Sniffa-Pitti part 2
(this post starts here)
Then we moved to the booth of ProfumImport, the company created by Guido from the store “Profumo” (Milan) to import in Italy the creations of some foreign artists. The spot with the highest level of creativity of this year's Pitti, in my opinion. I must have spent 10 hours in three days there, asking questions, smelling, harassing his guests (Andy Tauer, Mona di Orio and Olivier Durbano).
Mona di Orio was not supposed to be there, on Saturday. I interviewed her on Friday (post will follow), but perhaps the enthusiasm she felt around her and her creations convinced her to overcome shyness and meet the public the next day. And she has won everybody’s heart. The fact is that her fragrances are so structured, stylish, that you don’t expect to see her so small and smiling. Instead, this charming contrast only adds to the admiration for her work. She presented us all her fragrances, from the less powerful to Carnation, to Nuit Noire, ending with Jabu, the last of the line. Jabu is the name of an African girl she met on the occasion of the presentation of a project to support women and children affected by AIDS in Africa. The fragrance Jabu is her small personal contribution to this project: the proceeds of the first 500 bottles sold and 10% of all the others will help funding this project. But she tells you this only if you ask her specifically. In Jabu's there’s an almost caramelized tenderness 
and some sweet flowers which remind you of the atmosphere of an happy, innocent childhood, supported by a woody, earthy base. I have to retest it, I heard enthusiastic comments (more on skin than on mouillette). At this point we were almost drunk and we decided to stop for lunch, so the tables fulled up with us, there was a moment we were everywhere... everywhere I turned my eyes I could see small groups eating, talking, returning laden with fragrant discoveries and with big smiles. I talk a little while with Flinndudu and Amelie, with Alessandro (tanned and with dreamy holiday look); we were all so relaxed, everyone was really enjoying the meeting. (Continues).
Then we moved to the booth of ProfumImport, the company created by Guido from the store “Profumo” (Milan) to import in Italy the creations of some foreign artists. The spot with the highest level of creativity of this year's Pitti, in my opinion. I must have spent 10 hours in three days there, asking questions, smelling, harassing his guests (Andy Tauer, Mona di Orio and Olivier Durbano).
And so the group could meet Andy Tauer, at last! Here, Andy is one of the kindest, 
approachable people in the world, and these human qualities are likely to make you forget what a fine composer of scents he is. Creative, personal, visionary (we smelled at least six other orange flower scents these days, and his is certainly the most special, the most original. But I’ll report it in a separate post). Andy had prepared a small workshop for my friends, but we didn’t foresee we’d have to perform it out of the booth: we were too many to be hosted there. Firstly, he presented his latest creation, Une Rose Chypre, and then he made us smell some of the raw materials with which it’s built: bergamot, essential oil, Turkish rose oil and absolute, Phenylethyl alcohol (pink, cool, moist, freshly cut rose), geranium (spicy and fresh rose), Labdanum (sweet, liquorous, woody, vanillic), a homeopathic amount of oakmoss (smoky, woody, impressive, able to give structure and character to any base accord). Here Tamberlick/DonJosè half fainted from joy to smell real oak moss, he asked to study the note with a little more ease so Andy generously showered some mouillettes with 10% solution. This game allowed us to explore what role each material plays in the fragrance, and I wish to thank him on behalf of everyone for that. Then he was asked of Orange Star, so he sprayed it on almost everybody’s arm. The fragrance is not done yet, but it already shows an interesting attempt to go towards a fresh note, on some skins it was simply divine, while on others it pulled out a somewhat arguable metallic/soapy note. I expect that from his magical hat he’ll be able to extract an exciting fragrance, the base accord is recognizably “Tauer”, a set of vetiver/incense that is also found in the heart of Vetiver Dance, which conquers me. Patience, dear B&B, now and forever patience...
approachable people in the world, and these human qualities are likely to make you forget what a fine composer of scents he is. Creative, personal, visionary (we smelled at least six other orange flower scents these days, and his is certainly the most special, the most original. But I’ll report it in a separate post). Andy had prepared a small workshop for my friends, but we didn’t foresee we’d have to perform it out of the booth: we were too many to be hosted there. Firstly, he presented his latest creation, Une Rose Chypre, and then he made us smell some of the raw materials with which it’s built: bergamot, essential oil, Turkish rose oil and absolute, Phenylethyl alcohol (pink, cool, moist, freshly cut rose), geranium (spicy and fresh rose), Labdanum (sweet, liquorous, woody, vanillic), a homeopathic amount of oakmoss (smoky, woody, impressive, able to give structure and character to any base accord). Here Tamberlick/DonJosè half fainted from joy to smell real oak moss, he asked to study the note with a little more ease so Andy generously showered some mouillettes with 10% solution. This game allowed us to explore what role each material plays in the fragrance, and I wish to thank him on behalf of everyone for that. Then he was asked of Orange Star, so he sprayed it on almost everybody’s arm. The fragrance is not done yet, but it already shows an interesting attempt to go towards a fresh note, on some skins it was simply divine, while on others it pulled out a somewhat arguable metallic/soapy note. I expect that from his magical hat he’ll be able to extract an exciting fragrance, the base accord is recognizably “Tauer”, a set of vetiver/incense that is also found in the heart of Vetiver Dance, which conquers me. Patience, dear B&B, now and forever patience... 
