An aroma transports us through the chapters of our lives, tagging the mind to travel to distant moments in time. The right perfume creates mystery, incites a chemical reaction and is an extension of your brand and persona. It is an invisible power surge.
While airports, stores and on-line sites teem with the latest celebrity smell-spawns and fashion house re-tweaks, I've always been an ardent supporter of boutique perfumeries.
One of the first houses to rattle the mainstream was started by a pianist turned nose, named Annick Goutal. She opened shop in Paris' Left Bank. An environmentalist and naturalist, she offered perfumes in refillable bottles, tried to always use natural essences and eschewed artificial colors.
While she passed away young, her creations endure. The House of Goutal, under her daughter's direction, has only released new scents when inspiration strikes and carefully guarded its timeless collections.
It's another reason Goutal has heralded true loyalists over the years and maintains an instagrammable footprint. Among my favorite scents : Un Matin De Orange, Le Chevrefeuille, Vanille Exquise (retired, but can still be found online) and Eau d' Hadrien.
Un Matin D' Orage
Gardenias, white flowers, Indonesian jasmine, ginger and green Earth awaken in this abstract scent. Not cloyingly sweet, it works with young and more mature women. It has an abstract composition. Created by Goutal's partner Isabelle Doyen, it was also a nod to a Japanese zen garden after an unexpected rain. It works any time of year.
Eau d'Hadrien
A fierce Tuscan summer evening, this perfume combines Sicilian lemon, citron, grapefruit, cypress and green mandarin notes with a touch of ylang-ylang. When it was first launched in 1981 as Goutal's first perfume, it created a global sensation. The most discerning department stores around the globe--from Takashimaya to Neiman Marcus--quickly scooped it up.
Le Chevrefeuille
This is my go-to summer scent. It's jasmine, narcissus flowers, petit grain and lemon tree.
It is light and elegant; pretty and poised.
For more information or to purchase, I suggest their website.
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