Posted by Robin
on
10 December 2009
Perfumers owe their increasingly high profile to Frédéric Malle, whose nine-year-old luxury company, Editions de Parfum, was the first to celebrate perfumers by name. The black label on each bottle identifies the perfumer, like an author’s name on a book jacket.
— From Now Smell This, and See Its Maker at the New York Times.
...the most notable trend in the industry right now comes from the growth in niche products. Fragrance is a sociological phenomenon. On the one hand, perfume is a commodity, dominated by global brands and fashion houses, but on the other hand we're in a new golden age of perfume, driven by artisans who seek to create experiences rather than brands.
— Michael Edwards, quoted in Fragrances of the World 2010 at Cosmetic World.
What do you think — do perfumers owe their increasingly high profile to Frédéric Malle? And is this "golden age of perfume" driven by artisans? Because in both cases I would have said it's all driven by consumers, and more specifically, by perfume-related consumer activity on the internets: the blogs, the fragrance forums, what have you.
Posted by Robin
on
4 September 2009
Fashion's Night Out at Barneys on Madison and Sixty-First in New York City on September 10th, includes appearances by Frederic Malle, who will sign bottles and offer personal fragrance consultations from 7 to 9 pm, and Fabrice Penot of Le Labo, who will offer fragrance consultations from 6 to 8. More information is available here, and many thanks to Eric for the tip!
Posted by Kevin
on
31 July 2009
As I imagine him, the Géranium Pour Monsieur man is “casual” but always well groomed. He enjoys nature — sunshine, the sounds of birds, crickets and cicadas. The Géranium Pour Monsieur man can’t walk past a blossom without sniffing it. He rubs leaves between his palms and scratches bark with his fingernails to savor their aromas. The Géranium Pour Monsieur man, his dog at his side, would happily spend a quiet afternoon following a butterfly through country fields — a sprig of fresh, sweet grass between his lips, a wildflower tucked in his jacket buttonhole.
Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums Géranium Pour Monsieur is a charming and unpretentious fragrance (outdoorsy, but not “sporty”) created by perfumer Dominique Ropion; its notes include geranium, mint, rhodinol, aniseed, clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, incense resinoid, styrax benzoin, and white musk. When I first read Géranium Pour Monsieur’s ingredients list, I was worried the spices and musk would end up masking the mint and geranium, but spice and musk are used judiciously and don’t distort the slightly floral, herbal “greens” and dry woods in the fragrance…
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Posted by Robin
on
7 July 2009
The smell I hate more than anything on the planet is the smell of the airport duty-free shop. The mix of fragrances is quite horrible and I didn’t want my stores to smell of anything.
— Frederic Malle, quoted in Scents of self in the Australian, explaining the inspiration for the "smelling columns" in the Frederic Malle boutiques.
Posted by Robin
on
14 April 2009
Frédéric Malle will launch Géranium pour Monsieur in May; it is expected to reach the United States in June. The new fragrance was developed by perfumer Dominique Ropion, who already has three fragrances in the Frédéric Malle line: Carnal Flower, Une Fleur de Cassie and Vétiver Extraordinaire.
Géranium pour Monsieur was inspired by the Frédéric Malle Anterenea soap…
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