Jordi Fernández is a name reshaping the landscape of modern perfumery. Senior perfumer at Givaudan and often nicknamed “Master of Oudh”, he’s credited for a wave of fragrances that feel at once daring, innovative and deeply rooted in tradition.
Our multi award-winning magazine, The Scented Letter, featured Jordi in an in-depth interview by editor Jo Fairley, earlier this year, uncovering just how inspiration strikes – sometimes in his Mediterranean hometown, in bustling Paris or Dubai, or in the quiet, creative spaces of Givaudan’s labs.
Jordi’s approach is of course technically incredible (the way he transforms what we think we know about a ‘fruity’ fragrance has to be smelled to be believed!), but also profoundly personal and collaborative. “A fragrance is never finished – there’s always another layer to explore,” Jordi confided in his conversation with Jo. He sketches ideas on paper, refines them across hundreds of tweaks, and believes the character of a perfume emerges only through trial, teamwork, and moments of inspiration. ‘Nature inspires me – sometimes I’m trying to capture the exact sensation of a sea breeze’ he revealed, ‘other times, the sunset over Middle Eastern dunes.’
For Jordi, it transpires, perfumery is a way of seeing the world – whether it’s through raw materials like patchouli, which he describes as ‘the power of the earth’, or the complexity of oudh, which he says ‘unfolds a rich, animalic depth’ with just a tiny addition.
To read the full and truly fascinating interview, treat yourself to the gloriously glossy print copy of The Scented Letter: renowned for the most in-depth profiles, facts, industry news and interviews with both master perfumers and up-and-coming names – always the best for your nose. THIS ITEM IS NOW OUT OF STOCK
Jordi’s fragrances brim with his signature multifaceted style – sometimes opulent, sometimes minimalist, always full of texture and unexpected delight. Here are just a few highlights from his prolific portfolio…
Maison Crivelli Oud Maracujá
Oud Maracujá is a jungle-bright collision where luminous passionfruit and Turkish rose fizz over the smoky, animalic richness of oud and patchouli. Saffron sprinkles golden spice through the heart, while labdanum, leather and vanilla soften the base, adding glowing comfort. Jordi’s touch is to balance tropical exhilaration with deep, addictive woods – a daring journey from orchard sunlight to incense-shadowed forest.
Oudous Lux Solis beams with a sunlit opening of tropical fruits and juicy Italian mandarin, chilled by the sparkle of pomelo and ginger. Layers of honeyed cistus and aquatic calone shimmer in the heart, leading into a smoky, resinous fusion of oud, Indonesian patchouli and Akigalawood. The result is like radiant warmth and depth mingling together – Jordi’s vision of sunlight over rich, mysterious woods.
Pour Femme glows with a vibrant rush of mandarin orange and blackcurrant, tingled by pink pepper. The heart unfolds soft jasmine, lily of the valley and romantic Bulgarian rose, while the base smooths into sensual vanilla, earthy patchouli and delicate musk. Jordi brings lightness and clarity to classic florals, wrapping each petal in warmth, creamy sophistication and modern, long-lasting beauty.
Impadia begins like the perfect Paris morning – juicy pear, zesty bergamot and mandarin, all uplifting and fresh. The floral heart mingles Turkish and Bulgarian rose with radiant orange flower, their petals whispering of elegance and modernity. Vanilla absolute and sensual sandalwood form the lingering, plush base, each note layered with superfine detail – a fragrance that’s effortless, chic and wholly embracing, like a memory of sunlight on skin.
Sunrise pour Homme is clean mountain air captured in scent form. Bergamot, lemon and a dash of spicy pink pepper open the composition with sparkling clarity. Suede and aromatic clary sage create smooth texture, while Haitian vetiver, frankincense and patchouli form a magnetic, woody base. Sunrise feels both invigorating and grounding – the essence of confidence and effortless style, Jordi’s skill at bringing the outdoors directly to you.
If you crave more from Jordi Fernández – his creative rituals, how he blends Mediterranean roots with global visions, and the inside story behind his latest launches – don’t miss our full feature in the print issue, A World of Ingredients! Our exclusive Working Nose series of interviews is where every fragrance lover can discover true (and rare) insight into the way their favourite perfumer’s mind works. And perhaps find their next olfactory obsession. We’re sure if you delve into Jordi Fernandez’s extensive back-catalogue of compositions, you’ll fall for many (as we, and countless others of fragrance lovers, have).
