The Perfume Lover Book Signing Soirée at Aedes de Venustas

The last time I was in New York, Debbie Harry and I were both slim young things and all of the Ramones were still alive. So you can imagine there are lots of things I would rather be doing that sitting in front of the computer!

Nevertheless, here is a snapshot of the end of my book signing session at Aedes de Venustas, where I had the pleasure of meeting many readers, fellow bloggers, perfume lovers who'd received the invitation and very cool clients of Aedes.

So, the photo-souvenir of the main players of the event: my new friends, the adorable Robert (to the left) and Karl (to the right), the co-owners of Aedes, and the exquisite Laren Stover, who wrote my profile for the New York Times -- after her Bombshell Manual of Style, which I bought when it came out, her Bohemian Manifesto is currently my bedside book.

A shout-out to Lucy Raubertas (Indie Perfumes), Avery Gilbert (What the Nose Knows), Francesca Bellanger, Douglas Bender (Charenton Macerations), and so many others... including an extraordinary fashion blogger, Valerie of Idiosyncratic Fashionistas!

The Perfume Lover goes on sale today in the USA and Canada... and I'm off to New York

Well, that’s it. In a few hours, I’ll be off to New York. And this is the day my American and Canadian editions become available: just click on the covers on the right-hand sidebar to order!

There’s a good chance a profile of me in the Style section of a newspaper of reference will be coming out on Thursday (if not then, the week after that). I’ll post the link when the deed is done.

Meanwhile, my friends over at Perfumeniche.com in Toronto have organized a fantastic give-away for a full bottle of Séville à l’aube (if SAs tell you it's sold out, don't believe them: the new batch is hitting the warehouse tomorrow and will be shipping in April).

To enter the contest,  you need to have read the book and answered three questions correctly to be eligible. To find out more, click here.

And since the Commonwealth is definitely batting on my team, in spirit if not in the flesh, check out this item in the New Zealand Gay Express, penned by the incomparable Portia, who you may know from the Perfume Posse or Australian Perfume Junkies. Published courtesy of a new fragrance blogger from the Antipodes, Jordan River, aka The Fragrant Man.

Depicted above: a room from the über-hip Ace Hotel where I’ll be staying in New York, sourced from 4h10.com.

My interview on EU regulations on CBC radio, and a few news about my mini book tour in the US and Canada

Many apologies for not posting reviews: I’ve been working 12-hour days to get as much work done as possible before I leave for New York, then Toronto and Montreal, to promote the North American editions of The Perfume Lover.

As you’ve seen from my latest post, Karl and Robert of the wonderful Aedes de Venustas (depicted above)  in New York are hosting my book signing session on March 22^nd from 4 to 8 P.M. With each book purchased, I’ll be giving out a 2ml spray sample of Séville à l’aube. I’ll also be packing a few mods and raw materials of the fragrance for a sniff-and-tell. I hope to see a few of you there!

For those of you in Canada, I will be appearing on two morning television shows, CTV’s Canada A.M. on March 27^th and The Global Morning Show on Global News on March 28^th. If you are a member of Soho House in Toronto, a private club for media and entertainment industry professionals, please check their website, I will be doing a “show and smell” on the 27^th.

And if you’re anywhere around Montreal, I’ll be doing a public reading/book signing at the Westmount Public Library in partnership with Paragraphes, a leading independent bookstore.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the interview I gave to Ana Maria Tremonti of The Current on CBC, the Canadian national radio. The main topic is the upcoming E.U. Directive on cosmetics, but the discussion veers off on the history of perfumery, the way the industry works and the reasons behind the fragrance-averseness of certain countries…

To listen, click here.

 I’m still waiting for more info on other events, so please check back.  And if you’ve got any recommendations for shops, exhibitions, cafés or restaurants in New York, please let me know! I haven’t been for ages so I’ll be quite the stranger in town…

Mon interview sur CBC radio au sujet des réglementations européennes, et autres news

Tout d'abord, mes plus plates excuses pour cette pause du blog : je travaille plus de douze heures par jour pour boucler autant de travail que possible avant de partir faire la promo de mon livre à New York, Toronto et Montréal pour la sortie de ses éditions nord-américaines le 19 mars.

