Skandi-Retro, Alice In Wonderland, Goldilocks Bowls, Socks That Sing, Jim Jams & The Sherpa Of Scent On.... Musk!

 

Skandi-Retro, Alice In Wonderland, Goldilocks Bowls, Socks That Sing, Jim Jams & The Sherpa Of Scent On.... Musk!

Aloha! Firstly, I must apologise for the glitch in our system last week which resulted in our new hats becoming muddled with previous newsletters and linking to pyjamas and pans! What can I tell you? It was perfect when I went to bed on Friday but gremlins infiltrated during the night!  To quote Alexander Pope, "to err is human" (although I blame technology!). I shall ensure that this doesn't happen again - I don't want you to think that I have become sloppy! I do hope that you are all feeling a lot more perky than I am this morning! It has been quite a week! I have been on the road - Eastbourne, Sevenoaks, London, Sevenoaks, London and now back to Sevenoaks to pack up the Good Doctor's worldly goods! I had forgotten how stressful moving home can be - it has been a long time - but we are trying to keep our eyes on the prize and imagining next Spring, waking up to birdsong and views of the South Downs National Park! We have a way to go until then and a to-do list of epic proportions but we are now galloping forward and all is looking good for the 15th of November - hurrah!!! Hasn't the weather been peculiar !? Just when one thinks that autumn is here and sets the timer on the central heating, the thermometer rises to 21 degrees again and it feels like summer. I am not complaining - it's lovely to be warm in October, but then it plummeted to 12 degrees yesterday! I presume that we must get used to yo-yoing temperatures and embrace layering - and 'heat pumps'...... whatever they may be! Now, I do have some Big News is terms of Roullier White arrivals (cue drum roll!). About five months ago, the Lovely Lene was approached by a Portuguese pottery (she is Brazilian so speaks the language) asking us if we would like anything made for us. We asked them to send a few examples of their ceramics, of glazes and some shapes to play with. These duly arrived and we set to work tweaking and collating until we had two very strong collections. We then commissioned them and the results set sail from Portugal three weeks ago. I have never commissioned so large a quantity of ceramics before - there are over 670 pieces! - and was very nervous to see them finished in the flesh. However, I am utterly thrilled with the results and very proud to have them on our shelves - or rather I will be once I have unpacked and checked every item !!

Shop Now - Skandi-Retro Ceramic Collection - From £5.99

There are two concepts in stoneware - the first I am calling 'Skandi-Retro' as they have wonderfully cool,  clean lines mixed with a hint of mid-century magic. This understated simplicity is practical, aesthetically pleasing and terribly fashionable right now. A textured, matt, creamy exterior is lined in either a white, pale grey or black satin glaze and we have; the 'Everything Bowl’ (thus monikered because it is the perfect depth and circumference to hold 'every' individual serving, from pasta and soup to salads, stews and puddings - basically... 'everything'! These stack neatly so will not take up too much room and designed to be the sophisticated workhorse of one's collection! Also available are large dinner plates, side plates. mugs, pitchers, teapots and salad/centre serving bowls!

Shop Now - Miami Ceramic Collection - From £7.99

The second I have named 'Miami' as it is all about the ice-cream (or pastel if you prefer) colours that remind me so much of South Beach. The interior surface of each piece is glazed in wonderful, joyous, shades of blush pink, primrose yellow, sky or spearmint, in a soft, satin finish. This is an exceedingly happy service and one can mix or match dinner plates, side plates, cereal/soup bowls, pasta bowls and mugs! I have played with them and it is just impossible to choose - should one select a place setting in each colour? A whole table in one shade? And finally, I mixed all the colours together into one giant 'Alice In Wonderland' extravaganza ! All looked sensational, so I'm afraid that I am going to be of no help whatsoever and leave the decision entirely to you!

Shop Now - Goldilocks Serving Bowl - £21.99

Finally, we commissioned some.... you guessed it... large centre-piece bowls!! I make no apologies here as, firstly, they are gorgeous(!), combining a lovely retro-shape with soft black, burnt orange or grey satin glaze and secondly, they are a truly great price which is always a boon! I love the size at 24cm and I call these my 'Goldilocks Bowls' as they are 'not too big and not too small but just right'! Use to serve salads, pasta, crisps, veg, bread - anything and everything! Naturally everything  in all three collections is very strong and suitable for the dishwasher. There - I hope that you are impressed ! Now I only have another 300 pieces to check and my work here is done!

Shop Now - Men's Organic Cotton Socks - £7.00

In other arrivals, we have had an order of my favourite organic cotton socks! I do not see why socks have to be conventional and boring - I think that they provide a great opportunity for sartorial anarchy and the bolder the better. Whilst I am a big fan of the navy/grey/black palette when it comes to my wardrobe, I believe that accessories should sing, and so have indulged! These hose make a great gift as a) they are unique and stylish and b) they are memorable, so the recipient will think of you when selecting or catching a glimpse of them beneath a trouser cuff! I would like to add that organic cotton is much better for the planet as it uses none of the many pesticides that generally abound in cotton production.