So now you only have to decide which of his works you’ll explore first. Dive in – nose deep! There’s much to adore as you explore…
Today we revisit an article from issue 22 of The Scented Letter published in 2017. The trend for gourmand fragrances continues with more recent releases such as Malin + Goetz Strawberry (2021), Akro Bake (2023), and Experimental Perfume Club Pistachio Haiku launched yesterday, making this piece still relevant today.
Let them wear cake
In 1992, Thierry Mugler’s Angel made olfactory shockwaves – and created a whole newfragrance family, the ‘gourmand’. In celebration of its 25th year, Senior Writer Suzy Nightingaleinvestigates a perfumed recipe for success. Photography: Jo Fairley
Dessert-like perfumes that tickle the tastebuds as well as the nose are now spread before us like a perfumed picnic. Their omnipresence – and perhaps omnipotence – might lead us to feel they’ve been around forever, but in reality, the perfumista’s sweet tooth has only truly been satisfied for two and a half decades. Shocking the world of fragrance with its wildly futuristic composition of candy floss, caramel and a specially devised accord of red berries and patchouli (which was two years in development, alone), Mugler’s Angel went on to revolutionise the fragrance industry and redefine the long-held classic categories by giving birth to a whole new genre: the ‘gourmand’.
It essentially translates from the French as ‘greedy’ – someone who just can’t say no to temptation. These perfumes remind us of self-indulgent delights: a banquet of rich dishes slathered with chocolate, drizzled in honey, frosted with sugar and wafting forth delicious aromas of roasting nuts, cookies still warm from the oven and sweetie-speckled ice creams delectably dripping down their caramel cones. Love or loathe the original fragrance, it cannot be denied that Angel heralded a whole new era of fragrant epicureanism – perhaps tapping into the dawning zeitgeist of youthful exuberance that swept the UK and America in the 90s, with an explosion of new music and daring, body-conscious fashion almost painted onto the won’t-get-out-of-bed-for-les-than-$10,000 supermodels who still owned the catwalk, at the time. But was anyone really ready for this room-rocking ‘scent bomb’? Not our Editor, Jo Fairley, who was at the launch – presided over by the MuglerParfums’ padded-shouldered, power-suited then-president Véra Strubi, in an all-black, plushly-carpeted room on Bond Street. ‘I remember being given the just-sprayed spill of Angel to smell – and the PR must have seen the look on my face because she asked me: “Jo, are you OK?” It’s one of only two occasions – the other was Dior Poison – when I’ve experienced what the phrase “olfactory shock” really means. It was like nothing I’d ever smelled before, and I literally felt stunned. “Just getting my nostrils round it,” I replied – and although it took some time, I’ve come to appreciate Angel as a masterpiece. While also acknowledging: this perfume will never be for everyone…’
Gourmand essentially translates as ‘greedy’ from the French – someone who just can’t say ‘no’ to temptation
It turns out that the team behind this unique composition had a strong hunch it was going to rock the olfactory world on its axis, all along. Created by master perfumer Olivier Cresp and talented fellow nose, Quest International’s Yves de Chiris (the scented heir to the French de Chiris perfume dynasty), those involved included Ms. Strubi – with plenty of direct creative direction from Mugler himself.
As Olivier Cresp recalled in an interview with Michael Edwards for his book Perfume Legends, ‘I can still remember Thierry’s words when he described the sensation of the aromas he recalled: the caramel scent of sugared apples, the sugary notes of candy floss and the smell of the funfair.’ As Cresp recounted, Angel began its journey as an accord of chocolate, honey and vanilla. ‘I think that Yves’ idea of adding patchouli was a stroke of genius,’ the perfumer noted.
As De Chiris explained to Michael Edwards: ‘The scent of a funfair is largely the aroma of fresh sawdust and the bittersweet fragrance of the wooden stalls. To me, it was reminiscent of the warm, woody and bittersweet scent of patchouli. The words bitter and sweet were the key: everything had to be a little bitter to balance and contrast the sugary scents of chocolate and toffee apple.’ Thereafter, Angel went through infinite stages of transition, with patchouli as the satellite ingredient – to the point the perfume was actually code-named ‘Patchou’, with the first 60 versions mere variations on a theme of patchouli and vanilla. But it took the combined foodie childhood reminiscence of Cresp and Mugler – talking for three hours on Cresp’s sofa about memories of dipping bread in chocolate and visiting fairgrounds – to provide the ultimate guiding star of the scent’s direction.
