French house Hermès has launched Bel Ami Vétiver, the first in a projected series of classic Hermès fragrances reworked by house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. Bel Ami Vétiver is a variation on 1986’s Bel Ami, a leathery chypre originally developed by perfumer Jean-Louis Sieuzac…
A new fragrance in the upscale Hermessence range from French house Hermès always makes me happy, even when I don’t love the juice — it’s pretty rare that one has bored me, although it has happened. The new Épice Marine is number 11 in the series, and it falls squarely in the very-interesting-but-don’t-adore-it category, which makes me even happier; as I pointed out in my review of Jour d’Hermès, the brand has taken the lion’s share of my perfume spending already. I will be perfectly happy with the 15 ml travel size I have already purchased, and presumably Hermès will continue to prosper even if I don’t shell out for the full-sized bottle.
So, Épice Marine. The fragrance is about spices and the ocean: it was developed in a collaborative process between Hermès house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena and Breton “pirate chef” Olivier Roellinger, and was inspired by their mutual love of spices and the smell of the sea…
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
From Hermès, a special edition of 24 Faubourg: “A beautiful, limited-edition bottle of 24 Faubourg eau de parfum natural spray by Hermès is filled with the classic woody, floral and amber scent you’ve come to know and love.” $169 at Nordstrom, size unknown…
I’ve experienced autumn in several places. When I was growing up in the ‘tropics’ (Virginia), the arrival of autumn was marvelous — no more steamy heat or mosquitoes. One of the first signs of autumn was the arrival of glass jugs of amber-colored fresh apple cider, for sale at orchard stands along almost every road. I tried to find an apple scent for this post (and for my perfume “collection”) in honor of apples and cool weather, but I was unsuccessful. Any suggestions? (Donna Karan DKNY scents need not apply.)
My early college life in New York City proved the Big Apple was not much different from Virginia in summertime, except for the added smells of simmering garbage on the streets. But autumn in New York was great; all the food cart aromas, even the exhaust fumes, smelled nicer mixing with the cool, marine air surrounding Manhattan, and the autumn leaves in Central Park added a dry, “woodland,” hay-like scent to the crisp air.
When I lived in L.A., autumn was pretty much like any other season (warm and sunny), except for days when the ferocious Santa Ana winds made autumn feel like I was standing in front of an open oven door…and the oven temperature was at 450° Fahrenheit. I’ve never in my life been more lethargic than during hot weather in Southern California, nor have I reached for cooling Eaux de Cologne more, applying them morning, noon and night.
Now I live in the Pacific Northwest…
Labor Day means so many things: among them, a day to commemorate the working class; the end of summer; the start of a new school year; and for the sartorially correct, the last day to wear white shoes and seersucker. What perfume feels right to you for Labor Day?
Here are a few choices of the top of my head:
Estée Lauder White Linen: O.K., I admit I chose this one for its name. From the sound of it, White Linen should herald summer and tea parties on long, sloping lawns with people dressed like Jay Gatsby playing croquet. The truth is, White Linen is sharp and clean and infinitely more versatile than its name implies, as long as its wearer has combed her hair and powdered her nose.
L’Artisan Parfumeur Piment Brûlant: Time for summer salads and barbeque! Piment Brûlant smells like a freshly snapped red bell pepper on a bed of vanilla-scented rose petals and cut grass…