Cabinet of Scents

Can you imagine what "was inspired by the spices and woods that passed through the trade route, linking India to Egypt" and that a "prized Indian ebony is added to resinous guaiac hardwood at the base, while a healthy dose of spice comprises the opening."? My favorite scent by Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense.

According to the New Yorker's review of two new books, "a taste or a smell can pass you by, unremarked or nearly so, in large part because you don’t have a word for it; then you see the thing and grasp the meaning of a word at the same time, and both your palate and your vocabulary have expanded". John Lanchester says that "to understand perfume, science is a good place to start, since it’s with the nineteenth-century discovery of synthetic fragrances that modern perfumes began." But his enthusiasm lies in the human experience and language, and it's fun to read more scent's descriptions that evoke the "beast prowling the streets, a strange molecule with the feel of a light, volatile top note and the power and tenacity of the most powerful drydown materials." (about Viktor & Rolf's Antidote). I wonder what the new scent by Margiela smells like (due Fall 2009) , especially after Women's Wear Daily reports that "Given Martin Margiela's conceptual bent, one could imagine him putting out a perfume without any scent — or even an empty bottle".