The Scent of a Woman

Brand New Year, brand new approach.

 

One of my closest friends' husband asked me just yesterday, 'why is it that woman cannot tell each other the truth; I mean what is the point of being friends if I cannot build into your life.' So going from this standpoint, I decided I was going to try and make the Fashion Fridays a little more helpful, a little more interactive. Give you the information you wonder about and the information thats never crossed your mind. So instead of just warding us off fashion 'faux pas', I am going to try and answer the questions you've always wondered about, but didnt have the time to find the answers too. The things you would like to tell your friend, but have not because you are too shy. You can email these to me. But how to begin and what to begin with. Now it is the end of February and it hits me. Rather it woke me up from a deep dreamless sleep, because I couldn't breath.

 

Have you ever wondered how to tell someone that they fell into a bottle of perfume? Have you ever told someone that they put on too much perfume and they did'nt comprehend? Have you ever ignored someone, who told you that you put too much perfume on? Do we understand the purpose of perfume? What is the difference between Perfume, Eau de toilette, aerosol Body spray and the difference in use. Knowing the difference could help us understand how much to put on.

 

Now personally, perfume for me is about memory. The smell of fresh bread reminds me of my childhood. Freshly cut, wet grass reminds me of spring and work (I always want to remember work...). The smell of the ocean reminds me of holidays and the smell of tea or coffee makes me want to read a book with my phone on silent. It has been said that a womans perfume should linger in a room after she has gone, not hit you over the head when she has walked in. But why does a womans perfume accost you? What is perfume?

Perfume /ˈpɜr.fjuːm/ or parfum is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent."^[1]

 

The key word is 'pleasant smell'. Perfume is an aromatic compound that is dissolved in a solvent normally ethanol or a mixture of water and ethanol. Perfume is also differentiated into different catagories based on the concentration of aroma compounds or perfume concentration.

 

• Perfume, also called extract or extrait perfume, can include 15-40% perfume concentrates. This is the purest form of scented product and is the most expensive as a result and it would be advisable to just dab where necessary.

• Eau de parfum contains about 7-15% perfume concentrates. This is the most popular and common form of perfume. It provides a long-lasting fragrance and generally doesn't cost as much as extract perfume.

 

The most common areas of use for these two above are the pulse points, behind the ears, the neck, along the breast bone also known as your sternum, the insides of wrists, elbows and knees. In Western culture it is believed that the pulse point will warm the perfume and release fragrance continually.

 

The insides of my elbows and knees,...are uncomfortable to wear perfume, I do not know whether you have experienced it differently. I do not enjoy smelling my perfume the whole day, so spraying my neck just makes me mental. So what I do is I spray my hanging clothes while they are in the wardrobe, or after I have ironed them I lay them down and spray them, not choke them, so that when I move the scent is released. When laziness hits, which happens often, then I spray myself from the shoulders down, before getting dressed. The two above last anything from 6 - the following day, hours.

 

• Eau de toilette has around 5-15% perfume concentrates. This makes for a light scent that doesn't linger as long as the more intense versions, because it is used as a skin freshner. It is also referred to as "aromatic waters" and has a high alcohol content.^[It was originally intended to be a refreshing body splash to help people wake up in the morning.

 

This is the spray that you put on and half way through the day you wish you had a refresher, in which case the product below is very helpful. The above and below last between 0 - 4 hours.

 

• Body spray is a perfume product, similar to aerosol deodorant, which is intended to be used elsewhere on the body besides the armpits. You can spray this on liberally, but remember that they had to make it light somehow as well so they use alcohol as a solvent.

 

When you get that, 'I have swallowed pure alcohol' or some metal, like aluminium taste in your mouth then it is normally because someone over used the two above. We all know what aluminium tastes like, right.

 

• Eau de cologne is sometimes used interchangeably with the term eau de toilette and has around 3-8% perfume concentrates. However, the concoction began as the name of a light, fresh fragrance mixed with citrus oils and was made popular by Napoleon. Some perfumers today have a version of this called eau fraiche and unless you are me, it is for men. The smell of lemons makes me think of summer.

