What Makes Perfume A Classic?
While reading the Perfume Legends book, a chapter on Poison in particular, I came across an interesting and thought-provoking quote. Edouard Flechier, Poison’s creator, while explaining the long-term process of creating the scent, said the following, “Today, I do not think it would be possible to go as far as we did with Poison. The new perfumes are tame by comparison. I think that’s why Poison has become a classic, because all the classics have an extreme dosage of some component. Consider Chanel No 5 (1921), for example, with its overdose of aldehydes; Vent Vert (1947) with its jolt of galbanum; or Shalimar (1925) with its signature of ethyl vanillin. I think that a classic is characterised by an overdose of either an ingredient or an accord.” (p. 227)
I must say I’ve never thought of it this way but it makes sense, doesn’t it? What makes perfume a classic, in your opinion?
Image source: www.imagesdeparfums.perso.orange.fr
14 comments January 16th, 2007
It looks like the weather has finally chosen to get back to winter (which is always the case in January), and we had our first so-called snow storm in weeks - lovely snow flakes which turned into water as soon as they touched the ground. I grabbed my warmest fleece scarf, wrapped it around my neck twice, and bravely marched the streets of Chicago (I proudly choose walking over public transport). Needless to say, I didn’t go scentless. As I was relishing in the warmth of my fleece scarf, I craved an olfactory equivalent of that sensation and picked none other than Dior’s Eau Noire, probably the most “fleece-like” scent I know.