Wrapping up - 2011

In the memory of Mona di Orio
Dear readers, as New Years Eve is approaching I hope you all succeeded to finish with your shopping lists of 2011. At this point we all know that what came around will stick around till the next season. So it is time to wrap up and bring what was good and bad in perfumery this year.

JERSEY BY CHANEL

Chanel continues to go downhill. In 2010 they had 02 pale launches - Chanel Eau Tendre and Bleu. This year they tried to reformulate a beloved fragrance, the Chanel Nº19, launching a new modern version called Nº19 Poudrée - Jersey . 40 years ago Henry Robert succeeded Jacques Polge as the new in house perfumer of the brand. It was also the last time she would have any saying on the creative process of a Chanel fragrance. She wanted a powerful statement. With a very masculine green opening, the fragrance than lead us to a path of flowers (the Chanel signatured ones) with an impeccable finishing. Chanel Nº19 Poudrée Jersey also shouts out loud an statement: That Chanel needs a turn around, to fire most of their staff and start from zero!

Another Excusif was added to the collection Les Exclusifs. Jersey was received as a nice fragrance by the public, but I would probably stick with Coromandel, as lavender is concerned. This one does not last long enough and it has absolutely nothing exclusive about it. So here it is my readers, as far as my beloved Chanel brand is concerned...I am really concerned with the future of this brand. I don't know where they will find their inspirations, their creativity and their Mojo to reinvent themselves.

Guerlain on the other hand is working full time to satisfy their clientele. The Idylle family got Duet and Eau Sublime - which seemed to be more of a marketing/financial strategy than new fragrances - but people enjoyed anyway. The fans of Habit Rouge from 1965 got a new modern version, going back to its classics. Another trend these days. Thierry Wasser also presented the 6th flanker of Shalimar - Shalimar Parfum Initial. Youth oriented - targeting and looking for new clientele...

Well, since we are mentioning Mr. Wasser - another break through: the man finally recognized, as a perfumer, that we bloggers do have our share of respect in our opinions as the general public is concerned. He also made some implied statements, that IMO was directly messages to ONE blogger only...but I will not stretch here the subject...

Jasminora was added to the Aqua Allegoria range and it is simply beautiful. 
Speaking of revivals, Oscar de La Renta makes a great come back with a very nice fragrance Eprit D'Oscar, and a less greater one, Live in Love EDP. 
By the way, love was a very explored theme in perfumery this year, click HERE to see some of the perfumes; and nature continued to inspire us, less ethereal, less dewy, greener, with more depth, click HERE.

LOEWE - LA COLECCÍON

Annick Goutal has nailed this year with one single fragrance - Mon Parfum Cherrie EDP, while Thierry Mugler launched 05, including a new beautiful flacon for Angel and Le Goût de Parfum collection - limited editions where the gourmandise is unleashed. As far as collections are concerned, this is also an on going trend these days that started last year - instead of launching flankers, brands are launching "collections". Last year Ralph Laurence launched the Big Poney Collection; Mona di Orio launched her Nombres D'Or (which was expanded this year with Tubereuse, Vétyver, Oud and Vanile); Loewe launched a beautiful limited edition only sold at Harrold's, with 04 fragrances - La Coleccíon; YSL brought some of his vintage hard-to-find fragrances in a collection of 8 perfumes called La Collection (coincidence or copy?); Blood Concept with their A, B, O and AB fragrances; Ineke with her Floral Curiosities; Costume Nacional with their POP Collection of 04 different fragrances; Molton Brown investing more on the fragrance department, launching fine fragrances, with a collection called Navigation Through Scent; Andy Tauer with his less successful Pentachords that began to be launched last year, and will continue its downfall next year; Victoria Secret with the worst of perfumery - The VS Temptation Collection, etc etc...

Fashion brands that were not yet in the fragrance market have also appeared this year, such as Botega Venetta with Botega Venetta EDP; Ben Sherman with a fragrance that takes his name; and Diane fon Furstenberg with Diane EDP.

In the area of celebrity perfumes we are finally seeing a slowdown, with some surprises such as Madonna rushing to compete with Lady Gaga to launch a fragrance of her own. Both announced this year, and probably both will be very disappointing as 99,9% of the celeb's fragrances.

LUCA TURIN & TANIA SANCHEZ

In the perfume publishing department we have fantastic new books on the shelves this year: La Cuisine de Nez by Sabine Chabert (click HERE), The Perfume Lover by Denise Beaulieu, The Little Book of Perfumes by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez, Sleeping with the Enemy - Coco Chanel's Secret War by Haul Vaughan, Fragrances of the World - 2011 - 27th edition by Michael Edwards, Perfume - The Alchemy of a Scent by Jean Claude Ellena, and Les Parfums - Histoire, Antologie, Dictionnaire by Elisabeth de Feydeau.
So, if you haven't read any of those - it is still time to pick some of them to read this Holidays!

Mona di Orio

We had a sad moment for the perfume community this year as we have lost our beloved Mona di Orio, perfumer and friend of many of us. Although the brand has announced that will continue to spread her beauties, I am concerned with the future of this brand. Some of her fragrances are being sold in the internet as rare findings already at the highest cost.
We lost a great perfumer, but we have gained a very promising one - John Arthur, aka Kerosene (click here to read the article), who has created one of the most beautiful OUD perfumes of 2011.


So I think this is it darlings. My last post of 2011. I need my friday to finish to pack and than leave to enjoy family and my needed holidays.


I wish you all a happy New year and I hope we will rejoin here in 2012!


Love,


Simone XXXX