tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post6523894300259161644..comments2024-03-29T09:11:58.393+01:00Comments on Grain de musc: My perfume course at the London College of Fashion, and other vignettes from the UK…carmencanada /Grain de Muschttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-41577783099687028662010-11-13T01:31:05.941+01:002010-11-13T01:31:05.941+01:00Patricia, thank you so much for your words, and fo...Patricia, thank you so much for your words, and for dropping by! It would be great to have a "perfume 201" course, for instance, wouldn't it? I know those intensive are pretty intensive and a little rough on the nose - it's really a lot to take in at one go. 70 different things to smell in 10 hours!carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-50698181708792802822010-11-13T01:18:24.995+01:002010-11-13T01:18:24.995+01:00Aimée, I can speak for the students, as I was one ...Aimée, I can speak for the students, as I was one of them :). We all really enjoyed the course, and I must agree we would benefit from having carmencanada around for longer, the course is too short! I knew nothing about perfume though, so this was a perfect first step into the subject! And my room still smells like the swatches we received last week, which is lovely hahaPatriciahttp://www.ditgeheelterzijde.benoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-91159203518345306172010-11-12T18:33:40.231+01:002010-11-12T18:33:40.231+01:00Beth, I'd say you're already very far gone...Beth, I'd say you're already very far gone in the process of becoming "one of us"! Picking out notes is just the start: it's how they work together that changes everything. Hope to see you at my course one day!carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-23167392820640105162010-11-12T17:40:31.235+01:002010-11-12T17:40:31.235+01:00Your class sounds amazing. It's just lately t...Your class sounds amazing. It's just lately that I've had my eyes opened to scent and the effects it has on me. I ordered up a boatload of samples of vintage Guerlains and a lot of touted new fragrances and have had a heyday trying them out each day. Only today have I found that my music playlist tends to change with the mood of my fragrance. Musc Ravageur apparently pairs well with Nina Simone. Vol de Nuit brought tears to my eyes when I recognized it as the scent my grandmother had worn. Misouko straightened my spine on a day when I had to deal with an unpleasant customer. <br /><br />But I would love to be able to recognize the notes in the mix. I've definitely been changed from black and white "like, don't like" into the grays "interesting, unique, unusual, syrupy". Now I'd like to see some of the pixels that make up the picture. I'm frantically checking my wallet for enough change to get me to London! <br /><br />~bethElizabeth Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01832166838235732890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-81834986646706838432010-11-12T09:14:09.553+01:002010-11-12T09:14:09.553+01:00London: and they come at an enormous price. Which ...London: and they come at an enormous price. Which is why after smelling them on strips (which I kept for quite a long time), registering an impression both of quality and of déjà-vu on several, I pretty much pushed them out of my mind. The fact that they only go by numbers mean I never got which is which straight. So, short answer: I don't remember.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-30011864257370221872010-11-12T08:38:08.830+01:002010-11-12T08:38:08.830+01:00Do you know which classic perfumes his numbered li...Do you know which classic perfumes his numbered line are based on? I love 3 and 9 but would never use that much of anything as they come in enormous bottles.londonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-3852685524435782682010-11-11T16:30:38.876+01:002010-11-11T16:30:38.876+01:00Aimée, I can't speak for the students -- thoug...Aimée, I can't speak for the students -- though the feedback is usually very positive, I'm happy to say -- but certainly it's very gratifying for me. I only wished it lasted a bit longer, so that these young people would have the time to express themselves more fully: it takes a bit of time to foster the atmosphere that allows them to open up on such a novel subject.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-91779443447423912972010-11-11T16:25:15.233+01:002010-11-11T16:25:15.233+01:00Teaching your course sounds like a really lovely e...Teaching your course sounds like a really lovely experience -- both for you and the students!Aimée L'Ondéehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15619463860968145376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-11825424794675783312010-11-11T16:06:13.832+01:002010-11-11T16:06:13.832+01:00EEM, you and I both, but not everyone is Frédéric ...EEM, you and I both, but not everyone is Frédéric Malle...