A short film by Daphne Guinness and David Parker. Guinness, in collaboration with Comme des Garçons, has just launched her first fragrance, Daphne; the film “embodies her concept of scent” but is not meant to be a commercial (read more after the jump). Possibly NSFW.
Online fragrance shopping
New at bloomingdales: Michael Kors Very Hollywood.
New at first-in-fragrance (Germany): Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile.
New at ulta: Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One.
Al Qurashi in Knightsbridge ~ perfume shopping in London
Ever since Mohamed Al Fayed became the owner of Harrods in 1985, there’s been a steadily growing Arabic feel to this corner of Knightsbridge. Apart from the shops, this is where you’ll find the highest concentration of mysterious figures in burkhas, and glamorous wives and daughters gliding up the Harrods escalators in head-to-toe black silk, with (real) Chanel handbags. It’s all rather exotic and intriguing.
It’s therefore not surprising that an Arabic perfume shop opened in 2008, directly across from Harrods’ main entrance. Al Qurashi is part of a Middle Eastern chain, and only the second store to be opened outside the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia (the other one is in Paris). The owner, Abdul Samad Al Qurashi, has created custom scents for members of various royal families…
Wembe soaps~ scented body products
Wembé is a new company selling all-natural soaps crafted in Paraguay. Taking the rainforest as inspiration, Wembé has concocted more than a dozen blends of fruits, flowers, cocoa butters, and plant extracts, many of them native to South America. The handmade soaps are shipped to New York and distributed from the company’s Brooklyn offices, spreading a bit of “Amazonian soul” to bathrooms throughout the city and beyond.
The word “wembé” is a variation on “guembé,” a name for the “monster fruit” trees that grow throughout the Amazon rainforest region. None of Wembé’s soaps actually include guembé fruit or leaves, but they’re packed with plenty of other lush ingredients. Of the varieties I’ve tried so far, my favorites are the Snow Cleansing Blend and the White Rose Cleansing Blend…
Custom perfume seminars in New York
Sue Phillips of Scenterprises will be hosting custom perfume seminars every Tuesday in September and October:
The multi-sensory Seminar includes an interactive, creative, educational session all about the history and joys of fragrance. We take you on an olfactive fragrance ‘journey’ to explore and discover magnificent perfume blends…