I’m just heartbroken because they stopped making it. I’m not a big perfume person, but I’ve been wearing it for 20, 25 years, and all of a sudden they’re putting it in the vault. And there’s really not much to say except that I just loved it.
— Kyra Sedgwick on Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare by Creed. Read more in Kyra Sedgwick Wants More Middle-Aged Sex Onscreen at The New York Times. Hat tip to AnnE, who has been trying to manage her internet time but sends her regards to all!
In life, you can lose so much. Money, time, shame and credibility, but one of the most unexpected, which makes it no less tragic, is scent. A few months ago, this happened to men all over the world, when the Old Spice company decided to cease commercial sales of one of its oldest products, Old Spice Eau de Toilette Original.
— Read more in Is ‘dad smell’ dead? How an entire generation was left adrift when a classic perfume disappeared at El País. (Note that I am not at all sure the discontinuation is really worldwide. And do see Kevin's review of Old Spice.)
Wilson-Brown added that even if it was stored perfectly, the aldehydes (“that Champagne popping aspect”) are so fragile, they’d probably be damaged by now anyway. We waited out the base notes, and she cautioned me that with old scents, the top notes are often the first to go bad so you need to be patient after that first hit. “Real perfume nerds have a special closet in their house, the coolest darkest spot.” I asked if she had one, and she said no, she’s not a nerd.
— Saskia Wilson-Brown at the Institute for Art and Olfaction helps The Cut writer Maggie Lange with her quest to smell a long discontinued fragrance. Read more at The Hunt for a Perfume Worn by a Writer Who Terrifies Me.
At last, you find a fragrance that you can’t wait to put on in the morning. It’s fresh but interesting, light but present. It smells like you and how you want to feel every day. One morning, you spritz the last from your bottle and hie to the store to buy a replacement, and….it isn’t there. The fragrance is no longer being made.
What now? Here are the steps I’d follow to get my hands on more of my Holy Grail…
Winter is a great time to wear vintage fragrance. Something about the gorgeous-yet-unfashionable waft of an old perfume is perfect when the wind bites at your face and you’re swaddled in wool. In my opinion, wood fires, old movies and long nights all deepen with a vintage fragrance on your wrist.
Here are my top ten fragrances for winter, each at least 50 years old. If you’re new to vintage fragrance, you might be put off by how hard they can be to “read.” Let me warn you, though, once you get a taste for them, they can be addicting. I look forward to hearing about your favorite winter fragrances — vintage or not — in the comments. If you can think of modern takes on these fragrances, please comment! And do check out the winter lists at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc and Perfume Posse…