One thing about living in a city: you never know what you're going to see next. This afternoon, I came across a fascinating exhibition of rare plants used in making perfumes, as well as design prototypes for bottles and packaging of some well-known perfumes. The plants had too many coloured lights trained on them to make photography realistic. Instead, I focused on display cases featuring the perfume design prototypes. Sunshine filtered through skylights also affected photography. This is the first of three posts about this exhibition in Boulogne-Billancourt.
Eau des Merveilles - Hermes, Paris (photos above and below)
Eau de Peace - Claude Montana, Paris (photos above and below)
Roberto Cavalli - Italy (photos above and below)
Ah….the sweet, smell of perfume! Today's market is flooded with hundreds and hundreds of different fragrances ranging from floral to woodsy. Most women love the smell of perfume, wearing it even when going to the grocery store. The problem is that perfume allergy for some women, is anything but nice.
Posted by: perfume blue | 08 March 2007 at 14:57
Shopping for perfumes or personal fragrances can be a daunting task, particularly if it's for a friend or lover.
Obviously online at Myshopping.com.au you cannot compare the actual scent of different fragrances. But, once you have a
fairly good idea of what you are looking for, you can compare the different offerings from different brands and vendors
very easily. So, how do you know what you are looking for? The following simple steps will narrow the search down
somewhat.
Posted by: women perfume | 06 March 2007 at 20:22
There is not an ultimate advice because everyone interprets odors in their own way, and the same fragrance can smell
totally different considering type of skin, hair color, temperament and even the season of a year. There are important
nuances if you do not want to seem vulgar or lacking of taste.
Posted by: perfume tester | 04 March 2007 at 22:24
Perfume. Since a little girl viewing my aunt's perfume tray on her dresser and saving my allowance to buy an "Evening in Paris" set with the blue satin inset, I live, breathe, have even drank my perfume to see what it tastes like. I cannot be unless there's perfume on my body. I would love to dive into a vat of Perfume and live there for a month.
Posted by: Marie Walsh | 06 July 2006 at 19:17
Love your blog and love french perfume! :-)
Posted by: Willie | 24 June 2006 at 14:58
tara, when is the book coming out? you have such a gift for this kind of evocative photography! I'd like to see an exhibit of all of your prototype photos with some of the actual bottles, flowers, spices, etc ... wouldn't that be cool? and smell good? whoah!
Posted by: Maureen | 23 June 2006 at 23:43
Lovely!
I'm fascinated with perfume. Have you read Emperor of Scent? Totally fascinating book about a guy named Luca Turin. It appears he started a blog, but it hasn't been updated in a couple months.
The way he describes scent is just delightful.
Glad I happened upon your blog via FlitKnits...
Posted by: Lisa B-K | 20 June 2006 at 05:38
You never seem to amaze me with all the pics you get to share with us
Posted by: cathy | 18 June 2006 at 19:46
Remember when there were only a few perfumes? I used to wear Wind Song in High School and thought it was great. Then Channel came out with #5 and it started a kind of craze, a change in the perfume world. I still remember being in love with Youth Dew when my mother brought it home. The bottles perfume came in didn't become works of art until about 10 years ago, I guess. Sometimes I will buy some perfume just because I like the bottle. I bought a bottle of Jean Paul Gautier for my daughter as it looked like a snow globe with a lady inside dressed in a black evening gown and gold flecks for the snow. It really has become a new art form-this packaging of perfume.
Posted by: Linda | 17 June 2006 at 16:23
Wow! These photos are intense. I want to reach out and touch all the objects. I want to smell the room they reside.
Posted by: GoGo | 17 June 2006 at 06:40
Intriguing and interesting...it is amazing how smell connects us to a moment, a thought, a memory that lingers for a life time.
My Best-
Kristen
Posted by: Kristen Robinson | 17 June 2006 at 06:22
This and future posts very interesting to me as I retired from a career in the fragrance industry!Love seeing the protypes..many don't realize what goes into the design of the finished product!
"Smell is a come-hither."
The most expensive perfume in the world JOY, mixes a little jasmine with lots of rose! I have roses on the brain lately! :)
Posted by: naturegirl | 17 June 2006 at 03:25
I can feel the excitement of city life as I read your blog....very nice photos....could you also test the perfume?
Posted by: mary jane | 17 June 2006 at 02:15
You could not have staged a more delightful fantasy land. Simply glorious photography.
Posted by: Rebekah | 17 June 2006 at 01:40
Awesome! I even love the way the difficult photography adds another layer of mystique to them.
Posted by: Kara | 17 June 2006 at 01:32
wow ! isn't it amazing what can turn into beautiful art... such a treat... I dont see things like this in my neck of the woods !!
Posted by: diana | 17 June 2006 at 00:52
fascinating. I love the stars and moons!
Posted by: boliyou | 17 June 2006 at 00:09
being a perfume lover/junkie (lol) i loved seeing these pictures. i'm curious if Caron contributed to the exhibit?
Posted by: bella | 16 June 2006 at 22:59
being a perfume lover/junkie (lol) i loved seeing these pictures. i'm curious if Caron contributed to the exhibit?
Posted by: bella | 16 June 2006 at 22:59
How fun! It would be neat to just come on things like this. ;)
:)
Posted by: amber | 16 June 2006 at 21:43
It made me think of that book Perfume, do you know it?
I love the photos.
Posted by: kristen | 16 June 2006 at 20:44
These are great! Only the French...I could spend hours viewing and photographing the window displays in Paris.Wonderful composition on your photos and I happen to be one of those strange people who loves reflections in photos...mostly because I am nosey and love the see what else is going on in the scene.
I think that the spiral bottle is possibly my favorite...the one resembling a DNA strand. I will admit that the snake sent shivers down my spine and I applaud you for shooting it...the only good snake.....:-)
Posted by: susanlavonne | 16 June 2006 at 20:38
It's an amazing process. How wonderful to see the prototypes.
It's funny perfume is your subject today: I just received a vintage ad for Tabu by Dana from my sister.
Posted by: Colette | 16 June 2006 at 20:07
Oh wow, oh wow, Tara. These just knock my socks off. Just fabulous. The stars, the snakes, the glass oh my. I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
Posted by: Annieelf | 16 June 2006 at 19:54
how fascinating. can't wait to see the rest of the photos.
i'm suddenly reminded of Jitterbug Perfume. :-)
Posted by: ally bean | 16 June 2006 at 19:42