Explaining that his previous work in the flavours industry in America proved key to his combining food and fragrance, Cresp describes the gastronomic trials. ‘I used some chocolate, some praline, some cocoa… It was a very strange combination. On some days, it was overdosed with cocoa, or with chocolate, or with honey and so on. But then after two years, I found the right balance.’ That balance was ultimately achieved via a whacking great dollop of ethyl maltol (synthesised smell of cotton candy and caramel). paired with red fruits, the sweetness juxtaposed by a monumental 30% dose of camphorous natural patchouli.
Yet it’s interesting to note what happened when Angel finally descended. ‘The industry couldn’t believe someone had the guts to launch something so “out there,”’ comments Sophie Bensamou, Vice President at the North America Fine Fragrances Division of Symrise. ‘It was described as addictive,’ says Cresp. But many were describing it as just plain odd, and it took a while for the world to wake up to this new trend…
In an interview with blogger Persolaise, Cresp reflected on the reasons why Angel became such a blockbuster. ‘Because it was weird, it was completely different… I knew deeply, in my blood, that it would be a success. I knew it could be number 1.’ (And indeed, in some markets around the world, Angel would overtake Chanel No.5.)
Since then, hundreds of gourmand fragrances have fed our hunger for scented sweeties – and it’s one of the strongest trends we’re seeing in fragrance, as we enter 2017. Interestingly, Angel launched at a time of global uncertainty, in the midst of an economic downturn. 25 years on, the world – as our Twitter feeds and our TV screens update us, constantly – feels equally unsettling. Are gourmand fragrances are the olfactory equivalent of comfort eating? The no-calorie biscuit tin?
Certainly, with an ever-expanding offering of dessert-inspired scents for sweet-toothed perfume-lovers of both sexes, we say: long may we have our cake and wear it, too.
FROM SHALIMAR TO LA PETIT ROBE NOIRE
How gourmand really began with Guerlain
From a technical perspective, today’s gourmands are a sub-category of Oriental fragrances. But for the true ancestry of the gourmand family, we must look way back to the voluptuously alluring Guerlain Shalimar, which shimmied its way into the hearts of fragrance-lovers, ushering in a brand new era of temptingly sweet siblings.
In 1925, it was Jacques Guerlain’s daring use of ethylvanillin (a completely new synthetic gourmand molecule), blended with the already-popular Jicky accord, which set the table for sweet treats to follow. Vanilla is also an essential element of the famous signature ‘Guerlinade’ base – alongside rose, orris, tonka bean, orange blossom, jasmine, sandalwood and bergamot – which features in so many Guerlain creations.
‘At Guerlain, vanilla is one of the perfumer’s favourite raw materials,’ the legendary fragrance house explains. What’s more, Guerlain add, ‘it has transcended the eras, becoming surprising in Jicky, delicious in Shalimar and swirling in La Petite Robe Noire…’ Among later good-enough-to-eat treats in Guerlain’s portfolio, the 2002 release of Spiritueuse Double Vanille tempted us with what is basically a wearable vanilla/rum liqueur – a scent that regularly features on the must-have shopping lists of gourmand perfume lovers. Intriguingly, Guerlain explain, just like dropping a little vanilla essence into a cake mix or adding a sprinkle of spices to whatever you’re cooking, Spiriteuse ‘can be added to all other Guerlain fragrances for a very personal touch.’
By 2012 Guerlain were introducing a flirty fruitiness to that vanilla-rich Guerlinade accord, with La Petite Robe Noire adding handfuls of black cherries and the smokiness of black tea to the menu. In-house perfumer Thierry Wasser went on to offer a more overtly gourmand take on the original Shalimar with the mouthwatering lemon tart-like Shalimar Souffle de Parfum in 2014, with the more recent La Petite Robe Noire Intense throwing in blueberries and deepening the sweetness still further. The pudding course, it is clear, is still very much on the menu.
Hundreds of gourmand fragrances have now fed our hunger for scented sweeties
Sweet somethings
While Angel wasn’t the first fragrance to tempt us with the sensorial sweetness of vanilla (see our history of Guerlain’s love affair with the ingredient mentioned above), or even an overdose of ethyl maltol (we can reference L’Artisan Parfumeur’s 1978 Vanilia for that), it became the perfume to shape and define the genre because of its sheer unexpectedness. Released against a backdrop of easy, breezy aquatics and ultra-clean scents like L’Eau d’Issey, the explosion of candy-floss and ‘fruitchouli’ in Angel was like the punk of the perfume world turning up to a nouvelle cuisine dinner party and pelting the astonished guests with pastries.
