For a growing band of scent-obsessed women, known as 'perfumistas', the pursuit of a particularly desirable fragrance is as much of a buzz as securing the latest limited edition Louis Vuitton handbag or Louboutin heels.
[...] Sniffing and swooning their way around the world's most elite fragrance boutiques or scouring eBay for half-finished bottles of rare, highly prized scents such as Chypre by Coty or Nombre Noir by Shiseido, the perfumistas amass fragrances in the way that other women collect shoes.
— From Meet the perfumistas: For a growing band of fashion fanatics the new lust-haves are obscure and extortionately priced perfumes, in the Mail Online. Many thanks to Helen for the link!
Huh, not to be snarky, but how much of a perfumista is Milly if she couldn't google Guerlain Apres L'Ondee? Escentual in the UK has always stocked it, and they're like the 3rd or 4th option down on a google search! Seriously though – there's pricey love, and there's insanity. I would never pay the perfumed court's prices for rare decants. I have a hard enough time dealing with the cost of the huge Chanel Exclusifs bottles.
LOL — not much of one! Actually, I was surprised at the list of scents — not things I generally think of as perfumista-bait. Ma Griffe, for example? Which you can usually find at TJ Maxx? I mean, not to say it isn't a great scent with fans, but don't think it is what perfumistas are scouring the earth for.
Yes, thought that was a bit funny too. Unless they're only referring to the vintage, plenty of discount sites in the UK where you can pick up the newest reform. for £15 or less, or even the slightly older style bottles cheaper if you look hard. Seems odd they're pushing the perfumed court though. I wonder if the author is an MUAer or just picked the first decant site she found under the impression that was the normal happily paid rate for decants?
To put it in perspective, if you live in the UK, for the cost of one of the pricier decants listed, you could buy yourself a Eurostar or Eurotunnel (if you drive) ticket to Paris from London and go to the Osmotheque to smell the rarities.
I'm really riled by this article, I think you can see. Does anything ending with 'ista' just denote someone obsessed with obscure luxury trends and niche snobbery? Because I would consider myself a perfumista in the sense that I love to learn about all brands, house histories, perfume histories, noses, ingredients, etc – but mostly because I can appreciate a good (and sometimes crap, depending on the mood) mainstream scent just as much as a niche scent, and also the fact that niche doesn't always mean better. Just because I have both Pleasures and Chanel Cuir de Russie doesn't mean I have questionable taste in the case of the former that somehow negates the owning of the latter.
You are riled! And the article is, like most of this sort of stuff, sensationalist. I consider myself to be a perfumista but the last thing I care about are overpriced & rare perfumes, in fact, they make me cranky — much more so than this article 🙂
I'm too cranky, looking at my mountain of posts. I better go eat some chocolate 😀
Make sure it is rare, expensive chocolate, LOL…
What annoys me is that there's more of a story out there about the growing number of men who are into fragrance.
We were talking about this on Basenotes the other day actually about how fragrance is seen mainly as a female preserve, but increasingly men know more and more.
I was talking to a relatively new female friend about this the other day and when I mentioned I had in the region of 80 fragrances (and growing – not counting samples) she looked at me as though I was an alien and said “now that's plain weird”.
Ah, well.
I use to have a boyfriend in my single days who had a massive collection – not anything rare necessarily, but he just loved scents. It was always a lot of fun scent shopping with him. My father was like that too. A cabinet full of scents, played with making his own too, used to buy antique bottles to keep them in. I used to love buying him more at Christmas and finding stuff that he hadn't worn for years (since he wasn't much of an internet shopper) that he couldn't get locally, like the Guerlain Eaux and Puig Agua Lavanda.
Here's some painfully expensive chocs for you – right on par with some of those rare scent prices.. http://www.debauveandgallais.com/main/bonbons2.asp
I don't get the 'plain weird comment' (politeness issues aside) – I mean, people collect everything. Elvis stuff, ceramic turtles, shot glasses…why would perfume be any different? Seems funny people single that out. Maybe it's like CB from I hate perfume said – some people just see perfume as one more thing that 'has' to be worn, not seeing it for the pleasure of actually wearing it.
although I'll say 'le livre' is quite cool looking and reminds me of Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight, picking from a similiar enernous box while lounging in bed with that fab feathered dressing gown. Oh and spritzing herself from huge bottle of perfume with a long puff atomiser that was about half as big as she was.
