Fragrances Boutique

Actor Jude Law in a series of short teasers (the first just below, two more below the jump) for an upcoming promo for Dior Homme. Directed by Guy Ritchie.

To me, perfume has a texture. Some fragrances wear like silk velvet, others like a practical gabardine, and still others — unfortunately — like double knit polyester. In summer, I want to wear perfume that feels like chiffon, linen, the fabric of a well-worn tee shirt, or even nothing at all. Here are the 10 fragrances I’ll be probably be wearing most this summer:

When it’s sizzling out, when lifting the bedroom window feels like opening the door of a convection oven, I want perfume that is crisp, cooling, and effortless. In short, I want perfume that wears like linen.

Christian Dior Eau Fraiche is a perfect linen-like fragrance. I have a bottle more than 40 years old that still sparkles and still has the warm chic of real oakmoss. I can wear it to work, after a bath, or while enjoying a gin and tonic at the neighborhood bar and feel fresh and even elegant, if I have to be.

Annick Goutal Folavril is another good linen substitute…

Christian Dior will launch Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle in September. The new fragrance for women is a floral variation on 1998’s Hypnotic Poison, and is fronted by actress Monica Bellucci…

Tommy Hilfiger Announces the Opening Champs Elysees Store (PR Newswire)
“The Champs Elysees store will serve as a true flagship for our brand in France and will further anchor our significant retail presence in Europe… It is an important milestone in our continued efforts to establish anchor stores in every major city around the world.”
Balderton invests [...]

John Galliano’s new haute couture collection for Dior is both faithful to the house and as fresh as a daisy.

Escale aux Marquises is the third fragrance to join the Escale collection at Christian Dior (see also: Escale à Portofino and Escale à Pondichéry). Like the others, it’s done in a fresh cologne style (in the citrus aromatic family); this one pays tribute in particular to the tiare flower. And like the others, I rather enjoyed it when I tried it quickly in the store while testing umpteen other new fragrances, but much of the luster wore off after I took it home and spent some time with it.

Marquises opens with peppery, heavy-on-the-lemon citrus (the notes: blood orange, pink pepper, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, coriander, elemi, lemon peel, tiare, freesia, benzoin and vanilla). It is mildly spicy in the early stages, but it is not as vibrant or exotic as you might expect from the list of notes…

One of the people who made the biggest impact on my early life was my maternal grandfather. After a hardscrabble childhood in Glasgow, he immigrated to Canada as a young man with his parents and sister to train as a draftsman and parts engineer. An aptitude for the work and for study in general made him a success within a few years and he was soon able to provide his family with the sort of respectable, cozy comforts that they had always aspired to in their homeland.

People of his generation and background approvingly described him as “a careful man” — a certain sort of sober fussiness being viewed at that time as one of the proudest and most patriotic of Scottish virtues — and he was as meticulous and discerning about his pleasures as he was about everything else. Our own, less kind era might hang the label of “OCD” on his morning hygiene and dressing routines, his fastidious care of such household objects as clocks, vinyl records or decorative biscuit tins, or his use of a level to straighten all the picture frames in the house once a week.

Despite his enjoyment of many small, bourgeois luxuries, I am proud to say he was an optimistic, open-minded and politically progressive man for his day and one of the most enduring, if frivolous, symptoms of his faith in the goodness and intelligence of all human beings was his insistence on ordering a very specific gin martini (very dry, one olive, glass frozen) wherever we went…

Leading fashion brands entice China’s nouveau riche (Guardian)
“Thanks to its booming economy, numerous high-profile fashion houses have announced their intention to expand operations on the Chinese mainland… Burberry has confirmed that it will add 66 stores to its current 44 Chinese outlets by 2012.”
U.S. luxury brands may slow European growth (Reuters)
“European expansion plans for top [...]

Father’s Day is coming up on Sunday, June 20th…it’ll be here before you know it.

From John Varvatos, the Artisan fragrance in a gift set with Eau de Toilette, After Shave Gel, Hair & Body Wash. $58 at Nordstrom…

Christian Dior has added a third fragrance to the Escale collection: next month, Escale aux Marquises joins Escale à Portofino and Escale à Pondichéry…

If you still need to come up with a gift for Mother’s Day, you’re running out of time! Here are a few more scented gift ideas:

From Laduree, scented candles in Caramel au beurre salé…

Spring! Finally. It isn’t summer, but it’s almost summer, and if, like me, you detest the cold, that’s very nearly the best thing about it. The absolute best thing, of course, is the flowers. My list is heavily weighted towards the “pretty floral” fragrance category, and it’s also heavily weighted towards niche, and expensive. Sorry, it just worked out that way. Hopefully, my fellow bloggers did a better job on the diversity front: see Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, Perfume Posse and Perfume Smellin’ Things for more top 10 lists. Meantime, here’s mine:

CB I Hate Perfume Black March: the smell of spring, and the perfect thing to wear on a warm, rainy April day, although there’s something about it that can tend towards the melancholy. If you can’t afford it, you can make do with Demeter Dirt — someone called Black March the high def version of Dirt, and that’s apt. For an entirely different take on springtime melancholy, there’s always Guerlain Après L’Ondée.

