Issuu

scented The

NO. 27 Autumn 2017

www.perfumesociety.org

letter

THE REVIVAL OF RUSSIAN LEATHER

Charlotte Tilburyâ€™s scent memories

LATEST LAUNCHES

fashion fabric & FRAGRANCE

editor’s letter September is the time when magazines traditionally turn our focus to fashion. But we’re adding a new dimension to this annual ‘Fashion & Fragrance’ edition of The Scented Letter, by looking at the relationship between perfume and textiles. A question we always ask at our How to Improve Your Sense of Smell workshops is: ‘If this fragrance was a fabric, what would it be…?’ Some scents seem to evoke red velvet, others white linen, or sensuous folds of silk. And the consistency in the responses to this simple query – when attendees at the workshops share impressions they’ve noted down in silence – blows us away, time after time. So for this issue, we asked award-winning blogger and writer Persolaise to unravel the whole relationship between Fashion & Fragrance. Wrap yourself in his brilliant writing, on p.20. Russian leather is a fascinating material – and it’s also a strong trend in perfumery. In the early 20th Century, many different fragrance houses offered fragrances under the name of ‘Russian Leather’. Right now, this fascinating, dark material is enjoying a makeover in the hands of contemporary perfumers – making it very much an ingredient-of-the-moment. Suzy Nightingale explores its journey – from the boots of Russian soldiers to our pulse-points today, on p.12. Gabrielle Chanel broke many rules in her work (and her life), including using traditional fabrics in innovative ways. Tweed, jersey and quilted leather were reworked by the designer, helping to revolutionise the way women dressed. The cap of the just-unveiled Chanel fragrance Gabrielle – created by perfumer Olivier Polge – turns out to have been inspired by a lustrous tweed from the Chanel Haute Couture archive. So, having always been hugely inspired myself by Chanel – her fierce independence, her capacity for hard work, the way she assembled a dazzling circle of artistic friends – I had great fun weaving the story about her life and its fashion and fabric legacy, on p.38.

This edition’s #ShareMyStash features a suitably stylish chap, too. When we first saw a snap of Chris Yu’s scent-stacked shelving, we knew that he’d make the perfect subject for a ‘through the keyhole’style interview, sharing his favourite fragrances and top 10. Turn to p.32 – and swoon. Last but not least: welcome to a new, fatter format of The Scented Letter. As we work towards – ultimately – getting this magazine onto the newsstands, feedback was that our eight issues a year were tricky to manage, and that an every-other-month frequency would work better. So that’s what we’ll be doing, moving forward. We’ll be bringing you the same number of pages, over a year – but fatter editions (at least 60 pages), bi-monthly. We hope you continue to love The Scented Letter – bigger and (we hope!) getting better all the time…

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The Perfume Society

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The

scented Letter

contributors

scented The

letter

Editor

Josephine Fairley jo@perfumesociety.org Designer

Jenny Semple enquiries@jenny sempledesign.co.uk Advertising Manager

Lorna McKay lorna@perfumesociety.org Senior writer

Suzy Nightingale suzy@perfumesociety.org

Charlotte Tilbury

Victoria Evans

Charlotte discovered ‘the power of make-up’ at the age of 13 – and there’s been no stopping her ever since. After 25 years of doing make-up for the A-List – Penelope Cruz to Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez to Kate Moss – the launch of her signature line took the world of make-up by storm. Skincare followed – and most recently fragrance, with Scent of a Dream winning 2017’s CEW Award for Best New Women’s Fragrance. Charlotte shares her scented Memories, Dreams & Reflections on p.26. Join her 1.5 million followers on Instagram: @ctilburymakeup

Victoria is the newest recruit to The Perfume Society team, helping to curate our Discovery Boxes, pictureresearching The Scented Letter and running the all-important Customer Service Desk. After a degree in History of Art, Victoria worked in the arts world, as Gallery Manager for The Jerwood Gallery, and as Programme Assistant for Turner Contemporary in Margate. She also has a longstanding love of perfume, beauty and fashion, and in her spare time, Victoria runs a vintage store on etsy.com, GoldLadyVintage.