Si jamais vous êtes à New York, je serai ravie de vous rencontrer à Aedes de Venustas  le 22 mars entre 16 et 18 heures autour d’un Bellini pour une séance de signature au cours de laquelle je ferai découvrir aux intéressés quelques « mods » de Séville à l’aube ainsi que des matières premières entrant dans sa composition.

Si vous êtes au Canada, vous pourrez m’apercevoir dans deux émissions matinales, Canada A.M. le 27 mars et The Global Morning Show le 28. Si vous êtes membre de Soho House à Toronto, un club pour professionnels des médias et du spectacle, j’y serai également le 27 mars pour une présentation du livre et de mon petit barda parfumé.

Montréalais ? Le 3 avril, la bibliothèque publique de Wesmount, en association avec la librairie Paragraphes, m’accueille pour une lecture publique et une séance de signature (et toujours mon petit barda Séville à l’aube, dont je remettrai un échantillon pour tout achat du livre).

J’attends toujours des renseignements supplémentaires pour d’autres événements, donc repassez faire un saut. Et si vous avez des boutiques, expositions, restaurants ou cafés à me recommander à New York, je suis preneuse : je n’y suis pas allée depuis si longtemps que c’est comme si je n’y avais jamais mis les pieds.

En attendant, si vous êtes anglophones, voici une interview de moi diffusée ce matin sur la radio nationale anglophone canadienne CBC dans l’émission The Current, où il est question des réglementations européennes, de l’industrie du parfum, de son histoire et de mes aventures olfactives parisiennes…

Pour l’écouter, cliquez ici.

 Pour conclure, l'édition française de mon livre paraîtra le 16 mai aux Presses de la Cité sous le titre: Parfums, une histoire intime. J'espère pouvoir bientôt vous montrer la couverture, dont je suis particulièrement ravie car mon éditeur a retenu la photo dont je rêvais depuis le début de l'aventure...

Save the date! New York launch of The Perfume Lover on March 22nd

The American edition of my book The Perfume Lover, a Personal History of Scent, published by St. Martin’s Press, is going on sale on March 19^th. And to celebrate, I'll be in New York.

Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner, the owners of the one and only Aedes de Venustas, have kindly offered to host a signature session in their boutique on March 22nd, from 5 to 8 P.M.

I would be delighted if you could meet me there over Bellinis. Especially since it’s my first trip to New York, and indeed to the USA, since… well, let’s say the Ramones hadn’t broken up yet and leave it at that.

From what I’ve heard, Séville à l’aube has been so successful many American retailers of L’Artisan Parfumeur are out of stock: a brand new batch will be making its way to the US in late April, and it seems it will no longer be a limited edition. So that readers will not be frustrated, with each book sold, I will be offering a sample of Séville à l’aube. 

Hope to see you there! And if you can’t make it, you can of course purchase the American edition of The Perfume Lover on Amazon by clicking here.

The Perfume Lover

Cocktails and book signing

Friday March 22^nd, 5-8 P.M.

AEDES DE VENUSTAS

9 Christopher St. New York, NY

Please rsvp aedes at aedes dot com

The Story of Eau in 50 Shades of Pink

Has the same brief been circulating in all the perfume houses? This spring, the industry seems to have given in to a severe H2O fetish. Not aquatic, mind you: there is nary a drop of calone to be sniffed. No: what’s put forward here is freshness, conjured both by the word "eau" (or "acqua") and by citruses or light spring flowers."Fresh" being the average consumers' tag for just about any fragrance they feel comfortable with, even the heaviest hitters, while "strong" is a polite way of saying "yuck".