Christian Dior Diorissimo: what is spring without lily of the valley? And what’s the point of wearing a lily of the valley other than Diorissimo? Even if you disagree with me…

Miss Dior Cherie Eau de Toilette, created by Dior Master Perfumer, Francois Demachy, is a dazzling spring floral interpretation of the classic Miss Dior Chérie (which I also love, this one smells a bit heavier). The new fragrance version opens with a lilting fruity note for a fresh and joyful first impression. The heart’s floral [...]

On my last visit to Sephora (which happened to be today) I fell in LOVE with Dior Addict perfume. At the moment I’m into woodsy and oriental type of scent. I love warm notes like vanilla. But more over, I’m into perfumes that are unique, different, and definitely sexy. It must be a little genius [...]

Outside the Dior haute couture show, held in the house, where the pale gray walls are lined with portraits of the famous and (mostly) departed, a throng of photographers and onlookers waited behind steel barricades.

Like a number of shows this weekend, Alfred Dunhill suggested travel and adventure. Dior Homme seemed to sputter.

Forever And Ever Perfume by Christian Dior, 50 ml Eau De Toilette Spray for Women
Forever And Ever Perfume by Christian Dior 1.7 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Women. Tender, Soft, Elegant Is Forever And Ever By Christian Dior Was Introduced As A Limited Edition Fragrance. Never To Overpowering, Forever And Ever Is A [...]

Miss Dior Cherie Perfume by Christian Dior, 1.7 oz Eau De Parfum Spray for Women
Miss Dior Cherie Perfume by Christian Dior 1.7 oz Eau De Parfum Spray for Women. A New Spin On A Timeless Classic, Miss Dior Cherie By The Design House Of Christian Dior Introduced This Elegant Modern Fragrance In 2005. The [...]

Dior Homme Sport Cologne by Christian Dior, 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men
Dior Homme Sport Cologne by Christian Dior 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men A Masculine Woody Fragrance That Was Created As An Homage To Racing. For The Man Who Craves Adventure And Who Lives Life In The Fast [...]

Higher Energy Cologne by Christian Dior, 2.5 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men
Higher Energy Cologne by Christian Dior 2.5 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for MenHigher Energy By The Design House Of Christian Dior Was Introduced In 2003 As A Sweet And Spicy Scent. A Masculine Blend Of Refreshing, Rosemary,cypress And Musk. This [...]

Fahrenheit Cologne by Christian Dior, 1.7 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men
Fahrenheit Cologne by Christian Dior 1.7 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for MenCreated By The Design House Of Christian Dior In 1988, Fahrenheit Is Classified As A Refreshing, Woody, Mossy Fragrance. This Masculine Scent Possesses A Blend Of Honeysuckle, Sandalwood And Balsam.

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Fahrenheit 32 Cologne by Christian Dior, 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men
Fahrenheit 32 Cologne by Christian Dior 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for MenBased On An Oriental Orange Blossom Accord With Notes Of Soft And Spicy Orange Blossom, A Suave And Round Vanilla, And Woods.

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Dune Cologne by Christian Dior, 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men
Dune Cologne by Christian Dior 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for MenIt Is Designed By The House Of Christian Dior In 1997, Dune Is Classified As A Refreshing, Oriental, Woody Fragrance. This Masculine Scent Possesses A Blend Of Leaves, Basil, Mandarin, [...]

Dior Homme Cologne by Christian Dior, 4.2 oz Cologne Spray for Men
Dior Homme Cologne by Christian Dior 4.2 oz Cologne Spray for MenTop Notes Of Lavender, Sage, And Bergamot; A Heart Of Iris, Cocoa, And Amber With A Vetiver, Patchouli, And Leather Drydown.

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Eau Sauvage Cologne by Christian Dior, 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Men
Eau Sauvage Cologne by Christian Dior 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray for MenLaunched By The Design House Of Christian Dior In 1966, Eau Sauvage Is Classified As A Refined, Fruity Fragrance. This Masculine Scent Possesses A Blend Of Rosemary, Lemon, [...]