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

While the newest Miller Harris fragrance, Fleurs de Sel is inspired by the traditional fragrance concept, it is a modern composition with a nod to the classical past. Our love affair with chypre fragrances—those complex and intense harmonies of citrus, floral, woody, mossy and animalic notes—has always been tumultuous. If some families such as florals have an immediate and familiar appeal, abstract chypres require more patience in order to appreciate them. Yet, witnessing the revival of the family over the past few years leads me to conclude that we are once again in a chypre-infatuated decade. …

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It looks to be a busy fall in terms of new fragrances! Chanel is preparing to launch a new fragrance called Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere, which “will incorporate all of No.5’s original ingredients–including rose absolute, jasmine, neroli and ylang-ylang–but rebalanced in a lighter, airier formula by Jacques Polge.”

Givenchy will follow the recent trend of dipping into the archives by relaunching Eau de Givenchy, Givenchy III, Le De, Monsieur and Eau de Vetyver. L’Interdit will also be a part of this collection.

In other news, we are to anticipate a new launch from Prada called Infusion d’Iris as well as from Marc Jacobs called Modern Gardenia. There will also be a release from Judith Leiber in September. “The eponymous scent, featuring Italian bergamot as well as jasmine and rose notes, was created by Karine Dubreil of Mane and was inspired by Leiber’s new fine jewelry line.” Tom Ford For Men, Tom Ford Voile de Fleur, Guerlain My Insolence, Dior Midnight Poison, Emporio Armani Diamonds, Emilio Pucci Vivara, Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa, Monique Lhuillier, Banana Republic Malachite and Cordovan, Jo Malone White Jasmine and Mint, and Thierry Mugler La Part des Anges are among other fragrances to be launched in the fall. (From Women’s Wear Daily “A Closer Look: Fragrance,” May 26, 2007).

Every Friday, the perfume article packed issue of Women’s Wear Daily lands on my desk. Following my usual habit, I jot down the fragrances to be launched and place an asterisk next to those that capture my attention. Below is the list of a few such fragrances (in no particular order.) I would like to know what launch you are anticipating.

Hermès Kelly Calèche (June 2007)
Floral leather created by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, Kelly Calèche sounds like a fragrance made just for me. I am almost afraid to try it, for the fear of being disappointed. The best description comes from WWD: “One of the first things I wanted to do when I entered Hermès was work with leather,” said Ellena. He also kept in mind a passage from French author Jean Giono’s “Jean le Bleu,” in which the narrator speaks of his departed father, a cobbler, as “making soles in angel leather. … Jean-Claude wanted to do a floral leather,” explained Fulconis. To that end, Ellena combined notes of iris, mimosa, tuberose and climbing rose to create Kelly Calèche.”

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is having an exhibit titled “Poiret: King of Fashion.” Time has not been favorable to Paul Poiret, a truly avant-garde designer, who at the turn of the 20th century has not only liberated women from corsets, but also ushered in modernism in fashion and created the first line of fragrances associated with fashion (a decade before Coco Chanel and Chanel No 5, one might add). Parfums de Rosine fragrance line, composed by great perfumers like Henri Alméras and Maurice Schaller, was as unique as his fashion designs. Poiret, unable to adjust to the changing times due to the political and economic upheavals, died in poverty, and his achievements have never been truly recognized, neither in fashion nor in fragrance.

The exhibit give a chance to understand the complex personality of Poiret as well as the intricacies of his fashions and presentations. After visiting once, I am planning to return again, because it was simply one of the best fashion exhibits I have seen. It is time that Poiret has truly received the recognition he deserved. Please see more information on The Metropolitan Museum website. The exhibit runs till August, 2007.

Advertisement for Rosine’s Le Fruit Défendu (1914) from 1000 Fragrances blog.

“Call it the Davos of nose, the olfactory Olympics, the Sundance of Scent. On June 5, representatives of more than 50 top fragrance-and-flavor companies will converge at the World Perfumery Congress in Cannes, France, to charm potential customers and herald their latest innovations. Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan, the industry leader, will speak on “The Noses of Tomorrow.” The latest robotic smell mixers will be on display. International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), Givaudan’s closest rival, will fly in most of its 96 top scent developers separately to the June congress; their noses are so precious that IFF prohibits more than two from ever traveling on the same plane. In addition to trading tips on new smell-rendering techniques and technologies, these wizards of whiff will toss around novel scent combinations employing hydroponic vegetables, Chinese herbs, Indian spices and other recent additions to their olfactory palettes.”

Read the rest of the article in Time Magazine.