I love a fun scent, something offbeat, eccentric. Perfumers should be allowed to “go overboard” on occasion, so I was mildly intrigued (the most I can muster these days) by the new Clash collection from Comme des Garçons. The company describes the three-scent series this way…
Has the “luxury collection” trend died down yet? I started tuning it out a long time ago, certainly before Robin posted about the Viktor & Rolf Magic Collection three years ago. The original six fragrances in that line — “a collection of six transformative illusions in the spirit of an enchanting universe from fragrance magicians Viktor & Rolf” — arrived in stores in early 2017 and I never bothered to try them.
Since then, the collection has shuffled and expanded a bit. (The price also seems to have dropped substantially.) I received a sample of Salty Flower with a Sephora purchase and spotted a positive comment about Dancing Roses in a friend’s Instagram feed, so I tried that one too. Guess what? They aren’t ground-breaking or life-changing, but I liked both of them. And with the price drop, they suddenly made a lot more sense to me…
In autumn, I tend to lean on the fruity chypre portion of my perfume collection. But when the weather cools further, and nights become longer than days, I turn to oriental fragrances. A good oriental offers an olfactory blanket that warms better than a chinchilla coat.
The trouble is to find an oriental that doesn’t smell like a spice cookie or doesn’t pack so much amber that it fries your nasal hairs. Lately, I’ve relied on Guerlain Vol de Nuit, Arquiste Anima Dulcis, Etat Libre d’Orange The Afternoon of a Faun, and judicious spritzes of Serge Lutens Participe Passé (wow, is that stuff powerful) — among many others stuffed in a box labeled “cosy” in my perfume cabinet. If I had a bottle of Hiram Green Voyage 2019, it would fall into rotation, too…
Œillères L’Objet Parfumant* is described by photographer Roberto Greco like this:
With the Œillères series, the flowers I shot become an allegory of the human condition. Suspending the moment of decay, wherein that volatile yet neglected moment of decline is magnified. At a time when what surrounds me appears smooth and lean, the bodies depicted echo the flora. With shrouded faces, focus remains on the corporeal, the flesh…
I’m embarrassed to admit that I know very little about wine. I always enjoy ordering cocktails for myself, and I can navigate a beer menu well enough to end up with something I’ll enjoy. Wine, on the other hand? I panic and go blank when confronted with a wine list, unless I’m with a knowledgeable friend, in which case I turn the ordering over to her with a sigh of relief.
Kelly + Jones is a small indie perfume brand “featuring olfactive experiences inspired by the vineyard and beyond.” I’ve already tried their Notes of Wine collection (my favorite: Notes of Merlot) and Mezcal collection and I liked the scents’ easygoing personalities and very reasonable price points (roll-ons for $30!). Kelly + Jones’ latest offering, the Crush Collection (Vigne, Bouquet and Terroir) is “inspired by the world of natural wine and the purity of a vineyard’s terroir…”