Posted by Kevin
on
2 December 2010
Whenever I hear or read the word “fougère” I don’t think of ferns, I think of Houbigant Fougère Royale (1882) — which shows how perfume obsessed I am. Years ago, I got my hands on several old bottles of Fougère Royale (1950s version) and enjoyed every drop of that crisp, sprightly fragrance; I’ve never found a replacement for it, so I was thrilled when I heard Houbigant was reissuing Fougère Royale this year.
Fougère Royale was the first fougère perfume, and was composed using natural bergamot, lavender, clary sage, geranium, heliotrope, rose, orchid, carnation, oakmoss, musk, vanilla, and synthetic coumarin (synthesized in the laboratory from salicylic acid). Fougère Royale’s use of a synthetic note gave it the distinction of being the first “modern” fragrance. Fougère Royale translated the “idea” of ferns into scent; it did not try to duplicate an existing smell — it created a new smell. Fougère Royale’s creator, perfumer Paul Parquet, said: If God gave ferns a scent, they would smell like Fougère Royale.1
Before I go further, let me state the obvious: there’s no one alive today who smelled original, 1882 Fougère Royale…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
19 November 2010
Houbigant will re-introduce their iconic 1882 fragrance for men, Fougère Royale, this month:
First introduced in 1882, Fougère Royale completely revolutionized the world of perfumes and established modern perfumery as it exists today…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
28 October 2010
The Six Scents Fragrance Initiative has launched Six Scents Series Three. As with the prior two sets, the project teams six designers with six perfumers to create a series of limited edition fragrances. This year, the fragrances are “an exploration into the nature of childhood memories and the influence of adolescence on identity”. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to War Child International…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
13 September 2010
John Varvatos will celebrate 10 years of business with John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special Edition, a new limited edition fragrance for men and the designer’s first scent with Elizabeth Arden …
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
10 September 2010
It was a long and eventful summer, and I have fallen terribly behind on reviews. In the interest of saving time and catching up and all that, here are brief reviews on three scents that are nice enough but that did not interest me enough to write longer reviews anyway. How’s that for an enticing lead in?
Miss Pucci by Pucci
A light sparkling floral musk from the folks at Pucci. It is pretty, clean, safe, and geared towards a young audience (that is, an audience that likes their florals pretty, clean and safe). Like its predecessor, Vivara, it lacks the verve and punch of the fashion line, but hey, that’s true of nearly every designer perfume ever made…
Read the rest of this article »
