Fragrance Belles-Lettres Magazine

   One of her favorite scents is orange flower/orange blossom. An extravagant fragrance was created for the Queen which became her signature scent and unfortunately became the scent that got her in trouble during the French Revolution.

    Queen Antoinette's personal perfumer and signature scent will be examined in this issue along with the 21st century interpretation of it by Master Perfumer, Francis Kurkdijan.

   It gives me great pleasure to present an exclusive interview with two perfumers who have created fragrances in 2010 and that is Ralf Schwieger, Master Perfumer at Atelier Cologne with Orange Sanguine and Marlene Stang, Senior Perfumer at Sarah Horowitz Parfums with Bel Orage.

 Orange Sanguine Cologne Spray Absolue consist of Top Notes: blood orange, bitter orange Heart Notes: jasmine, geranium from South Africa Base Notes: amber woods, tonka beans, sandalwood

 Purchase: ateliercologne.com, luckyscent.com

 

 



    Orange scents are zestful and full of energy. Brace yourself with consumptions of orange blossom, bitter orange, neroli, blood orange and other tasteful and mouth watering essence of the orange.

  Absolue Pour le Matin by Maison Francis Kurkdijian (2010)







    This was the inspiration for Bel Orage. I know it looks like it should be orange but actually the name "Bel Orage" means "lovely storm" in French. Bel Orage is dedicated to the autumn  season and what better way then to create a crisp, earthy  parfum that is so elegant with rich and deep undertones.

1. Did you decide on the fragrance notes first or the name of the eau de parfum first in order to create Bel Orage? The name "Bel Orage" means "lovely storm" in French, and while it was that charged, moody feel and scent that hangs in the air that inspired me from the get go, the selection of notes preceded the name. I chose cassis or red currant because its tart, festive smell reminds me of fall, while the fragrance's middle notes of red rose and fig are wild and earthy. Although roses really are more of a summer bloom, there is just something about its dark, velvety lushness that serves as the perfect "wet" counterpoint to the dryness of the fig here (which is so evocative, I feel, of dry leaves underfoot). Oud wood, sandalwood and a fresh, cold-smelling raw material called ambroxan form the base and really communicate, olfactively, an image of tangled tree trunks and the heavy, wet density in the air before the rain hits.




A. What do you want the female customer to come away with after experiencing Bel Orage? This fragrance is very anecdotal, and its really a love song to the quiet yet electric excitement of the hours leading up to that first autumnal storm. Excitement might not be what everyone feels on a day like that, but people who especially love this season will undestand what I aimed to achieve here, I think!

B. What size(s) and price for Bel Orage? Anyone interested in purchasing "Bel Orage" should visit the custom fragrances page on our website (www.sarahhorowitz.com). There we offer custom products ranging from shower gel, body lotion and massage oil to perfume oil and eau de parfum in a variety of sizes and prices. You can purchase Bel Orange in everything from a travel sized shower gel for $12 to a mini perfume oil or eau de parfum spray for your purse for $40 to a large size eau de parfum spray for your vanity for $100. Simply type "Bel Orage" next to the custom fragrance item you would like to purchase! Anyone interested in receiving a sample should call us toll-free at (888) 799-2060.

C. Where can Bel Orage be purchased? Bel Orage is exclusive to Sarah Horowitz Parfums.



2. I notice many new fragrance launches are always for the Fall. Do you know why this is? The holiday season (which officially begins the day after Thanksgiving in the retail world, otherwise known as "Black Friday") marks a time when more people shop than at any other time of year. They are buying gifts for others (as well as treating themselves from time to time!), and so it makes perfect sense to launch at this time.



3. What made you enter the fragrance industry as a perfumer? I am a lifelong perfume aficionado, and was already getting my tiny little hands to the perfume's on my mother's vanity by the time I was five. Almost nine years ago now I had the good fortune to meet niche perfumer Sarah Horowitz and begin training with her, and perfume has been my life ever since.



4. How did you get involve with Sarah Horowitz Parfum company? One Saturday, when Sarah was making an appearance at a Nordstrom near my home to promote our Perfumers Palette line, two dear friends of mine approached her and told her about me. I was on disability at the time and rethinking my goals, and what unfolded after their conversation with her was an offer for me to come up an assist with her production needs on the weekends. Shortly thereafter, her apprentice quit to pursue another career and she offered the position to me.