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-5981224747092521692010-11-11T16:04:55.690+01:002010-11-11T16:04:55.690+01:00Exactly. The grey area exists in any art, and nowa...Exactly. The grey area exists in any art, and nowadays even more so, but in spite of his knowledge and reputation, I wish more respect were paid to the authors, not just to the fragrances.eemnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-29077443450943792362010-11-11T15:22:58.716+01:002010-11-11T15:22:58.716+01:00EEM, there should be authorship rights on perfumes...EEM, there should be authorship rights on perfumes, but there aren't. And there would at any rate be a gray area between a perfume that springs from another one, as perfumes have always done, and the whole swamp where twists (a variation with a couple of things changed), remixes (cut-and-pastes of accords pulled from different products) and plagiarism fester... More than half of what's on the market would be pulled! <br />I'm sure Mr. Dove has a sincere love of perfume and great knowledge of its history. I'm less convinced by the lines he puts out. But clearly there's a public for them, and many discerning people love them, so that it's more a matter of one's philosophy of perfumery -- mine is bringing the art forward and preserving masterpieces, not putting out variations on them.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-45203819907264090192010-11-11T15:16:23.006+01:002010-11-11T15:16:23.006+01:00Nicola, hugs back!Nicola, hugs back!carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-59575576902043902212010-11-11T15:15:29.302+01:002010-11-11T15:15:29.302+01:00London is sublime! And your London fits the exclam...London is sublime! And your London fits the exclamation. As for the Roja Dove projects, I find them more than questionable.<br />Shouldn't there be authorship rights on fragrance? I never liked the whole story of his approach to fragrance, and even if the results are fine, the ethics (and aesthetics) are not attractive.eleven european mysticsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-18515531749354956982010-11-11T14:57:11.081+01:002010-11-11T14:57:11.081+01:00Hm, yes, PoP strikes again.......
Hugs to you Deny...Hm, yes, PoP strikes again.......<br />Hugs to you Denyse! NicolaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-56895259638276488712010-11-11T10:23:03.575+01:002010-11-11T10:23:03.575+01:00Marla, it's mostly good PR -- Mr. Dove knows e...Marla, it's mostly good PR -- Mr. Dove knows enough about the history of perfumery to know better, I'd wager. Retro-chic is a good thing to be now and then...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-76836334489912805452010-11-11T10:15:44.681+01:002010-11-11T10:15:44.681+01:00Heehee, that's quite an ego, isn't it? Sti...Heehee, that's quite an ego, isn't it? Still, Unspoken is lovely, and the materials high quality. I do feel very retro and chic when I wear it, instead of my usual scruffy and, um, "eclectic"!<br />-MarlaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-5637368925086146712010-11-11T10:06:59.963+01:002010-11-11T10:06:59.963+01:00Marla, that's the chypre of the collection, is...Marla, that's the chypre of the collection, isn't it? Or, as the Professeur de Parfums says, "chypré"... Well, according to him, Unspoken is meant to be a classic in and of itself since he included it with his other two in the same line-up as the greatest perfumes in history in his coffee-table book. <br /><br />Unspoken not a copy of anything specific, more of a general chypre formula of the era. Why not? It's like having a fashion line that does retro-style garments based on old patterns. Some of the "one customer only" perfumes he sells at Harrod's are more directly copies (of Eau d'Hermès, for instance).<br /><br />What bugs me most is that he places himself alongside Ernest Daltroff and Edmond Roudnitska in his boutique magazine as one of the greatest perfumers in history, when he doesn't invent new forms but works with old ones. The result can be very lovely, but to me it's like someone who'd paint Matisse or Bonnard-style pictures today: it can be decorative, but it's not relevant.<br />That said, there's certainly a slot for this type of product since it's pleasant to own fresh batches of retro fragrances rather than hunting for potentially damaged vintage stuff.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-47423050547520446512010-11-11T09:53:30.005+01:002010-11-11T09:53:30.005+01:00Gretchen, the V&A exhibition was well worth se...Gretchen, the V&A exhibition was well worth seeing: the heyday of the Ballets Russes is such a seminal moment in the cultural history of the West... If I'd had more time I would have organized a visit for my students, which I sometimes do for them in Paris: a kind of "fashion in odorama" exhibition tour...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-39292258947427368212010-11-11T09:42:51.055+01:002010-11-11T09:42:51.055+01:00I own Roja Dove's Unspoken, it's one of my...I own Roja Dove's Unspoken, it's one of my favorites and I always get compliments when I wear it. I don't know much about vintage perfumes. Do you know if Unspoken is based on a famous vintage scent? <br />Glad you had such a fun group of students!<br />-MarlaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-55748399527589853562010-11-11T01:08:55.121+01:002010-11-11T01:08:55.121+01:00Oh, how I'd love to have seen the Ballets Russ...Oh, how I'd love to have seen the Ballets Russes exhibit at the V&A. And to have taken your course, bien sur.<br />-- GretchenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com