Wednesday, June 11, 2008

L'Ete en Douce by L'Artisan Parfumeur


I was initially tempted to mock this scent and it's too sweet name (Summer of douche. Huh huh.), and then I smelled it. It was a Proustian moment, and instead of madelines I was hit with the rolling hills of hay, herbs and climbing roses of my dear auntie's summer house up Lexington, NY. She lived next to this building which was adjacent to a barn labeled the Blue Moon Saloon in the catskill mountains.


I think this used to be the Art Awareness Gallery in Lexington where I once saw a show of sculpture made entirely of human hair. I have no idea who this woman is, but her friend was kind enough to post my childhood memories on his Flickr account.

L'Ete en Douce is beautiful. It starts with a brisk mint jostling you to wake up before the heavy lidded hay comes in telling you its okay to go take a nap in the grass. The drydown is subtle, sweet hay that stays close to the skin, more for personal enjoyment than broadcast. An appropriate song might be wind chimes.


Blue Moon Saloon circa 2006

Such is the nature of trying to relive your own lost memories through the recordings of others. Sometimes they include a fresh coat of paint and a writer's workshop that wasn't there 25 years ago. Olivia Giacobetti, the creater of L'Ete en Douce has brought these memories back so eloquently. She and Christopher Brosius are memory interpreters.

2 comments:

tmp00 said...

oh dear- I think a sample of this is wending my way and from all accounts I am most likely going to need this one bad..

the oblitterati said...

I'm dying to know what you think. Memory is subjective after all, and it could be too sweet for your taste but I suspect it would be ravishing on a man.