scented

an aromatic life
Clockwise: an early scent ‘love’; gardenia;
Eau Sauvage; Roger & Gallet Sandalwood
Soap, which he tracks down online
38 the scented letter
Clockwise: Jasper’s
hotel terrace;
Queen Elizabeth I; a
favourite book about
smells; Jasper Conran
Nude Woman
the scented letter 39
contributors
Front cover by Carson Parkin-Fairley; Opposite: asadykov - stock.adobe.com
scented
The
letter
Editor
Josephine Fairley
jo@perfumesociety.org
Designer
Jenny Semple
enquiries@jenny
sempledesign.co.uk
Advertising Manager
Lorna McKay
lorna@perfumesociety.org
Senior writer
Suzy Nightingale
suzy@perfumesociety.org
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Maggie Alderson
HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA/
EVENTS
Carson Parkin-Fairley
carson@perfumesociety.org
HEAD OF MARKETING
Jodie Young
jodie@perfumesociety.org
JUNIOR BUYER
Penny Sheard
penny@perfumesociety.org
EA to the Editor
Amy Eason
amy@josephinefairley.com
Contact us
info@perfumesociety.org
Liberty House
222 Regent Street
London W1B 5TR
Tel: 07502-258759
The Scented Letter is a
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memories, dreams,
reflections
Jasper Conran OBE is one of the UK’s leading tastemakers,
designing womenswear, homewares and (yes), jewellery, as well as
for the theatre and ballet. Most recently, he has opened a hotel in
Marrakech. And Jasper’s nose is as keen as his eye, we discover…
What’s the first thing you remember smelling?
My great-grandmother Mignon’s kitchen in Southsea, in
Portsmouth. The smells were actually quite rank: a bit
musty, a bit cabbage-y – really, the aromas of a period in
time, which you don’t really get today. My grandmother
used to wheel me around to my great-grandma’s in my
pushchair every day for a good old gossip. I just sat and
listened – it was like Coronation Street. (I didn’t actually
speak till I was four – didn’t feel the need!)
Jasper Conran
When did you realise scent was really important to you?
At about seven, something very strange started to happen
with my olfactory equipment and I began having smell
flashbacks when I smelled things like sour milk, apple juice:
they catapulted me back to a particular place, even at that
young age. I became incredibly sensitive to smell. At about
that time I also realised my mother always smelled delicious
– the classic thing of being kissed goodnight as she left,
swathed in a fox fur stole with flashing diamonds, smelling
of Fracas or Miss Dior.
What was the first fragrance you were given?
I don’t think anyone’s ever given me a
fragrance! But I was given soap: Pear’s, with its
wonderful coal tar smell, as well as Roger &
Gallet Sandalwood soap and their Carnation
soap. I still buy those on the internet now, for
vast amounts of money – honestly, diamonds
and rubies would be cheaper!
What was the first fragrance that you bought
for yourself?
YSL Rive Gauche. It was completely ‘of the
moment’ in the 1970s.
Have you had different fragrances for different phases of
your life…?
I moved on to Karl Lagerfeld for Men, and quite soon to
Dior Eau Sauvage which I wear today, with its delicious
lemon-y freshness. I forget I’m wearing it, but I love
to smell Eau Sauvage on clothes, scarves, a sweater;
I think that’s almost the nicest way to appreciate your
own fragrance.
What smell makes you feel happy?
Not one, but several: coffee, toast, the scent of
Magnolia grandiflora, lily of the valley…
What smell always makes you feel a bit sad?
Dog poo on my shoe. Especially when I realise I’ve
walked it through the house. That’s a really bad day.
Jasper Conran OBE is one
of the UK’s best-known
designers, beginning his
career with a collection
for New York’s Henri
Bendel department store
at the age of 19. He turns
his talents to many
different creative fields:
from designing ballets
and operas to crystal for
Waterford and china for
Wedgwood, alongside a
broad range of
bestselling collections for
Debenhams. A life-long
lover of interesting smells
– as you can read on p.38
– he also has his own
fragrance line. Jasper’s
latest venture is the
stunningly-designed
L’Hotel Marrakech, in that
city – a new ‘must-visit’ for
the stylish. Follow him:
@jasperconran
© Melinda Fawver; ksi - stock.adobe.com
What perfume do you like to smell on a man?