Amber Ashcroft

Persolaise

Amber – who chose fake fan as the smell that whisks her through time and space, in It Takes Me Right Back on p.58 – is Senior Beauty Writer at Reveal magazine, having graduated in multimedia journalism from Bournemouth University. In 2016 and 2017, Amber was shortlisted for the coveted ‘Rising Star’ Award in The Jasmine Awards, from The Fragrance Foundation. Current perfume preoccupation? Finding a scent for her wedding in October 2017. Follow Amber on Instagram: @amber_ascroft

Persolaise is a four-time Jasmine Award winning perfume critic and author of the Le Snob: Perfume guide. He has written for a wide range of online and print titles, including Grazia, Glass, Basenotes and, of course, The Scented Letter. His views on scent have been sought by the BBC, The Sunday Times and The Guardian, amongst others. Read posts reviews and interviews with the stars of the fragrance industry on his site, persolaise.com – and follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @persolaise

HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA/EVENTS

Carson Parkin-Fairley carson@perfumesociety.org HEAD OF MARKETING

Jodie Young jodie@perfumesociety.org MARKETING/PROJECTS

Victoria Evans victoria@perfumesociety.org CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Maggie Alderson

COVER: Josephine Fairley

Contact us info@perfumesociety.org 3rd Floor 30 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0DE 07502-258759 The Scented Letter is a free online/downloadable magazine for subscribers to The Perfume Society; visit perfumesociety.org for more information

The Scented Letter is produced for The Perfume Society by Perfume Discovery Ltd. All information and prices are correct at the time of going to press and may no longer be so on the date of publication. © 2017 The Perfume Society All text, graphics and illustrations in The Scented Letter are protected by UK and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission. 4 The scented Letter

contents SCENT AS TEXTURE

fabric

silk

& FrAGrANCe

Do certain perfumes remind you of velvet – and others of cotton, or silk…? Award-winning blogger and author PersolAise unpicks the relationship between textiles and perfumes

if Any of you hAve attended The Perfume society’s ‘how To improve your sense of smell’ workshop – and if you haven’t, you really ought to consider doing so – you’ll know that part of it is based on learning to make associations. While various perfumes are sniffed, you’re encouraged to think about whether they remind you of a certain colour or a piece of music or a place, and so on. As you can imagine, the responses range from the illuminating to the downright hilarious. But the question which yields the most consistent statements is: ‘if this perfume were a fabric, what would it be…?’ it’s remarkable to observe. With no prompting or prodding, with no clues as to the identity of the fragrance in question, with not a single word exchanged between themselves, complete strangers display startling similarities when asked to link a perfume with a fabric. ‘fresh, white linen,’ many of them will say. or, ‘An old-fashioned, velvet gown.’ or, perhaps, ‘well-worn denim.’ Curious to investigate this phenomenon, i thought it would be fascinating to seek out some insights on which raw materials and perfumes might be especially effective at

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conveying the scents and sensations of certain fabrics. Perfumer ralf schwieger, for instance – creator of the ironically retro frock that is lipstick rose for frederic Malle – starts by saying that says he frequently thinks ‘of fragrance materials in terms of their tactile experience. ‘As perfumers we often use descriptors like “rough”, “smooth” or “scratchy”. even those linked to temperature, like “warm” and “cool”, may actually refer to the sensation of touching fabric.’ francis Kurkdjian, a perfumer with more than his fair share of hits, including le Male for Gaultier and eau noire for Dior, is in total agreement about the existence of a connection between fabric and fragrance. he has worked with Daniel hechter on a trio of scents inspired by cotton, leather and denim. And, as he goes on to explain, ‘when narciso rodriguez asked me and Christine nagel to create for her, he gave us a sample of dirty pink duchesse satin and said: “This is the feeling i want for my fragrance.”’ in his eponymous range, francis features four creations which link a different fabric – namely: velvet, satin, silk and cashmere – to a somewhat unexpected material, the ever-ubiquitous oudh.

The old-world, vintage-inflected density of gardenia can be used to conjure an image of heavy velvet

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17 The scented LeTTer

velvet MaiSoN FraNCiS KurKdjiaN oud Velvet Mood velvet, yes, but also an iron fist, overpowering all with room-filling charm and take-no-prisoners assertiveness.

Neela Vermeire Creations Trayee The setting sun of india picks out the reds, yellows and blues of an ancient landscape, strewn with jasmine and frankincense.

SerGe luTeNS iris Silver Mist succumb to an embrace of unquestioning protection, far from the noise and the worries of the world.

araMiS Perfume Calligraphy Saffron raw, russet silk draped across a slender hand, reaching towards the lengthening shadows of the distant dunes.

Galop d’HerMèS A stallion covered with rose petals races past like a streak of incandescence, leaving vivid hues in its wake.

FrederiC Malle Superstitious Grand gestures. Wide-eyed smiles. Gold bracelets tinkling against the champagne glasses. sink into the softness.