Shop Now - Unisex Double Brushed Organic Cotton Pyjamas - £65.00

I must confess that I have a thing for nightwear and am always on the look-out for something stylish but snuggly. This week I am absolutely thrilled to unveil my unisex Jim Jams! These PJ's are made from certified organic cotton and the extra-soft,  double-brushed fabric is so cosy that it makes you long for a duvet day! Available in a very chic navy or claret check, they remind me so much of the pyjamas I had when I was a child (but a little more fashion-forward obviously!). I shall be wearing mine in front of the log burner in Amberley! Sizes for men are Small/Medium/Large/XL & XXL and for women sizes 10-16.

And lastly, the Sherpa Of Scent pontificates upon...... Musk! To make a fragrance without using musk is like making a sandwich without butter, it is possible but somehow disappointing! While the 'filling' may be the star of the show, it is musk that holds the whole formula together and adds depth and sophistication! The very word 'musk' in perfumery has become more of a blanket term (much like 'amber') for a dark, spicy, sexy oriental or chypre fragrance. It is estimated that up to one fifth of us have 'specific anosmia' (an inability to detect certain odours) when it comes to the earthy, slightly sweaty scent of musk! Musk originated in perfume from the Far East many centuries ago. The scent was extracted from the glands of the male Musk Deer, a tiny animal found in the mountains of Asia (strictly speaking it is not a deer at all, however I digress!) and, although this is not necessary, the deer were, sadly, killed in the process. While there is still a small industry extracting the 'real thing' from animals (without mortality and supposedly licensed and very closely monitored), almost all Western Perfumers prefer to distance themselves from the practice - and quite rightly so! Therefore the musks used in perfumes sold at Roullier White are either aroma-chemical (i.e. man made) or vegetal. The latter is a particularly interesting recent development that has been pioneered by our natural fragrance brand Abel (from New Zealand). Their musk is an isolate of Ambrette, an oil that is derived from the seeds of the hibiscus flower. This is a game-changer as, historically, there have been no natural alternatives, and so this has resulted in a giant leap forward for natural scents in terms of space within the construct and I am a HUGE fan.  Here I wish to illustrate that not all musk scents are heavy, and so have put together a disparate collation of fragrances that hopefully reveal its many facets.

Shop Now - Abel - Cyan Nori (EdP) 50ml - £118.00

Take 'Cyan Nori'  (from Abel) for example, which uses the Nori seaweed at the base but vegetal musk at the heart. This has a sweet saltiness and a dash of citrus mandarine fizz at the top and juicy white peaches! It is pretty diaphanous and aquatic which illustrates that musk is a very versatile note.

Shop Now - Sana Jardin - Nubian Musk (EdP) 50ml - £95.00

'Nubian Musk' from Sana Jardin isn't heavy either!  This melds into the skin quickly and easily, the musk base enlivened with grapefruit blossom, sambac jasmine and the luxurious, woody/green notes of my beloved cypriol.

Shop Now - Ramon Monegal - Agar Musk (EdP) 50ml - £130.00

'Agar Musk' from Ramon Monegal is a unique, powerful and almost magical scent with a great tradition in Arab culture. This oud is given a Western Mediterranean twist using leather and musk.

Shop Now - Nasomatto - Silver Musk (EdE) 30ml - £124.00

In 'Silver Musk', perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri has stripped away the animalic to reveal the clean, fresh facets of white musk.  The  scent accentuates and highlights the aroma of the wearer's own skin with the subtle and mutable facets of the premium musk used in its construction. Sweet and aqueous, the resulting aroma will mould itself to your skin's natural scent, making the perfume perfectly yours and yours alone.

Shop Now - Carthusia - Uomo (EdP) 100ml - £100.00

Elegantly refined, 'Uomo' by Carthusia is a refreshing and vibrant composition redolent of Mediterranean waves and ripe fruits. A bright-green citrus opening awakens the senses, before a mellow bouquet of cedar, patchouli and geranium sweeps in, bringing depth and shade to the fragrance. A simple base of sandalwood, musk, and amber closes out the scent for an elegant and enticing dry down.

Shop Now - Ramon Monegal - Cherry Musk (EdP) 50ml - £130.00

'Cherry Musk‘, again by Signor Monegal, wraps the white flowers of a million cherry trees in musk to create a sublime scent full of desire that is impossible to resist !

Shop Now - Jeroboam - Origino (EdE) 30ml - £90.00

I adore Jeroboam's 'Origino', which is the common basis for all Jeroboam perfumes! 'Enigmatic' musk melds with sandalwood at the base and provides the structure from which hang piquant drops of nutmeg, juniper and bergamot. Like so many musk fragrances this adapts to the wearer and presents as a second skin. Musk can be cool and clean or warm and wild, but either way it is always worth investigating! ******************************** This w/e we are too-ing and fro-ing from Sevenoaks to London as we move the Good Doctor to my house - we say farewell to the Kent apartment on Wednesday and open another chapter! We are also doing some shopping at RW, as a set of new pans are in order for Amberley (Can To Pan!) and I am hoping to tempt the GD to a complete set of the Skandi-Retro ceramics in grey (the colour of our new kitchen). This is under the auspices of a 'fresh start' but I suspect my ruse will be all too transparent!

I shall leave you with last w/e's delicious 'apricot upside down cake with a side of mascarpone' - thank goodness the cottage has double French windows as I shall need them to exit the building by the Spring! Dating a talented baker is not without sacrifice! Wishing you all a wonderful, relaxing w/e - I'm off to pack a few more boxes! Michaelx