Nothing. I don’t like fragrance on a man – but that’s just me.
What perfume do you like to smell on a woman?
I love classic like Fracas, Chanel, No.5, Miss Dior – which
might be for Freudian reasons because
my mother wore them, or simply because
they’re very good smells. That’s the real
reason fragrances endure for decades.
Which fragrance from the past have you
always wanted to smell?
It’s very intriguing to imagine what Queen
Elizabeth the First smelled like – it must
have been quite heady; there were animalic
ingredients like civet and musk around at
that time, along with herbs and spices to
ward off fleas…
What is your favourite book about smell?
Elizabeth David’s French Provincial
Cooking, which I read several times at
boarding school to conjure up delicious
foods in my head. She writes brilliantly
about aromas of food, as well as flavour.
Find a wide selection of Jasper Conran’s
fragrances at Debenhams, including the
most recent Nude Woman, from £20 for
400ml eau de parfum
Pia Long
JasPer’s
fiVe
faVoUrite
smells
1 A musty drawer I’m often
found with my nose in a
drawer; they’re so evocative
and delicious.
2 Pear’s Soap I love the
tarry smell (sadly reduced
in the modern version),
and it reminds me of my
grandmother Ida Florence.
3 Coq au vin You can’t
improve on a bit of steaming
coq on the stove!
4 Sweet peas There is
nothing like picking a bunch
on a summer morning and
burying my nose in them.
5 Marrakech I love the
scents of that city, where I’ve
just opened my hotel, L’Hotel
Marrakech. It’s literally like
being transported back to
the 12th Century – these
are the smells of ancient
times. Leather, spices, metal
being worked – as well as
flowers like orange blossom,
geraniums, jasmine, with
which I’ve planted the hotel’s
roof garden.
l-hotelmarrakech.com
Pia (along with fellow
perfumista Nick Gilbert)
reviews fragrances every
Friday at Love to Smell,
one of our favourite
perfume vlogs. She
published her first story at
the age of nine and started
working with fragrance at
the age of 14. These twin
passions have shaped her
life and career; Pia has a
monthly column in
Perfumer & Flavorist
magazine, is a Council
member of the British
Society of Perfumers, and
in this edition writes about
fragrant jewels, on p.16. Pia
is also co-director of
Olfiction Ltd. and works as
an independent perfumer
and a fragrance industry
consultant. Watch her on:
youtube.com/c/
lovetosmell
The Scented Letter is produced for The Perfume Society by Perfume Discovery Ltd. All information and prices are correct
at the time of going to press and may no longer be so on the date of publication. © 2016 The Perfume Society All text,
graphics and illustrations in The Scented Letter are protected by UK and International Copyright Laws, and may not be
copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission.
Stephan Matthews
Stephan was an actor for 20
years before entering the
world of fragrance. He
graduated from Central
School of Speech and
Drama in London, working
under the stage name of
Stephen McCarthy. After
beginning his perfume
career as a consultant for
Guerlain, he trained in
Grasse and subsequently
became an independent
expert. He now writes about
the industry, and his weekly
offerings can be found at
stephanmatthews.com or
on Twitter: @StephanTweets
Carson Parkin-Fairley
Carson – who created this
month’s show-stopping,
jewel-encrusted cover – is
also The Perfume Society’s
‘Instagram Queen’, dashing
around town photographing
launches, ‘noses’ and store
installations. An illustrator
and writer, Carson was a
finalist in The Fragrance
Foundation’s ‘Rising Star’
Jasmine Award earlier in
2016. (She’s also our resident
mixologist – something
which comes in very handy
at this time of year!) Follow
her personal Instagram:
@carsonparkinfairley
4 The scented Letter