Had you mentioned chocolate, cupcakes, spun sugar and marzipan as briefs to perfumers working a couple of generations before, they would have raised an eyebrow and perhaps suggested you satiate your cravings by tucking into an éclair. But these decadent treats were no mere novelties, and since Angel’s debut, foodie notes have been steadily creeping into the recipes of countless blockbuster scents.
Hanae Mori’s Butterfly (1996) fused sugared strawberries with almonds. That same year Lolita Lempicka for women (today known as Lolita Lempicka Le Premier Parfum) tempted with licorice and praline. Dior’s Hypnotic Poison (1998) paired bitter almonds with creamy musks, while Addict (2002) ramped up the irresistible nature of vanilla.
Calvin Klein’s Euphoria (2005) balanced persimmon, pomegranate and cream. That same year, Paco Rabanne’s Black XS Cologne – interestingly, a male gourmand-esque scent released a full two years before its female counterpart – infused lemons with sage, praline and cardamom. Perhaps one of the biggest unashamedly toothsome blockbusters of modern times has been Viktor & Rolf’s Bonbon (2014); presented in a glass bow of a bottle, the juice sumptuously drenched in layers of caramel, it flagrantly celebrates the sweetness within.
Fragrances such as the caramel coffee of A*Men by Mugler (1996), the spiced cocoa of Guerlain’s L’Instant Pour Homme (2004), Valentino’s coffee-and-hazelnut Uomo (2014) and Zadig & Voltaire’s sublime, salty vanilla in This Is Him! (2016) follow a similar – if slower – trajectory for the chap. Many men, however, have been delighting in dousing themselves with women’s gourmands for years. And trust us: on a man’s skin, these confections can be beyond delicious…
VERY VANILLA
● GUERLAIN SHALIMAR SOUFFLE DE PARFUM Goddess eats lemon meringue
● SERGES LUTENS UN BOIS DE VANILLE Toasted marshmallows, campfire cosiness
● JERABOAM INSULO Sexy custard, sinfully slathered
CARAMELICIOUS
● THIERRY MUGLER ANGEL Wagner does dessert course
● VIKTOR & ROLF BONBON Naughty – but very, very nice
● SHAY & BLUE SALT CARAMEL Liquidly luscious, comfortingly cocooning
By golly gosh it’s been a tough year, to put it mildl; so as a special present, Santa has a FREE gift for you all…
This year, because we’d like to say a massive ‘THANK YOU!’ for your continued support – and as testament to just how important the role of fragrance has been, calming our nerves and bolstering our spirits in troubling times – Santa has decided to gift the Christmas edition of The Scented Letter magazine,FREE for you all to read.
One of the most hotly-anticipated issues each year is our bumper Christmas edition of the magazine – this year entitled Secret Scent-er – which incorporates all the usual news, reviews and in-depth features with the addition of a fabulously fragrant gift guide. Seriously drool-worthy, it’s a showcase for the very best scented gorgeousness that money can buy, from niche and indie brands to designer luxe.
We know that Christmas will be very different for many of you this year, and hope that you can find time to sit awhile, put your feet up and have your spirits lifted by all manner of glorious things arrayed in the 64 pages – normally only available to VIP Members and those who purchase the printed editions (scroll down for more info on how to get these).
• In Extraits, Extraits, Read All About It!, Persolaise explores the revival of perfume’s most precious form
• Can’t be with those you love over the holidays? Conjure them up with a spritz or a dab of scent, we suggest in Spraying Home for Christmas
• Like our favourite Christmas tunes, explains Viola Levy in Jingle Smells, certain fragrances never fail to deliver Christmas cheer
• I hopped on a Zoom with Santa for this issue’s Memories, Dreams, Reflections– smile as he shares centuries of fragrant recollections
• And of course, we’ve sniffed out the best presents, from glamorous gift sets to beautiful (scented) baubles in Your Fragrant Gift Guide 2020
• Plus as usual, we bring you all the Latest Launches, news, events – and so much more
If the free edition has tickled your fragrant fancies for more award-winning journalism, we can now take orders for a limited run of printed copies of all editions of our magazine, priced £12.50 to our VIP Subscribers (£15 to non-VIPs). And remember: you can buy an annual print subscription to The Scented Letter and also an International Online Subscription for the magazine, too!