A. What do you like most about working with Sarah Horowitz Parfum company? I love the comaraderie and shared passion for perfumery that we experience and Sarah cultivates. I also love that we are a perfume house that holds customization at its heart. As a perfumer, this translates into a space where we create fragrance from a truly unfettered place, emphasizing individuality over such limiting considerations at trend analysis and fixation on appealing to the masses. Our customer is generally a very artistic free spirit who tends to think outside the scented box.



5. Marlene, will you continue to create fragrances with Sarah Horowitz Parfum company? Yes! I create custom fragrances on a daily basis for our bespoke clientele, and just debuted a tuberose concoction called "Belle Route" on indiescents.com as part of the Sarah Horowitz Parfums artisan collection. It also includes two fabulous and diverse offerings from Sarah called "Roots" and "Wings" that pay tribute to a poem her father used to read to her as a child.

A. Do you have any plans on creating your own line of fragrances? Hmmm.....that would be quite an endeavor, let me tell you, as so very much goes into the launch of a line that extends way beyond the task of developing fragrance itself! The road is long and I can't say for sure if a desire to do that will arise in my soul in the future, but my plate is happily pretty full at the moment!



6. Lastly, what advice would you give someone who wants to enter the perfume industry as a perfumer? I would say that it's important to research your options. The industry has changed greatly in the past twenty years, in no small part because of pioneers like Sarah, who have carved independent paths alongside the larger avenues governed by the big houses. An individual can approach the latter for formal training, or find a willing niche perfumer to train with. Which route they choose should depend, at least in part, on the type of work environment the individual prefers.


Top Notes: Cassis or red currant

Middle Notes: red rose, fig

Base Notes: oud wood, sandalwood ambroxan

Bel Orage Eau de Parfum is available exclusively at sarahhorowitz.com

     Mr. Francis Kurkdijian is highly respected in the world of perfumery. Kurkdijian did not come from generations of perfumers but at the age of 15 he knew that he wanted to become a perfumer. His talents and ambitions led him to created his first perfume, "Le Male" for Jean Paul Gaultier at the age of 25.

Note: Photo of Francis Kurkdijian by piercemattiepublicrelations.com

     For more information on Jean-Louis Fargeon, read the award winning book The Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer by Elisabeth de Feydeau. (UK: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd 2007)

    Elisabeth de Feydeau is a historian and professor at the Versailles School in Paris, France. During de Feydeau research for the book, she discovered the formula used to create Sillage de la Reine by Fargeon in 1790, the signature fragrance of Queen Marie Antoinette .

     Queen Marie-Antoinette was very found of her personal perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon. A young perfumer from Montpellier who came to Paris to seek his fortune and learn more about the perfume industry. Fargeon was very talented and his fragrances caught the eye of his life-long client of Marie Antoinette. He many, many perfumes but she wanted a fragrance that would be exclusively her own. A perfume that could not be worn by anyone else.

Note:  The photo is the re-creation of Sillage de la Reine by Francis Kurkdijan. The re-creation is was renamed as M.A Sillage de la Reine. 

     Jean-Louis Fargeon (1748-1806) was famous for being the personal perfumer to Queen Marie-Antoinette. Fargeon was a young Montpellier perfumer who arrived in Paris to learn more about the perfume trade. He came from a generation of perfumers and his natural talent became noticeable to a young queen who was known for a lavish lifestyle. 

  Fargeon's perfumery took a turn for the worse when the French Revolution took place. He had to close his shop for business, but after the French Revolution was over and the French Monarch was no more to be seen, Fargeon opened a new perfumery in a different location and his perfumery became a success once more.

  Fargeon stayed faithful to Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. Historical accounts indicate that Marie Antoinette was identified due to her signature scent while trying to flee Paris during the Reign of Terror.

  
Note: Picture is of Jean-Louis Fargeon by trianondelareina

     Marie Antoinette was best known not for her decisive decision making but for her passion for fashion and excessive spending habits. Among these lavish gifts to herself, she had many perfumes and scents created specifically for her.