In niche, two major houses presented their new cologne collections in Paris this week.  Annick Goutal, under the ownership of the Korean group Amore Pacific (which also owns Lolita Lempicka) but still under the creative direction of Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal, is ushering in new packaging along with a trio of cologne versions of Néroli, Vétiver and L’Eau d’Hadrien (the current Néroli and Vétiver will no longer be produced).  

The LVMH-owned Acqua di Parma is also putting out a new cologne collection, Acque Nobile, composed by François Demachy, Aqua Nobile Iris, Magnolia and Gelsomino (jasmine). Not to be confused with the just-plain-Nobile line, which also features iris, magnolia and jasmine (one befuddled beauty editor muttered you’d soon be needing a PhD to keep it all straight).

Of course, both brands have a well-established legitimacy in colognes, with cult products like Eau d’Hadrien and Colonia.  Still, cologne seems to be trending in niche, something Atelier Cologne, one of the most successful new brands, has cleverly caught on by turning every note in the perfumer’s palette into a refreshing splash:  even the dusky grand dame of powerhouse scents is worked into a nautical theme in their latest, Mistral Patchouli. 

As for the mainstream, it’s unleashing a veritable tsunami of fresh floral flankers, all dubbed after some variation on H2O, and almost all of them in various shades of pink. Might be the swing of the pendulum after last year’s slew of “intense” versions of best-sellers (off the top of my head: Gucci Guilty, Prada Infusion d'Iris Absolue, Paco Rabanne One Million and Lady Million Absolute Gold, Valentina Assoluto). While the industry’s craving for berries and caramel-coated wood is not quite abating (yes, Lanvin Me!, I’m looking at you), all these Eaux seem like a bid to capture the aquatics-loving market.

Narciso Rodriguez L’Eau for Her by Aurélien Guichard takes the original to the edge of the aquatic, with a “water flowers” accord of peony, muguet, cyclamen and mock orange. 

Bottega Veneta Eau Légère adds gardenia to the lovely apricot and leather chypre blend of the original. But oddly, on my skin the faint iodic, almost algae note that lent it saltiness is somehow amped up in this new version, also authored by Michel Almairac.

Prada Infusion d’Iris L’Eau d’Iris crowns its top notes with deftly-handled mint: the effect is crisp, fresh and green rather than mouthwash, and steers clear of the sinus-clearing intensity of many mint-themed scents. L’Eau d’Iris also features an oleander note, defined by Daniela Andrier as “powdery” and “almondy”.  This limited edition is still very recognizably the huge, white, powdery puff of iris and musk of the original.  

Even the sticky delights of the gourmands are being splashed with spring-like floral notes.  Prada Candy L’Eau has gone lighter on the caramel with an added freesia accord.  Lolita Lempicka is reincarnating into L’Eau Jolie, whose notes list (blackcurrant, pear, neroli, peach blossom) sounds nothing like the original, to say the least. Its distant offspring, La Petite Robe Noire, is coming out in an eau de toilette version with added jasmine and more citrus in the top notes.

Still going with the flow,  Balenciaga L’Eau Rose tugs Olivier Polge’s original violet towards the lipstick accord by adding the eponymous rose, also featured in Eau de Cartier Goutte de Rose. Not afraid of jumping in the pool:  Valentina Acqua Floreale  (Valentino) and Nina L’Eau (Nina Ricci), both signed by Olivier Cresp – who also authored the new Cerrutti 1881 Acqua Forte – and you’ve got more than a trend.  Oops! As I type this, the press release for Love Chloé Eau Florale is dropping into my inbox… And whoops!  A courier has just rung with a bottle of Roberto Cavalli Acqua…which breaks with the dress code by flaunting an aqua box.

I’m not passing olfactory judgment here, since I haven’t smelled the half of these more than once. Lots smelled lovely, and I’ve zeroed in on a couple of wows. But just to give them skin real estate, I’ll need to break out my swimsuit ahead of summer.If you hear a gurgling sound, please be so kind as to send a lifeguard.