Finally, no matter where you are, please know you’re not alone, and that the days will be lighter from now on. With much love, we’d like to wish you all a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS, and look forward to a far more peaceful (and perfume-filled) New Year, for all…
Last-minute Christmas ideas are all very well, but what if you’ve left it so late (yes, we’re looking at you!) that you’ve already missed the last post?
Here are two thoughtful gift ideas for fragrance lovers that need no desperate scurrying for leftover crumpled scraps of wrapping paper – no wrapping or queuing at the Post Office required at all, in fact. What’s more, they last for an entire YEAR, and one of them can be sent to anyone, no matter where they are in the world. Hallelujah!
Seriously the best gift you can give anyone who loves fragrance – after purchasing, simply contact [email protected] with the recipient’s details and we’ll do the rest!
As a member of The Perfume Society VIP Club, they will receive the following exclusive benefits…
• Six issues a year of our online/downloadable digital magazineThe Scented Letter – (virtually) the only publication in the world devoted to all things fragrant. For more info on which, please scroll down…
• Exclusive competitions with fab fragrant prizes – including bottles signed by perfumers.
• Early access to tickets for all our events (when we can do these in-person again) – meeting with leading ‘noses’ and key figures from the perfume world, attending in-store events, workshops, etc. (Our VIPs are first to hear about these.)
• A special member’s discount on our Perfume Society Discovery Boxes (normally £19 – but £15 to our VIPs)
• Plus choose a FREE Discovery Box when you sign up (see options in the drop-down menu, here)
Described as a ‘must-read’ by industry insiders and perfume-lovers, and after so many asked for a printed edition, we also offer a print subscription to our multi award-winning magazine, The Scented Letter. Filled to bursting each issue with in-depth interviews with the world’s top perfumers, as well as news, hundreds of fragrance reviews and behind-the-scenes scented secrets, alongside features by leading fragrance writers – from Thomas Dunckley (The Perfume Candy Boy) to Persolaise, via Viola Levy and our Senior Writer Suzy Nightingale.
The Scented Letter print edition will be delivered to their door for an entire year of fragrant reading ahead, all without you having to lift another finger!
We’re overjoyed that we can now offer overseas subscribers an International Subscription to our digital downloadable magazine, The Scented Letter. (Alas, we still can’t ship our boxes overseas – and we’re as gutted as you are about that!)
Your subscription gives you six 60-page ONLINE editions a year of this beautiful, multi-Jasmine Award-winning magazine: the only one of its kind for perfume-lovers.
Because of the way our system works, when you click Add to Cart it will send us an e-mail – and we’ll follow up for payment. To buy this as a gift; please let us know in your e-mail to us if it’s for someone else.)
So now you can gift an entire year of reading to a fragrance-lover you know, no matter where they live. And from the feedback we receive from overseas fans, we know they’ll be utterly thrilled!
So, it’s really NOT too late to send them something to show you care, to cheer up a fragrant friend you’ve perhaps not been able to see for so long – and these are perfumed presents that last a full 365 days ahead. Now that’s truly a gift that keeps on giving…
That moment of mounting panic when you suddenly realise… you’ve left it too late to present them with a gift! Uh-oh. But hey, it’s okay – whether you’ve dropped the ball for Valentines day, an anniversary, birthday or any special occasion you absolutely meant to remember: we have the scent solutions!
Here are some ideas that you can ‘gift’ your recipient with immediately, no postage required – simply write them a lovely card and explain you’ve treated them to one of the following (with fragrant swag to follow). If they love to smell great, we guarantee they’ll be delighted…
Simply tick the ‘this is a gift’ box and give 365 days of fabulous fragrant activities with our Perfume Society VIP Cub Subscription for only £25, and they’ll receive the following exclusive benefits:
• Six issues a year of our online/downloadable digital magazineThe Scented Letter – (virtually) the only publication in the world devoted to all things fragrant…
• Exclusive competitions with fab fragrant prizes – including bottles signed by perfumers.
• Early access to tickets for all our events – meet with leading ‘noses’ and key figures from the perfume world, attend in-store events, workshops, etc. (Our VIPs are first to hear about these.)
