Serenissima

"I don't do fashion, I am fashion."
In 1919 Tout Paris wears the designs of Gabrielle Chanel; better known as "Coco".
This woman was as uncompromising in matters of style and fashion as she was in love.
When my beloved "Boy" Capel dies in a car accident on the Côte d'Azur (he drove his fast sports car much too fast of course), she sinks into mourning.
She even has her bedroom painted black!
Their first (desperate) attempt to return to life is not very successful. Her liaison with the composer Igor Stravinsky is not what really helps; quite quickly their paths part.
Étienne Balsan, a friend of both, succeeds in keeping them alive for a longer period of time with the help of the legacy of her lover: "Boy" wanted to develop a spectacular fragrance together with Coco.

Not only does she want to commemorate her great love with a fragrance, but she also wants to create a perfume for the modern independent woman.
In the search for the right fragrance, Coco also met Dimitri Romanow, a Russian grand duke in exile. Through him, with whom she shares the feeling of being lost, she was inspired by the perfume of the legendary Czarina Catherine the Great.
But one day, almost unbelievably for her, she can open herself up to love again and her inspiration returns: Coco Chanel gets on the trail of this fragrance, which is still the most successful perfume in the world today - "Chanel N° 5".
(Source: "Mademoiselle Coco and the Scent of Love" novel by Michelle Marly , published as an advanced paperback, 2018.)

The charm of this perfume has accompanied me since my earliest youth; my knowledge in this fragrant world was not very great either
The statement alone (whispered only behind a whispered hand) that Marilyn Monroe wore only a touch of "Chanel N° 5" at night probably put the final dot on the "I".
At that time she was an icon and the breath of the slightly wicked still surrounded her.
Only later did I ask myself: Did these two really fit together?
Had Coco Chanel thought of this type of woman as the bearer of her fragrance; would she have liked it?
And if Ms. Monroe, had she not, had she not been allowed to grow older, had she not one day discovered the allure of a seductive nightdress for herself?
We won't know

Yves Saint Laurent is known to have dedicated his legendary fragrance "Opium" to the great lady Catherine Deneuve. This fascinating woman remained a loyal friend to both YSL and his love Pierre Bergé throughout their lives.
We don't know anything similar about Coco Chanel; we only know that she created an everlasting monument to her great love "Boy" Arthur Capel with this fragrance.

This fascinating fragrance composition greets you with the lively spraying of aldehydes; this is accompanied by the lovely charm of neroli, the freshness of lemons and the slightly musty bergamot scent.
It is a walk through a southern fruit-rich garden; thus an ideal start.
The heart note brings together everything that is important in the world of flowers: the elegant iris, the strongly earthy-scented lily of the valley (as we all know, this is where minds part!), the intoxicating aroma of the large-flowered white jasmine (often referred to as stinky in comments here) and the king of everything: the full-bloomed, fragrant rose!
Each one of these beauties gives its best here; a full-bodied, noble fragrance marries with the radiant freshness of the Entrées.
Amber, vetiver and sandalwood in a subtle blend, together with the rich, erotic warmth of vanilla, provide a base that seems to be exactly what this fragrance needs to be a complete success.

Sillage and durability are exceptional; even after hours, an abandoned room testifies to the presence of the wearer of this fragrance.
However, more than two ladies surrounding themselves with "Chanel N° 5" are sufficient for a spacious ballroom. Also here the dose makes the scent.

As a younger woman and also later testing this fragrance on me again and again, I used to regularly declare: "One day I will be old enough to wear "Chanel N° 5". When I then put on the pearl necklace with a classic twinset and carefully coiffed grey hair, the right time will have come."
In the meantime I am an older woman; the hair will never become noble grey - a mixture of street dog blonde with underpants grey and a touch of white knows how to prevent this.
I wore classic twinsets in the office (because the door to the long corridor had to be open all the time; the reception was not occupied); pearls actually fit me quite well as well.
Only with "Chanel N° 5" it won't work: we both don't harmonize with each other at all.

I like this scent, but I feel disguised with it
So unfortunately I cannot pay tribute to this great love celebrated with this fragrance!

