Jo Malone's new Sweet Lime & Cedar fragrance will be scenting Cecilie Egeberg’s fragrance installation, Fields of Feathers, at the Deloitte Ignite Festival at the Royal Opera House, London:
Welcome to a very alternative take on ‘Swan Lake’ with the help of fragrance and beauty company, Jo Malone, and artist, Cecilie Egeberg…
There are four big department stores on Oxford Street, all between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch. Of these, Selfridges is by far the biggest and best, but John Lewis — closest to Oxford Circus of the four — has a treat or two for perfumistas.
Along with all the standard department store fragrances, John Lewis has a little cache of niche surprises — at present Acqua di Parma, Annick Goutal, Banana Republic, Creed, Il Profumo, Juliette has a Gun, Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, Rance and The Different Company…
The worst problem affecting the perfume industry, Turin says, is “a complete lack of art direction. Nobody realises that every great perfume was art-directed by somebody who had a clear vision of what he wanted, above and beyond the perfumer. There is fantastic cohesion between the smell, the bottle, the colour, the packaging — the whole thing is amazing, miraculous, not random. That doesn’t happen very often: now you’ve got some guy in marketing and a tie-in with some model. Art direction is why Serge Lutens [the famous creator of Shiseido Nombre Noire (sic)] is such a genius; he is obsessed to the point of disease”.
— Columnist India Knight talks to Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, authors of Perfumes: The Guide, in Chemical Romance at the UK Times Online. Thanks to Bela for the link!
Fashion writer Colin McDowell will be talking to Luca Turin at a "Style Lecture" on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 6 pm in London. The event is open to the public (tickets are £20); see the details here.
The first Annick Goutal boutique in the UK has opened on Motcomb Street, a tucked-away retail enclave in glossy Knightsbridge.
Although it’s only ten minutes walk from Harvey Nichols, it’s a bit off the beaten track as far as the tourist trade is concerned. This makes for a quiet shopping experience, which can come as a relief after the bustle of the big Knightsbridge stores.
The boutique sells the full Goutal range, including toiletries, candles and the L’Orientalistes collection. Fragrances such as Sables, not always widely available, can be found here.
On the main floor, there’s a quiet space with seats and a hand-basin, so that you can test and remove the scents. Downstairs, there’s a lingerie room with a small jewellery range, and a display of fragrances in Baccarat bottles…
Ortigia is an Italian company that make toiletries, candles and fragrances inspired by the natural essences of the island of Sicily. According to their website…
The company Ortigia features a range of toiletries inspired by this cultural wealth and natural beauty – all of the colours, scents and aesthetics are Sicilian, and all of the plants used to create our range are indigenous to Sicily. All of our products are made from natural and traditional ingredients, such as olive oil, palm oil, almond oil, lanolin, naturally distilled lavender and vegetable dyes. Traditional products with a modern ethic.
Their products are sold by upmarket designer-goods companies, but they have one brick 'n mortar store, in Sloane Square, Chelsea…