Absolutely Magazine: Spring Scents by Lawrence Roullier White

As I watched the models prowl down the catwalks of the recent international collections I found it fun to imagine what fragrance each one is wearing. Long gone is the notion that one has a signature scent; there are so many remarkable perfumes on the market, so why limit yourself to one? A scent should be worn like a scarf or jewellery, to enhance what you are already wearing or how you are feeling that day or even how you would like to feel. I have heard perfume wrongly described as a mask, a scent should be about you; your personality as a whole or playing up one the multiple facets of which we are all comprised. As I have the wonderful job of sniffing out some of the world’s rarest scents I have drawn together my shortlist of some new staples for your spring / summer fragrance wardrobe. 

Some aromas are specifically made for certain outfits; nothing works better that the heather hue of Harris tweed and lavender, but do not write off lavender as just for winter. Teamed with freshly pressed cotton, the fresh balsamic herby notes are psychologically more prevalent. New from Atkinson’s, ‘Lavender on the Rocks’ is a double shot of lavender; icy-cold steely lavender water and mellow honeyed lavender absolute. Laced with basil and a dash of rose, ‘Lavender on the Rocks’ is fresh, young, fun and I love it. 

Denim is bang on-trend this season and along with the prerequisite Japanese selvedge jeans, ‘Denim’, by new Italian perfume house Uermi, is a must-have. The prefect daytime fragrance, ‘Denim’ is a wearable combination of tuberose, pink pepper, neroli, vanilla and musk. Be warned it is as addictive as the indigo fabric.

Rarely does a scent give me goose bumps but that was literally my physical reaction when I first smelled ‘Volubilis’ new from Bruno Acampora - and as recommendations go they do not come much greater than that. From a brand that enjoyed its heyday in the heady and hedonistic 1970s and 1980s - think partying to dawn on Mediterranean shores - living up to this glamorous image the late founder, Acampora, was even artistically captured by pop-culture curator of the time, Andy Warhol. ‘Volubilis’, the brand’s latest release after decades, is simply stunning; grapefruit and pink pepper dance around rose, iris and mint on a bed of sensual patchouli, amber, vanilla and musk.

A perfumer in the tradition of some of the great couturiers, Hiram Green creates all his fragrances completely by his own hand. From blending to bottling, Hiram is a master craftsman. His new release ‘Shangri La’ opens with a fizzy sparkle of citrus, with a velvety rolling centre of peach, jasmine, rose and iris; a heavenly scent with an earthy base of vetiver and oak moss. 

Spanish fashion designer Mademoiselle Carmen de Tomaso felt her business was suffering from her less than Parisian sounding name so in the 1940’s, having gone through almost the entire alphabet, she substituted the M with a V and the House of Carven was born. When she decided to launch her new fragrance in 1946, launch it is exactly what she did; dropping hundreds of sample bottles on mini silk green and white parachutes over Paris from an aircraft. Carven has forever left her mark on fragrance history with her iconic and important scent Ma Griffe – which impeccably translates as ‘my mark’ as in ‘my signature’. Ma Griffe has spent too many years languishing in chemist shops but Carven have bought and brought it back and it is glorious. White flowers, with fresh green notes and lots of sophisticated aldehydes, is to my mind one of the most important scents ever made, born out by the fact it has never gone out of fashion. I dare anyone not to fall in love with this scent which is spring in a bottle.