Chanel has introduced Beige, the latest edition to the Les Exclusifs collection. Like the others in the series, it was developed by Chanel house perfumer Jacques Polge, and will be in limited distribution.
“I take refuge in beige because it's natural,” said Mademoiselle Chanel. Sandy beige, honey beige, clay beige, whitish beige… She loved all shades of this colour, which evokes natural elegance and grace. An elusive colour with infinite variations, beige may seem quite ordinary…
If my perfume choices were limited to one type of fragrance with one note predominant, chances are I would opt for vetiver colognes. (I’d probably have to flip a coin: Sandalwood vs. Vetiver.) I love vetiver fragrances and have owned too many to list here. Recently, my introduction to Lalique Encre Noir, the reissue of Givenchy Vétyver and the debuts of Giorgio Armani's Vétiver Babylone and Chanel's Sycomore have made me very happy and ready to expand an already-overcrowded perfume collection.
Just as sparkling, fresh water sustained ancient Babylon’s (real or imaginary) fragrant hanging gardens, Vétiver Babylone’s vetiver, likewise sparkling and fresh, supports its other brisk ingredients — bergamot, citron, mandarin, green cardamom, coriander, pink pepper and patchouli…
On weekends I work at a vintage clothing shop. I love the Jean Harlow dressing gowns and Grace Kelly day dresses we stock, but I’ve noticed a steadily growing clientele for Pat Benatar blazers and even Debby Boone gauchos. Yes, for some of us the ’80s are back. You wouldn’t catch me dead in an ultrasuede shirt or leggings, but I have to admit that I adore a whopping 1980s rose chypre. At the top of my list are Ungaro Diva and Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum…
Sycomore is the latest fragrance to join the Les Exclusifs collection at Chanel. Sycomore is named for a long-discontinued 1930 Chanel fragrance; the new interpretation is by Chanel's house perfume Jacques Polge.
The vetiver-focused fragrance includes notes of sandalwood, cypress, juniper and pink pepper…
I wonder if my appreciation for Chanel’s Allure Homme Édition Blanche was unduly influenced by the fact I smelled it after four days of intensive testing of Allure Homme (ho-hum) and Allure Homme Sport (a nostril-searing, abrasive fragrance)? If so, I’m sorry — I can’t rewind and erase those days (and smells); compared with Allure Homme and Allure Homme Sport, Allure Homme Édition Blanche is delicious, natural smelling and ‘peaceful.’
Allure Homme Édition Blanche (created by Jacques Polge) contains lemon, bergamot, cedar, sandalwood, tonka bean, white musk, vetiver, ginger, amber, vanilla, white and pink pepper. What I noticed immediately upon spraying on Allure Homme Édition Blanche was its quality — its ingredients smell more expensive than those used in the other two Allure fragrances I tested. Allure Homme Édition Blanche is a creamy fragrance but still has some sparkle thanks to its citrus, ginger, and vetiver notes…