All the more reason why I will enjoy reading the above mentioned novel and follow Coco Chanel's aberrations through love and life with interest.

As a young woman, already in the spring of 1983, I put "opium" in my head. I absolutely had to have it.
My boyfriend at that time, already a bit older, was at first of the opinion that "something practical" - e.g. a share in my first washing machine - would be much better than such "scented stuff"! Men!
But I can be quite persistent and finally he gave in: I finally got "Opium" (and he had his peace!).

But what did he bring me? Not the desired 50 ml bottle with atomizer: no, it was 125 ml!
And all this in a large flat plastic container with glass stopper - not exactly ideal for my small hands!
Well, I had what I wanted! Although not exactly what I wanted!
Women are strange in this relationship: I know!

Of course I was proud anyway. At that time "Opium" was not a mass product, which was available in every duty free shop and as a result could be found later on every underground station and in every factory building.
"Opium" was luxury for the extraordinary woman
(It remains to be seen whether I was then!)

Due to my lack of body warmth - I am a "fish blood", the typical and full, erotic scent could not develop on me.
I myself do not notice this at all; "opium" was just too rare to have any possibility of comparison.
It was more or less a so-called "blind purchase" at that time.
But my girlfriend finally approached me; she was very enthusiastic!
I was surrounded by an abundance of spices, fruits and flowers - carried by patchouli and sandalwood!
The typical erotic fragrances such as musk, amber, incense, etc. could not develop at all with me.
What was unique about me was "opium"!

This big "plastic vat" almost sealed the end of my "opium" era
I always had problems holding this big bottle and of course it slipped out of my hand one morning: oh, woe!
A large part of the contents poured into the basket with the dirty laundry; that too!
After work I hardly dared go into the apartment. What would await me there?
But I was lucky: "Opium" stayed true to me!
In the bathroom there was a full herbal flower scent - the erotic component of this very powerful scent composition did not develop there (in my dirty laundry) either!

In the meantime the time of long distance travel had really begun. Almost every woman brought "opium" with her from her holidays - whether it suited her or not: you could afford it. Hurray!
The fragrance for the special, unique occasion; the fragrance that holds promise and seduction had suddenly become common knowledge - and how common.
Where you walked and stood the air was "opium"-pregnated - yes, sometimes you could even taste it!
Nasty!

It was getting to be too much for me. Even if "my opium" smelled completely different: I couldn't take it anymore!
So this giant flacon (by the way, it didn't have a tassel - how disappointing!) probably disappeared into the depths of my cupboard in autumn 1983 and was forgotten there.

A few years later, a colleague raved so much about the "special scent" that she could not afford it. She would have loved to wear "Opium" to a great party
Well, for this "extraordinary occasion" there was still enough of the desirable fragrance in my flacon!
I sold it to her for 25 DM; I still remember it well.
My colleague was so enthusiastic that she even cried for joy. How I allowed her this joy!
However, she had to promise me to renounce her new "treasure" in my presence.
She stuck to it and so we were both very satisfied!

I believe that never before has a fragrance so unique in its kind been so badly treated as "opium" was then! Everybody had it - everybody wore it!
Created for the special, for silk and flattering fabrics, for irreplaceable occasions, it ended up through the duty free shops in places that its creator Yves Saint Laurent had certainly never thought of.
Often unfortunately also on not quite clean or unkempt women, at least here in the city.
"You could afford it!" - And sales rose, thanks to duty free shops!

A pity for this great fragrance spell from an unforgotten magician!

A typical Sunday afternoon in July in Rome. Piazzale Napoleone I is the place where Roman families dressed in Sunday clothes and of course tourists gather.
These are not only recognizable by the various cameras; Sunday does not play a role in their summery casual clothing. What a pity!
For Romans, this large terrace is also often a place where they celebrate their family celebrations. So a perfumista told me years ago that he once had the pleasure of experiencing a colourful and Mediterranean-sounding children's birthday party there.
Below this terrace on Monte Pincio is the Piazza del Popolo - the famous obelisk in the middle of it is not to be missed.
But from here, one also has the most famous and most beautiful view to the Peterskirche. A view that is unforgettable at sunrise and sunset!
But even in the midday sun, the city lies impressively at the feet of the many spectators. Big, loud and yet with so much beauty!

You walk in the shade of large old deciduous trees that cover the back of the terrace.
The tree population of the "Seven Hills" is always impressive; probably also because it is not expected in this abundance.
Numerous paths lead over the hill; nature is a pure feast for the eyes. It makes you forget the traffic of the big city, the dirt, the noise
One of these paths leads to Parco Borghese with the villa of the same name - actually my destination this Sunday. Along this path I discover an unexpected magic: lots of flowering acacia trees!
The small yellow spheres of the flowers emit an aroma that confirms the kinship with mimosa.
The nose is flattered by the tart, rich scent, which awakens the desire for more. Even the dark, lacquered foliage seems to smell.
I find myself strolling through this "scented path" over and over again: did I become addicted?
I just couldn't part with it.
This Sunday I did not come to Villa Borghese; that was only by the way.

Of course the mimosa, which blooms in spring, almost together with the camellias, is much more fragile and brighter in the foliage.
But yet the heavy clouds of scent that both plant species waste so generously reveal the great proximity between them.

In one of these hand-flattering flacons of Annick Goutal's "Le Mimosa", this Roman scent impression is captured for me: Sunshine, the tart, slightly earthy scent of mimosa/acacia and the spice of aniseed.
The noble iris, which ennobles the somewhat rustic fragrance mixture, goes very well with this!
The encounter with sun-ripened peaches is also particularly pleasing; thick ripe peaches whose juice almost resembles syrup and smells just as creamy.
Musk wraps this fragrance mixture very warmly. Who would have expected him here?
But just together with this somewhat down-to-earth kind of "Le Mimosa", it results in an enticing summer scent!
So that this fragrance painting does not vanish so quickly, it was "founded" on sandalwood.
This composition becomes completely round through this.
The otherwise known volatility of the Annick Goutal fragrances is made more durable and stabilized by sandalwood.
But that is no reason to refrain from repeated spraying.

"Le Mimosa" will never be the darling of the masses; it is too special for that. I think there is a reason why this fragrance is preferred in France.
In Germany it is therefore unfortunately only available in remainders.
That's a pity, because for me "Le Mimosa" is an all-round successful midsummer scent, which also carries a lot of memories!

The early evening of a grey day like today, when it has been raining for hours, is a good opportunity to comment on a summery scent of roses and let yourself be carried away by it.
So a little bit of summer hope comes to me: already longed for now!

Some fragrances from ID Parfums Paris/Isabel Derroisné have often attracted my attention.
The fact that they are only enjoyed by a relatively small circle of enthusiasts is probably due to the fact that, as far as I know, they are only marketed by the cosmetics company Dr. Pierre Ricaud.
So today they are doing the same thing as the very first fragrances by Yves Rocher did back then: they are only available by mail order.
Thus, they receive relatively little attention. Although many of them can easily keep up with some of the common fragrance creations found in drugstores.
Some of these fragrances are even very original and tell beautiful stories that are worth listening to.

A few days ago I received a sample of the new summer scent "Rosa Folia".
Leslie Girard created here a lovely bouquet of roses that would delight any woman in flower form.
Here, too, you can feel female creativity based on good, solid craftsmanship.
I mean this in a really positive way: everything that is created with love and devotion is simply beautiful!

