tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post207503789651929790..comments2024-03-28T10:30:51.283+01:00Comments on Grain de musc: Jean-Claude Ellena: “The day I manage to create a perfume with two ingredients, I’ll stop.”carmencanada /Grain de Muschttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-53439805220231531342011-09-27T17:22:22.757+02:002011-09-27T17:22:22.757+02:00Anotherperfumeblog, that's true... What I real...Anotherperfumeblog, that's true... What I really appreciate about JCE's approach is that he is making an effort to reach out to the public, to explain his art in intelligible, pedagogical terms. I'm glad publishers afford him that opportunity. I'm sure other perfumers would love to express themselves but might not have that liberty. Of course not everyone, as Persolaise was saying above, has the consistent oeuvre and style that allows for such a discourse.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-50845552844551077632011-09-27T17:15:21.791+02:002011-09-27T17:15:21.791+02:00Wonderful entry. Thank you for sharing this and yo...Wonderful entry. Thank you for sharing this and your reflection and perspective, too. It's interesting to me that we feel we connect with people through their art, and then we want them to connect with us in turn, by doing more revealing art or by simply sharing more in the public eye. I can't think of another environment that produces exactly that kind of cycle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-22824591532550055102011-09-27T17:00:51.330+02:002011-09-27T17:00:51.330+02:00Perdolaise, no, he didn't speak about it, poss...Perdolaise, no, he didn't speak about it, possibly because it might not have been very considerate to his colleagues. Unless you're working directly with perfumers, if they haven't got opportunities to express themselves, I imagine it's not so easy to know whether they do have a distinctive style or could develop one given the chance... And bear in mind that JCE was already far along in his career when he got the Hermès job.<br />I'm not quite sure I follow you 100% on Francis K. The consensus seems to be that in his brand, he re-explored accords he'd already used in other products. But as far as I've understood, he and his backers want to establish the house solidly, so perhaps remaining in familiar territory was a deliberate decision, so that there would be some kind of continuity, but displacing the focus from his client brands to his status as author. I've also got the feeling the house wants to establish itself as neo-classic rather than niche. Venturing into weird new territories might not have achieved this.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-22321476328004333712011-09-27T12:26:41.490+02:002011-09-27T12:26:41.490+02:00Thanks very much indeed for this.
I wonder, did J...Thanks very much indeed for this.<br /><br />I wonder, did JCE make a distinction between a perfumer such as himself - who strives to adhere to a very distinct personal style and aesthetic - and what one might call a more jobbing perfumer?<br /><br />It seems to me that there are several perfumers out there who are highly competent, but don't necessarily seem interested in cultivating a personal style. Of course, in many cases, they may simply not have an opportunity to display a personal signature: they have to keep to the terms of a particular brief and, as you say, they have to run the risk of their original formulae being distorted beyond recognition.<br /><br />But I'm also thinking about someone like Kurkdjian, who does now have his own line, and yet doesn't appear to want to claim any specific aesthetic territory.Persolaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04192014353722036319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-80539819173309758002011-09-26T19:49:42.962+02:002011-09-26T19:49:42.962+02:00Carla, then it must be true. To get back to JCE, o...Carla, then it must be true. To get back to JCE, one thing that intrigued me in his book was that he was working on riffs on the older Hermès perfumes. That's something I would love to smell. It would be an interesting tie-in with their heritage (but would they resurrect Doblis or Germaine Cellier's Eau d'Herbes, please?).carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-36762795486796625102011-09-26T19:35:00.716+02:002011-09-26T19:35:00.716+02:00Just read your Candy review. I had read somewhere ...Just read your Candy review. I had read somewhere else about how Andrier works with Prada. But I don't remember if I read it on Bois de Jasmin or in the Wall Street Journal...Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889025305446530534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-49191590984267681852011-09-26T19:31:32.094+02:002011-09-26T19:31:32.094+02:00I haven't the faintest idea... But the importa...I haven't the faintest idea... But the important thing is the vision, whether it springs from the work of a perfumer and a creative director, or a perfumer alone. Not all perfumers can art-direct themselves, but they may have a manner and style that clicks with a house and gives its scents consistency. The "Candy" break is interesting in that respect, because it breaks the Infusion series, yet retains some of its olfactory marks.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-71266881994480625032011-09-26T19:27:52.654+02:002011-09-26T19:27:52.654+02:00Yes, that's true. But isn't she given more...Yes, that's true. But isn't she given more direction from Prada than Hermes gives.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889025305446530534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-46798763465200038212011-09-26T19:16:32.768+02:002011-09-26T19:16:32.768+02:00Carla, I wouldn't quite say that: I think Dani...Carla, I wouldn't quite say that: I think Daniela Andrier has also done this for Prada, though not being the in-house perfumer she is not put forward by the brand. Balenciaga could be going in that direction, but it's too early to tell...<br />Nevertheless, it isn't a common policy in luxury houses and is an intelligent move.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-8807477100792934912011-09-26T19:05:34.928+02:002011-09-26T19:05:34.928+02:00It is incredible how he has created an olfactory b...It is incredible how he has created an olfactory brand for Hermes. NO one else has done that.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889025305446530534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-5916101608815194652011-09-26T13:29:10.916+02:002011-09-26T13:29:10.916+02:00Nozknoz, I'm sure than as is the case in all t...Nozknoz, I'm sure than as is the case in all talks by high-profile figures, many questions were left unasked. Still, kudos to JCE for his transparency, and to Hermès for being intelligent enough to understand it is beneficial to their brand image. As our friends in the business world would say, it's clearly the way forward.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-15449783761528390632011-09-26T10:43:44.865+02:002011-09-26T10:43:44.865+02:00Bellatrix, I'm glad you enjoyed the write-up.Bellatrix, I'm glad you enjoyed the write-up.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-72366479869156872682011-09-26T05:20:57.612+02:002011-09-26T05:20:57.612+02:00Thanks for this post! It is revealing to hear the...Thanks for this post! It is revealing to hear the perfumers' questions as his answers, and the perspectives that you add are illuminating. I am very much looking forward to the translation of his book! ~~nozknozAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-90298880096667405072011-09-25T18:48:32.933+02:002011-09-25T18:48:32.933+02:00Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to buy a book ...Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to buy a book in November.Bellatrixhttp://bellatrixperfumes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-1936612449885362282011-09-25T17:57:43.073+02:002011-09-25T17:57:43.073+02:00Anna, meanwhile I think you can already pre-order ...Anna, meanwhile I think you can already pre-order the translation of his "Le Parfum" on Amazon, that's coming out before. Both books are very interesting, limpid and pedagogical.<br />For a perfumer to speak in front of colleagues is I think a bit more stressful than in front of journalists or "civilians": JCE joked about how, whenever he was at a dinner party, he became the main attraction because of his work.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-24916678582178114242011-09-25T17:51:07.301+02:002011-09-25T17:51:07.301+02:00Fascinating entry.
I applaud the effort made by J...Fascinating entry.<br /><br />I applaud the effort made by Jean-Claude Ellena to share insights and information, especially as he seems to be such a self-contained gentleman. It can't be easy to open up to any degree, even with a sympathetic and well-informed critical audience. <br /><br />I very much hope to gain access to the English translation of his "Journal d'un parfumeur" next year.<br /><br />And I love the thought of such a discerning chap experiencing the sensory overload of duty-free stores. I find them overwhelming so he must feel like a fish out of water at times, poor man.<br /><br />cheerio, Anna in EdinburghAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com