In France and Belgium, lily of the valley is given to celebrate May Day. I have lots of them in my garden, which have conspired to flower just in time for 1st May. Isn't that clever? Lily of the valley, or "Muguet" as the French call it, packs a powerful punch for such a delicate little plant. Sometimes the smallest packages make the most noise.
I have always delighted in fragrances. Certain aromas have a Proustian madeleine effect, taking me back through the phases of my life. My feminist side showed itself during schooldays when I splashed men's after-shave "Brut", "Canoe" or "Tabac" all over. In the seventies patchouli was the order of the day, its main quality being its pungency and ability to mask other less legal smells. As a young professional, wanting to appear older and more sophisticated, I used to favour Miss Dior. In my 30's, brazen and shameless, and - dare I say it - in my prime, I flaunted myself in Jacomo's Or Noir and didn't care who knew it. In my 40's, it was "O" de Lancome by day - sharp fresh lime with honey overtones that gradually become more powerful with the warmth of the body - and "First" by Van Cleef & Arpels at night - very sophisticated and horrendously expensive.
I have tried hundreds of the world's great fragrances. Some absolutely do not work on me - anything by Chanel, for example, or the heavy, musky ones such as Opium or Shalimar. I had quite a long fling with Nina Ricci's "L'Air du Temps" (flowery, understated - so not me - but gorgeous Lalique bottle), Paco Rabanne's "Metal" (1980s - minimalist, metallic), to Fidji (smells a bit like Pina Colada - often on special offer after the summer holidays) and Carolina Herrera who names her perfumes after Peugeot cars.
But ever since my earliest days in Paris, there's always been a bottle of Yves St Laurent's Rive Gauche on my shelf. They say you should find a perfume that reflects your personality. RG is so absolutely moi. Neither flowery nor musky, quite sharp, no-nonsense, unsentimental, straight up, businesslike, doesn't beat about the bush, direct, gets straight to the point.My birthday's at the end of this month, by the way.
What's your favourite fragrance? Do you have different perfumes for different times of day or occasions? Does one particular scent bring back memories? (McChe can sit this one out).
25 comments:
A fascinating flutter through the world of fine fragrances, milady. Have you ever tried soaking a pair of soiled knickers in gin and adding honey to taste? The female lion tamers swore by it.
Our tastes are similar. One of my closest friends wore Rive Gauche so I don't out of respect. The heavy ones - Poison, Opium made me nauseous. I'm happy with Dior's Cherie at present - in spite of the name.
I can't say I have a favourite fragrance - whatever the sensory bits are seem to be increasingly uninterested these days. I do find that on occasion people react to me in way that I take to be an enquiry as to whether I'm wearing something of the kind - there is something called Eau Migod, isn't there?
I'm not very original with perfumes. I like Lanvin Arpege, although my mother wears it and she smells divine in it. I also like 'Angel' as it's the only perfume where people have stopped and commented on it.
Memories wise, my grandmother wearing Nivea lotion and my grandfather wearing Old Spice - both these smells take me right back to being a child and I love them still.
I went through a phase of wearing aftershave... Yep, Madame D, it was Old Spice. Anyhow, I grew out of it, my favs now are Issey Miyake and Estee Lauder's White Linen.
Sx
I have so many of them that you've listed here...not one bought by me! Always gifts from friends and family.
Oh, there's one that a gal from England gave to my mother and I took it [hehe], it's called Ghost...it has a delicate vanilla note [is that the correct perfume-y word?], mmm, nice.
Have you ever read the book, Perfume?
Have you ever considered popping down to Miller Harris and having a bespoke scent?
Not many perfumes work on me - I did the Old Spice thing as a teenager too
I love smells, me. Over here we only take a bath 2 or 3 times a week, so you have to. I wasn't into aftersahve until I had to spent 3 hours in Istanbul Airport and had a "Mrs Pouncer moment" where I tried every bloke perfume on offer. I found Jil Sander's "Man" to have been made for me and have stuck by it ever since.
Ha, "Eau Migod", that's a good 'un from Auty!
mme chapeau wears only opium. perhaps it's strong enough to keep the swine flu away...
GB, was that a drink or a perfume the lion tamers were concocting? Eau de cologne is a popular beverage in Reading.
Pat, Mrs Blair should be flattered. What's the betting one of the American perfumiers is going to bring out one called "Michelle" before long?
