News: 582 posts

Two weeks ago my husband and I had a picnic at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, one of the most serene spots in New York. The pink confetti of cherry petals kept getting caught in my hair and the sky looked a perfect robin egg blue. I felt lightheaded and happy, both from our surreptitious sips of well-concealed champagne and the fragrance of peonies and wisteria. Two weeks later, the cherry blossoms were swept away, the rains robbed the lilacs of their perfume, and the weekly routine of meetings and household chores threatened to suffocate me. Since I live by my nose, scent invariably becomes my escape. That’s how I became determined to find a perfume that would put me in a springtime mood no matter what the calendar month.

The Financial Times “How to Spend It” Magazine has published my article called The Myriad Scents of Spring. In this piece, I search for spring in the bottle and discuss a few of my favorite fragrances. Since our East Coast spring has slowly segued into summer, I already miss the perfume of cherry blossoms and bluebells.

Guerlain is launching a trio of new fragrances called Les Déserts d’Orient: Rose Nacrée du Désert, Encens Mythique d’Orient, and Songe d’Un Bois d’Été. “There has always been a beautiful love story, an undeniable and faithful bond,” says Les Déserts d’Orient press release, explaining that the collection is “a tribute to enchanting Arabia with three iconic creations that represent the Orient in all its original splendour. This legendary and historic birthplace of perfumes is the earliest land in the collective Western imagination, one that bears the most symbolic essences.” All three fragrances were created by Guerlain in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser, who sought to illustrate the oriental concept in his own way, “with sumptuousness and freedom, while giving dazzling expression to the notes that make these lands an inexhaustible source of inspiration.”

Rose Nacrée du Désert (Woody Floral)

“An intense rose, a bold flower, an established mystery… This oh-so delicate creation brings to mind a rose quivering with morning dewdrops. It showcases a magnificent Persian Rose specially selected by Thierry Wasser. Its characteristic essence gives a delicate, clever feel to this composition in which oud wood with smoky and amber accents finds full expression and adds a complex intonation with its deep presence. A single flower is nothing but a scent. It requires adornments to bring out its lasting nature with grace and subtlety. This intimate echo is strewn with saffron and other sweet and spicy notes. Subtle and voluptuous, it represents a continent where beauty is tangible from the first promise of dawn.”

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The Fragrance Foundation held its annual FiFi Awards on Monday, May 21st in New York. It’s the 40th Anniversary of the FiFi Awards and an actress, comedian, and singer Jane Lynch was hosting the ceremony. Without further ado, here are the winners:

Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year winner is Bond no 9 New York Oud created by perfumer Laurent Le Guernec

Luxe Women winner is Tom Ford Violet Blonde – Tom Ford Beauty

Luxe Men winner is Gucci Guilty Pour Homme – P&G Prestige

Nouveau Niche Women winner is Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge – Private Blend – Tom Ford Beauty

Nouveau Niche Men winner is Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge – Private Blend – Tom Ford Beauty

Fragrance Hall of Fame Men’s winner is Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio

Fragrance Hall of Fame Women’s winner is Hermes 24 Faubourg

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Diane von Furstenberg has launched a flanker to its fragrance Diane, Sunny Diane. “A lighter take on our signature fragrance Diane, Sunny is radiant, carefree and crisp. A fresh mix of sparkling citrus, sun-drenched frangipani blossoms and a faint hint of violet is emboldened by a tinge of musk.”

Created by perfumer Aurélien Guichard, this fresh fruity floral includes citrus, mandarin, sea breeze accord, frangipani, violet, driftwood, and musk. Available as Eau de Toilette, 100ml/$55, directly from dvf.com, Sephora, Nordstrom and other major retailers. Via DVF press release

Would you guess that this boy with a head full of tight curls is our Uncle Serge? At first, I had a hard time seeing the resemblance between this boy and the Serge Lutens I know from current photographs. But as I looked closer, I recognized the same intensity in his gaze. You can see more photographs of Lutens at different stages of his life in Le Monde’s feature La Vie en Images de Serge Lutens. The captions are in French, but the photos speak for themselves.

Thank you to Paola for the link!