Halloween Playlist

A few of my favorite tracks for All Hallows’ Eve!

Spooky, Dusty Springfield

Dracula, Christine Pilzer

Sisters of the Moon, Fleetwood Mac

I love this version of Fleetwood Mac’s Sisters of the Moon.  I think the castanets give the track a real edge, and towards the end (approximately minute 4:00) they almost take on a ritualistic timbre as their frequency increases almost as if in the culmination of an ancient seance.  I picture rising plumes of smoke from burning incense, thrashing bodies, diaphanous flowing fabrics, and incantations invoking spirits’ name both sacred and profane.

Primrose: Early Colour Photography in Russia at the Photographers Gallery

Varvara Stepanova, Red Army Men, with photograph by Boris Ignatovich, for the magazine Abroad, 1930 Photomontage with cardboard and gouache

Last Saturday I popped into the Photographers Gallery to check out the Primrose exhibition which detailed the use of colour in Russian photography.

Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles, Study of a Double Entendre

Photo courtesy of unifive.ru

I have been wanting to write about Serge Lutens’ Fille en Aiguilles since I was first introduced to it at the Perfume Lovers London Perfume and Well-being event.  I’ve thought very much about its name, Fille en Aiguilles, which translates to “girl in needles” and “girl in stilettos”.  I’ve thought about this duality and what it represents to me.  Two wholly different representations of our public and private selves.

Harrods’ Salon de Parfums, London’s Pantheon of Perfume

Ascending the escalator to the newly opened Harrods Salon de Parfums is like rising to the heights of Olympus where you find yourself in the company of the storied gods and goddesses of perfume. Yesterday I went up to the sixth floor to explore the Salon, which just opened on Saturday.  I was immediately taken with the opulent, art deco styling of the space that plays host to the likes of Chanel’s Les Exclusifs de Chanel, Christian Dior’s Le Collection Priveé, Creed, Tom Ford, By Kilian, Xerjoff, Henry Jacques, and of course, Roja Dove’s magnificent Haute Parfumerie.

BoB Best of Britannia Exhibtion

Yesterday I met BoB…

Arquiste Time Travel Session at Bloom Perfumery

Some snaps from last night’s enlightening Arquiste Time Travel Session at Bloom Perfumery where Carlos Huber discussed the historical associations and narratives behind Arquiste’s L’Etrog, L’Etrog Acqua, and The Architects Club!

4160 Tuesdays Who Knew? Perfume Review

4160 Tuesdays’ Who Knew? opens on my skin sweetly.  The initial burst of fragrance smiles, a jammy, rosy giggle that I find incredibly inviting.  Soon a depth to Who Knew? develops that feels as if I am inhaling from the deepest depths of a rose; however, it is not a sort of haughty, overpowering rose at all. It’s quietly confident but contemplative and pensive.