I am getting ready to get back to my usual posting schedule and go back to my sample to the day posts. I've been sampling those samples (for the lack of a diferent word) lately but just don't yet feel like writing as often as I used to. Or doing much except reading Harry Potter. It somehow feels like with the end of the series, I'll be back to almost my usual self.
But that's not what I was going to write about today. My thoughts today are centered around vintage perfumes. Because I realized yesterday, I went completely wrong way when trying to understand their whole appeal. In my case that was the chypre road. Since I don't appreaciate chypres at all (yet - I'm sure I'll get there eventually), that was a completely wrong road for me. As evidenced by Carol's packages containing some of her wonderful finds. She told me in an email to my statement that I finally understand all that love toward vintage stuff because they smell the way perfume in my mind is supposed to that stuff today just pales in comparison. And that is just plain true. Where did that perfume artistry go, I have no idea, but I do wish someone would bring it back. I mean, the market today is so large, I'm sure there would be quite enough buyers of perfumes as they used to be.
And the perfume that initialized this realization was of course one of Carol's. The Rose Quad (that would be the grassy one). I am still baffled by this new-found rose love I seem to have developed. Have no idea how it came about but now I also know I love vintage perfume. Oh, I'm sure there will be quite a lot of those I won't like but there are those that will make sniffing of those not terribly great worthwhile.
And a leaving thought. Do you ever experience a scent you wore and thought you knew display a new note or feature? That happened to me today. I put on Etro's Lemon Sorbet and suddenly I was walking in a cloud of meadow flowers (for a couple of minutes only). I have no idea where it came from but it was thoroughly enjoyable. :)
As we grow old we find beauty in different things/scents :)
ReplyDeleteOOh, I love it when a familiar scent reveals a totally new side. It's one of my favorite things about the smelly life!
ReplyDeleteTrue Bellatrix.
ReplyDeleteLBV, yes, it is one of the best smelly things. :) Especially since it revealed a facet that I loved. It can unfortunately go in the other direction as well but hey, it's all about discovery after all.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest reason for the death of the classics is price and availability of raw materials . Sandalwood and authentic animalic derivatives ( musk grains , civet ) were featured heavily in the great parfums , and those materials are just not available , nor are they socially acceptable to harvest .
ReplyDeleteI keep adding to my vintage collection and will savor every drop...I just scored a bottle of Vintage coty Chypre EDP . It's not too dark , I think you will like it Ines ( I'll send you a sample when we do our split )
hugs !
Carol, I don't want to say more until it's paid but I think my half of the split will be arriving in a couple of weeks. :) I am so happy!
ReplyDeleteI know that vintage is no longer viable but can't someone just try and reproduce it using some other materials? I'll keep my optimism that it will happen.
But in the meantime I plan on getting my hands on as many vintage perfumes as I and my credit card can. :)
Etro Lemon Sorbet....mmmmm! Just don't think about an actual lemon sorbet when you put it on-- then you would be sad. Best juice with most deceiving name... ever!
ReplyDeleteI, like you, Ines, have been bitten by the vintage bug, and it, like you, makes me sad. Like fine wine from a good year, every year that goes by, there's less of the stuff.
Carol has to be right-- there is a *heft* to vintage that the modern stuff doesn't have-- a gravitas, a discernible depth. There is a heavy reliance on the same kinds of elements that I'm not particularly interested in: powders, florals, oakmoss-- a lot of vintage perfume smells similar to me. But it is deep, I can't take anything away from it there.
That's why when a certain vintage breaks through with a truly novel element-- like the gingerbread of Chanel "Iles du Bois" or the straw-and-sawdust of Balenciaga "La Fuite des Heures" it's such a knockout.
LCN, I'm so glad to see you. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, there are many vintage perfumes that are too powdery or something else (powdery is just something I seriously don't appreciate in my perfumes) but I finally realized there are many more out there which can make you swoon for real. :) I used to think that was just an expression.
I just don't understand how it came about that we live in a world where depths seems to have gone out of life (I'm not talking about perfume only).