What perfume would they wear? Lisbeth Salander

Lisbeth Salander is a modern hero and one of most brilliantly written characters to emerge in this or any decade. If you haven't read the books in the Millennium trilogy or seen the brilliant Swedish language films then do. The stories are gritty yes, hard yes but also totally consuming- and at once modern and timeless. I haven't seen the new English language film made by David Fincher but he seems the perfect choice- though Noomi Rapace is Lisbeth for me.

I asked the question on twitter of what perfume Lisbeth might wear. Okay she isn't perhaps the first women you think of when you wonder about how they smell- and as one person said of cigarettes is pretty likely. She is such a real character though that I think she would wear a scent of some kind- perhaps not a terribly conventional one. I have suggested Bvlgari black for her and Penhaligon's Sartorial was also suggested by @SalwaAzar and I can see that.

So what do you think, what fragrance would Lisbeth Salander wear?

What fragrance do they wear: George Falconer

I liked A Single Man very much and I don’t agree with some of the views I have read and heard saying that aspects of the production design and cinematography distract from the storyline- they don’t distract from say Dr Zhivago, Goodnight and Good luck or Mad Men. I think it’s a film you need to see more than once to truly understand your reaction too though because there is a lot to take in visually that isn’t always to do with the narrative- but I enjoy that.

What I am certain about is how very much I loved Colin Firth’s performance as George Falconer and how much I admire both Firth and Tom Ford for having the nerve to put such an unshowy and real performance on the screen. I genuinely hope Colin Firth gets everything he deserves for this performance which perhaps surprised some, though not I imagine anyone who has followed his career away from the Darcy parts. I suspect he would meet awards victory and defeat both the same, with charm and humility.

It might seem shallow to think about what fragrance the character of George Falconer would wear when the film deals with some heavy topics but for me choice of scent offers a window into people- into how they want to be perceived certainly, or just what they enjoy, even into their subconscious perhaps. I haven’t read the book, though I think now I will, but I understand the story and character are somewhat different from the film. The film is set in 1962 so I think we ought really to confine George to scents from then- otherwise I think one of Tom Ford’s own fragrances would likely be very appropriate.

I heard Ford on Radio 4 (of course, my daily travelling friend) saying that he had decided Falconer, being an Englishman who probably had a family allowance, would wear Saville Row tailored suits, even though he lived in America. I wonder on that basis if perhaps he wouldn’t also wear a very typically English scent? Certainly something like Blenheim bouquet would work, it’s a great mixture of freshness with a more sultry masculine undertone and is the scent equivalent of a well cut suit; or something from Floris would remind him of home, perhaps Ian Flemings own choice of Number 89? Or maybe for suits he goes to London but for scent he goes to Paris and wears a divine Guerlain- maybe Mouchoir de Monsieur? His house is very modern and he obviously loves his life in America so perhaps he isn’t that traditional after all and perhaps he wears anAmerican fragrance- but I can’t think of any made pre 1962- which is probably my ignorance!

What do you think?

A Single Man poster image from Everyman cinemas.

L'eau D'Hiver

When I first tested the Frederic Malle Editions De Parfums line L'Eau D'Hiver by Jean- Claude Ellena was the scent that most resonated with me. I tried it on a crisp, early summer's day rather than during the winter it's named for.

I am sure my fondness for it comes in not small part from the fact that Elena used Apres L'Ondee as an inspiration or starting point for the scent. As I have said before Apres L'Ondee is one of my favourite scents and one of the scents that started me on a journey from not just enjoying scent but really appreciating the artistry of the perfumer.

It is perhaps because I first tried it in the summer but I actually think this smells a little bit of a whisper of sunshine- and perhaps a whisper of hope. Then I suppose winter can be sunny and Apres L'Ondee suggests light coming through after the rain.

Revisiting this in the winter I felt some of the same things I had originally; that is a very delicate but emotive scent. I can smell the almond and helitrope from Apres L'Ondee but they are worked totally differently, covered in a layer of water, or perhaps mist. In the dry down I detect iris and a bread like note. I don't find the scent cold but it suggests a coolness has come before it, rather a bit like warm tears on a cold face, or perhaps condensation on a window- which is less over the top!

It's quite a skin scent, perhaps only appreciated by the wearer or someone very close to them. It brings to mind being wrapped up in your warmest most luxurious coat and scarf, or pyjama's, trying to keep the elements out.

On reflection I decided L'Eau D'Hiver was the perfect scent for the character of Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings.






Eowyn and Aragorn picture: news.bbc.co.uk/.../jpg/_39623575_eowyn_6.jpg

Eowyn in white dress: http://www.tanz-der-schatten.de/bilder/arbeit/filme/hdr/ttt/eowyn_white3.jpg

Eowyn at Edoras: http://tolkienilu.chez-alice.fr/film/ttt/Eowyn-Edoras-big.jpg

Celia Birtwell Apres L'Ondee

I'm a big fan of Celia Birtwell. I also love the work of her sadly deceased husband Ossie Clark but that is for another post.

Celia seems to have walked a sometimes difficult road always with grace and always on her own terms. She has also achieved the seemingly difficult position of being a very relevant lady in her later years. Her website is here and is filled with lovely textiles. She also designs capsule collections for Topshop which I have found to be not only lovely but of very good quality for the price.

On reading my Vogue yesterday (I'm not normally this obsessed with an issue honestly!) there was a little feature on people's extravagances. Celia Birtwell named hers as perfume (she is one of us!) and said how much she loves Apres L'Ondee. I don't know why this pleased me so but it did. It is just perfect for her, perfume can tell you so much about a person.

You can read more about the David Hockney painting Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy here picture courtesy of Wikipedia.