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smoke gets on your skin BRING BACK THE BIRCH

scent as a texture FASHION, FABRIC & FRAGRANCE

The romantic story of one of perfumery’s most intriguing ingredients, Russian leather

Award-winning blogger Persolaise unpicks the fascinating relationship between textiles and perfumes

an aromatic life MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS

vintage treasures A PATCHWORK OF PERFUMES

Catwalk/red carpet make-up legend Charlotte Tilbury shares how Ibiza shaped her olfactory landscape

We visit the studio of a perfume house inspired by flowers, fashion, fabric – and biscuit tins

10 years and spritzing HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAISY

a spritz of style HOW DO YOU BOTTLE A LEGEND?

How Marc Jacobs’s contemporary classic became one of the most ‘collected’ fragrances of our times

Read how Chanel – immortalised in the new scent Gabrielle – flouted convention, on and off the catwalk

regulars NOSING AROUND 6 LIVES OF THE GREAT NOSES 10 SCENTS OF PLACE 16 #SHAREMYSTASH 32 LATEST LAUNCHES 44 IT TAKES ME RIGHT BACK 58

The

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on the scent of news

nosing around We bring you fragrant layering opportunities, a must-have addition to the scented cocktail cabinet and fabric-inspired scents, among other perfume news

Fabric, fragrance and Fragonard

Extraits, extraits – read all about it Roger&Gallet – the perfume house which still sells the very earliest eau de Cologne, by Jean-Marie Farina – revisits that style of fragrance with this collection of Extraits by leading noses Alberto Morillas, Anne Flipo, Fabrice Pellegrin, Julie Karagueuzoglou and Elise Benat. Each swirls around a central flower or plant: tuberose, cassis, verbena, tea and neroli. Scents as pretty as the flacons to spritz them from. From £30 for 30ml escentual.com

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Fragonard’s stunning fragrance bottle and box designs take their inspiration from fabrics – some sourced by Fragonard’s Agnès Costa on her travels, others from the museum founded by her mother in Grasse (a must-visit if you’re in the town). One for the perfume bookshelf is their book For The Love of Perfume, detailing the history of the house alongside stunning photos of works of art, 18th Century paintings and antique Provençale costumes from the museum’s collection. 28 euros fragonard.com

TAKE A BOW No longer a style faux pas, ‘matchy-matchy’ is fashion forward – and to prove the point, Ted Baker have paired their Sweet Treat perfumes with a trio of colourful nail polish combinations, shown off in a box inspired by Ted Baker’s Gem Garden print. (That textile design gets its inspiration from bejewelled vintage brooches – also a hot trend). Ted Baker Mini Bow Trio £26 for trio of x 5ml eaux de parfum and three x nail polish very.co.uk

tip A new ‘pulse-point’ we’ve been trying recently: the palms of the hands. The warmth encourages fragrance to expand so you can enjoy fragrance everywhere you touch.

UNSPLASH/RICARDO GOMEZ ANGEL

Bergamot cocktail anyone?

Lather with leather For the person who truly wants to wallow in MEMO’s Irish Leather, the new bath line allows you to experience its beguiling, dry, leatheriness in all manner of frothy forms. Irish Leather Celtic Kit Bathline £73 for 50ml set harveynichols.com

Replicating a recipe that dates back to the 1800s, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamatto liqueur is the brainchild of Italian spirits expert Guiseppe Gallo. Bergamot from the UNESCOprotected area in the Calabrian region and Sicilian cedro citrus are blended with a hint of lavender and yellow roses and beautifully bottled in blue. Splash generously to spice up your G&T or add a citrusy sparkle to a glass of Prosecco. £44 for 700ml harveynichols.com

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on the scent of news

The Four Quartets Miller Harris go back to their roots, releasing four well-loved, ‘lost’ scents. The Back by Popular Demand archive collection includes sophisticated, spicy and mysterious Fleur Oriental; Figue Amère ( bitingly bitter ripe green figs with sea-salted breezes); overwhelmingly green Geranium Bourbon and Terre de Bois, its clean citrus top making way for forest moss and wet earth. Be quick: only 500 of each have been bottled – and when they’re gone, they’re gone. £75 for 50ml eau de parfum

millerharris.com

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL Lola James Harper have released their stellar line up of scents in airline-friendly 50ml sizes – essential packing for the spirited explorer. Our fave? The irresistibly soft iris Do What You Love With The People You Love. (Definitely a contender for Best Scent Name Ever, too.) £59 for 50ml eau de parfum selfridges.com 8 The scented Letter

