THE www.perfumesociety.org scentedNO. 26 HIGH SUMMER 2017 letter HAVE A FRAGRANT FLING + MAKE A PERFUMED PILGRIMAGE + BE AMAZED BY AMBERGRIS THE NOSE HAS TO travel © picsfive; Friedberg - Fotolia.com. editor’s LEttER In an homage to the late Diana Vreeland (one of my style heroes), we’re calling this issue ‘The Nose Has to Travel’ – a tongue-in-cheek reference to the utterly fascinating documentary about the Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar editor, which was titled ‘The Eye Has to Travel’. Because in our experience, travel definitely broadens the mind – and the nose. Places become inextricably linked with smells, in our memories – for me, the jasmine scrambling through an open window on the island of Lamu in Kenya, the earthiness of the spice souks of Damascus and Morocco, or that hot, slightly burned pretzel scent which to me is the smell of Manhattan’s Midtown. And of course, claiming an important place in our memory banks are the defining fragrances we wear on holiday, which transport us back there with one spritz when we’re home. So we asked some of our favourite bloggers and writers to share their ‘holiday romance perfumes’, on p.16. For our ingredient focus in this edition, Bethan Cole looks at ambergris – definitely a much-travelled ingredient. This weird-looking whale by-product can spend decades bobbing on the ocean before turning up – entirely unpredictably – on a beach somewhere, where it’s quite often first sleuthed out by a dog being walked by its owner. Once transformed into a perfume ingredient, ambergris is prized for its astonishing warmth and richness – and as a fixative, delivering staying power. See p.10 for its fascinating salty tale. If you’re headed to London in the next month or so, meanwhile, your nose is in for a treat. On p.34, we report from ‘Perfume: A Sensory Journey Through Contemporary Scent’, the much talked-about exhibition at Somerset House showcasing 10 iconic fragrances which shaped perfume history, 10 contemporary creations (evoked via thought-provoking ‘installations’) – plus, treat-of-treats, an actual lab as the finale, staffed by working perfumers from fragrance house Givaudan. (Do check out our recommendations for must-visit perfume museums and shows abroad, too.) We also bring you news of two new fragrance names which are inextricably linked with places. Suzy Nightingale packed her bucket, space and tape recorder to talk to Dom Bridges of Haeckels – certainly Margate’s only perfume house (see p.28) – while on p.20 we learn from Amy Christiansen Si-Ahmed about setting up a social enterprise for the Moroccan women who harvest the ingredients which can be enjoyed in her Sana Jardin fragrances, launching imminently in Harrods. And will you be notching up any ‘hair miles’, this summer? With hair perfumes most definitely now ‘a thing’, our run-down of the most gorgeous and fragrant mists on p.25 is – well, not to be missed. So it just remains for me to say: wherever your nose will be travelling – even if it’s in the direction of a deckchair in the garden – may the rest of your summer be fabulously fragrant... www.perfumesociety.org The Perfume Society @Perfume_Society ThePerfumeSociety THE scented LEttER 3 contributors around the world in 80 sprays M australia THE SCENTS OF PLACE ‘My best friend moved to Sydney when we were in our early One of our very favourite things is to pack a new perfume for a vacation. One sniff, years twenties. When I went over to see her September 2008, I’d just been to the launch training for Guerlain Homme and was so later, and it can conjure up a view, the temperature of the air, the person we were with enamoured that I took it with me. Now, every time I smell it, I’m when we wore it… It’s one of fragrance’s magic tricks. So we asked leading perfume reminded of everything I did while in Oz. Trips to the bottle shop to buy bloggers and writers to share the fragrances they’ve fallen in love with on holiday… sparkling strawberry wine. Reading books on Bondi beach, covered in SPF50. Wandering around Taronga Zoo and falling in love with the red panda scented I held. Drinking my first (and second, third, fourth and fifth) mojito. Eating shark. Being awestruck at the Blue Mountains. Sniffing the fragrance now, I’m with my best friend and half-way around the world in an instant.’ LEttER Nick Gilbert You Tube/Love to Smell ‘There is one fragrance I have always had a holiday romance with, and continue ‘When I was working in America I spent some to buy on holiday - and that’s Cologne. I keep it simple: Bien-Être in the ’Naturelle’ time in Las Vegas. In the foyer of the Bellagio version. I buy it because I love its simplicity Hotel, I was introduced to a fragrance that (lemony, aromatic, cheap as chips) and became my staple for 10 years: Guerlain Vetiver. because it is steeped in holiday memories; The wonderfully dry, earthy, citrus fragrance was a super-sized bottle packed carefully in perfect against the hot and humid air of the my luggage will last me the year. I splash usa desert. Vetiver holds a wealth of memories for a little into the basin each morning; its me and always evokes the blazing hot sunshine, citrus, aromatic scent infuses my flannel margaritas, the Golden Girls, Cobb salad and and puts me in a brighter mood – because the first time that I saw the Bellagio fountains it reminds me of the carefree fortnight I performing with the night sky as their backdrop. spend in south west France with friends I still have my original bottle with the frosted every August.’ ridges, and – while the bottle has changed – the Emma Hill memories are still as strong as ever.’ emmahill.net Stephan Matthews france stephanmatthews.blogspot.co.uk ‘I was 18, on my first proper girly holiday in the South of France without parents. The mission was tanning and swimming, then drinking all evening. There were (nice, polite, hot) French boys in our complex, who we invited for dinner one night. Needing to spruce ourselves up, we hit the local ‘I grabbed Lanvin’s Arpège untried and in haste at caribbean pharmacy where I zoned in on the Roger & Gallet Duty Free on the way to the tiny Caribbean island stand and chose an enormous bottle of their Eau of Mustique. Luckily, it was love at first sniff of that de Cologne – a simple, splashy zinger full of bitter powdery, floral darkness. Mustique turned out to orange peel and refreshing lemon juice – and be surprisingly low-key; there’s nothing much to drenched myself in it. I got the boy I fancied, do and everyone (yes, including a sun-tanned and I’d like to think it was down to that delicious Mick) turns up at The Cotton House’s Tuesday Bethan Cole fragrance. I should probably remember that hot night cocktail party. To add a much- French boy’s face (or even name). But it wasn’t needed invisible layer of glamour to my him that was the @aliceduparcq holiday romance in the end.’ non-celeb wardrobe, I wore my Arpège Alice du Parcq everywhere. Its heady blur of tuberose and jasmine blended beautifully with the local exotica and left a deliciously scented trail wherever I went. It won Bethan is a widely- my heart forever.’ wewearperfume.com Amanda Carr 16 THE scented LETTER THE scented LETTER 17 published beauty, fashion, music and pop culture EDITOR journalist who’s written for Josephine Fairley Vogue, Red, Stella, i-D, [email protected] Agnes Costa How to Spend It, GQ and DESIGNER Agnès is as close as it as Beauty Editor for Style. Jenny Semple gets to perfume Today, in addition to her enquiries@jenny royalty: her great- journalism, Bethan is also sempledesign.co.uk grandfather founded in demand as a copywriter. ADVERTISING MANAGER Fragonard before Bethan has a particular love Lorna McKay World War I, and today of fragrance, and in 2012 [email protected] its flame is kept alive won a Jasmine Literary SENIOR WRITER by Agnès and her two Award. On p.10 she dives Suzy Nightingale sisters. Mother of three deep into the world of [email protected] growing sons, Agnès ambergris. Find her at: Amanda Carr lives on a hillside just CONTRIBUTING EDITOR bethancole.com Maggie Alderson Amanda Carr – who outside Grasse – but shares her glamorous also loves to travel the HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA/ ‘holiday romance world in search of EVENTS perfume’ story on p.17 inspiration in her role Carson Parkin-Fairley – is a retail trend as the creative driving [email protected] forecaster, freelance force behind the HEAD OF MARKETING journalist and perfume house and its Jodie Young co-founder of fascinating museums in [email protected] influential blog, The Paris and Grasse. She EA TO THE EDITOR Women’s Room. shares her scent Amy Eason Having long been a memories on p.32. [email protected] fragrance fan (and that Follow Fragonard’s site’s chief fragrance colourful Instagram: reviewer), she has now @fragonard Laurin Taylor CONTacT US set up We Wear parfumeurofficiel Born in Alabama – which [email protected] Perfume: one of our she revisits in ‘It Takes Me 3rd Floor 30 Charing Cross Road go-to sites for Right Back’ on p.46 – Laurin London WC2H 0DE down-to-earth and has made her home in 07502-258759 very readable London for the past 17 fragrance coverage, years, where she hosts the The Scented Letter is a with a big focus on Perfume Lovers London free online/downloadable magazine for subscribers real people who wear events on the third Tuesday to The Perfume Society; fragrances – and why of each month.