• A special member’s discount on our Perfume Society Discovery Boxes (normally £19 – but £15 to our VIPs)
• Plus choose a FREE Discovery Box when you sign up (so they’ll get an actual present to look forward to)
For people who love print (we must admit to being partial – for longer features, especially), give them a year of fragrant reading with a Scented Letter magazine Print Subscription for £75. This multi-award-winning publication has been described as a ‘must-read’ by industry insiders and perfume-lovers, so we are delighted that in addition to our digital magazine we can now offer this print subscription of The Scented Letter, delivered to your door and starting with the current edition. (For autumn 2017, we look at Fashion, Fabric + Fragrance.)
Appearing six times a year this utterly beautiful magazine, featuring at least 60 pages on perfume news, features and much more is bound to take you ever-deeper into the scented world. Click here for a sneak-peak at our taster issue!
In addition, we feature all the breaking scent news, interviews with ‘noses’ and other creators, alongside fragrant features by leading fragrance writers – from Thomas Dunckley (The Perfume Candy Boy) to Persolaise, via Viola Levy and our Senior Writer Suzy Nightingale. (If you’ve signed up as a subscriber, you will continue to receive access to the complimentary e-zine version.)
NB We are able to ship The Scented Letter overseas; please contact us for prices here
Who doesn’t like filling out some kind of personality questionaire? There are now a great selection of Scent-matching Personality Tests you can take for FREE online or in-store, so get them to do the quiz now and offer to buy a bottle later. Genius!
Molton Brown invite you to ‘Embark on an illuminating journey to discover the ideal match for your unique self.’ The profiling system, was created in tandem with trend forecasting and innovation agency The Future Laboratory, and you instinctively choose from a series of images, at the end of which you’ll discover which ‘psychological perfume profile’ you match. Everyone we know who’s tried it has found it an incredible experience, and it’s brilliant at selecting scents you may easily have overlooked yourself.
Penhaligon’s offer a visual feast to explore while answering simple questions, all illustrated in their delightfully quirky and so-iconic way, with prompts to choose between textures, places to visit and favourite thirst-quenchers. It’s fun and quick to answer the test, and somehow they really do expertly pinpoint your perfume personality type. At the end you’ll be presented with a selection of samples to choose from, which you can either purchase online or pop into a store to smell, before splashing out for a full bottle.
Experimental Perfume Club are brilliant at taking the worry out of picking a new perfume, and their recently launched LAYERS Lab in Selfridges features a fantastically acurate in-store app that allows you to create your own bespoke perfume! We wrote about the concept in more detail here, but basically, the LAYERS App asks questions before recommending 3 possible formulae. You can either choose from the selection or customise the fragrance further with the help of their Fragrance Curator. Once you choose your final blend, your unique fragrance is created in front of you. And, for the ultimate bespoke touch, you can choose a name for your fragrance and a personalised label for your 50ml bottle.
If they are really into perfume and want to learn more, we’re pretty sure they’d love to have a go at making their own on a Perfume Making Workshop. It really gives you an insight into how a perfumer works, and a new appreciation for their creations, and a number of courses offer differing experiences that make perfume perfume-lover’s gifts.
4160 Tuesdays offer a number of options for perfume lovers who want to go that step further and have a guided session of making their own, from an afternoon or full day workshops, right through to five day workshops for the really serious, and more technical courses for the more experienced and those who want to start their own house. They can travel to you if there’s a large enough group (great idea for a party), or you can visit their beautiful new studio in London.
Karen Gilbert is a perfumer who offers online workshops, live presentations and studio based courses for anyone interested in creating fine fragrances, natural perfumes or developing your own range of scented bath and body products. Signing up to her newsletter also gives you access to top tips on where to buy the best ingredients and materials you’ll need, and there are even free online taster sessions to get those creative juices flowing.
Cotswold Perfumery have been making perfume for over 50 years, run by chief perfumer John Stephens, who now invites the fragrance obsessed to indulge their passions in various courses and one-day workshops. Running throughout the year in a dedicated teaching room/laboratory at the Cotswold Perfumery in the beautiful village of Bourton-on-the-Water; ‘as well as learning the skills involved in developing and making your own perfume (to take home with you), you’ll get a unique insight into the life and work of John, one of only six independent perfumers in the UK.’
Whichever of these last-minute gift options you choose, it’s bound to be appriated by any perfume lover. Why not print out an I.O.U voucher to put in the card, as a reminder they will get an actual gift later on? Or you know, gussy up some lovely word to write in their card, add a bunch of flowers and put the date one week ahead in your diary for next year?