Body talk Slathering and soaking in opulently fragranced and highly nourishing products is on the agenda now autumn has rolled in – and just in time, Amouage add Journey Woman to their luxurious bath and body offerings. Osmanthus, apricot, jasmine tea and honey are yours to revel in. Maybe set aside an extra hour for seriously scented wallowing? Amouage Journey Bath & Body from £35-85 amouage.com

C’mon baby, scent my car… Un Air de Diptyque car diffuser comes in seven options – Baies, Amber, Figuier, Roses, Fleur d’Oranger and Gingembre – and attaches to your car’s aircon vent, wafting soothingly fragrant whispers as you drive. You can also adjust the grille, to control intensity. Just the sexiest way to scent a car we’ve ever seen – and smelled. £35 (£25 for refills) diptyqueparis.co.uk

A Shirty Spritz Couldn’t be more perfect for our Fashion, Fabric & Fragrance issue: bottling the romance of Jermyn Street is a collaboration between neighbours Floris and fine shirtmakers Turnbull & Asser. Named after the address of T&A’s flagship – at 71/72 – it timetravels you to an imagined first visit to that store, circa 1903, with spiky citruses laid upon aromatic lavender, rich woods dancing with powdery soft orris. As classic and timeless as a pressed white cotton shirt. £160 for 100ml eau de parfum turnbullandasser.co.uk

BACK TO THE SOURCE As Mugler celebrate 25 years of Angel, a pat on the back to them for encouraging ecoresponsible behavior. Mugler offer The Source refill stations at almost every in-store counter, where you can refill your Angel, or Alien fragrance, saving you up to 38% on the price of a bottle. This nifty service also saves over 383 tonnes of waste packaging and 2,300,000 bottles each year. Savvy, sustainable – and sexy-looking, with it.

WE’RE HUNGRY FOR THIS The best news for our tastebuds in years: Pratap Chahal – the ex-Cinnamon Club/Chez Bruce/ Claridges chef whose That Hungry Chef scented suppers have been such a success at our special Perfume Society VIP dinners – has now opened a restaurant, on Soho’s Frith Street, called Flavour Bastard. Dishes on the menu incorporate edible perfume ingredients like frankincense, bergamot, rose and more. Prepare to have your senses dazzled. 63-64 Frith Street, Soho, London W1V 3JW/020-7734 4545 flavourbastard.com

The fash pack Want to explore the theme of this issue further, delving deeper into the relationship between fabric and fragrance…? Les Indémodables are inspired by parallels between the fashion and perfume worlds, seeking to help you build a fragrance wardrobe via debut scents which pay homage to sporty leather (Cuir de Chine), pearls (Iris Perle), velvet (Oriental Velours), your ‘everyday wear’ (the crisp Chypre Azural), and an haute couture piece, Fougère Emeraude. Stylish stuff. lessenteurs.com

HELL, YEAH One of the most deliciously tactile discovery sets we’ve seen: unfurl the oil-tanned leather roll to reveal five 7.5ml travel sprays of BeauFort London’s notoriously provocative scents. Journeying buccaneers will be thrilled their leather presentation roll can now be monogrammed with up to three letters for an additional £20. Come Hell or Highwater Discovery Set £95 beaufortlondon.com

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a whiff of history

Lives of the great noses:

JEAN KERLEO (1932- ) Born in 1932 in Brittany, France, Kerléo landed his first job formulating perfumes for Helena Rubinstein in 1955. Single-handedly, Kerléo put Rubinstein – a company better known for its face creams and make up – on the map as a perfume player. His compositions for Helena Rubinstein resulted in him winning the Prix des Parfumeurs de France in 1965, and being approached to become in-house perfumer at the house of Jean Patou from 1967. This modest man was to stay and work for over three decades at Jean Patou – and while at Patou, Kerléo was responsible for a raft of great fragrances, most notably 1000 (1972) and Sublime (1992). He also developed the first fragrance for cult Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto – originally marketed under license to Patou – launched to great acclaim in 1996. He became fascinated by fragrance reconstruction; while at Patou, Kerléo was commissioned to rework 12 iconic fragrances from the perfume house’s archive, which re-launched in 1984 – legendary names like Adieu Sagesse, Chaldée, Cocktail, Divine Folie, Normandie, L’Heure Attendue and Câline. ‘When I created a perfume,’ he is quoted as saying, ‘people would

sometimes say to me, “Well of course I like your perfume. It smells good, but you know, 20 years ago, perfumes smelled better.” I knew that in general people tend to remember things better than they were – but it was annoying because the perfumes they were referring to no longer existed, so there was no way to make a true comparison. It was this impediment to establishing truth that sent me in search of lost perfumes, beginning initially with Jean Patou and later taking on reconstructions for other famous perfume houses such as Houbigant and Coty.’ Jean Kerléo then had the ambitious idea to create a museum to preserve discontinued classics according their original formulae

