It looks like New Romantic is even newer! This is one of my all time favourite fashion trends and I am thrilled to see it back on the runways. Thanks CHANEL and Karl Lagerfeld. This time it’s fun, quirky, silly and beautiful. The jewellery alone is enough to elicit a gasp. Here I’ve given you the edited version and the making of.
Enjoy.
Portia xx
Photo Stolen ThisIsJaneWayne (Problem using image, get in touch please)
Recently we showed the return of Christy Turlington (Burns) who was the original Calvin Klein Eternity model in 1988 return with husband Ed Burns as the faces of a new steamy 2014 Eternity campaign. I was so impressed with them bringing Christy back that I went and bought a brand new 30ml bottle to show my support.
Eternity (Woman) by Sophia Grojsman for Calvin Klein 1988
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Citrus, green notes, sage, freesia, mandarin Heart: Jasmine, narcissus, rose, violet, lily-of-the-valley, lily, carnation Base: Heliotrope, sandalwood, musk, amber, patchouli
To be honest I was expecting it to be terrible, absolutely disgusting and completely unwearable. Having bought it (for almost no money at a chemist) I was then surprised that I unwrapped it immediately to have a sniff.
Fresh citrus blasts its way out of the bottle, a joyful reminder of a hot summers day dream of fresh citrus fruit salad lightly sugared. When the flowers come through they are a 100% faux bouquet, very synthetic, but not bad for all that. Eternity is a simple seeming, light but noticeable, clean fragrance that already has hints of the amber/sandalwood in the base. There is a lightly peppered feeling, cracked black rather than wet bell, through the heart too that is very appealing. I can remember smelling Eternity on people in the 90’s, it captured the fragrant zeitgeist (funny that that word is also used in the Perfume Shrine post) of its time perfectly and I think we are seeing a return to this style of fragrance. They are not scent similar but I think the Serge Lutens, Laine de Verre, is a modern take on Eternity and its cohorts, that 100% synthetic feeling.
Luca Turin blasts Eternity thus, yet still gives it 3 stars: I have always though Eternity a copy of something not worth copying, Jardins de Bagattelle. Smelling them together now I can see why JdB, while arguably better, was a flop and Eternity a success. They art both unpleasantly screechy and soapy but at least Eternity does not pretend to be demure. LT
The rose is not rose-ish for me but I do get a spicy fruit/berry accord that could very well be a nod to rose? Yes, there is a very soapy vibe going on through late heart and dry down but it feels nice, wearable and I can see it still being extremely popular with the mainstream wearing public.
If you are only into niche and indie fragrances, want your scent to be filled with naturals or totally freaky then you will need to look elsewhere. Here we have a scent that will keep you smelling freshly showered and laundered all day, a slightly chemical wash that may not have people stopping and asking you what you’re wearing in the street but they may think that you are clean, neat and healthy and it will make a great weekend or work scent where you don’t want to stand out but would like to be fragrant. On these front Calvin Klein’s Eternity delivers in spades.
From DIOR: “A black and white voyage of hypnotic beauty.
A new genre of film presents the Dior Homme composition in a way that no other fragrance has ever been seen. Poetic and in-depth, modern and sophisticated, it allows itself the luxury of stopping time.”
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Freesia, tincture of rose, litchi, raspberry Heart: Jasmine, peony, lilac, lily, lily of the valley Base: Patchouli, musk
The 2nd Annual Art And Olfaction Awards 2014 – open for entries!!
It’s year 2 of the inaugural Art and Olfaction Awards. Last year the Jordan told us all about the awards inhis Australian Perfume Junkies post
Submissions have been trickling in since November 3rd 2014 and entries need to be postmarked by the 19th December 2014 to be in with a chance. The winner will be announced in April 2015.
Perfumes must have been released to market between January 1 and Dec 31, 2014 and can be entered into the Independent Award and/or the Artisan Award. For both of these categories, 2 perfumes will be picked from 5 finalists.
Excitingly this year there is a new category: The Sadakichi Award For Experimental Scent – This award aims to reward the work of people who engage with scent outside of commercial perfumery. One award will be presented out of five finalists
The Judges: Independent and Artisan Awards (preliminary)
The judges for the independent and artisan categories will review entries completely blind with submissions being tracked only by numbers. Text will be provided by the entrants, which explains their intentions for the scent and for the judges to contextualize what they are smelling.
The Judges: Sadakichi Award For Award For Experimental Scent
I don’t know if you’ve ever worn high fashion make up? I have rarely in my life used them because for stage we need something a little more heavy duty, the man to woman trick is hard on make up and we are at heart (working Drag Queens anyway) blokes.
Recently I bought TinaG some DIOR cosmetics for her birthday. The thrill of shopping for these incredible products in their out of this world packaging was exquisite. I kept texting her saying how excited I was buying her presents and how lucky she would feel when she used the purchases. It was a total home run of a present, Tina’s eyes lit up and I knew her thrill was equal or greater than mine. Good feeling, great gift.
Here is a step by step How To for the hottest Xmas 2014 make up look from DIOR. Definitely you will be party ready in this gorgeous, shimmering face.
Portia xx
A little more CHANEL footage. Here we have a behind the scenes look at the Dubai Cruise Collection for 2014/15. Perfect timing for an Australian summer, which is looming large, and great for the Northern Hemisphere to remember how hot works.
So do you want to hear about D R A M A? So in September Nikki Lipstick, independent fashion label, runs a catwalk show based on Barbie and does some supercute, fun and tongue in cheek Barbielicious styling. Next day Jeremy Scott sends his models down the runway in almost exact replicas. All hell breaks loose. Apparently Jeremy scott has been busted before for art theft, including a very excellent “I’m A Mess” slogan from none other than Nikki Lipstick, previously.
Photo Stolen NakidMagazine (Problem with using this image, get in touch)
Here is SS 2015 from Jeremy Scott for Moschino. All drama aside, I am LOVING IT! So drag, so fun, so silly and ultimately totally wearable by trannies everywhere. COOLIO!
Portia xx
Heya APJ,
Sorry this is late! As you already know I love the Louis Vuitton aesthetic and the fun they have with their advertising often has me smiling at their audacity, quirkiness and general bonhomie. While we await their fragrance let’s look at how they see their customer in an LA setting.
Photo Stolen ThisIsJaneWayne (Problem using image, get in touch please)
Australian Perfume Junkies 