What bothered me about the article is the implication that perfume appreciation is a fashion trend. There are a lot of us out there who really don't give a hoot (or much of one) about the newest designer rags, bags, and shoes. I'd guess that the majority of the people who read this blog, for example, are simply interested in experiencing the unique personal pleasure that beautiful fragrant compositions can provide. The world of fashion is fun for many, to be sure, but for me this passion is deeper than that. It's more like discovering and relishing beautiful music. Oh, and wine, chocolate and other good things. Maybe not so deep after all? 🙂
I'm a bloke and I've stopped counting the bottles I have (heading toward 200 I think – but really I don't want to know). Though I was always interested in scents, I was previously a serial monogamist when it came to bottles. I would spend ages testing and choosing my next bottle, then use it exclusively until I tired of it (usually about 2/3 through it) and then start my next search.
I was lucky enough to have a job that brought me all over the world on a weekly basis, so I was able to find and try all kinds of cool scents over the years. But a couple of years ago I discovered NowSmellThis and BaseNotes and everything changed… The dam had burst and I started buying in a big way. Happy days!
And yes, even I think it's a bit weird to own so many scents, man or not. But I think there are plenty more weird to things collect out there…
And (for very personal reasons) I'm on a bit of a quest for a specific scent. I haven't found it yet, but I may yet throw myself on the mercy of the Monday Mail here in search of the answer…
Would someone please let Ms Wheeler know that Hawaii is actually in the US, has been for some time?
Gracious! And I was feeling guilty for my Vosges bars…
Yes, they made it all about having “the latest thing” — not, to me, the mark of a perfumista. Which is not to say that I don't want to try all the latest things, LOL…
Wow, you have quite a collection for a relative newbie! Totally agree there are weirder things to collect, though. What is your quest?
Where are the copy editors of yesteryear?
Yes, that is exactly what troubled me and others above me here. I don't think the urge to possess exclusive perfumes is what it is all about for most of us, which seems to be the drift of the article – it is more about smelling everything and finding things to love, whether niche or mainstream. And yes, the niche ones may well turn out to have the edge, but I don't think we start out with that fixed idea to pursue only the very upper end, expensive fragrances, discontinued lines etc because of their cachet, in the way one might covet a Birkin bag. This article was geared towards being “on trend” and different from the herd, with no mention of this whole comfort/therapy aspect of perfume which is important to us all.
It was particularly irritating in the event, for by way of “data gathering” for her article, the journalist requested views on BN as to what perfume means to people, and from memory there was not a single member who described the significance of perfume in their lives in the way she has ended up crafting her article. So basically it seems that if you don't like the findings of your research, ditch the research, because it makes for better copy. So as a market researcher, who reports on findings as they are, it irked me, I must say. But journalism may be a different calling…Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy, but I was hoping to see the “transcendental” quality of perfume conveyed in a national newspaper. And what do we get? An “IT bag”.
And there's an “e” on the end of L'Heure Bleue…
To me it's not about following perfume. The love & experience of fragrance is so complex. It's like good (or interesting) art, wherever you find it….really good food….wonderful music (jazz!!)….history….memory….all combined with my inner and outer worlds. Ugh – that sounds so new-agey!
But seriously, smell is a very powerful sense for me – more than almost any other. Smell is the first thing we use as babies, and its obvious that it can be satisfied through the art of perfumery as much as any other sensual experience. I can pull out a bottle of not perfumista-y Muriella Burani that I used to wear a lot in the summers when I lived in Portland, OR; close my eyes, and Poof! I'm right there walking around SW Park blocks. Or I can remember with glee my older sister & I sharing an “exotic” bottle of Jontue when we were kids…I can remember my trip to Europe when I discovered the awe of the Fragonard boutique in Paris as a teenager. I can remember the sour bottle of Joy my mom never wore on her dresser. And, most recently, the blissful discovery that my baby's head smells like orris tincture…etc, etc. I think that this article missed the point about scent, and all the other aspects of our lives that get bound up in fragrance, smells, aromas. Collecting fragrances for me is like collecting experiences. I can live and breathe in fragrance (say on a bad day, PJs + Vol de Nuit or on a good day, my favorite pearls + Heure Exquise), and it can alter a mood the way few other “ista” products can. As far as I'm concerned, food, wine, art, music, perfume all have equal value as cultural assets….
And, as far as fragrance & men – it is desperately neglected. My dad also has a very sensitive sniffer, and has had many fragrances since I was a child. We both mourn the inability to easily get the Balenciaga for men, which we both adored….It's great when a man has a huge wine or scotch collection, but fragrance seems to raise some eyebrows.
