“Look at it this way… at least we learned how to make French Fries… ”
– Coming to America
More Scent-ences from the Smelly Interwebs
From the hidden corners of all things perfumed in media, here’s your weekly CM roundup of goings-on from the mad, mad world of fragrances and beyond: (??) Some new and noteworthy nose candy for the nasally inclined. In this week’s scented sagas…
—”Out of the bottle, into the street…” June is officially upon us. Time for some June Pride fun. This marks the 4th year of Pride festivities since the release of Christopher Street (the first fragrance to launch as queer), the 46th Annual Pride March in NYC, and the 47th year since the Stonewall Riots. In other words, a good excuse to get caught up with the merchants and misfits of the West Village (and maybe restock your bottle). Details on where we’ll be and other events to check out will be trickling out all month long.
[The Olfactive Story of Christopher Street | Charenton Macerations]
—“Rose — the scent of passion, of love, of dulcet longing — is the new unisex.” Sigh. Even the NY Times cannot help but trip up on the differences between unisex, androgyne, and queer. If only there were some information about that sort of thing accessible somewhere on the internet, or someone had taken the time to look into that subject through the lens of the rose… I smell a response article coming… maybe with pictures. PS, Syrian rose? Really? I mean what war? I see no war here…
[In Fragrance, Rose Is the New Unisex | The New York Times]
—“I don’t want to create niche; I want to create excellence.” Speaking of unisex, that’s ckOne perfumer Alberto Morillas riffing on the inspiration to create his Mizensir line and the influence of Jean-Paul Guerlain. Hear the complete story from the Firmenich master perfumer himself over at Candid Magazine…
[Mizensir: From The Man Who Defined The Nineties | Candid Magazine]
—“That’s because POP is all about everything that a major fragrance usually isn’t.” How’s that now? That’s some of the opening pitch for POP, the latest younger sibling scent to 2003’s Stella by Stella McCartney. Warning, this article is not without its cringe-worthy moments. For example: “I feel so encouraged by the next generation of women and how they have a voice and a point of view…” (as opposed to all those previous women who had no voices or POV’s); and my favorite, “All four muses [Amandla Stenberg, Kenya Kinski-Jones, Grimes, and Lourdes Leon] are in the process, she says, of ‘popping’—that is, becoming fully independent and doing their own thing.” (Just try not to think of popping hymens when you read that). The tuberose and creamy sandalwood “everything that a major fragrance usually isn’t” launches with an accompanying Capsule collection and will be available at Sephora…
[Stella McCartney’s New Scent Breaks All the Major Fragrance Rules | Elle.com]
—”His suggestions that perfume be mated to products, that flankers are good, and that Giorgio was the first true niche phenomenon gave me pause in considering Edwards a credible authority on the subject.” This week’s venting award goes to From Pyrgos’ Brian Ross, who sets aim at Michael Edwards and the many definitions of niche…
[“Niche” Is A Broken Concept. How To Fix It? Start By Ignoring Michael Edwards. | From Pyrgos]
— “I find smell to be an incredibly important and overlooked part of dating.” Think you can sniff out your perfect mate? That’s precisely the thinking behind the Sweat Shop (I kid you not… check the video above about 24 seconds in) of Smell Dating, a new olfactive-based matchmaking service in Manhattan, founded by Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne. Get your stink on before you get your freak on…
[Would You Ever Try: Smell Dating | Science of People]
—”At any one time, thousands of different odor molecules arrive at the smell receptors in our noses to provide detailed information about the surrounding world.” How does the nose keep that coded information in scent from getting all muddled together? New research from Monell may finally answer that question and more, solving a 30 year-old mystery regarding the function of OMP. Read more from the study here…
[The Mysterious Olfaction Molecule Unmasked | Perfumer & Flavorist]
—”We want to fill the senses of every guest to unveil how blood sacrifice was a very important part of life for the Aztec and Ancient Maya people.” On June 8, Cambridge University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology welcomes Odette Toilette for a scratch and sniff interactive talk inspired by smells and stories from ancient Aztec culture. Scents to die for (or by)…
—”The exhibition can awaken your sense and memories of smell, allowing you to discover the past and present smell-scrapes of Istanbul and Anatolia.” Closing June 8, “The Scent and The City” gets ready to say goodbye to the Research Center for Anatolian Civilization in Instanbul. See it while you can…
[New and ancient scents beckon exhibition visitors | Daily Sabah]
—Finally, some incredibly useful Fragrance DIY Tips courtesy of Bustle. Maybe also consider adding in our CM rose and patchouli sachets as other possibilities in your repertoire when seeking to scent your stored fabrics. They really do the job of keeping the lingering mustiness (and unwanted critters) away. Better living through olfaction.
[7 Hacks That Will Make Your Closet & Clothes Smell Amazing | Bustle]
Leaving you with the random, weird, beautiful… Scent, a mental concept by Bile Sister. Enjoy. I’ll be hanging out in Bushwick this weekend, checking out the new murals and tags put up for (and around) the Bushwick Collective. If you’re in NYC this weekend, come check it out.
That’s all for now folks. See you back here next week for more from the mad world of olfaction.
Until then…
