The smell of flesh, life, and death: Perfume - The Coffret of the Senses

[Grant]

With the movie "Perfume, The Story of a Murderer" being released worldwide, it was only a matter of time before two creative Perfumers developed atmospheric odours to replicate Grenouilles' existence in Paris in the early 1700's. The coffret, made up of 15 distinct odours and perfumes were created by Christophe Laudamiel and his partner, Christoph Hornetz (International Flavours & Fragrances) who started to experiment with oils about seven years ago as a cultural exploration in perfumery, atmospheres and interpreting Süskind's imaginings. What they didn't anticipate, was a meeting with legendary Vera Strübi of Thierry Mugler Parfums, and Peter Friedl, President of Distribution and Marketing for the movie that enabled the Coffret to smell the light of day....

Fragrance expert and writer, Marian Bendeth invites you on a virtual sniff of Thierry Mugler's Perfume Coffret:

http://www.basenotes.net/articles/muglercoffret.html

[ifconfig]

Very cool, thanks! Good reading material for my lunchtime...

[Lady_in_Black]

Beautifully written. A great read, thanks! I'm hoping Aura is released shorly.

[Quarry]

Interesting, but does not entice me to want to sniff the unwashed masses.

[Sarahrarah]

I wish I had USD$700. Forget rent, medical expenses, food... I NEED THIS!

[Paisley]

I am absolutely uninterested in that coffret. Trying to figure out why, but there is nothing there that speaks to me. My lack of involvement does not stem from the price or the premise. I think it has to do with the hype and saturation of new releases. The more something is discussed or written about, the less I want to experience it. In fact, the rush to sample the latest causes me to give the latest a cold shoulder. The list of what I have not scurried to smell is rather lengthy. Still, a column about the item is of great benefit to the community.

[Pappie]

I'd love to acquire this coffret...or at least samples of the scents. I'd love to smell a perfumer's take on the scents described in the book.

[BlueDevilSF]

I know I promised to write my own review of this, but after reading hers, I don't think I'm even going to try. I just can't be that descriptive.

That said, I have sampled all of them on blotter strips and have tried 7 of the 15 scents on my skin. Here are a few notes on the ones I've actually worn, in order as they appear in the coffret/book/movie.

BABY smells exactly just that: a freshly-bathed baby. I honestly don't detect the milk or caramel notes. It simply smells clean but not artificial. It is very, very light, and I'm not sure it's something I would wear often.

PARIS 1738. Hoo boy, is this one awful. And I know it's meant to be awful. It figures that it has blackcurrant. I HATE blackcurrant in just about anything, but whatever is in this doesn't smell like blackcurrant to me. Still, it is an interesting scent that very few brave souls will want to wear. I'd rather wear Dzing!

ATELIER GRIMAL. I'm not a fan of leather scents, but here is one I would wear occasionally. It smells like a horse stable and somewhat medicinal. I detect hay, grass, a bit of manure, but it's not really fecal. It is wonderfully light on the skin.

BOUTIQUE BALDINI. I am not quite sure what to make of this one. I didn't care for it on the strip, but I have it on right now and can't stop smelling it. There is a lot going on in it, and the color red just shouts at me. It's floral, but not really. It's spicy, but not really. It's kind of fruity, but not really. It smells like something an old lady would wear to church. Then it dries down and calms down. I will definitely wear this a few more times before making up my mind..

VIRGIN NO. 1. This smells like clean sweat, maybe a bit of clay. I detect a hint of fruit, probably the plums described in the book. Whether it smells like a virgin, I can't say for sure, but I do remember from my childhood that girls smelled like this. It is strong and should be used sparingly.

AMOR & PSYCHE. Wow. So far this has been my favorite to wear on the skin. I like heady scents and I have a difficult time finding something light enough that I enjoy. I may have found it in this. Citrusy and woodsy, for some reason tweed comes to my mind. Even though Baldini and Grenuoille didn't care for it, I like it a lot.

AURA. I'm reserving judgment on this one because I want to try it a few more times. It is not as light as the description would have you believe. It does have a skin-like scent to it, and it's another one that's hard to figure out because it changes character so often. I haven't attempted to try its "scent-enhancing" properties yet. My initial impression is one of disappointment, but I'm not giving up on it just yet.

More to come...

[Grant]

Added Interview with the perfumers:

http://www.basenotes.net/interviews/christophs.html

[purplebird7]

Interesting interview. Still have to see the movie in my area.

[MATKOOL]

Is there no way folks outside of the US can purchase this? I need this!

[kbe]

I have the audiobook on cassettes. Absolutely mesmerizing performance in reading of the unabridged book (6 cassettes) by Sean Barrett. It is available on Amazon.com among other sources for about $16-$18 + shipping.

Having read and enjoyed the book first it is interesting to hear the different 'voices' Mr. Barrett gives the various characters during the reading. I will be most interested to see the film when it appears locally.

[Clemmie]

Really loved the book, and haven't been able to see the film. I'm hoping it will be available on DVD eventually. I have an image in my mind now of watching he film with strips from the coffret to sniff as each scene plays (smellovision!). Not sure I could cope with the smell of Paris in the 1700s though...ew! :-)

Fascinating article.

Clemmie