 

Now did you not think that I was going to review the  Dino Risi's 1974 Italian film Profumo di donna or the 1992 American  remake. Was this not a little more helpful than a movie review.

 

Be remembered well ladies, and have pity on your unsuspecting mate. Or the friend who had to get the courage to voice this. The people you travel with in closed confines or work with every, single day and remember with Perfume, Eau de parfum and all the alcohol based scenters, less is more!

 

When in doubt ask a friend, 'hey can you still smell my scent still.' 

Pamela Love: Jewellry designer for the Love of Drama

It's not often that I watch Fashion TV and not get bored out of my mind. I can hear some of you say, "That's blashpemy" with your best aghast voice, but alas I have said it. It's not really the content that bores me everything is always so amnazing that I get an overload and switch off. As a result I do not have a TV because then I would always be on Fashion TV and never satisfied with what I see.I am always looking for something I cannot define. I think im looking for spectacular. Last year Cleo Droomer won the Elle Magazine's New Talent Designer search in South Africa and as far as I was concerned, his fellow entrants were far behind him.

 

So watching Fashoin TV this past weekend at my parents house, I discovered Pamela Love a New York based jewellry designer. I am not going to say much about her expcept she is highly trained and experienced. Her work experience in the dramatic arts, I think personally, influences her work so obviously. I will let  her work speak for itself. Do you see what I see too....

 

 

 

Maybe it was my love for drama and the dramatic. Nothing is ever too much for me. Or maybe it was the narrative behind the collection that got my attention. She explained this way, loosely translated, 'its Art Deco and Industrial Revolution inspired, taking some of the elements and translating that to something new and fresh.' But how she presented it, is she said, 'I wanted the models to look like they were working at the factory and stole the jewellry and wore it.' I love to hear the story behind the presentation. Her jewellry is very masculine and bold, reminds me of the Chrysler Building by Willem van Alen. See the resemblance.

 

 

Perpex Jewellery II: Philippa Green

I would call this the goddess.

This is by Cape Town Based, jewellery designer Philippa Green. I have seen some of the pieces in Magazines etc. especially the tube cuff, but it never occurred to me to find out more information about the designer. She is actually well known for her perspex jewellery, with attachments of steel and precious stones. I would love to ask her what it feels like to be so familiar with a material like perspex and whether she could give one word to describe how it behaves, what would that word be?

Perspex Jewellery: Belinda-Lee Ludek

My first reaction to this cuff was, 'aahh! come on!' that is how gorgeous it is; it illicited a reaction from me that does not make sense, like I could not believe what I was seeing. While perusing my favourite online store in SA, 36 Boutiques, that I am registered on but I cannot seem to not max my credit card out so I do not really know when, if ever ill buy from there. Unless they convert to a shop. Then I can max the credit card in person, I enjoy that a lot more. It reminds me of stuff that would strip super heroes of their powers, like kryptonite for Superman. This may be my archilles heel because I am going to load money onto my credit card, just to buy this....It is by Cape Town Based Jewellery Designer, Belinda-Lee Ludek.

 My love for the unusual continued.

These pieces are unfortunately only available from 36 Boutiques, because I went to check on her website and these are not up yet. I love the crudeness of the form of the cuff contrasting with the refined finish of the pieces. I do not see anyone wear these with anything other than classic pieces with clean lines in simple colours. Anything more would make the pieces look garish and insult the design integrity of the pieces.

Gifu Lamps

Called Gifu Lamps, these lamps designed by Pilar Velasco and Pau Stephens have been designed to resemble a long necked animal......who are they kidding, they resemble Giraffes. They were on show as part of Salone Satellite at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. Pilar Velasco, is a British educated, Madrid based industrial designer.

