It's Fragrance Week in New York City and San Francisco. Download a brochure listing all the associated events from The Fragrance Foundation's website.
Shop Etc magazine has a feature this month on "Miracle Workers", in which 10 "insiders" share the one "brilliant beauty buy" they are most grateful for every day. Chandler Burr picks Vera Wang: "I've smelled pretty much every fragrance and this clean, clear floral is one of the only perfumes that's appropriate to wear in every situation, from a workout session to a black-tie affair." Thanks to Sara for passing on the quote!
Two fragrance articles in yesterday's New York Times: Chandler Burr talks to Sarah Jessica Parker about Lovely, and a short piece on Guerlain Jicky. Also an interesting article on Rochas Femme in the UK Times Online (thanks Marcello!).
I am sure I will not be the only one today who will comment incredulously, “Vera Wang”???
“I've smelled pretty much every fragrance”? And Vera Wang is his HG? I don't get it. I appreciate what Chandler is doing in terms of getting fragrance mainstream coverage and media attention, and getting it recognized as a popular art form, but I rarely seem to agree with his tastes.
OK, also, the article on Jicky is weird. The world's first androgynous scent? It makes it sound as if fragrance were strictly gendered all throughout history until Jicky miraculously bridged the gender gap in the late 19th. Which is not the case.
Well, I am sort of disqualified from commenting because I have even smelled it
T, Well, as I said above, have never smelled it so I can't really comment! I don't always agree with his tastes either, although I do like some of the scents he has listed as favorites on his website — En Passant, for instance.
Agreed, it is not historically accurate on that score.
You have smelled it, R. You've smelled it in 1000s other floral scents out there. It is a floral by numbers. I don't want to sound unkind to it, it is a pleasant scent, but it is very unremarkable.
signed Evil Twin
I knew one of those fragrances SJP used was the Bonne Belle musk. I understand she's been wearing it for years. I can't stand it, but would love for her to feel confident enough to go on and do a “dirty” fragrance.
Sorry, but Lovely smell like Narciso to my nose.
I also love En Passant and Bigarade from the Malle line, as does Chandler, but some of his others perplex me. It's mostly because he seems to like these extremely sheer fragrances, which are so inoffensive as to be nonexistent. But he did like Ambre Narguilé, which I liked a lot, and I'm sure we've shared a few others.
Femme was the first classic I wore at 16-17. I did not know what a chypre was or even how to say it. I owned the parfum and it was wonderous. I have no idea what they have done to this beauty but I would no longer even think of wearing it.
Ah Jicky! I came quite late to it,how did I overlook you? Perhaps
because the tester always seemed to be edt which did not do you justice.
The pdt or parfum is the way for anyone to discover why Jicy was such a groundbreaker. The lavender rosemary herbal start then the scream of civet and oriental.
R, I will have to take your word for it because I can't smell Narciso at all! I hope she does something more adventurous next time too.
D, I really wish I had smelled Femme before they reformulated it! I understand it was wonderful.
I can sort of see what he's saying about Vera Wang. I consider it a very elegant fragrance. Nothing that I've ever been compelled to purchase though. It's not quite right fitting for me, so really it goes with no situations at all personally. But it's certainly a nice one. (If I want a scent that fits with any and all occasions, that'd be Organza Indecence.)
Ah, well, then I don't need to run to the store? Or, since you are my Evil Twin, I DO need to run to the store? Hmm…
K, Have been trying to think of what I would recommend for a fragrance you could wear absolutely anywhere, and can't come up with a darn thing other than a dab of Egyptian Musk. That is probably why Shop Etc didn't call me for advice, LOL!
I actually really like Vera Wang. It's ultra-feminine in a very proper sort of way. Very much the kind of thing I could see wearing to a fancy wedding.
I really wanted to like SJP's perfume. When I sampled it, I thought the initial “soft” top notes were fantastic -they indeed lived up to the perfume's name. Had the perfume retained these notes I would have purchased it immediately. Unfortunately soon after, the musk monster appeared and overpowered everything.
Musk seems to be very popular among perfume wearers: I guess it smells light & clean with many peoples chemistry. On me it simply smells sweaty and unpleasant – like I haven't bathed. I found myself wishing the beautiful top notes had been grounded with moss or wood instead.
Cumin has the same nasty effect on me (good grief why do people put cumin in fragrances! no one wants to smell like an enchilada!)
Musk doesn't usually bother me, but I completely agree with you on the cumin. I adore cumin in food, but simply can't stand it in fragrance unless it is very, very light. It just smells like sweat to me.
I don't have the issue at hand, but I think I remember noting that the article doesn't even mention lavender among the notes!
the combo she describes sounds interesting, but she calls the CDG scent masculine (was it Avignon?). I always saw the CDG line as being pointedly un-sexed in most cases.
there was also a little profile of Serge Lutens, with a portrait in his lovely Salon.
Well, I guess you wouldn't call Avignon feminine, at any rate, but agree that they are pretty much unisex fragrances.
Thanks, I missed that!