We’re so thrilled that the iconic BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs – now superbly hosted by Lauren Laverene – managed to catch up with our co-founder of The Perfume Society and editor of The Scented Letter Magazine,Jo Fairley; and we’re not quite sure how they managed it, because she is (to put it mildly) a busy woman.
One minute she’s putting pen to paper about scented subjects, the next she’s giving a talk to encourage small-business owners, putting together another volume of The Beauty Bible book, or jetting off to Australia with Green & Black’schocolate (which she began with her husband, Craig Sams). Throughout every venture, Jo has believed in listening to her gut feelings, and going with what she’s passionate about (which is why perfume and chocolate feature so highly!)
Jo was over-the-moon to be asked on one of her all-time favourite radio shows, and says that ‘it was an absolute joy and a hoot to do,’ revealing that the team were ‘drinking tea and nibbling Green & Blacks while the back room crew got completely and joyously wired on their bars!’ Before listening to the show, Jo said, ‘I will probably break the Guinness World Record for breath-holding while listening (from behind the sofa)’ and comments over all the years of listening, she must have ‘mentally composed my playlist 1000 times (haven’t we all?) but let me tell you, when it comes down to it, selecting just eight tracks is REALLY HARD.’
We’re sure you’ve got a list of tracks you’d sail away with, so have a listen to Jo’s selection – and the fascinating interview with Lauren, all about Jo’s background, how she started in magazines and her advice for anyone starting a business…
Many famous faces have graced the mini-films of fragrance adverts over the years – for some, their first acting role, for others a moment of evoking the ethos of the house at the very peak of their fame. But did you know several fragrance adverts over the years have also been directed by famous names?
Settle back in your velveteen seats, grab some popcorn and let’s go to the scented cinema…
Sofia Coppola (nominated for Best Director for Lost in Translation in 2003) directed this advert for Miss Dior Cherie, featuring Natalie Portman. Super-stylish, it confirms Coppola’s lifelong appreciation of haute couture, and perhaps evokes her visually stunning film Marie Antoinette in its old-world baroque splendour.
Wes Anderson and son of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Coppola, had previously worked together on films like The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom. Here, they made three short adverts (comprising one longer film) for Prada Candy L’Eau fragrance. An homage to the French New Wave, the visual aesthetic is pure Wes Anderson, and were fully gripped by the classic ‘two men in love with one woman’ storyline
.
This Chanel short film for Coco Mademoiselle saw Keira Knightly and director Joe Wright teaming up for the fourth time – they’ve also worked together in Atonement, (for which, Wright was nominated in 2008 for Best Director), Pride & Prejudice, and Anna Karenina. Just so beautifully lit, the colours and cleverly composed shots look like poetry on the screen.
Renowned surrealist director David Lynch surprised the fragrance and film worlds alike by directing this advert for Yves Saint Laurent Opium in the early 90s. Spanish model Nastassia Urbano stars, with a striking resemblance to Ingrid Bergman (and her daughter, Isabella Rossellini, who was to star in his 1986 hot movie, Blue Velvet). All the hallmarks of sensuality are there, along with a visual deconstruction/seduction of a body on film.
Comic book writer turned film maker, Frank Miller, uses his iconic deliberately over-stylised look (very reminiscent of Sin City) to great effect in his advert for Gucci Guilty. Starring Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans, inky blackness and searing white light are juxtaposed to create a highly sophisticated homage to film noir.
Fragrance and film feature strongly in The Scented Letter‘s recent Perfume & Culture edition, too, in Lights, Camera, Aldehydes!, award-winning blogger and author Persolaise was inspired by his twin passions for film and fragrance – matching some of his favourite fragrances to the films he chose to watch. And in Perfuming a Part, I lift the velvet curtain on the actors and film directors who use fragrance as a tool to create a mood or get into a role…
Perfume & Culture is the theme of the just-published edition of The Perfume Society‘s The Scented Letter magazine, in which we explore the many exciting ways fragrance is crossing over into the arts – infusing theatre, literature, ballet and art installations with its sensory magic – and at the growing trend for artists to launch perfume ranges of their own.