I agree, there is a stigma about men appreciating fragrances. If a gentleman enjoys beautiful things, art, food, collects fine wines/scotch and cigars, it adds to the intrigue (for me, anyway).
It's all about the smell of different materials used in perfumery, the fragrance that we get by combining them – it is all about what Your brain registers as a nice scent. It is very interesting to learn about each perfume house, their history, their tradition etc. but it is also about what You like to smell. Whether it's Yves Rocher or L'Artisan or rare Shiseido. You see some rare Yver Rochers priced as high as 200 dollars a bottle, when about a few years ago they were not much more than 20 bucks… it is just the way it is. The more rare frags will cost more even if the brand isn't very niche. I am all about whatever I like whether it's niche or not. Some mainstream fragrances smell more exclusive than others from the very niche brands… Some women like shoes – others love the world of scents. I am crazy the way Anisia Bella smells but at the same time I am crazy about the way real anise smells in my local spice-shop. At this point I don't care whether Anisia Bella is one of the Allegorias by the great house of Guerlain – all I'm happy about is that now I am able to smell like the scent of anise.
Well, exactly! The article portrays us as shallow image-seekers and they couldn't be more wrong. The perfumista quoted happens to own a £3.99 bottle of Tesco Fig, Almond & Cassis, and in practice tends to impulse buy from mainstream outlets more often than she pursues harder to find scents internationally. She joked that the journalist probably didn't want to draw too much attention to a bargain bottle like her Tesco scent, which I distinctly remember Robin allowing me to classify as “groceries” in a recent poll on our FB tally for the quarter. : – )
Vanessa, I agree, this article made me a little sad. When I saw this person's posting on Basenotes, I deliberately didn't reply because it sounded like she already had a working theory and would disregard comments that didn't fit into it. (And since BN is mostly men, she obviously didn't take them into account!) There is an aspect of perfume fandom that's about trying the newest scent (I usually know about new releases long before the sales assistants do) but overall the characterization here is cartoonish. Many people on BN said they are not into luxury or brand-name clothes or handbags, and gave really thoughtful answers of why they loved fragrance; she picked a quote that happened to refer to collecting shoes.
Very good point. I have friends to seem to collect diamonds, pedicures and wardrobes. They think it's frivolous to own a cabinet full of perfumes; I should be satisfied with the newest and “most popular.”
Hi
Apart from the fact that the conversation was somewhat truncated, which obviously it's going to be, a twenty minute conversation becomes a sentence or two. It was that my friend happened to be in Paris and he brought it back. I did incidentally order it intially from Escentual but they were out of stock at the time and so since he was there and I didn't feel much like waiting he grabbed it while he was there rather than wait till it was back in. (And the two other sites I found it on weren't https so weren't getting my money!) But that's a whole lot of rigmerole to write in an article-not such snappy copy!
Also I wouldn't presume to call myself a perfumista anyway, but as far as the average Daily Mail reader is concerned my meagre little (mostly high street) collection is probably some kind of startling excess (which is no doubt a sign of some downfall of civilisation). I love and enjoy perfume, but as I made clear to the journalist I do not have either the experience or knowledge that many many other people in the perfume communities have. However, she needed to speak to someone female from the UK, and since no-one else volunteered from the places she advertised she got me. I assume if someone more experienced had volunteered she'd have had no need for my services. Equally though I suspect even the most hardworn sniffed out perfumista may well have ended up sounding as vacant as I do.
Incidentally given that she's a fashion journalist and her previous work is generally focussed on something becoming a must have trend, and fashion obsessiveness it was never going to be an in depth examination of perfumes. And to a certain extent there's a necessity in mentioning things like Ma Griffe that reader's are likely to have heard of, there's no point referencing scents that most DM readers won't ever see in a shop ,or hear of anyone wearing. They need to be able to relate to it at some level to bother reading it, hence presumably why it's also related to fashiony things (she asked me several times whether I liked shoes and bags).
Sorry for such a long comment (If I ever need to defend myself in court at least I can rely on boring them to sleep!)