Kerléo’s work inludes successes for Helena Rubinstein, Jean Patou and Yohji Yamamoto

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– and many of the world’s leading perfume houses and perfumers (including Guy Robert and JeanClaude Ellena) immediately pledged support for the project. When it opened, the Osmothèque held just 400 scents. Today, the museum holds 3,000 fragrances (preserved at a constant temperature under argon gas), and counting. The museum’s very first acquisition was the Jean Desprez perfume Crêpe de Chine, from the brand Millot: a floral aldehydic Chypre somewhere between Chanel No.5 (1921) and Coty’s famous Chypre (1917). Kerléo went to great lengths to track down old formulas, faithfully reconstructing countless exhibits in his own lab. In 2001, Jean Kerléo was awarded the prestigious Prix François Coty, for his work. Today, he is in his eighties and lives quietly – no longer in charge of the Osmothèque, since handing over the directorship to Patricia de Nicolaï, great granddaughter of Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain, in 2008. But for any scent-lover, the museum born from his vision remains the ultimate place of perfumed pilgrimage – and for that, Monsieur Kerléo, we thank you… By Bethan Cole

Russian leather

h c r bı

bringing back

the

Senior Writer Suzy Nightingale buffed up her boots and set out to discover the romantic story of one of perfumery’s most intriguing genres, now enjoying a welldeserved renaissance

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Russian leather fragrances evoke snowcovered forests and a sense of wilderness

Russian leather is distinguished from all pretenders to the perfumed throne by the use of birch oil

24 The scented Letter

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IT WAS PARISIAN PERFUME HOUSE Creed who in 1854 first put Cuir de Russie (it translates as ‘Russian leather’) on the map, presenting a darkly smoky creation to the Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie. Then – according to the incomparable fragrance blog monsieurguerlain.com – perfumer Aimé Guerlain followed in hot, leathery succession, using the name Cuir de Russie for a fragrance created in 1872. But until recently, Chanel’s Cuir de Russie has been the most renowned Russian leather. There’s much debate about whether it launched in 1924 or 1927 – but what is certain is that Chanel Cuir de Russie is a delicious plunge from sophisticated aldehydes through a classic entanglement of jasmine, rose and ylang ylang to blonde tobacco and, finally, to a heightened, leathery smokiness. Created for Coco Chanel by Ernest Beaux – the master perfumer who gave us Chanel No.5 – the inspiration was both irresistibly romantic, and highly personal: Coco’s passionate affair with a Russian Grand Duke, His Imperial Highness Dimitri Pavlovich Romanov, cousin to the last Tsar. Chanel’s biographer, Justine Picardie, describes Cuir de Russie as the ‘bottled essence of her romance with the Grand Duke.’ At the time, Paris was flooded with Russian emigrés, who’d fled the Bolshevik revolution. And while the tumultuous events of Russian history gave Mademoiselle Chanel a handsome lover, it gave the world an exquisite scent we treasure to this day. Perhaps it was nostalgia for the homeland which made Cuir de Russie perfumes so popular – but whatever the reason, this style of perfume became shorthand for grandeur. Truly to get to grips with the origins of Russian leather, however, we must plunge ourselves further back in history, to the era of 1645-1676, and the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. Along with priceless jewels, gold, furs and tea, red leather, or ‘yuft’, was among the treasure chest of precious materials amassed by the royal Russian court. Demand for what became known as ‘Cuir de Russie’ (sometimes named ‘Cuir de Russe’) far outstripped what

Looking at Vladimir Tarasenko’s painting you can almost smell the leather of the soldiers’ boots and the horses’ saddles

Russia could supply. And so the Russians began importing consignments of cowhides, finishing the tanning process in Russia with their secret ingredient – birch oil. Famously, leather itself smells pretty rotten during the traditional tanning process – a honking fug created by the delightful application of animal urine and faeces with which (to this day, in some cultures) it is ‘cured’ and rendered resilient to decay. So leather and perfumery necessarily go back a long way, with 15th Century aristocrats having their gloves made and scented by the gantier parfumeurs – a guild of leather glove-makers in Paris – who added oils of musk, civet and ambergris to mask the repulsive smell. Peau d’Espagne, or ‘Spanish skin’, meanwhile, used oil of rose, neroli and sandalwood with spices, musk and civet for a more feminine ambience, while French leather offers a more buttery, suede-like effect, with orris – the dried,

