mossy, leathery drydown is addictive. These days, I find myself craving it more and more frequently.

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