H like hrrrrg!
So there is this idea, of coming up one day with a bundle of hyacinths, nicely grouped with a little lily of the valley, in the hand, or if you prefer, on the chest, of Mr mechanic,returning home from his job. Vero, my perfumery body, and me sat together last Saturday, down town in Zurich, to discuss some ideas, with the hyacinth idea being one of the focal points. Hyacinth does not mean soliflor and the mechanic translates into juxtaposition of exalted-loud-green-somewhat stingy-flowers with a calm grounding somewhat dirty pole. Sort of.
So we looked at it and we go like, “yes, well, ok, hmm, nice flower, hmm, well ,…” which neither sounds truly enthusiastic nor translates into a Swiss version of enthusiasm. (you know…we Swiss tend to be somewhat coolish) So I turn into Mr principle and start wondering whether the underlying idea might not work. You know…almost everything is possible in perfumery but maybe the idea of combining wet horse with pineapple, driven by a vision to create a “horse carriage in the pineapple fields” scented picture is not what you should thrive for in the first place. Maybe a rose field after a summer rain is a nicer vision to follow.
So I blabber and Vero goes like “no, no, no”, and grabs for the Gomma, by Etro, that I gave her to sniff before, as an example of a well done leather, that I like. Gomma, translates into brown rubber with a slightly fruity sugar crust under quite some smoke. Well, at least in my nose. And combining the flower-power strips of the latest hyacinth trial, soaked with some Tauer tears of frustration, with the smoked rubber we start wondering whether Mr. mechanic needs to work close to a tire incineration field, or spend a day in the Camel lounge at Zurich’s airport (Gate E, at the very end, to the right…this one is made to be a lung surgeon’s nightmare, or -if you will- the foundation of his business. The other lounges are quite well ventilated and will never saturate Mr mechanics overall with the cold smoke of 15 packs).
Well, maybe Mr. Tauer needs to add some tar to his trials, that’s what we thought and I did later at home. But then, looking at this flat hyacinth again, standing in front of me like a freeze-dried hyacinth cluster, flattened by a bulldozer and then sent to a plastic surgeon for correction and broader acceptance, I figured that Mr T. needs to do more, like greening it, and bringing in a touch more lily of the valley and so the story continues and with it the hyacinth stories on this blog.
Somewhere in a dark corner the W. factor is hiding, scared of having to sniff yet another mod of something that he does not understand.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Dear lord,
I’m howling…
Not funny, for you perhaps [ or maybe, only in retrospect], nor for poor long-suffering W.-the-understanding !
Thank you for giving me a god laugh…
I have no doubts that you will persevere and come to a happy conclusion eventually…
Bisous !
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Andy–you make me smile. I am falling in love with Mr. Mechanic already. Does he offer me the hyacinths with a tender, self-effacing smile? *swoon*
(i may be watching too much anime).
I *like* the thought of Mr. Mechanic, but whether you choose to add tar, or incinerate some rubber, you should know that I am a closet pyromaniac, so all of the above would probably interest me, lol.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Ach ja, my dear Chayaruchama
but you know, there is a serious line in my post. This is the fact that I do not take my fiddling and trials too serious. There is time, lots of time for me, to try many more things. And one day, one fine day, hyacinth will find itself on a shelf at luckyscent’s or Luilei’s or in a corner at Tauer’s, where it will join the failed trials, waiting silently for a resurrection…. Kisses to a beautiful soul.
Dear Arhianrad
I think I know exactly what you mean…mechanics are a dangerous breed of men! I happen to know a mechanic of a Peugeot garage, where I -once every half a year- pick up the car for a dear neighbour of mine, when she comes back from her long, long trips. Well, he is kind of the boss there, but still gets somewhat dirty, and has the bluest eyes you can imagine. Blue and crystal clear like a glacier lake in the mountains.
Be aware before coming close to Peugeot garages in Zurich!
You made me smile too, by the way, as I never came across the term closet pyromanic. Love it!
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:27 pm
*waves hi to Chaya*
andy…he has blue eyes?!?
i am doomed…DOOMED, I say…
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:36 pm
They can’t be more blue. Trust me…dangerous area! Electronic hugs to Ms Doomed ;-)
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Andy, I laughed so much reading this, but you pose a serious question with your “wet horse and pineapple” example. Some visions work better in perfumery than others. I’m afraid some perfumers don’t ask themselves such questions! (At least, it doesn’t appear they do.) I perked up when you mentioned greening the hyacinth fragrance a bit. I was afraid of galbanum until Reverie au Jardin. Now I’ve become rather a fan of the note. You do green well. Have fun!
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Although most florals & I don’t agree with each other, one of my current favorites is Ava Luxe’s Midnight Violet - which evokes for me deep purple violets in a dark forest growing in the middle of a discarded tire. A dirty, rubbery violet that I’ve grown to be very fond of. So the hyacinth/mechanic frag could be quite interesting.
Now, horsey pineapple … hmm, that’s something else entirely. Kind of like getting the last table in the restaurant next to the bathrooms, and the door opens … suddenly your creme brulee is not so appetizing … :-)
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:45 am
Oh, what a good laugh I had! Thank you for this display of Swiss humor in the absence of Swiss enthusiasm.
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:53 am
Dear Maria
Fun is guaranteed these days! It is such wonderful weather these days and I finally found time the last few days to play. What else do you want? Greetings to you and DH!
Dear Vasily, great picture! Trust me: No horsey pineapple from Andy…!
Dear Marie-Hélène
Thank you! Greetings from Switzerland to you
May 23rd, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Aren’t we witty, mr. Swiss cool? LOL
I think your post is brilliant and your ramifications of thought on the diverse course of a hyacinth bouquet sound very promising. I like the fact that you interject an imagery that sounds plausible in your perfumes instead of cool, detached abstract things that more mainstream companies aim for (ie. the metal on the wing of an airbus after torrid rainstorm or any such nonsense).
A hyacinth bouquet on the hands of a dirty mechanic sounds positively endearing, so thanks!