Picture of Celia Birtwell courtesy of www.independent.co.uk

What perfume do they wear? Eliza Doolittle

Having seen Pygmalion last week (as discussed below) I started to think, as only a perfume obsessive really can, about what fragrance Eliza Doolittle might have worn.




In the film My Fair Lady (which as I'm sure you may know was based on Pygmalion) Eliza is played by Audrey Hepburn. Audrey will forever be associated with Givenchy's L'interdit and for some with Creed's Spring Flower. Both are very nice scents but I don't feel they are right for Eliza. Firstly Pygmalion was written and is set in 1913 when aldehyde's had not been used in scent- so that counts out the Givenchy. Secondly I don't think most people had even seen a melon in London in 1913 let alone the French managed to replicate the scent of a melon which is part of Spring Flower.




Eliza is a poor flower girl when we meet her. I imagine she smells better than many because she is surrounded by flowers all day but given her excitement at bathing in hot water without her clothes on in the play I think we can assume she perhaps doesn't smell superb before she goes to live with Professor Higgins.

However once there I would assume (again as only a perfume obsessive might) that Higgins would have put some thought to her scent because it would in itself tell people a little about her and help him mould her into a lady.

For that reason I would think he would choose something extremely tasteful and fairly subtle that would quietly give off class. Given that we are limited to scents that would have been available in 1913 I thought of a classic cologne type smell, like 4711 initially.

However thinking on it for more time I have decided I would like to think of Eliza wearing Apres L'Ondee by Guerlain. It was released in 1906 so fits with the period very well and Eliza is a very modern girl in 1913 who I think would choose a modern scent. Higgins is well travelled and I think also must have good taste to be able to choose Eliza's clothes and so on so well but also probably doesn't like anything too dull- which Apres L'Ondee certainly isn't.



Eliza being a flower girl should have a quite educated sense of smell when it comes to flowers and I think if she had any choice in the matter she would enjoy the fresh, cool smell of violet and hawthorn the scent gives off. It would be a wonderful antidote in the crowded smoky city and probably like the country paths after the rain that she will never have seen being a London girl born and bred.

Finally the ending of Pygmalion is a little sad and I think the wistful, contemplative nature of Apres L'Ondee matches it very well.

Apres L'Ondee smells as modern to my nose now as I imagine it would have to Eliza and Henry in 1913. It is not widely available but if you find it you must try it.

Old fashioned Apres L'Ondee bottle courtesy of: http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/Apres-lOndee.jpg

Eliza picture courtesy of http://www.timeout.com/img/42854/w310/image.jpg

My fair lady picture courtesy of: http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/MyWebFilms/Drama/MyFairAscot4.jpg

Alexa Chung's scent of choice

So the ES magazine's My London interviewee this week is Alexa Chung.

She says she wears Creed's Vetiver- she has great taste in scent as well as clothes and boyfriends it would be appear...

You can read more about celebrities and the scents they wear on this fantastic site

picture courtesy of The Telegraph

Scents and the City

It is the world premiere of the sex and the city tomorrow night, in my own sexy city- London (in the not so sexy Leicester Square).

In honour of the premiere and in anticipation of the feature I, in true Carrie style, ‘couldn’t help but wonder’ about what scents Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte might wear.

Carrie:
In the show we see some make- up and beauty products in Carrie’s brownstone apartment (Benetint, Clinique, Kiehl’s) but I don’t recall ever seeing any scent. In real life even non- fans of the show must know that Sarah Jessica Parker has her own scents called Lovely and Covet. However I think it’s more fun to think of Carrie wearing a different scent to the actress who plays her.
While brainstorming I thought I could see Carrie in: Chanel’s Allure, JPG Classique, Jicky by Guerlain and Aqua Di Parma Colonia; all are classics of yesterday or today and for all her love of avant- garde fashion I think Carrie the writer would like a classic sophisticated smell with some history and story behind it. I also thought she might wear one or more of the Bond No.9 scents, they like her are inspired by New York and their NY store is on super trendy Bleeker Street where I am sure Carrie often shops.

Miranda:
Again I think we see lots of products dressing Miranda’s home and I recall seeing a collection of perfume bottles in her bedroom, but despite pausing my dvd I couldn’t recognise any of the bottles.
Miranda probably vies with Carrie for the title of most tricky character to define; for all that I like Charlotte and Samantha they are both more stereotypical in my eyes. Of all the characters Miranda probably changes the most over the series. Certainly initially her character was portrayed as the most masculine in terms of outlook and dress sense. I am inclined to think that Miranda probably wore one signature scent and it wasn’t a particularly conventionally feminine, floral one. I thought L’eau De Issey and Aromatics Elixir were both candidates. I have also read that Cynthia Nixon wears Cashmere Mist and this also seems quite appropriate for Miranda.

Samantha:
We actually see a large bottle of Creed’s Spring Flower in Samantha’s bathroom several times so we know the producers have decided she wears this. It seems a slightly odd choice for her to me. It’s a beautiful scent but it’s association with the polite manners and poise of Audrey Hepburn together with it’s subtle spring like innocence don’t seem to match with Samantha’s characterisation.
I thought better choices for her might be Fracas or Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower- two big tuberose scents that I really enjoy and would suit a beautiful, confident woman like Samantha.

Charlotte:
In many ways I found Charlotte the easiest to think about. I thought she might wear several different scents for different occasions. For day wear and the Hamptons I think Antonia’s Flowers; For city nights and more sophisticated events I think Narciso Rodriguez for her or Chanel No.5 would be very Charlotte; and for fun she should definitely have a bottle of Annick Goutal’s Eau de Charlotte.

I would love to hear what scents other people see the Sex and the City ladies wearing.

Sex and the City the Movie is out on the 28th of May.

Picture courtesy of www.hbo.com/city