Mona di Orio was not supposed to be there, on Saturday. I interviewed her on Friday (post will follow), but perhaps the enthusiasm she felt around her and her creations convinced her to overcome shyness and meet the public the next day. And she has won everybody’s heart. The fact is that her fragrances are so structured, stylish, that you don’t expect to see her so small and smiling. Instead, this charming contrast only adds to the admiration for her work. She presented us all her fragrances, from the less powerful to Carnation, to Nuit Noire, ending with Jabu, the last of the line. Jabu is the name of an African girl she met on the occasion of the presentation of a project to support women and children affected by AIDS in Africa. The fragrance Jabu is her small personal contribution to this project: the proceeds of the first 500 bottles sold and 10% of all the others will help funding this project. But she tells you this only if you ask her specifically. In Jabu's there’s an almost caramelized tenderness 
and some sweet flowers which remind you of the atmosphere of an happy, innocent childhood, supported by a woody, earthy base. I have to retest it, I heard enthusiastic comments (more on skin than on mouillette). At this point we were almost drunk and we decided to stop for lunch, so the tables fulled up with us, there was a moment we were everywhere... everywhere I turned my eyes I could see small groups eating, talking, returning laden with fragrant discoveries and with big smiles. I talk a little while with Flinndudu and Amelie, with Alessandro (tanned and with dreamy holiday look); we were all so relaxed, everyone was really enjoying the meeting. (Continues).Interview with Andy Tauer (2008)
Andy Tauer's fragrances (2008- in Italian)
Andy Tauer's website with the Sniffa video!
Commenti
i meravigliosi Mona di Orio
incominciamo con LUX
Non ditemi, please : "Ancora un agrumato"
questo non è il solito limone cheap da versione estiva
è un grosso limone maturo, quelli con la buccia spessa, che ho appena colto per il the del pomeriggio, come lo si estrae dal coglifrutta, scaldato dal sole,
quelli dipinti da Monet nella serie di Bordighera
per circa mezz'ora sembra che non ci sia altro, poi emerge una meravigliosa ambra che ammorbidisce la composizione non più esperidacea ma legnosa e calda di labdanum e cistus(forse)
Sicuramente benzoino
I profumi dell'anima
sono quelli, inafferrabili, intangibili-non carnali, che ti lasciano la sensazione di cercare di catturare un fantasma e non riuscirci, un sogno al risveglio che svanisce come la nebbia
il mio amatissimo Après l'Ondée è uno di quelli, come The unicorn spell e Psychotrope
aggiungo oggi
Amyitis , in cui finalmente c'è un cumino così discreto e legato all'iris da risultare non molesto a chi non lo regge
Verde, luminoso, impalpabile, una leggera nota d'anice, insomma un incrocio tra quelli citati e il Vent vert (Cellier) della mia adolescenza
perfetto, moderno, anzi intemporale
Lilith
AnnaMaria, grazie per aver scritto le tue recensioni anche qui, adesso che l'ho conosciuta di perosna, i profumi d Mona mi piacciono ancora di più. Lux mi è piaciuto proprio pe rlo sforzo di non creare un esperidato-colonia ma un esperidato-profumo, con un corpo e un base abbastanza solida da sostenere le note solari e mature per un pò.
Amytis mi aveva colpita già al primo sniffo, almeno un anno fa, per la sua personalità sofisticata ma l'ho lasciato colpevolmente nel comparto "profumi emozionanti da riprovare con calma". Dopo la sniffata del Pitti mi è diventato prioritario dedicarmici, è proprio bello e ben fatto. I profumi di Mona hanno una struttura classica che a me piace, si capisce da chi ha imparato l'arte; da Roudnitska ha ereditato probabilmente il rigore ed il tipo di gusto, ma essendo una donna e di 50 anni più giovane, ha trasferito tutto questo nella sua realtà interiore, necessariamente diversa da quella del grande Maestro. Per questo, secondo me, a volte le sue fragranze non sono capite, chi le annusa si aspetta qualcosa di diverso. Ma le influenze dei Grandi ci sono tutte, se uno le sa cogliere.
Ciao cara Lilith, e bentornata. Immagino che le tue amiche, siano quelle di lunga data, quelle che anch'io conosco e stimo da tanto, vero? Un abbraccio (contenta che ogni tanto passi di qui, ma passa più spesso, mi manchi!) :-)
Joan Stepsen
Gadgets and gifts