Louche: Perfume Peripherals

These days things are constantly evolving, transforming  and developing into new idea or even looking backward in order to go forward. Fragrance is one of the businesses that is evolving all the time.  Since the proliferation of  the niche perfumes, the world of fragrance has grown from more than perfume in a bottle.  One of the first  uses for perfume was to give a scent to leather gloves, that would smell rather rotten after the tanning process. So taking this idea to new levels seems to be a big trend in the world of scent.

Hence now we see perfume bubbles, scented matches and even as below, jewellery. So enter the world where perfume is not strictly perfume…

Born into a family of cognac-makers, Kilian Hennessy always aspired to delve into a  line of luxury goods so created a brand worthy of his predecessors, the Kilian fragrance brand. Many of  his fragrances (now has over seven in the main range), reflect his childhood reminisces of the sweet sugars in alcohol or wood of a cognac barrels,  with the latest fragrance  just as unusual.

Vodka on the Rocks is the tempting new fragrance from Kilian’s Addictive State of Mind collection and a Boutique Exclusive. The combination of coriander and cardamom with aldehyde recreates the iciness of a ‘vodka on the rocks’. Laced with rhubarb, floral notes of rose and lily of the valley dried down with oaks, ambroxan and sandalwood translate to a comfortable and lightly leathery perfume. A sniff sadly does not make you tipsy but it sure does smell just like the favourite tipple.

Launched before in 2012 to celebrate Kilian’s first boutique in Moscow,  the fragrance is now a part of the Addictive State of Mind collection and will be available to all customers. Encased in a sleek, classic black and silver bottle and within a heavy coffret inspired by the classic design of a vintage cigar box, the packaging creates a desirable product, easily displayed on any elegant coffee table.  Something to keep even when the bottle in finished, although refills are available as this is party of the brands eco-luxary philosophy.

For the home, Kilian has a range of products, including candles, soaps, scented decorative tassels and paperweights. The most recent product to join their range,  is the home spray. The home scents are available in all four existing fragrances. As well this, the warmly welcomed new Cuban Nights fragrance. A delicate aroma of the finest Cuban tobacco leaves, Cuban Nights is a rich, honeyed spicy cigar notes sweetened by almond and ground earthy patchouli. Because every Kilian product is designed to last a lifetime, you can replace the Cuban Nights candle in the mother-of-pearl candle holder.

To complete the new range of fragranced products, Kilian have released a capsule collection of scented jewellery and accessories in collaboration with Loree Rodkin. Hence our thoughts on  perfume that is not perfume, except it is a perfume… Loree’s  pieces of jewellery Killian says

“are like erotic armour… Her jewellery makes you feel sexy yet shielded at the same time. In that sense, she is the exact translation in jewellery of what I try to convey in my scents,” .

The modern and medieval collection is an embodiment of the bold and ornate workmanship of the two crafts. With a capsule of 6 designs, the jewellery is crafted to hold perfume for a whole day with the first spray. Kilian offer a mix and match option  to have the scent of choice and will all be available from November 1st 2016.

Other perfume houses moving outside of the regulatory norms of fragrances include Lisa Hoffman. A Los-Angeles based perfumer who seamlessly assimilates traditional fine fragrances into the life of the modern woman. She also offers a line of fragranced jewellery, with the opportunity for women to create their own special pieces, their chosen fragrance, their style and charms, allowing for personal customisation.

Within Byredo’s collection of candles, fragrances and  hair perfumes  they also have a ‘textile perfume’ specifically for clothes, to allow for that luxurious feeling of freshly laundered clothing. While The White Company offers scented linen sachets, perfect for linen cupboards or clothes draws.  Don’t forget the piece a few weeks ago when we showed you perfume for your knickers too from Ideo!

Master perfumer, Francis Kurkdjian probably has the best of the unusual ranges.  He has created  a variety of fun and luxurious products that step outside the norm. Luxury in the form of Aqua Universalis Detergent, Scented Bubbles and scented papers, allow for scent to be part of every part of life.

Lastly luxury brand Cire Trudon also have a beautiful range of products that incorporate their fragrance. Firstly, they have cleverly designed a set of scented matches that sit in stunningly illustrated boxes, the matches come in eleven different scents and each of the illustrations tells a different story. They also also added the wonderfully designed La Promeneuse, a decorative object d’art designed to diffuse several of the Cire Trudon fragrances via the heat of a tea light. The La green glass and white porcelain Promeneuse comes with four scented cameos and four night lights which will sit perfectly on any mantlepiece.  Burn the nightlight and release the perfume within the waxed cameos for a lighter way to diffuse heavenly scents.

Credits

Creative Director: Jo Phillips

Photographer: Ian Dingle