Last week I spent a few days in New York City on the way to a friend’s wedding. (By the way, this was the friend for whom I asked your help choosing a wedding fragrance. She ended up wearing Chergui.) What follows is grab bag of mostly perfume-related information I picked up:
Creed’s Angelique Encens, which you can buy at Bergdorf Goodman, was not only Marlene Dietrich’s signature scent, it is also a favorite of Marie Osmond.
Robert, one of only four people in the world trained to present JAR fragrances, can tell you how to make an 8-minute martini that is supposed to be terrific. He also knows where to score a good bottle of scotch.
The Guerlain counter at Bergdorf’s stocks Vega, Philtre d’Amour, Liu, Derby, Plus Que Jamais, Attrape Coeur, and the Arts ets Matières line. Plus, you can try the parfum versions of Vol de Nuit, Shalimar, Mitsouko, and Chamade, among others.
The guy selling Clive Christian fragrances will tell you that Christian designs kitchens and will even show you pictures. The photo I saw looked like Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors with a fridge.
A Clé de Peau lipstick at Bergdorf’s costs $55. That’s enough money to buy Wet ‘N Wild for the entire Osmond family.
They call all-night flights “red eyes” for a reason. Pack Visine.
Despite its Duane Reade-like exterior, the New London Pharmacy at W 23rd and 8th Avenue has a tremendous perfume collection. On my way in to buy Visine, a row of Parfums de Nicolaï testers stopped me in my tracks. They were lined up by the cashier in the place you’d usually find Tic Tacs and batteries. Nearby were testers for Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, The Different Company, Miller Harris, Calypso, and more.
Rose 31 is Le Labo’s best seller.
Eddie from Le Labo says that fragrances shouldn’t be layered. They are designed to stand alone and will smell best that way. Eddie is very handsome and worth the trip just to have a look-see. He loved it that I wore Ormonde Woman.
When you buy perfume at Le Labo, they customize the bottle’s label so that it has your name on it. The box it comes in is sealed with a label in French and English. The English portion tells you if you get the perfume in your eyes you might want to watch Titanic and cry it out. The French section skips the Titanic recommendation and warns that smoking the perfume is bad for the bronchial tubes. The perfume also comes with a business card with a personal message scrawled on it. Mine says “Merci Jill”. My name is Angela, go figure.
Le Labo now has a small outpost at Barney’s.
Barney’s has a thoroughly manned perfume counter. Basically, an SA is posted every three feet or so. They will tell you that each of the Frederic Malles is "beautiful" on you even as they calculate their commission. They will also correct your pronunciation of Chergui, embarrassing you that you foolishly thought you were sophisticated enough to say it right the first time.
Having warm, dry feet makes all the difference on a blowing rain, soppy day.
The dogs at Aedes are the friendliest, sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. If you have sandaled, soaked feet from the rain, they will run up and lick your toes.
Don’t expect a big hug and smile when you visit Aedes. That’s what the dogs are for. If you say you like Ormonde Woman they look at you like you can’t even say Chergui properly. But if you are unfazed by your reception, you will get terrific recommendations and a purse full of samples to try at your leisure and order later online, if you want. Plus, they will tell you when a scent just plain doesn’t work on you. Plus plus, the store could easily double as Cher’s boudoir (see picture above).
Don’t try to smell everything, because you will end up with a headache and a dead nose. If you can get samples of what you want to try, follow the guy at Aedes’ advice and wear one a day. Let it develop and take notes.
Honey, this is my favorite entry in nowsmellthis, and one of the most enjoyable things I've read anywhere in a long, long time. I laughed divinely.
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It was a whirlwind couple of days, and my clothes hamper (I still need to do my vacation laundry) smells like a bordello from all the perfume I tried!
Nice write up!
and Chergui…for a bride? Doesnt seem like a fragrance for that occasion for some reason…
It isn't particularly bride-like for sure, but it sure does smell good on her. The runner up was Acqua de Biella's Bursch, which isn't very bride-like, either.
I agree – how fun is this article?
I'm not a fan of the SAs at Barney's. Even if you say something right, they'll correct you just to correct you.
So funny! Can't imagine Chergui on a bride AT ALL! And the woman that can wear it must be an amazing catch, you go girl! I hate the snobs at Barney's too, although they all have amazingly coiffed hair, right?!
I am dying to go to Aedes, but I know I will be disapointed by the owners. I want to tell them how much I appreciate that they pay for Saturday delivery just for my silly little samples! (the customer service is spot on there!) Oh well, I love dogs more than people so I guess I would just tell them. Did you not visit Bond? Oh you bad, bad girl… tell me you got a cupcake from Magnolia at least… the “Key Lime with Toasted Coconut” or just a “Vanilla Vanilla”. Oh I wanna be in Manhattan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are so nice to say so. I think I'll work on mastering the pronounciation of a few tough words to throw around when my ego needs salvaging (“a glass of Bourgeuil, anyone?”).