Guerlain’s Cuir de Russie – created by Aimé Guerlain in 1872 – flanked by a painting of Russian soldiers galloping into combat, and a wonderful vintage black-and-white photograph of a Cossack soldier, his supple Russian leather boots gathered round his ankles

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Russian leather

Russian soldiers, pre-Revolution, their boots buffed to smoke-scented perfection

powdered rhizomes (bulbous roots) of iris – employed for a powdery softness. English leather, meanwhile, usually comprises a cleaner, soapier scent with lavender, bergamot and rosemary somewhere in the mix. But Russian leather is distinguished from all pretenders to the perfumed throne by the use of birch oil, rubbed in to the animal skin after tanning to make it even more flexible – and with having the added bonus of rendering the material water-resistant. The intense, relentless smokiness of that birch oil is the vital scent ingredient that gives Russian leather its characteristic smell, while delivering impressive resilience. To process this, bark of the birch tree is peeled off in papery strips and soaked in a water/alcohol mixture until it forms a ‘liquor’, which is then evaporated, leaving the unctuous oil behind. Interestingly, the chemical structure of birch contains high levels of methyl salicylate, more commonly known as oil of wintergreen, which accounts for the nostril-lifting, headfilling camphoraceous qualities of the ingredient – something beyond mere leather smokiness that hints of snowcovered forests and frosty fur. The quality and longevity of Russian leather made it highly sought-after for military boots and equipment – long, hard marches across a frozen tundra being notoriously tough on footwear. Legend has it the soldiers would also carry birch tar with them (made from birch bark heated in airtight containers, leaving a residue of tar and ashes behind), to buff on further layers of protection along with a sheen. In fragrances composed to evoke Russian leather, birch oil and/or tar might be mixed with any number of equally aromatic ingredients by the perfumer. Do we want a gruffly masculine Russian leather to recall those soldiers and their boots? Or a more romantic Doctor Zhivago effect, conjuring pristine snow, fur-covered sleighs and Omar Sharif’s sensitive eyes? When envisaging the essence of Russian Leather for their MEMO Paris fragrance of the same name, for instance, co-founder Clara Molloy imagined ‘the wilderness of Siberia, a land of contrasts. We felt the soul of Russia could be in its lakes and forests, in its snow and untouched landscapes.’ Describing his love for this notoriously pungent aroma, Leo Crabtree, Creative Director of niche house, BeauFort London, notes: ‘If there’s one ingredient that immediately propels you to the past, it’s birch tar. For me it’s all about the smoky, resinous aspect that brings to mind soldiers rubbing their boots with it to keep them weather-proof,

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of pitch and burning, tarry planks at sea. I’ve made it a signature of the BeauFort fragrances – a rebellious, unconventional smokiness.’ There are other ingredients at a perfumer’s disposal to create this juxtaposition of tough leather against a backdrop of high romance. Castoreum falls firmly in the dirty camp; a secretion from the glands of Russian and Canadian beavers, it has an intensely dry, animalic odour akin to real leather. But ethical concerns increasingly force perfumers to look elsewhere for a snarling, manly waft. Cade is another option – this viscous oil of juniper is naturally ‘leathery’, a further association being its traditional use in bookbinding. When it comes to synthetic alternatives, we have to thank a fragrant revolution dating back to the 1880s; the discovery of quinolones – a collection of aromachemicals – heralded a brand new set of materials for perfumers, with pervasive odours ranging from earthy, nutty and rootlike, to overwhelming leather and smoke combinations that could startle a stallion at fifty paces. Known for their unconventional ingredients and trend-setting fragrances, it turns out to have been highly serendipitous that Molton Brown chose perfumer Loic Bisceglie for their brand new interpretation of Russian leather, for his own childhood memories became extremely important to the creative process. Loic recalls: ‘I first saw how leather was used at my grandfather’s workshop when I was very young. He made shoes – and I well remember the intense smell of black leather.’ What makes Molton Brown’s Russian Leather so distinctive? For Loic, ‘it’s the depth of ingredients; the smoky and raw parts with intense cade and birch used to reflect its unique complexity.’ But why Russian leather? Why now? (It can’t simply be the romantic legacy of the BBC’s epic War and Peace drama, in which handsome aristocrats in polished leather boots stole the show – and our hearts.) Fact is, just as oudh was translated from its Middle Eastern cultural heritage to become the must-have ingredient in Western perfumery, perfume-lovers love to look far afield for potently exotic, poetically inspiring ingredients to satiate our need for longlasting fragrances with vividly unique characters. The current fashion for opulent leather is not confined to the catwalks, then, but is now sashaying its way into the world of scent. Russian leather is once again the most desirable of fragrant materials – the perfumer’s art magically capturing its extraordinarily romantic history, in every smoke-infused drop.

