blue
Style
RSS Feed Of Style Friday, May 07, 2010
HEAVEN SCENT
New forms of conveying fragrances are going outside of the bottle
A silver tray cluttered with gleaming bottles and graceful atomizers was once a staple on the tops of bureaus and vanities, but now our dressers are more likely to host a charging station for an array of digital devices. While our passion for fragrance hasn't gone the way of morning grooming rituals like the application of Brylcreem or false eyelashes, the means by which we anoint ourselves with scent are certainly evolving. (Or, in some cases, they're being plucked from sepia-toned photo albums.) Just in time for the season that most demands masking malodorous aromas, here are a few of the new ways fragrances are being delivered.
Vinaigrette Perfume Locket Necklace: While we have the Victorian epoch to thank for bringing us button-up ankle boots and boater hats, not all trends from the Picnic at Hanging Rock era should be resurrected (see: Steampunk). But this is one we welcome with gusto. According to designer Erica Weiner, "Vinaigrettes were perforated lockets or containers with aromatic smelling salts or vinegar inside. A lady could sniff these if she was feeling faint from the unpleasant aromas of 18th and 19th century urban centers." Sold with two custom scented oils by D.S. & Durga, the necklace looks like a family heirloom while at the same time helping you endure the stench of a subway car that was previously inhabited by a reveler who learned his limits the hard way. Now if only we could swap out those plastic seats for a fainting couch.
Perfumed Bubbles: The sight of iridescent bubbles has the power to transport us to an evocative landscape of grassy backyards, skinned knees and frozen Capri Suns. So it should come as no surprise that someone - in this case, venerated perfumer Francis Kurkdjian - has fused the juvenile flamboyance of bubbles with the elegance of artisanal fragrance. With his 7-year-old niece as his muse, Kurkdjian scented the bubbles in his newest creation, Les Bulles d'Agathe, with three different springtime bouquets (cold mint, cut grass and pear) intended to pique children's interest in their sense of smell. To be honest, we think the bubbles' sophistication in this series may go over kids' heads, but we could certainly put them to good use after our next BBQ at which the resonant smell of burnt charcoal on a damp summer's eve is less than intoxicating.
Scented Magazine: Way back in the day when the only perfume we were allowed to wear was Love's Baby Soft, we'd stealthily raid our mom's magazine stash for sample inserts of more mature scents - only to ultimately be accused of dipping into her bottle of Coco Chanel. Though we're now mature enough to wear Obsession or Poison, there remains a fond remembrance of tantalizing our senses with the pages of a perfume-soaked glossy. Taking this reminiscence to the extreme is the current issue of mono.kultur magazine. Completely lacking in visual imagery, the Berlin-based arts and culture magazine's 23rd issue is saturated with 12 different scents, curated by Norweigian scientist/artist/scent expert Sissel Tolaas. Like a scratch-and-sniff book penned by one's own mind, readers, er, sniffers merely need to rub the paper to release a series of redolent bouquets that'll take them on an aromatic adventure.

* References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.