In this issue you can expect to find…
• For Lights, Camera, Aldehydes!, award-winning blogger and author Persolaise was inspired by his twin passions for film and fragrance
• The Scent of a Novel is the article which won Julia Berick the ‘Rising Star’ Jasmine Award – and now you can read it in full
• Suzy Nightingale lifts the velvet curtain on the actors and film directors who use fragrance as a tool to create a mood or get into a role in Perfuming A Part
• Bottle design is an art in itself – so we report on the exquisite fragrance flacons which broke all records in The Perfume Bottles Auction 2019
• Novelist Jane Thynne – who weaves perfume into her bestsellers – shares her olfactory life in Memories, Dreams, Reflections
And of course, as usual, we bring you all the Latest Launches, news, events – and so much more!
Our 60-page multi Jasmine Award-winning magazine is your very best way to keep up to date with all that’s happening in the scented world. Described as an essential read by industry insiders and perfume-lovers alike, the 60-page magazine is available FREE for our VIP Club Members online (sign in to view) or to purchase the coffee-table worthy glossy print version, you can order your copies here for £15 (£12.50 for VIPs)
We’re overjoyed that we can now offer overseas subscribers an International Subscription to our digital downloadable magazine, The Scented Letter. It’s THE perfect Christmas gift to send far-away loved ones who adore fragrance, because it’s only £20 with no overseas postage worries, and last ALL YEAR!
All you have to do is click a button and we’ll do the rest of the work for you…
Buying an International Subscription gives your lucky gift-recipient six 60-page ONLINE editions a year of this beautiful, multi-Jasmine Award-winning magazine: the only one of its kind for perfume-lovers.
Because of the way our system works, when you click Add to Cart it will send us an e-mail – and we’ll follow up for payment. (If sending this as a gift; please let us know in an e-mail to us if it’s for someone else.)
Entirely dedicated to the world of perfume – and aimed at the perfume-lover – we’re delighted to showcase in The Scented Letter the work of many of the leading creatives in fragrance writing and photography (both from the blogosphere and print).
We take full advantage of our privileged access to all the leading ‘noses’ (from Thierry Wasser to Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud), perfume houses, bottle designers and more to ensure that The Scented Letter is your finger on the pulse-point of everything that’s happening in the scented world.
Below is a glimpse from some recent issues – or to see what they’re getting, or why not make yourself a cuppa and enjoy a FREE fuller taster of the magazinehere…
What does the future hold for scent? This was the question posed at a sensory installation called Smell-X, recently held at the Figment NYC festival at Governor’s Island in New York City. We used to rely on our sense of smell to stay alive, but as Helen Keller commented, this once-vital ability became something of ‘the fallen angel of the senses’ when we no longer needed to smell a sabre-toothed tiger or forage for food with our noses as the guide.
We teach people techniques proven to enhance our olfactory abilities in our regular How To Improve Your Sense of Smell Workshops (keep an eye on our events pages and newsletter) attempting to re-connect those neural pathways and genuinely get more pleasure from smelling things in a different way each day. But what if we lived in a future where smell had become so dismissed, we forgot the emotional connections and time-travelling memories that scent can tap in to…?
Olivia Jezler is a designer and scent strategist, who invited guests’ to save the future of humanity’ in the multisensorial installation. Having worked for fragrance houses including IFF, Symrise and Robertet, working with brands and participating in academic research in Human Computer Interaction at the SCHI LAB at University of Sussex, Olivia wanted to see how members of the public interact with scent in a series of hands-on (or rather ‘noses-on’) experiments.
Participants were asked to imagine a future where, ‘…there is no need for the sense of smell and thus our smelling abilities have been genetically engineered to not exist. However, it has become noticeable that people have become joy-less, feelings of enjoyment, connection, beauty and emotion have disappeared and most worrisome, rates of suicide have increased…
Yet, there is hope. There are a few people who through a genetic mutation have retained their ability to smell, those in possession of the gene family Smell-X. Special agents search the world to identify these rare individuals who can perceive through their noses to be a “smell translator”. They are invited to a competition to translate basic smells into shapes. This is the first step to bringing humanity back into balance – giving them the ability to experience the elusive and emotive sense of smell through one of their other senses.’
We so wish we could have been in New York to see the exhibition in person, but for the rest of you who also couldn’t be there, luckily the Smell-X experiments are written about in great deatail on their website.
We’re completely fascinated by these ‘cross-modal’ explorations of smell – finding out the myriad ways our senses overlap. Indeed, we dedicated an entire issue of our magazine to the subject, including our award-winning feature on Synaesthesia.If you’re interested in discovering more, buy your magazine here!