The quality and longevity of Russian leather made it highly sought-after for military boots and equipment

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Les Exclusifs de Chanel Cuir de Russie Chic aldehydes, with smoky scandal insinuated beneath – supple leather waited for with baited breath

MEMO Paris Russian Leather Frosty air tinged with lavender, frozen herbs gathered at dusk in a fur-lined leather coat, ice-crystals on eyelashes

Anna Zworykina Cuir de Russie Warm horse saddle worn smooth from use, a pitch black velvet cloak flying madly, a majestic beast in the wilderness

Le Jardin Retrouvé Cuir de Russie Violet leather ballet shoes, cinnamon-dusted bonbons eaten at Nijinsky’s performance while writing love letters

Arquiste Aleksandr A finely-clad gent admires his polished leather boots, splashing neroli Cologne, walking perhaps too proudly to the snow-bound duel

Zoologist Civet Buxom bouquet thrust forcefully into a leather-gloved clasp, hot coffee clutched to warm the fingers, a woodland romp to warm the soul

Molton Brown Russian Leather Curls of smoke swirl through a Siberian pine forest, leather-bound books infused with the drift from a campfire

BeauFort London Coeur de Noir Inky fingers lovingly stroke the leather desk, the tattooed arm, lips still laced with spicy rum; tarry, tarry night

Evody Cuir Blanc Butter-soft leather liberally dusted with baby powder, the comfort of warm skin embraced with an open heart The

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SNIFFING THE STREETS

Every city has its own scents and aromas. For the first in an occasional series, Carson Parkin-Fairley took to the streets of London to put together a shopping – and sniffing – guide to our capital city

Inspired by… W11 by Londoner Of six androgynous scents inspired by the urban landscape and history of London, our favourite? W11. Capturing the bohemian chic of Portobello, with notes of cassis, ylang ylang, patchouli and woods, it’s exotic and enchanting. £98 for 100ml eau de parfum johnlewis.com

A SCENTS

Tom Ford Private Blend London Warm resins and aromatic spices, opulence and wealth. Frankincense, oudh, cedar, dry leather-y birch notes and a host of spices – think London with heavy Middle Eastern influences. Knightsbridge in autumn, essentially. £140 for 50ml eau de parfum selfridges.com 16 The scented Letter

Floris Jermyn Street Floris is one of London’s oldest fragrance houses – still there today, its perfumer beavering away in the back. Here, history meets the 21st Century – gin with a splash of lemon, juniper and coriander – and (a nod to the street’s famed shirt-makers), a note of crisp linen. £120 for 100ml eau de parfum florislondon.co.uk

Diptyque Londres Candle Combining florals that can be found at Columbia Road market, the Londres candle wafts green bouquets of hyacinth, heliotrope and tender lilac blossoms as its flame flickers. £48 at Diptyque boutiques

Street smells...

OF PLACE

Gallivant London A scent that embodies the old and new of this beautiful but sometimes tough city. This is roses in a wet summer, secondhand leather jackets, East End boys and West End girls. Earthy, comforting, but with an edge. £65 for 30ml eau de parfum roullierwhite.com

Flowers Ablaze with flowers and foliage, Columbia Road hosts hordes of flower sellers on Sundays. Head there to immerse yourself in florals, from violets to peonies. Be sure to go early to beat the crowds and smell the freshest blossoms. Columbia Road Flower Market (Sunday 8am -3pm-ish) Columbia Road, E2 7RG

Leather Walk by Culford Mews in Dalston to smell the rich scent of leather being worked on. Step inside J.D Batchelors, you’ll be engulfed by the dry, luxurious, moreish scent. J.T. Batchelors Ltd, 9-10 Culford Mews, N1 4DZ

The

scented Letter

SNIFFING THE STREETS

Spices Head to Ealing for the heady aromas of Indian spices drifting from the parade of shops on the main road, and the famous market. Southall offers the largest South Asian shopping area within the M25. Stock up on embellished saris and fragrant Asian herbs. Southall Broadway/Southall Market (Wednesday 7am – 2pm, Saturday all day)

