Of all the things that stood out at Prabal Gurung’s show last year - the clear plastic curtain, the satiny pencil skirts, the mannequinlike models - fashion editors still recall the one thing they could not see: the smell. The runway show, which took place at the Skylight at Moynihan Station, was scented with a syrupy sweet perfume, which had some in the front row holding their noses.
— A rundown on the scented runways of Fashion Week, at the New York Times: A Generous Spritz to Set the Mood.
I wish the conversation around fragrance used to shape ambiance would stay squarely in the realm of aesthetics. I think where it veers into “creating moods” (or less politely mind control) and particularly into the mood to buy, buy, buy… the scent and fashion designers sound both creepy and hopelessly naive. Call me old-fashioned, but I think art serves us best when it makes us think, not when it aims to nudge us towards a specific mood or desire–that’s advertising (or porn?), but not art.
But I do have an idea for an action flick about a sleeper cell of brain-washed terror warriors who suddenly click into action when a special scent is released in their vicinity… code name? The Hounds of Hell…Dum ta da dum DUM.
Hey, I would watch that action flick!