Lycus, Eau Mygod is from the same cosmetics house that brought us Eau d'Ear, Eau Bugger (pour homme), and Eau Calcutta! (a French knock off of Old Spice).
Mme Defarge, I don't remember Nivea lotion, but I bet it was unforgettable. There is a wonderful cologne in France which comes in half liter bottles and you can buy it in Monoprix, it smells divine. You occasionally get a waft of it on the metro, through the garlic. It's called ... Eau d'Amniforgotthename.
Scarlet, I like the Japanese perfumiers, Hanae Mori's Haute Couture is quite difficult to find these days but is very sexy.
GG, yes I've read Patrick Susskind's "Perfume", an intriguing story. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille had no personal scent, most unusual for a French.
Welcome, Moobs: didn't Floris in Jermyn Street make perfumes to order? There was a fashion for cheap knock-offs of big name perfumes in Paris in the 80's (under different names), but the perfume mafia put an end to it. I think my bespoke perfume would be freesia-based with a hint of chocolate.
Gadj, I heard some Romanians roll in horse manure and hay during the mating season to enhance their natural body odour. Eastern Europeans are nostalgic for the smell of boiled cabbage.
Mme Chapeau, keep your Mexican gardener (cough) locked in the bedroom. Opium must bring back some fond memories. Of Paris, as well as your previous pharmaceutical adventures.
I've never had any luck growing lily-of-the-valley.
Am I the only one old enough to remember those tiny bottle of California Poppy that seemed to have been designed for small children to buy as Christmas presents?
A friend, since gone, wore Charlie, which was naive and wonderful and so was she.
living here in the deep south aka the land of mosquitoes and other little things that bite, i've given up on wearing scent. *sigh* i've resigned myself to unscented soap, deodorant, lotion, laundry power, etc. xoxoxo
Kev - Charlie! Oh yes. Late teens and early twenties. You had to be naive to ask a bloke if he could smell your Charlie. I'd like people to remember what perfume I wore when I'm no longer here. It's a nice reminder of those we loved.
Sav - in Poland, where they also have very vicious mosquitoes believe it or not, the ladies often wear vanilla cake flavouring of an evening. Apparently the mozzies don't like it.
"Napalm" by Coppola.
Eau Jheezas is my fave.
Toot toot!
Daph, most East Europeans exude the smell of boiled cabbage from every pore so it wouldn't really be an issue, you'd think. I also remember Charlie, though Impulse Body Mist seems to be the abiding memory of my youth!
Back in the days I was a pre-bearded one, I used "Pagan Man" aftershave. I think it was something to do with the intoxicating effect the adverts implied it had on women. I was always surprised I didn't get women flinging themselves at me, after all, I would douse myself in half a bottle of it...
I remember back in our teen years, just when armpits were invented, we all went out and bought Cossack For Men deodorant (largely because that was the only one sold by the barber who asked you if you wanted something for the weekend, sir). It's a good job it was a single-sex school: we all got funny rashes and smelled of butane propellant.
That reminds me if that line in Stardust Memories.
Woman: It all came back to me in a Proustian rush.
Woody Allen: Oddly enough that's the name of my after shave. Proustian Rush.
Bill, smells nice in the morning. Or so I've heard.
Farty, would that be the water from the font?
Gadjo, did you ever rush off to buy flowers for a woman on the strength of her Impulse?
Kim, might as well have called it "Stone Age Man". Bludgeoning women into submission is only a short term solution.
Kev, the thinking behind why women would go for a man wearing a perfume named after raping pillaging murderers beggars belief. I bet the men's scent called "Egoiste" flew off the shelves - women like to send a message with their presents.
Bev, based on Kev's recollections, perhaps it should have been called Proustian Rash?
One of my friends did once sigh that she wished she could buy something appropriate for the man of her dreams. "Inadequate Tosspot," she suggested.
It's no wonder I find women intimidating.
I've always been a very uncool, Cool Water man.
The wife.. well she has a divine fragrance of nothing other than Clinique about her.
Kev, I suspect that was the man in her life rather than the man of her dreams - often two quite different people.
Jum, you and Euan McGregor, is it Scottish this Dabitoff? Mrs Bastard must be a nurse.
I just let the pheromones be.
I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I'm still single.
:D
Post a Comment