Gifu Lamp

Giraffes

The simplicity of the construction is quite elegant because it is wooden batons joined by wing nuts, which gives the joints flexibility. If I was the packing a lamp and taking it on holiday kind, I would have theses for this purpose. Our instant gratification society though is heading in the direction where not just cushions and curtains and vases will be changed every season, but I believe small electronic accessories like lamps will be changed according to season and mood and these would be most suitable for that.

Fold away lamps.



Konzuk: Timeless and Versatile

So I was reading my weekly dose of a friends' contribution to the online mag www.studio83.co.za and she featured this jewellry. Now you must understand, my friend and I have completely different style, hers is a love of the neat and clean and mine is a love for the combination of unusual materials and colours. So every once in a while, we meet. Below is the concrete and steel cuff links that I saw first and thought I want those as earrings!!!! I would wear them as earrings they are so beautiful. I wonder whether that would be sore...?

Then I went to the website and found....earrings. They are below.

And then my life got interesting; the colours the use of material, the cleaness of the designs, so androgynous. I want a platinum and concrete wedding band now. No I am not getting married, but if I did, I would. The bigger hops are bangles. Concrete and stainless steel bangles or bracelets, depending on where you grew up.

Most of the images above are from their collection, 'Concrete.' Concrete! But now my 3 favourite items, from their collection 'Embellished, which is sadly no longer available. It is industrial frivolity. Frivolity is a good word!

The necklaces above are coloured by automotive paint. Below is more eye candy.

Now I must state that the necklace, bottom left, I think is so beautifully balanced that I want to call it a symphony. You must understand that I do not enjoy symphonies, too loud for my taste, but I thought, if someone had to represent a symphony graphically, it would look like that necklace. She is a Canadian based designer called Karen Konzuk.

Jene' Despain



Jene' Despain is an American Designer originally from Oregon. She is inspired by the craftmanship her parents taught her and the global culture of New York. One word, Star Trek, that is what I thought when I saw the jewelry. Or modern Greek, ancient cultures. I enjoy the very geometric shapes she has applied and the pops of colour. It is statement pieces that one should not wear with anything else but an outfit that has classic lines and mute tones.

NOT, singing in the rain...under my umbrella, ella ella

It probably seems arbitrary for me to be writing a post about umbrella's, but I really do not enjoy rainy season and alas, it is upon us in all its glory. I do not enjoy getting wet, give me at least a thunderstorm, then at least I have entertainment while I'm getting wet. That is the only thing that can justify me getting the bottom of my jeans wet, my feet wet, my hair wet and obviously my clothes. I could go on. I was mulling over where I can find a suitable umbrella, in this country. Nevertheless (I love that word, its so dramatic and for me salvational), creative umbrella solutions; even though I would rather wear a whole body outfit. Forget a rain coat, rain body suit.

I see wet people... 25togo

 It is a very beautiful way to interact with the rain, to draw patterns on the ground. We have all done it, however I wonder whether spy's or secret agents could use it to leave very, very temporary messages for each other...Rain Brush.

 Coffee anyone? I guess in New York one day this will come in handy. The caption for the website says 'architecture you can wear'. I'm inclined to disagree. The Latte' Loving Umbrella.

Body armour, my style. This does however remind me of bubble boy, i'm ashamed to say I watched it because it was rather bad, but at least now I can reference it, so my watching it is justifed.

For the fashionista's, the late great Alexander McQueen head umbrella. Who wants to hold anything but themselves, or a Celine handbag, or a camera...

and because we like things...Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl.

 Only because I did a stint in Environmental management. The Ecobrolly.

. I wonder whether one would be shot on sight carrying this parody of an umbrella. I foresee an increase in accidental shootings, not just by the police. Riflembrella

 Only if you promise to make me smile, my personal favourite. The Seal and the Wheel Umbrella.

I would use an umbrella if I could look like this. Painting of Geisha

Because rain and singing is like peanut butter and jam and tea. Check out the Glee cover of 'Singing in the rain' and 'Under my Umbrella' from season 2 of Glee. I could not find a good enough quality for the video.