Posted by Robin on 14 Comments
Art direction in fragrance is under-estimated. A perfume is a message in a bottle. It's not a smell. It's an impression, an idea. Great fragrances are usually made by a perfumer, and an art director, who says, 'I want it to be like this.'
— Luca Turin, talking about Amouage's Christopher Chong, in Oman's royal family scents global profit in luxury perfumes at CNN.
Posted by Robin on 21 Comments
Then, in our madcap Saks round, [Luca] Turin randomly sprayed on a Guerlain eau de toilette that, he said, was the only thing he wore for years. I loved it. Eau de Guerlain is pure, unsweet citrus, with a lingering light verbena scent on the drydown. "If you want citrus, there is simply nothing better out there," his review says. Bergamot and citrus, also the dominant notes in Eau Sauvage, are apparently what I want.
— Food writer Corby Kummer goes shopping for a new fragrance in A Rose by Another Name at Technology Review.
Posted by Robin on 71 Comments
Tiaré goes one further and takes on the most impregnably classical thing of all: the feminine citrus floral.
For reference, this category includes such marvels as Caron’s Alpona, Diorella and Chanel’s Cristalle, i.e. what Diana the Huntress might wear on a big night. Tiaré is clearly modeled on Cristalle, with a haughty, silken freshness up top and a green, acidic, olive-oil fruitiness below. But Linda Pilkington does not know her place: Tiaré is better than its model, richer, more complicated, more interesting.
— Luca Turin, in Notes from the nose -- Tiare at NZZ Folio, with many thanks to Abyss for the link!
Posted by Robin on 34 Comments
Perfumistas will want to take note of two special events hosted by the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program in Washington, DC this coming February:
The Art of Fragrance (In Collaboration with the Embassy of France With Sparkling Wine Toast) with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, Friday, 5 February at 6:45 pm:
Tonight, we cut through the usual perfume-babble to illuminate the art of fragrance…
Posted by Robin on 23 Comments
Luca Turin reviewed a large batch of perfumes for the UK Times Online, and you can read them here (feminines) and here (masculines). Better yet, you can download a PDF with all the reviews as they appeared before the Times edited them.