Well, at least we can all heave a sigh of relief over the fact that none of us could be deemed a “perfumista” by these terms. Fragrance, like other arts, is something that inspires experience. The most powerful potions will move us to internal levels never deamed of; inspire meditation, emotional reflection or epiphany. Some people buy art collections based purely on prestige, market value and influence. Others–true art lovers, I think–buy what inspires them, calls to them for reasons other than fashionable admiration or acclaim. From what I've read amongst us, there seems to be many who buy fragrance based on how it makes them feel or influences thought and experience. For someone who truly loves scent in such a way, money certainly isn't an object—although, not in the same way implied in that article. It isn't about luxury, as much as scent could be considered such, it's about personal meaning and intimate significance. For most of us, if an expensive fragrance overwhelmed one with passion and feeling, a budget might be re-arranged (with some exceptions) to find a way to include it in our lives; however, some of us might feel the same way about “Love's Baby Soft” and it would matter just as much, despite its affordability. Even though scent is subjected to fashion and dating, I think it's more personal than that. Fragrance, with its ability to conjure up memories and emotion, could be compared more to a lover's locket or grandmother's sweater; if it means enough to someone, it'll transcend trends and be integrated into a person's life. Now time for fragrance-lover snob moment: Only someone who doesn't “get it” would imply otherwise ;D.
I have had very similar experiences trying to talk to journalists about perfume…it is almost impossible not to sound vacant! Time magazine did a piece with a very similar slant recently.
Nicely said!
I'm surprised at how riled this got everyone…I suppose I just thought it another fluff piece & I skimmed it and moved on. Maybe I'm just used to most “outsiders” thinking perfume is a silly hobby?
…and let's be honest, as expensive as fragrance can be (and yes, there are a handful of obscenely expensive options out there) it's one of the more reasonably priced things to collect, when compared to fashion and other forms of art. While I don't pretend everyone can afford to spend extra money on something that doesn't feed, sheter or protect from the elements, if someone would spend some money on luxuries, fragrance is a more affordable option. A fragrance lover might have one or two very expensive, well-loved fragrances alongside a handful of inexpensive ones. Fragrances, like literature, inspire stories or tell them. Like fashion, they can inspire hope by the ideas they represent. There's a reason Patou's “Joy” still sold well during the Great Depression of the U.S.; to remind people that they were alive. To abandon the vitality and passion that fuels life is to give up on living. If a spritz of a liquid blend could remind people of that (without also promoting severe health damage, like a liquor habit could) than it was worth its weight in gold.
I will contact you off list when I'm ready to. (It will take me some time to compose my thoughts…) What is the best way to do that?
Cheers to all of you for penning these thoughts – and for doing it so eloquently. I'm smiling and nodding my head over and over again. Aren't we lucky to have this place to read and talk about our passion for the fragrant things in life? Thanks, Robin! 🙂
I take your point about her being a fashion journalist and having a natural bias up to a point, but she did actively ask for the reasons we love perfume in that thread on BN: “People who are passionate about fragrance” and a whole bunch of people poured their hearts out along exactly the same lines as the members have done here on this thread, many from America, but some from the UK, and at the end of the day it is not about who was picked – you did a great job and were as representative as anyone! – but why she asked what made us ticked, and then ignored it? See my post later on – if this comes out higher up! That's what bugs me, that if she read the posts she solicited, she would know who we are, and what matters to us, and just went off on her own tack anyway. That's like saying…oh, I don't know….maybe that the thing about a nun is that they like growing tomatoes. And possibly some of them do.
Yes! Exactly! I was just thinking the other day that perfume is like wearing art. I was thinking that owning a bottle of wonderful fragrance – whatever that means to each of us – is like when you go to a museum and buy a postcard of your favorite painting, etc, so you can “own” the art too. Fragrance is so wonderful like that – being able to wear and experience & “own” the creative vision it represents. Can you imagine how funny it would be if people wandered around with postcards pinned to their lapels of Van Gogh or Sargent's works (Today I feel like “Cypresses”…today I feel like “Madame X”)….Fragrance is one extraordinary way we can incorporate art into our daily lives that few other cultural symbols can match.
Nice idea…my favourite painting is “Kloster im Schnee” by Carl Lessing (“Cloister in the snow”). Black Cashmere makes a convenient scent surrogate, not least because the original is in Cologne and they didn't do a postcard of it!
I'm going to work tomorrow wearing a postcard of Van Eyck's The Arnolfini Marriage. (Joking, but would that not be cool?)
Yes, it would….
Now I'm thinking of all these paintings, etc, and what fragrance/aroma they'd evoke!
Monet's lilies will be easy – Ava Luxe Water Lily for me, and a “hosta” of other lily scents would also work!
El Greco's “The Crucifixion”, the frag would be Incense Rose by Tauer fragrances. It's the right mix of smoke, rose, incense and woods.
Ooo–if you're a water-lily fiend, try “Nymphea” by Il Profumo!
Cloister in the snow…”La Myrrh” by Serge Lutens!
Shaping up to be – ever since the launch of Jo Malone Kohdo Woods Day, really. Thanks for the tip – it's on my list!