"To put oud in a fragrance is not Hermès: it's a marketing approach to perfumery for those who follow the money," says Jean-Claude Ellena, the legendary French brand's in-house perfumer, with disdain.
— Read more at Why you'll never find oud in an Hermès fragrance at GQ UK. (found via @glasspetalsmoke at Twitter)
The physical nature of the perfume is that it evaporates, and disappears. Nothing can prevent the perfume from disappearing. Because it disappears, if you want to find that sensation, that smell again, you have to perfume yourself again. It’s the same thing with food. It's more interesting because you take a spoon and taste something and the actual taste only lasts one or two seconds, no more. But you start again, and you eat again. To start again and again and again and again until you are filled up.
— Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, talking to New York Magazine (along with Christine Nagel, whose first perfume for Hermès will apparently launch in January). Read more at Dump Someone If You Hate Their Smell.
Hermès has launched Equipage Géranium, a new flanker to 1970’s Equipage, originally developed by perfumer Guy Robert. Equipage Géranium follows the recent flankers Bel Ami Vétiver and Rose Amazone…
"My approach is very intellectual. I don’t do a lot of work,” [Jean-Claude Ellena] said, smiling. “I’m thinking a lot and making tiny changes. Christine [Nagel] is trying 20 times – her approach is much more intuitive.” On the day that we met, this was made manifest by two blue stickers on Nagel’s arm – perfume trials that she had been working on earlier that day. Ellena, by contrast, never wears scent – save for Terre d’Hermès about three times a year – the better to neutralise his nose.
— Read more about the changing of the guard at Hermès at Hermès perfume: scents of beauty at The Telegraph.
Today’s guest post is from Persolaise, the author of the Le Snob – Perfume guide, published by Hardie Grant. He is also the editor of the Persolaise blog, as well as a regular contributor to Basenotes. He has won three UK Jasmine Awards, most recently for Guardians Of The Past – A Trip To The Osmotheque. He attended the press launch of Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li in February (and you can find his review of the fragrance here).
There was no escape. From across the other side of the room, an actress clad in black caught your eye. She strode across to you, her gaze locked on yours, her head fixed in that infuriatingly perfect immobility which only dancers and stage performers seem to be able to pull off. Then, when she was a few paces away, you noticed she was holding a long, narrow tube. With smooth movements, she raised it and brought one end close to one of your ears. The other end neared her mouth. And then she whispered, slowly, breathily, pausing after each word. “What is difficult… is to be open… to the open… in the open.” She searched your face for a reaction, but you didn’t have the heart to tell her that you found all of this rather peculiar. So she gave you an enigmatic smile and wandered off, probably to look for another unsuspecting ear.
The setting for this bizarre exchange was the pagoda on Paris’ Rue De Courcelles, the venue chosen by Hermès for the launch of Le Jardin De Monsieur Li.