Your favorite character's scent

Hey guys, I invite your comments on what I hope is an interesting thread. Imagine your favorite historical or literary character. Could be male or female, could be a role model, could have a romantic element… whatever! Now what interests you about that person, and what scent would they wear? Let’s use our imaginations on this one.

I got this idea from an article in a Canadian national newspaper, titled “Scent: What Would Caesar Wear?” which was written by Marian Bendeth. I contacted Marian, and she very graciously gave me permission to use her article and provided a link to her article. The article contains a couple of pieces, but with perseverance you’ll find it.

Link to the National Post article (August 18, 2007 WP5):
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.ht...c-237c6e2286b0

BTW – Marian is a contributor to Basenotes. She is doing an excellent series, titled “Scent Trek” in which she interviews the big names in the industry – Ellena, Tauer, Roudnitska, Villoresi… you get the picture – about their inspirations and philosophy. Check it out!

First article in Bendeth’s series “Scent Treks” is on Basenotes/Articles, see
http://www.basenotes.net/articles/20...perfumers.html

To start the ball rolling, I’ll name Sherlock Holmes as my character. I like his keen intellect and analytical skills. So what would he wear? Well, he probably smelled of pungent pipe tobacco most of the time. But when Watson could drag him out to a concert and dinner, he would have put on Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet. It is a Victorian-era scent, and it conveys a cool, intellectual, slightly aloof tone. Perfect for old Holmes!

I’m gonna post a similar thread on the women’s side. It will be interesting to see the discussions. Cheers!

Howdy guys, here is another character. John Muir -- as I'm sure many of you know -- was a great 19th century naturalist and environmentalist. It was due to his initiatives that the majestic redwood trees of California were perserved. The perfect scent for him? Comme des Garcons "Sequoia" of course! A rich, woody scent -- quite a treat.

Here's one that will be particularly evocative for Canadians of my generation. Pierre Trudeau was an extraordinary individual, argueably our most charismatic prime minister. Ascetic and sensual, athletic and cerebral, extroverted and shy... There is a famous photo of him wearing a stylish outfit and hat, sniffing the rose in his lapel. So in honor of him, I propose Paestum Rose. The rose here is dark and deep, not sweet at all. And a mysterious note of oud gives a piercing note, just like Trudeau's keen intellect. A complex, unconventional scent, and person.
Cheers!

Hey everybody, thanks! This is all great!
I can't resist more Sherlockiana.
Dr. Watson would wear Geo. F. Trumper's Astor. It is a warm, woody spice; in keeping with his masculine, friendly personality. The spice notes and sandalwood remind him of his days as an army surgeon in India.
And... Moriarty? I debated about this one. In the end, I decided to play off the Blenheim Bouquet theme that I had picked for Holmes. A villain and a hero should be well matched, equal in many ways. So for Moriarity, I picked D. R. Harris Arlington. Like BB, it is an assertively dry citrus scent. BB has lemon, Arlington has orange; BB has pine; Arl has fern/violet. Arlington is powerful, just as Moriarity was as he spun his webs of criminal intrigue.
Those were two Victorian-era scents.
And in tribute to the fateful confrontation between Holmes and Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland, I propose the marvellous modern scent La Base for Him by the Swiss company Magic Helvetia. Lovely alpine herbal and pine notes.

Ah... Mycroft Holmes. Sherlock himself admitted that Mycroft was his superior in intellect, but lacked the "get-up-and-go" energy that he, his younger brother, possessed in abundance. At first I thought of a heavy scent for Mycroft, but in the end I picked Penhaligon's Duoro. It is a complex scent, with layers slowly revealed. (I always thought that Mycroft had unnarrated potential... and I've realized that he likely was the inspiration for the character Nero Wolfe. I don't know why that didn't occur to me before.) Anyway, Duoro projects a cool authority and cerebral tone. It is a light yet powerful scent, a good balance to the large-framed Mycroft.
Now some purists might protest that the launch date of Duoro is 1911, a bit beyond the turn of the century frame of the Holmes stories. To which I respond:
a) I suggest that among Mycroft's many interests was an appreciation of scents. Holmes comments on scents, and likely both were knowledgeable about that. Perhaps you've read Mycroft's small contribution to the field, a monograph titled "Distillation and Rendering of various scent elements".
b) As a highly-placed government agent, all sorts of paperwork passed Mycroft's desk. Including patent applications and documents from Penhaligons. Indeed, it is possible that Penhaligons approached Mycroft and he was involved in the development of Duoro, and tested early prototypes of the scent.
c) This theory gains credence when one considers the name of the scent, "Duoro", and realizes that the favorite libation at Mycroft's Diogenes club was port. Duoro is the name of the premier port producing region of Portugal.
The game is afoot...!