K, I was only in Manhattan for two days, and there is so much that I missed! I didn't go to Bond, or the L'Artisan store, or Takashimaya. Although I ate like a horse, I missed the Magnolia Bakery (perhaps this is for the best). I definitely need to go back for a good week, at least. And I bet you'll really like Aedes once you know what to expect! I liked them a lot. (What darling dogs, too.)
What a fun read this was!
Thanks for transporting us to the shrine of New York niche perfumes, Aedes. Fun trip this must have been for you.
And the bride wore Chergui….sounds like a silver screen gem, replete with Crawford.
It was a fun trip! As added info, I'm pretty sure the groom wore one of the CdG incense series scents.
Ah, to be eating and sniffing in New York! Interesting info about the Guerlain counter at Bergdorf's. (What do you think of Attrape Coeur and Bois D'Armenie?) I always thought it was pronounced “cher-j(u)-whee”, but this could be terribly wrong. I met a very nice Malle SA at Barneys in LA, who was sweet and honest, but sometimes I suppose I just get excited to meet SAs that seem to know what they're talking about. With some I feel like snatching the bottle and saying “Here, let me sell it, please.”
I loved the smokiness of the Bois d'Armenie. The Attrape Coeur is a satisfying Guerlain-ish Guerlain, girly with lots of iris, but not anything I need to own. I was surprised at how citrusy the Liu and Vega smelled to me.
As for Chergui, I always said it “share-goo-ee” with an emphasis on the “ee” part, but the SA said it is “share-ghee” with a hard “g” sound. I think the top dog of Barneys perfume was there (mid 50s, grey ponytail, arty eyeglasses, named Tim?) which may have put the SAs in a particularly gungho mood. One great thing about Barneys was, though, that on my way out the SA at Sheseido, a pirate-turned-model looking man, said I smelled divine. He sniffed his way up and down my arms and pronounced that Le Labo Iris was the winner.
Great write-up. NYC has got to be the best perfume spot in the world next to Paris. Sounds like you had a blast!
What fun! Such a pleasure to read this.
So…does Begrodrf have Bois d'Armenie too? *starts saving her pennies…um, cents*
It's funny about chilly initial reception in Aedes. They are extremely nice in their emails.
And, wow, Rose 31 is the besteseller. Interesting.
Oh how I wish I could be writing about a trip to Paris! Maybe someday. I'd better start laying away some $$ now….
Yep, Bergdorf has the Bois d'A, and it was really tempting for me, too. I had to limit myself to one bottle purchase, so I bought the Le Labo Iris as a change of pace from my usual perfume, but I do think about the B d'A from time to time. (Incidentally, the Iris is supposed to have more patchouli than Le Labo's Patchouli, isn't that weird?)
*MAD APPLAUSE*
Wonderful piece.
I would like some more specifics about Eddie.
Alas, Eddie did mention that his girlfriend is a perfumer, but a girl can dream. He's medium height and build, with short brown hair and a smart, dreamy, enthusiastic way of describing perfume. He's French, too.
Ah, what fun this was to read! No New York here in Chicago, but better than some places for fragrance. We do have a Barney's and I was Cle de Peau'd there. The very sweet MA, whom I knew from her former incarnation as an MA in our local little independent everything store, looked at me as though it was quite painful to contemplate that I didn't jump at the chance to shell out $68 for her concealer. The best, she proclaimed. But I do get to try a lot of perfumes when I make the journey. I have never not once received a sample from them, though.
It would be great to have a Barney's where I live, just for the perfumes that it's hard to get anywhere else. As for Cle de Peau, I'm thinking I can live without it. $55 is my makeup budget for the entire year (but don't ask me about my perfume budget!).
Thanks to everyone who maintains this blog. It's been a revelation! I only recently discovered the joys of perfumery, and have been collecting samples since Christmas or so, timorously bought a few bottles.
And just read Angela's notes on New York City. I'm moving back to Gotham, probably in September or October, having spent eight years out here in the back of beyond.
And now there are all these wonderful places to visit, places I never knew about! Caron, New London Pharmacy, Kiehl's, CB I Hate Perfume right in Brooklyn, Aedes, a Sephora store near you! Hermès downtown!
I don't have the nerve to go into Bergdorf Goodman. Department stores in general can precipitate an anxiety attack. The last time I was in Bloomingdale's I barely made it to the exit without collapsing in a dead faint. Do I brave Barney's, where I haven't been since 1985, to check out the Frederick Malle boutique?
Not to mention that there are four, count 'em, gentlemen callers who await my arrival and want to take me out to dinner to welcome me home. Sigh. I'm already giving thought to what I'll wear, the bulk of my wardrobe consisting as it does mainly of clothing suitable for mucking out the barn. (Add Guerlain Vetiver and Deep Woods Off and even the spiders sit up and notice) But the pleasure of deciding what I want to smell like is profound. Kai, which I love because it reminds me somehow of my misspent youth, for at least one of these fellas.
Well, as Bob Dylan said, “I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough.”
Fleur, if you can brave four gentleman callers, then a trip to the Barney's perfume counter will be a breeze! Just go in the front door, down to cosmetics, and straight to the back where the Malle is. If you like Kai, you might want to try a spritz of Carnal Flower.
Have a safe and terrific move.