I picked up a bottle of Chanel No.5 for my Mum's birthday (today - happy birthday Mum!) and it got me thinking about classic fragrances. No.5 is probably the most famous and most classic fragrance known to women across the globe, and it's been going strong since Mademoiselle Chanel herself launched it in 1921. (We all know that Hollywood bombshell Marilyn Monroe was a fan and famously said, "What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No.5 of course!"). If you dare to ask a woman that oh-so-personal question and she replies with Chanel No.5, the usual reaction is one of obvious realisation - of course! What else?!
What else, indeed. For me, Tom Ford Black Orchid is my signature scent. After years of trying every perfume out there (L'eau D'Issey by Issey Miyake, Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, Flower by Kenzo, Rush by Gucci, yada yada yada) and not quite feeling it, I received a sample of Tom Ford when it was launched in 2006. I think it's gorgeous - a perfect combination of feminine/masculine - and I haven't worn anything else since. Relatively new, this fragrance is quickly becoming a classic, with notes of patchouli, orchid, black Gardenia, vanilla and sandalwood. Black Orchid reminds me of Chanel No.5. in that it too is a heady, intoxicating fragrance encased in an unmistakable bottle. Divine. I, like Marilyn, would be happy to wear nothing but my favourite perfume in bed...
So, this brings me to my latest press release from The Perfume Shop: Jimmy Choo's debut scent.
Hot off the heels of an iconic collection of shoes, handbags and sunglasses, the Jimmy Choo fragrance is available at The Perfume Shop from January 31st. The simple elegance known at Jimmy Choo has clearly extended to the perfume - a fruity fusion of green top notes, tiger orchid and orange blossom (with a touch of sweet toffee) is brought to us in a timeless orb-shaped bottle. (I'm not sure if the box, a faux pink and purple snakeskin, is a little on the tacky side though). Tamara Mellon, who created the fragrance and stars in the campaign said, "It was really the next natural step. I'd wanted to do fragrance from the beginning of Jimmy Choo. I want to accessorize a woman completely and fragrance is something a woman wears every day - it goes on her skin."
That much is true - but will she still be wearing Jimmy Choo in ten or twenty years? Will Jimmy Choo be the new Chanel No.5 or Tom Ford Black Orchid? For some, I'm sure it will. But only time will tell if it has the makings of a forever fragrance.