Hey everybody, this is terrific.
Let's keep "watching the detectives"....
But to pick up the recent suggestion by masuerte on couples -- here are two artists with a complex friendship. Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin. They shared quarters in Arles. Well portrayed in the classic movie "Lust for Life" by Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn.
Van Gogh -- so troubled, so sensitive. I choose to think of him with Acqua Classico by Borsari. Yellow was such important colour for Van Gogh, and the lemony tones suggest that paint colour and the brilliant sunshine in which he loved to paint.
Gaugin -- his later paintings when he relocated to Polynesia are well matched by a Comptoire Sud Pacifique scent, Barbier des Isles (citrus, warm spice, incense).

And let's make it even more intriguing. Scent as DISGUISE.
What would Holmes have worn when assumed one of his many brilliant disguises, e.g., the amiable non-conformist minister or the down-at-the heels groomsman?
What would Sir Percy Blakeney have worn in his daytime persona as a fop, and in his alter-ego mode as the Scarlet Pimpernel?
And hey -- anyone remember the Disney show "The Scarecrow?" By day, Dr. Syn, by night the omnious Scarecrow with his wierd costume and haunting laugh!
Heck, even Bruce Wayne/Batman can be thought about in this way.

Here's another sub-thread: scent and music/musicians. I'm sure there are lots of thoughts on this.
Miles Davis -- cool, minimalist jazz trumper (also a pretty snappy dresser).
I'm struggling to find a scent in tribute to him.
I'm wearing Quartz pour Homme by Molyneaux and in some ways that is a good fit. A kind of 50's-60's vibe with its clove/barbershop note. Also a cool, sort of focused note from the vetiver.
For Miles' classic Sketches of Spain album, I'm thinking of a soliflore sandalwood I like, Santal by Melvita. A soliflore, with an emphasis on a single note, is like those floating, semi-detached notes Miles blows. Cool and warm at the same time.

Another jazz musician -- Ben Webster.
Could blow the sax hard and loud, but found his niche with very tender, heart-on-his-sleeve ballads.
So, we need a warm, tender scent for "The Brute" who actually had a heart of gold.
Mechant Loup (Naughty Wolf) by L'Artistan Parfumer will do the trick. Lovely warm cedar notes. A touch of honey to remind us of Ben's sweet tones. The Wolf and the Brute will get along just fine.

This one was easy. I've posted a review for Silvestre by the Italian company Victor. I got this on eBay, it is a 1950s-60s scent in the original bottle. It reminds me of something Marcello Mastroianni would have splashed on in a scene from a movie with the lovely Sophia Loren. It is pine-y, powerful, very suave and assertive. Has machismo but its not obnoxious, with a certain rakish devil-may-care charm.

Today's tribute also was easy. I'm sure many know the inspiration behind Creed's high-end fragrance, Cypres-Musc. It reportedly was created with Maurice Chevalier in mind. Ah, Maurice! Gallic charm, joie de vivre, an enchanting boulevardier and song-and-dance man. Any man might aspire to that, with his twinkle in his eye and love of life in the characters he played.
Cypres-Musc is dusky, resinous, Mediterranean, compelling. One of my very FAVORITE scents!!!
Cheers,

Time for another posting. OK, this guy is contemporary -- and timeless!
Namely Ry Cooder, one of the greatest guitarists, period.
Great scene in the movie "Paris, Texas"... the ruined face and figure of Harry Dean Stanton walking through the heat-shimmering desert, with rattlesnake tangy guitar licks as background music, supplied by Mr. Cooder.
A haunting desert scent, mysterious and evocative: Ouazarzate by Comme des Garcons.

Here is a tribute to one of my favorite guys, someone influential on me as I was growing up. Graham Kerr, aka. the Galloping Gourmet. I don't know if that show ran in the USA, but it was broadcast in Canada. Everyday I would come home from school and watch it. He was one of earlier TV cooking personalities. I loved the fact that he was enthusiastic, funny, knew so much about food and wine, and that the women in the audience were charmed! I wanted to be that guy! Well, I'm working on all those things... but I sure enjoy cooking!
And here's a suitable scent. Dior's Eau Sauvage was released in 1966, the first year of the TV show. Eau Sauvage is a lovely scent, cheery, suave, it has a really enjoyable quality for me.
Cheers, Graham! and God bless.

Ten years ago in Carnegie Hall, the Buena Vista Social Club put on a memorable performance. This was a project put together by Ry Cooder that involved many Cuban musicians, who had not recorded for many years. Many albums came out of Cooder's initiative, and the music really caught the imagination of the North American audiences. I loved the initial studio album and played it many times. The concert was captured by the director Wim Wenders in a great documentary. Lively, heart-felt, suave and deeply passionate; truly inspirational and extremely moving.
This year, the double CD set from that memorable concert was released, "Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall."
In honor of that, here's a scent. I'm breaking my self-imposed rule of suggesting a scent I know, since I haven't tried this particular one. But it is so appropriate -- Habanera.

Cheers!