Just as I thought I was all lemming-free, here comes the rain - the new Quand Vient La Pluie (When The Rain Comes) by Guerlain. According to Osmoz.com, it’s composed as a “prose poem”, “a fresh, powdery-ambry melody built around heliotrope and violet, with nuances of rosemary, praline and sambac jasmine”. Quite a versatile array of notes, and I’m a bit sceptical on that praline note. The perfumer is Thierry Wasser (Dior Addict, Lancome Hypnose as well as Iris Ganache, another new release by Guerlain), and the bottle is “the shape of a raindrop set upside-down on a base etched with the veins of a leaf” (the picture doesn’t really do it justice, it seems). Available at Maison Guerlain - whether it’ll arrive in the U.S., I’m not sure.
June 11th, 2007
There’re several perfumers whose works I adore (Olivia Giacobetti, Pierre Bourdon, Michel Roudnitska, to name a few) but there’s only one who resonates with me the most - Francis Kurkdjian. Not only is he exceptionally gifted but also quite renown for his young age - the author of such a big hit as Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier at the mere age of 25 and the recipient of the Francois Coty Prize for Lifetime Achievement as a perfume designer. All the awards aside, Francis Kurkdjian to me is first and foremost an artist whose creations touch me on a personal level and reciprocate - I love them, and they love me back. To borrow the quote from his web site - “perfume as a work of art is a transmitted expression of intimacy”.
French of Armenian heritage, Francis Kurkdjian learned perfumery at the International Institute of Perfume, Cosmetics and Flavors and has worked at Quest International and Takasago (a leading Japanese fragrance company). In 2001, he created his own atelier of custom made perfumes. If I could ever afford to have a custom perfume made for me, he’d be my perfumer of choice (a girl can dream).
I have categorized Francis Kurkdjian’s creations into two main groups: The Glorious Rose and Something Completely Different.
The Glorious Rose: I absolutely adore what he does with the rose. In my pre-Kurkdjian years, my notion of a good rose perfume consisted of a true-to-life, straightforward, honeyed rose along the lines of the famous Bulgarian rose oil. Kurkdjian takes the rose for a total spin: Rose Barbare by Guerlain (a perfect modern day chypre!) is a rose with thorns and proud of it; Lady Vengeance by Juliette Has A Gun - a deeply sensual, intense rose; Rose de Siwa by Parfums MDCI - a radiant, glowing queen. I’m yet to try the new Ferre Rose by Gianfranco Ferre which promises to be a fruity-floral (yes, I know, but it’s Kurkdjian!) rose.
Something Completely Different: simply put, exploring new dimensions in perfume. The scents in this category are my ever so cherished Eau Noire and Cologne Blanche by Christian Dior, Isvaraya by Indult, and the burning papers Papier d’Armenie with the most soothing scent (incense, myrrh, vanilla). These fragrances have become part of my human existence (cheesy, I know, but there you have it), and I’ll never want to be without them.
Other Francis Kurkdjian’s creations include:
Iris Nobile by Acqua di Parma, 2004
Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden, 1999
Mania by Armani, 2002
Fragile by Jean Paul Gaultier, 1999
Fleur de Male by Jean Paul Gaultier, 2007
Miracle Homme by Lancome, 2001
Lily Chic by Escada, 2000
Rumeur by Lanvin, 2006
Kouros Cologne Sport by Yves Saint Laurent, 2004
Papier d’Armenie, 2006
Sillage de la Reine, 2006
Silver Shadow by Davidoff, 2005
Narciso Rodriguez For Her (co-signed with Christine Nagel), 2003
Narciso Rodriguez For Him, 2007
Image source: parfums-et-aromes.com
June 11th, 2007