perfume
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday November 21, 2009
I'm starting to wonder if there isn't more cultural fear with perfume than there is with food. Mention that you're having black pudding and apple sauce alongside your roast pork for Christmas lunch or that you feel like smoked eel before you peel your fresh prawns and you might raise an eyebrow.Give someone a bottle of perfume that isn't their usual Chanel or Estee Lauder and watch them recoil like you've opened the lid on a basket with a spitting cobra inside. I've had a few successes recently with fragrance-giving on spec. Mary loves woody notes and was charmed by her Bvlgari Blv II. Steve, a sophisticate with a discerning palate and nose, couldn't fault the Acqua di Parma Colonnia Intensa. Susan, a die-hard No 5 fan - and there are legions more than I imagined - is warming to Tom Ford Champaca Absolute. And Mark, an Armani groupie from way back, fell in love with Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. My current theory is I work what sort of food-people my friends are. One has an extraordinary wine palate and loves deep layers in her fragrances. Another adores the aromatics in Asian food and is seduced by rosy, lemony, bright scents.Trends as well as tradition are key, too. Colognes are all the rage, ambery notes are big and fresh florals are a hit among the fashion set.Vetiver and patchouli, classically used to anchor men's and women's perfumes, now have a subtlety enhanced by modern science. And because girls just want to have fun, there's nothing like an amazing looking bottle.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald