Italian Perfumery (3/4)
Among those “for her” I love Paillettes (Enrico Coveri, 1982), one of the first fruity floral: a sparkling opening of citrus and pink pepper flirts with freesia, orchid (?), iris, and sandalwood, a combination really suggesting colourful, sparkling sequins, euphoric as a glass of champagne, full of the same joy and humor this unlucky stylist (died in 1990 at 38) used to infuse his clothes with.
La Perla (1987) was a classic chypre
with lemon and bergamot leading a handful of cold spices (coriander,
cardamom), a classic floral accord (rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, iris,
honey), patchouli, vetiver, benzoin and sandalwood. A “fur”
fragrance, with a projection and a persistence really incomparable.
Byblos (1990) in the famous round blue
glass bottle: a decidedly modern fruity floral, less balanced and
therefore more interesting than a lot of stuff running in the shops
today, a splash of berries with a floral heart (mimosa, lily,
lily-of-the-valley, iris, heliotrope).
And I wish to remember also the Krizia
group: K, Krazy, Teatro alla Scala were fragrances wich smelled so
distintively “Italian”... so as to be out of fashion now.
Unfortunately, because Italian taste in perfume allowed the creation
of fragrances with a soul, and smelling again the best from 80's and
90's it's impossible not to notice it. In fact, the risk is
nostalgia, thinking about how perfect La Perla or Theorema were,
especially comparing them to what perfumery offers today. Italian brands didn't only know how to have their perfumes composed,
but they also knew how to treat them: they seemed to consider scents
as an extension of their couture: it is impressive how much
correspondence there was between a fashion brand and the scent it
launched on the market! Sniff, and you'll notice immediately.
Depending on the brand that asked for it, the perfume could be
elegant and golden as a premiere at the Teatro Regio in Parma, or
understated as a white linen shirt, but always with a recognizably
Italian touch, referring directly to the couture of the brand.
If I had to define this Italian taste in perfumes, I
would define it as a tactile characteristic. Italian fragrances share
qualities of presence, thickness, texture, offering sensations
similar to those of a dress or a coat (perhaps the fact that they
were realized for Italian couturiers highlighted this feature). They
enveloped the wearer with an exuberant, outgoing personality. If they
were women, they would have wide hips and loud laughs, be generous
but woe to not take them seriously! They would show the sumptuousness
of Sophia Loren and Monica Bellucci, or would be angular and
interesting as Fiorella Mannoia or Sabrina Impacciatore. The "white musk/Fresh & Clean"
fashion could never be born in Italy, we are perpetually exposed to the
naked flesh by Michelangelo and Raphael velvety colors ... we're
addicted to shades, layers, aspects; the infinitely adjustable
hiding-or-revealing chiaroscuro marks the individuality of each of
us. And so was Italian perfumery: a work around facets of human
personality.
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