Coffee Amidst the oft not-sopleasant smells of Soho lies the Algerian Coffee Store, pumping out that warm, dark, rich aroma we all know and love. With over 80 varieties, pop in to sniff out some of the finest smelling (and tasting) coffee around, at some of the best prices – you can buy a single espresso for £1 (standing or takeway only, mind). Do also nip into nearby cake emporium Maison Bertaux for a whiff of their deliciously fragrant pâtisserie, too. Algerian Coffee Stores, 52 Old Compton Street, W1D 4PB (Mon-Weds 9am – 7pm/Thurs - Sat 9am - 9pm)

18 The scented Letter

Plus... l Spun – near Spitalfields, for spun sugar candyfloss and sweet-making classes) l Tower Bridge – nut sellers in winter-time, filling the air with the scent of caramelising sugar l Brixton Market – go for mouthwatering jerk chicken l New Covent Garden Flower Market – search for ‘Robbie Honey’ on our perfumesociety.org website for the florist’s recommendations for a ‘scented safari‘ through the early morning market.

Gardens... Chelsea Physic Garden Hidden in Chelsea’s back streets is this home to many fascinating fragrant species that are often used in perfumery; it’s been a-bloom with herbs and flowers since 1712. Ask a guide to help you sniff out the most scentfilled blossoms and show you around their impressive herb garden. 66 Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HS Adult entry £10.50

Regent’s Park In the month of June – particularly the first two weeks – Londoners see Regent’s Park flowerbeds come alive, and in particular, the stunning rose garden. With over 12,000 roses planted and 85 different varieties to swoon for, we urge you to pop your nose into these fragrant beauties – because there really ought always to be time to stop and smell the roses… Chester Road, NW1 4NR

Royal Botanic Gardens Tucked neatly behind the Palm House at Kew sits the magnificent rose garden. In 2009 it was restored to the original 1845 design and is a perfumed pleasure to walk around. The very best month to visit in is June, but they produce a second flush in August. Use your nose while meandering trhough the gardens, to enjoy wafts from other aromatic (and often exotic) plants. Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE Adult entry £15.50

Independent boutiques... Lead your nose into temptation at this evermore-interesting line-up of independent boutiques… l Avery Perfume Gallery 27 Avery Row, Mayfair, W1K 4AY l Bloom Perfumery 4 Langley Court, WC2E 9JY l Jovoy 21 Conduit Street, Mayfair, W1S 2XP l Les Senteurs 2 Seymour Place, W1H 7NA l Roullier White 125 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, SE22 8HU l Spa Illuminata 63 South Audley Street, W1K 2QS

Plus… Burlington Arcade - a.k.a. ‘Perfume Alley’ to thosein-the-know – is almost a one-stop shop, with Chanel, Lalique, Frederic Malle, Penhaligon’s, Kilian, Roja Parfums, True Grace and (from October) Atkinson’s

Modern perfumeries... The following are devoted to a single perfume house.

In some cases, they have more than one London location – you can Google to find out other addresses – but these are our favourites, for atmosphere. l Atelier Cologne 11 The Market Building, WC2E 8RA l Diptyque 38 Floral Street, WC2E 9DG l Le Labo 77 Beak Street, W1F 9DP l Miller Harris 14 Monmouth St, WC2H 9HB l Ormonde Jayne 12 The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, W1S 4SL l Perfumer H 106A Crawford St, Marylebone, W1H 2HZ l Shay & Blue 80 York St, Marylebone, W1H 1QW

Stores with history... Step inside these boutiques to wallow in London’s scented heritage... l Floris 89 Jermyn Street, St. James’s, SW1Y 6JH l Penhaligon’s 125 Regent St, Mayfair, W1B 4HT l Angela Flanders 96 Columbia Rd, Shoreditch, E2 7QB

l Creed 99 Mount Street, Mayfair, W1K 2TF

Department store perfumeries... Within these vast stores you’ll find literally hundreds of brands. Our advice is to visit just one store per perfumed pilgrimage, leaving plenty of time to sit in their cafés and mull over any blotters you’ve spritzed. Do look out for great exclusive launches in store. l Debenham’s Spritz Bar Ground Floor, 334-348 Oxford Street, W1C 1JG l Dover Street Market 1822 Haymarket, SW1Y 4DG l Fenwick Ground Floor, 63 New Bond Street, W1S 1RQ l Fortnum & Mason 181 Piccadilly, St. James’s, W1A 1ER l Harrods Salon de Parfums 6th Floor, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL l Harvey Nichols Ground Floor, 109–125 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJ l Liberty London Ground Floor, Regent Street, W1B 5AH l Selfridges Oxford Street Ground Floor, 400 Oxford St, Marylebone, W1A 1AB