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| a familiar smell |
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| people love their old-fashioned bottles, their nostalgic wrappings and most of all: the timeless fragrance compositions. traditional perfumes are the latest thing. |
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every year, several hundred new perfumes are launched. they are hip, stylish – and transitory. who remembers the signature fragrance of some starlet that was launched three years ago? who could still describe exactly how the “dazzling summer scent“ smelled back then? fragrances come and go at ever shorter intervals. is this a verdict that is true for all perfumes? no. because despite the fact that advertising campaigns worth a few million accompany the mushrooming of new fragrances, there are only a few classics that can prove themselves. for instance, the fragrance classic number 1 – chanel no. 5 – has never been fazed by the appearance of the most recent perfumes by kenzo, naomi campbell or gabriela sabatini. it is still found at the top position of international sales lists – with its unchanged composition of high-quality raw materials like ylang-ylang, cinnamon rose and jasmine. the precious fragrance has survived for more than 85 years and an end of its popularity is not yet in sight. coco chanel’s efforts to create something lasting have been more than fulfilled. the fragrance had class from the very beginning. after all, coco chanel engaged no less a person than ernest beaux, perfume chemist at the court of the russian tsar, with the creation of the fragrance. from the ten proposed fragrances, the renowned designer chose the fifth sample. when beaux asked her what she wanted to call the perfume, she said: “i’m launching this collection on the fifth day of the fifth month, five seems to be my lucky number.” but it was not good luck alone that made the composition a classic and almost a synonym for perfumes in general. when marilyn monroe once breathed that the only thing she wore in bed was chanel no. 5, it just as much contributed to the fame of the fragrance as did the costly advertising campaigns that were coined by coco chanel’s legitimate heir karl lagerfeld. famous faces like vanessa paradis, cathérine deneuve, carole bouquet or nicole kidman – it is thanks to “charlemagne” that the fragrance is still the talk of the town.
a fragrance with character, made from mainly natural materials, no run-of-the-mill perfume. if you’re looking for a very special elixir, you will not be able to overlook the grand names of the french and english perfume tradition. penhaligon’s, clive christian, creed, diptyque, histoires de parfums, j. floris, miller harris or roger&gallet are brands that make the hearts of perfume connoisseurs beat faster. what they have in common: history and tradition that can often be traced back for many centuries. they supplied kings and emperors, tsars and popes – and today the best concept stores in the world. no matter if it’s quartier 206 in berlin, apropos in cologne or colette in paris. fragrances that have long been forgotten by most people have recently experienced a new revival. although it does take a whole lot of character to carry the top and middle notes of musk, lavender, jasmine or spices. because back when the scents were created, nobody thought about marketing. back then, a perfume was still created, not systematically tested with a representative number of potential customers. it’s no disadvantage for the essences produced by perfume houses such as truefitt & hill, molinard or fragonard that you have to get a feel for them in the first place. however, if you prefer it a bit less dramatic and profound, you’re better off with the italian cult essences. no matter if it’s acqua di parma, culti, boellis or carthusia – the oldies from the south definitely radiate a certain sense of ease. their plus: they’re fragrances with stories. like in the case of carthusia, a perfume brand created in 1380 by a clergyman and not available outside capri until 2002. legend has it that back then the father prior of certosa di san giacomo on arrival of joan of anjou made a flower arrangement with the most beautiful flowers of the island. after three days, the priest recognized that the water in which the flowers were kept, had acquired a pleasant smell and had an idea: “garofilium silvestre caprese“, carthusia’s first perfume was born. the secret of the perfume remained hidden behind the monastery walls until it was rediscovered in 1948 and the sleeping beauty was woken by licence of the pope. |
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| martina müllner |
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