"Rosa Folia" immediately enchants with its summery fruitiness: blackcurrants with their slightly bitter yet sweet spice meet delicately dosed pink pepper.
This introduction is underlined by a mixture of berries, which I can't exactly define (there might be a hint of raspberries in it) and the noble aroma of the rather rarely found rosewood.
Unfortunately, some tangerine peel (according to the brochure) was added again; with this, the usual synthetic note appears in the fragrance for a short time.
What a pity, in my opinion this is an addition that the perfumer could have done without.
Fortunately, this element that disturbs me loses itself quite quickly
For this an incredibly rich heart of roses opens up: immediately I think of the heavy flower heads of full-bloomed old-fashioned scented roses!
A walk in the sunlit rose garden, where this queen of flowers is still herself and not an artificial plant, appears in my imagination.
The memory of one of the paintings of Claude Monet's rose garden in its bright colors comes to my mind.
The impression of a midsummer afternoon, perhaps at the "hour of Pan", when thick contented bumblebees and many colourful butterflies stagger through this rose garden and the cicadas offer their loud adoration to their supposedly so mute women, seems almost perfect.
I'd like to be there right now! (Outside it's still raining!)
This so pleasing fragrance dream is based on probably light, pleasantly scented woods, which are embraced by a rich woody ambergris chord.
The small yet so fragrant violet fits very well into this final note: it sets the final, still missing accent on this symphony of scents.

This "Rosa Folia" is a fragrance creation which at the moment even conveys a rather favourable summer mood.
Feminine, sensual, with a touch of sophistication and on the other hand as naturally unencumbered and dreamy as a woman just fallen in love in summer.
Here this summery, very charming rose scent was captured in a classic flacon.
It lies well in the hand and its straight lines wonderfully underline the opulence of the fragrant content; a little more than this almost-purism would have been too much here.

Rose scented friends should perhaps give this "Rosa Folia" a chance.
I'm pretty sure: she'll make it worth their while!

Perfumes and flacons should already form a unit.
Even if a little beautiful flacon can enclose a wonderful fragrance, the harmony between content and "suit" is the most beautiful thing we can encounter in this area.
Women are especially receptive to beautiful flacons; of course I am one of them.

While leafing through one of my books (it is well known that I have to clear a lot of things back and forth due to constant construction work at the moment and thus take books into my hands which are otherwise unfortunately almost forgotten), I found the following section which describes this quite female preference very appropriately and also fits wonderfully to my beloved "Boucheron".

"... And I could immerse myself for hours in the sight of the shapes of the beautiful perfume bottles. There was a time when the shape of the container was almost more important to me than the fragrance.
The most beautiful flacons that I capture once a year on a targeted raid (knowing full well that I shouldn't indulge in more consumerist addictions), I place them on my desk in my field of vision for a while before they become part of my perfume bottle collection.
There they are ready to support or drive away moods with their contents via nose. Depending on my mood, I select the fragrance of the day from this handsome battery.
If I can't make up my mind, I stick with "Boucheron", my signature fragrance, which combines everything my nose loves. It's that smell of make-up, powder and stage dust that wafts through a theater like it does before the big curtain rises. A smell that unites present and past in a brilliant way. ..." (see page 78, "Don't worry, be Oldie" by Margit Schönberger. Yes, that's the woman with the fire-red Pumuckl hair ;-)

With her description of "Boucheron", Mrs Schönberger speaks from my soul: I also love this fragrance very much. For a long time it was even my signature fragrance
We met about 28 years ago and since then we have lived together - with short interruptions.
So "Boucheron" is one of my most loyal "partners"

"Boucheron" (named after the jeweller on the Place Vêndome in Paris) is a thoroughly feminine fragrance: luminous and sensual, refined and alluring, floral and also oriental.
The Entrée takes us to the south: there we meet, among other things, tangerine, bergamot and orange blossom and - not to be forgotten - a touch of spicy basil!
In the heart, this fragrance contains many of my favourites: the large-flowered white jasmine, the luminosity of ylang-ylang and the magic of tuberose.
These are grafted onto a classic aromatic, partly woody base: ambergris, sandalwood, my "darling" patchouli and not to forget: the warm eroticism of vanilla.

The flacon is, how could it be otherwise with this name, a piece of jewellery: ring-shaped matt glass with a cap in Burma blue (deepest sapphire blue!).
He nestles wonderfully into the palm of my hand; sometimes it is difficult for me to let go of him.

As a woman, you have to be prepared to get completely involved with "Boucheron".
You may also have to accept that the affection remains one-sided and the scent refuses to be scented.
That's not so rare; to the sorrow of some women!

But if it opens up, then it is the beginning of a never ending love story!