tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post1756143118349450178..comments2024-03-28T10:30:51.283+01:00Comments on Grain de musc: On perfume, jewels and a German sociologist: Prologue to Chanel 1932carmencanada /Grain de Muschttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-65787667659964907352013-02-01T13:59:24.677+01:002013-02-01T13:59:24.677+01:00And when you think that most people don't even...And when you think that most people don't even smell their own signature scent, it's even more altruistic! Actually, back in the Roman Empire, Pliny the Elder was already griping that perfume was a waste, among other things because its owner enjoys it less than lots of random strangers...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-63248342548543605652013-02-01T13:57:32.238+01:002013-02-01T13:57:32.238+01:00I like the gift idea. It does feel like a gift whe...I like the gift idea. It does feel like a gift when you're walking down the street and get a whiff of someone's wonderful perfume!<br /><br />FiveoaksBouquetAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-77069199740885824182013-02-01T13:48:01.288+01:002013-02-01T13:48:01.288+01:00FiveOaks, my own idea is that adornment -- particu...FiveOaks, my own idea is that adornment -- particularly perfume -- is not only aspirational in the sociological way Simmel seems to allude to, but that it also expresses subconscious aspirations. A dialectic between what you aspire to become and what your choice *makes* you become. And that's usually a lot of different people, at the same time or successively. <br /><br />What I find interesting in Simmel as well is the way he sees adornment not only as narcissistic, or as a way of showing others you're somehow "better" than them, but also as a gift, because they get to enjoy the beauty. carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-40191765321848831372013-02-01T13:39:30.319+01:002013-02-01T13:39:30.319+01:00Carmencanada, my above comment was actually intend...Carmencanada, my above comment was actually intended for your 1932 review and ended up here by mistake. However, reading this article makes me feel like raising my hand and saying "I can identify with that!" (that is if I rightly understand the concept). I love both perfume and jewelry. My relationships with both have been lifelong quests to find a signature that "is" me but I have to admit it's close to impossible to shake the innate objectivity of a product one applies. <br /><br />That said, wearing a jewel or perfume long enough may succeed in having it become a part of one, if not physically, in people's minds. The only problem is the search requires the testing and use of many different jewelry pieces and fragrances, which may be taking the seeker farther away from a signature than closer to it.<br /><br />FiveoaksBouquetAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-68457024390849669172013-02-01T12:30:43.390+01:002013-02-01T12:30:43.390+01:00Hi J.! Glad to learn you've got no longevity i...Hi J.! Glad to learn you've got no longevity issues with 1932 -- it may be one of those "your mileage may vary" compositions. I agree the aldehydes play a very different role here. When we first discussed the Exclusives, Jacques Polge told me there was no point in doing another aldehydic floral when the line already feature N°22. Which is why I didn't highlight the note in my review since to me it's more technical than olfactory per se.<br />I also had a "coup de foudre" for 1932 at first sniff, by the way!carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-88636595203133251472013-02-01T12:26:04.873+01:002013-02-01T12:26:04.873+01:00Lovely review! Having worn 1932 for about two week...Lovely review! Having worn 1932 for about two weeks now, I find this description closely dovetails with my own experience. While I also found the sillage moderate, for some reason the longevity on me is extraordinary, lasting a full 24 hours. I love the way the aldehydes seem to be in the background sort of tying everything together, rather than up front like in No5.<br /><br />I have a number of Les Exclusifs, my favourites so far being Beige and Cuir de Russie, and 1932 became quickly added to those. For some reason our local Chanel boutique got it early. In mid-January I called to inquire when it was arriving and they already had it! I went down the next morning to test it and bought it on the spot.<br /><br />FiveoaksBouquet<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-14866857834665442202013-01-31T23:10:45.955+01:002013-01-31T23:10:45.955+01:00Jordan, this only grazes Simmel's work, and ob...Jordan, this only grazes Simmel's work, and obviously quotes taken somewhat out of context are unsastisfactory. I just thought it was interesting to look back on the very infancy of fashion theory in order to think through perfume.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-57109550618680139422013-01-31T22:05:56.846+01:002013-01-31T22:05:56.846+01:00Have to read a 3rd time as while I am enjoying the...Have to read a 3rd time as while I am enjoying the concepts I haven't grasped them. A contrary opinion remains unformed. Will be back later, possibly a month later to comment. I like it when you make me think. Jordan Riverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03524724083434470658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-31504564865655881002013-01-29T09:44:30.872+01:002013-01-29T09:44:30.872+01:00Annemarie, that must have been a pretty mortifying...Annemarie, that must have been a pretty mortifying moment. I do agree using a light hand can be a good idea with heavy hitters in certain contexts.<br />Simmel was writing in Berlin before WWI, so not sure what scents he could have been exposed to. But I suppose he was speaking of perfume in general: except for a few niche brands nowadays, no one makes perfume with the deliberate intent of producing an unpleasant smell. Certainly not in the 1900s, though obviously there would have been class and cultural distinctions as to what smelled good and what didn't even then.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-56216313783815334122013-01-29T09:32:18.259+01:002013-01-29T09:32:18.259+01:00I'm interested in the idea that perfume 'm...I'm interested in the idea that perfume 'must please independently from the wearer, subjectively be enjoyed by his entourage'. <br /><br />Can you wear a perfume you love but which you know or suspect other people won't like? I won't wear Mon Parfum Cherie par Camille outside the house after someone wondered aloud where that smell of fertiliser was coming from. Of course I was embarrassed, but my reluctance to wear it is also because I truly don't want to annoy my friends and colleagues. Heavy hitters like Aromatics Elixir, Angel, Obsession, Youth Dew and so on really do revolt some people. <br /><br />Secretions Magnifiques may smell mild and pleasant to a minority of people. Which is nice for them - but what about the rest of us? <br /><br />I guess the answer is that you make your own judgement and apply with a light hand. But I do dread the thought that someone hates my one of my old fashioned favourites, like 24 Faubourg, or Femme, or Dioressence or Miss Dior.annemariecnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-31693947081821828412013-01-29T09:11:52.686+01:002013-01-29T09:11:52.686+01:00Shelly, it's not easy language to follow. I fi...Shelly, it's not easy language to follow. I find the 1950 translation really clunky, and the last quote I translated myself is from German to French to English... Maybe it's that way in German too, mind you. I always found reading German philosophers a pretty rough going.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-58962135177851785692013-01-29T03:17:06.876+01:002013-01-29T03:17:06.876+01:00Thanks for the article. I love the high content le...Thanks for the article. I love the high content level, even if I can't follow it all. And of course I am looking forward to a draw. I love so many exclusifs so I am happy to see a new one.shellywhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03304456426823350945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-61723477152372975922013-01-28T20:51:44.287+01:002013-01-28T20:51:44.287+01:00Barry, that's why I didn't draw any conclu...Barry, that's why I didn't draw any conclusions, I'm still mulling it over!carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-1506643655998109602013-01-28T20:13:10.041+01:002013-01-28T20:13:10.041+01:00Mmmm, lots of food for thought there.Mmmm, lots of food for thought there.Prince Barrynoreply@blogger.com